When you think about it, it makes all kinds of sense that
the great awakening and the shift of the ages are events powerful enough to
awaken the coiled serpent that is the Kundalini. Just within the last couple of months I have come across
numerous instances of people experiencing this awakening, nearly all of them
without intending to do so. So, what
exactly is this mysterious and powerful spiritual energy?
Nirmala_Srivastava,
the founder of Sahaja yoga describes it as, “a residual power of pure desire.” The Sanskrit word kundalini means coiled,
like a snake, and what yogis call the
lotus
of the kundalini is triangular in shape, located at the very end of the
spinal column with the kundalini energy coiled within.
Within the spinal column are two nerve currents called pingala and ida and a hollow passage running thru the spinal cord, called Sushumna. When the kundalini awakens it tries to force
its way upward thru the Sushumna. There
are basically two ways in which the kundalini is awakened, intentional, and
unintentional. The former should always
be done with the help of a qualified teacher, Guru or mentor; while the latter
is a spontaneous reaction to some stimuli, accident or severe emotional
trauma. When the serpent awakes and
begins its journey, its desire is to return to source. It is not uncommon for the kundalini to come
semi-awake and stir around a bit, then return to dormancy. Such events are nearly always separated by
long durations of time. These ‘trial
stirrings’ usually affect the root or base chakra by increasing the energy and
stimulating the chakra, usually thru the libido; but are nothing compared to
when the serpent breaks out and begins its ascent.
Once the Kundalini energy is on the move the experience can
be mostly pleasant or unpleasant depending on several factors, primary of which
is the spiritual disposition of the person experiencing it. It is always somewhat easier to deal with if
the person in question is spiritually awake and ‘on their path’. Another big factor is the condition of the person’s
chakra centers. The better the condition
or status of the chakras, the smoother and easier it will be for the kundalini
energy to flow. When the lower chakras
are blocked with unresolved negative energy, or emotions, these things present
a barrier for the rising serpent, but not for very long. This “serpent of desire” is single-minded to
say the least and when it encounters such barriers it simply and painfully burns
right through them; a very good incentive for each of us to ‘go thru our stuff’
and resolve such issues ourselves while the serpent sleeps.
The many and various symptoms & indicators of kundalini
activation have led it to be called the great deceiver. Although modern western medicine took for its
symbol, the
Caduceus, which
among the varied interpretations, some say originally depicted the rising of
the kundalini to enlightenment; it fails to acknowledge the existence of the
kundalini. The rising serpent can in
cases mimic the symptoms of various illnesses or conditions. The range of such kundalini symptoms include,
but are not limited to the following:
Intense heat,
especially in the chakras
Electric like energy
rushes
Feeling the blood
flowing thru arteries & veins
Visual & auditory
hallucinations
Involuntary jerks,
shaking
Crawling or tingling
sensations
Uncontrollable bliss
and euphoria
Emotional upheavals
Surfacing of
repressed emotions
Pressure in the
skull, migraine headaches
Now of course not everyone will experience all of the above
symptoms; as with everything else in life, each will have their own experience
with the serpent. Once you know what’s
going on, that you are experiencing the
awakening of the kundalini the best advice I can offer is first to not fight it
(you won’t win), and second to enlist the help of someone experienced who can
help guide you through it. The internet
is replete with a great many different meditations to aid in dealing with the
rampant energy. Now I could supply links
to same but I hesitate to do so because what feels and vibes right to one
person might easily be distracting etc. to another. Instead I urge those seeking such meditations
to just go hunting for the one(s) that resonate strongest to you. Besides, such safaris nearly always lead one
to still more knowledge that will be helpful.
In this case especially one size does not fit all.
In cases where the kundalini energy encounters stressed or
blocked lower chakras it will sometimes reverse course and return to dormancy
for a time at the base of the spine.
However when the lower chakras are healthy and clear of obstruction the
rising serpent will ascend to the heart chakra.
It is said that once the serpent energy reaches the heart chakra, it
will never return to the base of the spine.
Remember, it’s “a residual power
of desire” and it knows what it wants, to return to source.
My own kundalini experience happened in 1984, about a year
after I’d moved to Washington State
from Alaska. With six years experience as a counselor
under my belt I soon found employment with a small counseling agency, and began
adjusting to my radically new environment.
On everyone’s spiritual path there comes a time when the learning and
collection of information must naturally evolve into being a way of life, a
conscious choice to from that point onward integrate said knowledge into daily
life. That’s where I was then.
There was an impressive and growing ‘new age’
community in the greater Seattle
area, and that was the biggest culture shock of all for me after a dozen years
in Alaska. I started hanging around at various
metaphysical bookstores and events, and soon noticed I was encountering the
same individual at most of them. The
fellow’s name was Markus, and I guess he had maybe ten or fifteen years on
me. I of course didn’t know it at the
time, but I’d just met my very first mentor. He and his wife were both metaphysical teachers who gave classes; held lectures & seminars and sold crystals. They were doing a booth at a local event one weekend and I
was invited to help. After spending an entire Saturday at this event, I expected
to fall fast asleep upon returning home.
Instead I remained quite awake, and finding myself in an upward
spiraling vortex of pure joy. Waves of
euphoria passed over me, each more exhilarating than the last. I had no idea what this was but I liked it.
I remained fully awake and alert, listening to music and blissing
out till daybreak. I went out for breakfast since cooking just didn’t seem
right On the way to Denny’s I became
aware that the words on some of the signs and billboards were changing as I
watched, something which was not normal and it really got my attention. I cannot recall ever eating a more delicious
meal than that morning. It was like my
taste buds were on steroids or something.
I just had this really buoyant joyous energy pouring thru me, which did
subside some measure after the country breakfast. More hallucinations on the drive home
convinced me that something very unusual was happening, so I called
Markus. After hearing my tale he began
laughing, almost diabolically it felt. I
rather indignantly asked if he had slipped me a dose of something yesterday, to
which he replied, “The drug you’re on is
you…your kundalini has woke up and is on the move.”
Live real-time aura scan image of the Kundalini rising
An hour or so later Markus stopped by the house. In the process of explaining the process he
handed me a couple of crystals and stones to begin working with. I learned a few new breathing techniques as
well that afternoon. The following days
saw the joy and euphoria diminish a good deal, (much easier to deal with) and
the onset of the shakes and the creepy crawly tingly sensation several times a
day. At times I was so uncomfortable I could barely stand being in my
body. Throughout it all was this very
present feeling of ‘lightness’ as if my feet were barely connecting with the
ground. This loftiness sensation was
sometimes so strong I could have sworn I could fly. All in all, with guidance from my mentor it
took about ten days to ‘get everything under control’. Markus explained to me that I had two
options. I could basically go along for the ride, allowing the kundalini to
return home, or I could choose to coax it into dormancy within the heart
chakra.
I asked him if allowing the serpent to return home called
for ‘dropping the body’ or dying. His
reply was “No, not necessarily, though
some do it that way. If you choose, you
can remain here after the serpent’s journey is complete, but if you do you will
soon find all this very tedious and of little interest.” Of course, I elected to put the fiery serpent
to bed in the heart chakra, but it wasn’t quite as easy as that. Every day it would rear it’s little serpent
head and try to ascend up to the crown, and every day for ten days I would have
to coax it back into the heart with meditation and chanting. We eventually arrived at a truce, so there he
sits in my heart chakra.
I am wondering if something similar is maybe happening on a
large scale in these heady and fast changing times; because joyful, loving,
non-fearing people seem to be just coming out of the woodwork these days,
they’re simply everywhere if you take the time to notice.
They’re called The Heart People, and they may well be a
powerful catalyst for positive change.
All those years ago my mentor had explained something to me called Shaktipat, a kind of passive kundalini
awakening whereby a person could have an awakening simply by proximity and
exposure to someone whose kundalini had risen. Not at all unlike the new cell
phone app that transfers data between phones magically…which pretty much
describes my experience with Markus.
Yes, it makes sense that all these powerful spiritual energies swirling
around us might just be causing a great many passive and unintentional
kundalini activations. Just as a single
candle can light many other candles without diminishing its flame; an awake and
aware person can also ignite and activate those in close proximity with their
fire. An awake and loving heart, with or
without the kundalini in it, creates a type of torsion field around it which can and does affect other
people in proximity.
It’s like a
particle of love in the heart becomes a wave of love all around it, spreading
the vibration of love. When we are
centered in the heart, and the heart chakra we become a shining
lighthouse. People are drawn to that
kind of light and peace as if by some gravimetric force. Heart people have no need to convince others
there is a better way to live as a human on this planet, it’s just evident by
being around them; when people see that, it impacts them, they see it’s
possible to live without fear with a wide open loving heart. That knowledge is often the first step in
learning how to become that themselves.
The message of the heart people is one of hope, it is simple and
timeless. If you’re alive on this planet
pain is required, suffering is optional.
© 2012 full re-post with permission only
Until next time, be
good to each other
