Kundalini
examining the Kundalini phenomenon in detail
Happy New Year to everyone!
I’m a bit late in my well-wishes, but better late than never. I was distracted and otherwise predisposed for the past couple of months, but I will return to regular posting this week. There is so much, that needs to be discussed, frankly, it is an embarrassment of riches. I will start off with a spiritual theme, as discussing the realm of spirit and aspects of the divine is the topic closest to my heart. Enjoy!
Given that the vast majority of my readers are Christian, I have avoided discussing this topic so far. However, it is also dear and near to my heart and I feel, that it would be intellectually dishonest if I continued avoiding it.
The reason for my reticence is pretty clear - this is a much maligned and misunderstood topic in Christian discourse. I follow Kundalini-related discussions on Reddit and other forums and almost every day, I come across Christians who claim to want deliverance from what they term the “Kundalini spirit”, which they probably imagine to be some sort of possessing spirit, an unclean one, sort of the antithesis of the Holy Spirit, I suppose. I don’t know where these ideas about Kundalini come from, probably from fundamentalist, paranoid conspiracy circles, but they are highly malignant and do great damage to a spiritual tradition that is central to the human experience.
I have friends who are devoted Christians, but also have extensive experience with and a deep understanding of Kundalini and the traditions surrounding it. They can apparently easily reconcile their Christian faith with the realities of Kundalini process, finding hidden references to it in various texts, including the Bible, but most especially the writings of Mystics, like St Theresa of Avila.
I do not know enough about the Christian tradition to comment on it with any authority, so I will discuss Kundalini in its own terms, mostly in its original context, but if I can make connections or find parallels with Judeo-Christian teaching, I will do so.
Kundalini is a very important topic and it is a pity, that quality discussions around it and examinations of its true nature are exceedingly rare, especially in the Western context, where various cults and new age movements have hijacked the term for their own benefit.
My first task, when it comes to writing about Kundalini is to define what it even is. That is exceedingly hard, due to the multi-faceted, multi-layered nature of the phenomenon and the lack of empirical, materialistic pointers to help us define what we’re talking about.
Kundalini Shakti
Firstly, the full name is Kundalini Shakti, a word-for-word translation into English would be something along the lines of Coiled Force or Coiled Power. This refers to the Hindu belief, that Kundalini Shakti is akin to a force that is coiled around itself 3,5 times, sleeping or resting in a dormant state throughout a person’s lifetime. This force can be awakened through various means, especially spiritual discipline, but such an awakening can also happen accidentally, for instance through blunt force trauma to the coccyx, other forms of trauma or even drug use. If the power awakens accidentally, it tends to cause havoc in a person’s life and can open them up to undue spiritual influences and can even cause various forms of mental illness. It is due to this, that Kundalini often has a bad reputation, seen as something dangerous, even sinister. Some fundamentalist Christians will go further and claim that Kundalini Shakti is a malevolent spirit, that possesses people and warn against getting involved in yoga or meditation of any sort for this reason. They will often go after Pentecostals and other charismatic Christians, who display signs like involuntary movements, convulsions and so forth, claiming that they are being possessed by the “Kundalini Spirit”. Such claims stem from ignorance and lack of understanding about what Kundalini Shakti actually is, so I would like to take this opportunity to dispel some myths and look into the phenomenon in detail. I will have to examine the different aspects of Kundalini, starting from the gross physical and moving on to ever subtler aspects, all the way to the divine.
The Biology of Kundalini
On a fundamental level, Kundalini is a biological mechanism, built into the human body and probably that of other organisms, especially vertebrates and mammals in particular. The Kundalini mechanism is centred around the spinal column, with the Vagus nerve and circulation of cerebrospinal fluid playing a particularly relevant role. Through yogic methods, such as clenching and releasing lower abdominal muscles and targeted, localised breathing techniques, yogis learn to circulate cerebrospinal fluid in a conscious manner and stimulate the firing of various nerves located along the spinal column, whilst at the same time, stimulating the release of hormones and other compounds, especially by the pineal gland. It has been theorised by medical researchers, like Rick Strassman, that the psychedelic compound DMT, which has been referred to as the spirit molecule, is released by the brain, most especially the pineal gland, through the practice of yogic methods I alluded to above. More importantly, this release of DMT, the self-induced circulation of cerebrospinal fluid and increased nervous activity that precedes it, need not occur as a result of specific yogic methods, but can also occur spontaneously, as a mystical state, often as a by product of religious worship or ecstasy.
The Yogic tradition employs methods to awaken this usually dormant force within the human body, but this is always done after years of preparation and proper supervision. Western attempts to replicate such methods in a Yoga Studio setting (such as the 3HO branded Kundalini Yoga school beloved by celebrities such as Russell Brand and Alicia Keys) frequently end in disaster and end up harming their students, contributing to the negative press and perception around Kundalini.
A further, lesser-known fact about Kundalini is that it is linked to celibacy and in the case of tantra, deliberate and targeted use of sexual release in order to transform mundane, sexual energy, into divine spiritual energy. Both celibacy and sexual alchemy have the same aim, but they achieve it in a different way. Narrowing the focus to men, the aim is to stop the wastage of sexual energy (on a subtle level) and semen (on the gross physical level), so that it may be transformed as fuel for achieving spiritual enlightenment, mystical states of religious ecstasy and ultimately, union with God, which is what Yoga means. It is less clear, how the biological side functions for women and not being one, I’ll leave it to others to clarify that part. I believe the mechanism is similar, but there are important biological differences to consider.
Biologically speaking, a yogi or mystic uses their semen and the sexual energy contained within it to fuel their mystical process. Traditionally, it is believed, that the yogi absorbs seminal fluid (which is mostly produced by the prostate gland) into his cerebrospinal fluid, which then streams upwards into the brain stem, washes over the brain through the brain fluid and stimulates various brain centres that are dormant in ordinary people, with the pineal gland (Ajna Chakra), supposedly the third eye in yogic tradition, the organ of mystical or divine sight, playing an important role, along with the Brahmarendra (the cavity of God), located at the bulb of the head, at the top back part of the skull. In ancient spiritual traditions, the bulb of the head was believed to link practitioners to the divine dimension and some cultures practiced enlarging it through head binding, especially for religious leaders as a prominent head bulb was seen as proof of a priest’s or ruler’s extraordinary ability to connect to higher realms.
Pharaoh’s daughter
Skull shape achieved through head binging, still practiced by some African tribes
In Yoga, nerve pathways are especially important and are divided into two main categories (the medieval text Shiva Samhita goes into considerable detail). The more common category of nerve pathways is called Prana Nadi and is believed to not only act as the information superhighway of the physical body, but is also the means by which energy (prana) is distributed in the subtle body. The second category, rarer and much more mysterious is known as Shakti Nadi. Shakti is the divine creative force, which is normally dormant in people. When awakened, it starts flowing or streaming in a handful of major nerve pathways, located along the spine. The three better-known ones are called Sushumna, Pingala and Ida, which correspond to the spinal cord, the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems respectively. Generally speaking, the flow of Shakti is most desirable in the centre of the spinal column, along the vagus nerve and through the circulation of cerebrospinal fluid, but there are other side channels, where this can happen, sometimes with undesirable side effects, such as excessive heat in the body.
In any case, it is at the level of the nerve pathways (nadis) and nerve clusters (chakras), that the physical and the metaphysical coalesce, intermingle and influence each other, which brings me neatly to the second level of Kundalini Shakti, the subtle physical and energetic.
The subtle mechanics and metaphysics of Kundalini
I have discussed the subtle mechanics of the human body before, so I don’t want to go into it here, but basically, it is believed, that the physical body is only the grossest, most concrete manifestation of several layers of subtle bodies, that are invisible to the eye or scientific instruments, but can be discerned in other ways. For instance, chakras are vortices of energy, located along nerve clusters and interface with the physical body at these points of intersection between the physical and metaphysical universes. They cannot be detected physically, but are felt or perceived during altered states of consciousness, especially during meditation. Additionally, we are aware of their existence during heightened emotional states.
For instance, we feel love and centredness in the heart chakra. Gumption and motive power comes from the gut, spiritual truths are discerned with the help of the third eye, ideas and inspiration enter the brain through the crown of the head and so on. Kundalini manifests in the subtle body, the pneuma, in a similar manner. Whilst there is a biological manifestation as discussed in the previous part, this is secondary to the subtle bodily expression of the same force. In the subtle body, Kundalini Shakti gathers as a pool of energy, at the base of the spine. Usually as a result of spiritual practice and discipline or religious devotion, it starts rising up the spinal column, Sushumna, impacting each chakra during the rising process. This rising process may take years or lifetimes. In Yoga, no progress is ever lost and however high the energy has risen in one lifetime, the practitioner will continue their inner work and cultivation where they left off in the previous one. It has been my experience, that many people are born specifically in this time, the Kali Yuga or Iron Age, with highly advanced spiritual predispositions, because progress in this age is far easier than during previous aeons, so despite the general irreligiousness and immorality of this age, those people who do cultivate and hold themselves to higher moral standards, make rapid progress with relatively little effort. This in fact is a central teaching of the Bhagavad Gita, one of the most important texts in Hinduism.
It must also be noted, that Kundalini need not be the focus of any sort of religious practice or cultivation in general, for it to rise spontaneously and often rapidly. Practitioners of any religion or spiritual discipline can and often do experience Kundalini effects, either in part or in whole, but are often encouraged to disregard it as a distraction and concentrate on their devotional practice instead. This is also common in eastern religions, like Buddhism or Jainism, where Kundalini is tacitly acknowledged, but beyond that, largely ignored. References to it also spring up, often in a hidden manner, in the mystical traditions of Abrahamic faiths, but those undergoing Kundalini effects (called Kriyas in Yoga) are generally discouraged from sharing their experiences. The activity of Kundalini may also generate psychic phenomena, like clairvoyance, telepathy, remote viewing, astral projection, spontaneous healing, prophecy and speaking in foreign or unknown tongues. Some religious traditions embrace and celebrate it (Pentecostalism springs to mind), others shame and discourage it, yet others, particularly in the East, ignore it. In Christianity, such phenomena are usually attributed to the Holy Spirit, though the more mean-minded and paranoid see sinister demonic activity behind it.
On a subtle level, the rising of Kundalini is unique to each individual and so experiences vary. In general, Kundalini activation is often preceded by the downflow of divine grace (Shiva Shakti in Hinduism), entering the bulb of the head (Brahmarendra), almost like a bolt of lightning or a pillar of light, energising the whole spinal column, but particularly the dormant pool of Kundalini Shakti (coiled force) resting at the base of the spine. A spinning sensation in the chakras is also experienced during this time, especially in the solar plexus. Heat then starts building up and rising from the base of the spine and moving upward in a pulsating manner, with the energy or fuel provided by the reproductive organs. As the energy touches a particular chakra, trauma surfaces in the form of long-suppressed memories, hangups, fears, insecurities and these then must be dealt with on an individual level. This is fundamentally a psychological process and takes a very long time to complete, most will not manage it during a single lifetime. For those interested in it, Carl Jung wrote an entire book about it, titled the Psychology of Kundalini Yoga. Suffice to say, moving through the chakras is accompanied by a process of individuation, de-personalization, self-actualization and self-realization. Kabbalah offers a different but parallel process to complete the same journey of self-discovery and inner alchemy (God-realization), whereas Christian Mysticism also has its own, rather obscure and hidden version, such as the seven inner mansions of St Theresa of Avila.
In Yoga, the rising of Kundalini Shakti is impeded by three subtle knots, located at the base of the spine, the heart and the bulb of the head. The first one is there to stop any accidental or unintentional rising, which can have disastrous consequences. The second one is intended (by God, the creator) to stop ego-centred, materialistic and self-serving individuals’ access to psychic powers and higher realms, where they could cause much havoc. The third one is meant to keep each individual anchored in everyday physical reality and prevent the dissolution of their ego, whereby they would be unable to function in the created world in any meaningful or effective way.
The knots or granthis, as they are also known, are each overcome through a combination of individual effort, a process of inner transformation and an element of divine grace. Whilst in some yogic traditions, forceful techniques can and often are used to break through, the tantras emphasizes devotion and leaving it up to the deity to decide when the time for breaking a particular knot has come. Deities will often make their presence known in various ways and intervene directly to help the tantric practitioner overcome impediments and knots stopping Kundalini Shakti from rising further.
The whole point of the Kundalini rising process is inner transformation and growth. When the process is complete, the person is fully self-realised and has worked off karma (sin) accumulated from past lives and the one they’re currently living, though they still accumulate a small amount of karma through daily living, which they constantly burn off through the fire of Shakti, but must nevertheless account for at the end of their current lives.
Spectacular things happen when the energy hits the highest chakras, Ajna (the third eye or pineal gland), followed by the Bindu Chakra located above the Brahmarendra, where the spinal column connects to the brain stem and finally the Sahasrara (the crown or thousand-petalled lotus above the head), leading to various mystical states, which are categorised under the umbrella terms Samadhi or Nirvana. Christians might call these states Divine Ecstasy or Divine Union, depending on how far the process has progressed.
A common experience in samadhi states is enlightenment, an explosion of light that is caused by the union of opposites. In Sanskrit, these opposing divine principles, separated for the purpose of creation are called Shiva and Shakti, with the Greek equivalents being Logos and Sophia. In Hinduism, these two universal principles are highly personalised and worshipped as deities, though learned people recognise their universality. Symbolically, Shiva and Shakti are depicted as God and Goddess and their union is often described or depicted in erotic terms, due to the superficially orgasmic nature of divine ecstasy.
I myself like to compare divine ecstasy to matter-antimatter annihilation. Not quite as poetic, but the scientific principles behind it are sound. In case you are unfamiliar with this aspect of nature, matter and antimatter are polarities of each other, e.g. the same particle, but with an opposite polarity. An electron has a negative charge, whereas its antimatter counterpart, the positron, has a positive one, though in other ways it is exactly the same particle. When matter and antimatter meet, they annihilate each other, turning their entire mass into pure energy, in an explosion of light (photons). Similarly, when Shiva and Shakti meet (in the yogic tradition, this takes place in the space above the head), they dance a bridal dance with erotic overtones (a swirling and intermingling of polar opposite cosmic energies) and then when they finally come together fully, matter is fully extinguished and only pure light energy remains.
This is the esoteric significance of Shiva being characterised as the destroyer - due to his attracting Shakti (personalised as mother nature in most traditions globally), the material, created universe is destined to be annihilated eventually, due to the “opposites attract” principle. Shiva and Shakti constantly attract each other and want to return to their prime state of pure energy. Their union (this is what divine union really means, a union of Logos and Sophia, so to speak), leads to the annihilation of matter and the extinguishment of the material universe. This will happen eventually to the universe at large, billions of years from now, but it also occurs within the microcosm of a human being.
Through divine union, the false self dies and the real, divine self emerges in its place, which was hitherto hidden or suppressed. This is the real meaning of death and rebirth rituals and traditions, including baptism, or the ritual young Brahmins go through in India, to become “twice born”.
Enlightenment, in this context, refers to the divine light created by the union of opposite polarities (Shiva-Shakti / Logos-Sophia), but there is also a further element, that is rarely discussed. In Vedanta, the Godhead is known as Brahman and it is believed, that the Godhead is the source of all things, though it is impersonal and passive, not the Creator himself, but the source, from which all creation flows.
Possible Biblical References
Like I mentioned in the beginning, I feel unqualified to comment on Kundalini in a Christian context, beyond the very surface level, but an acquaintance has compiled a list of Biblical references which may refer to the Kundalini power or force within that tradition, I thought I should include it here for reference and contemplation:
Revelation 4:5 'And out of the throne proceeded lightning and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God''
Numbers 21:8-9 '' And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole''.
John 3:14 ''And as Moses lifted up the serpent, even so must the Son of man be lifted up''
Luke 17:21 Neither shall they say, here! or, there! for, behold, the kingdom of god is within you…
Matthew 6:22 : The light of the body is the eye: if therefore your eye be single, your whole body shall be full of light.
Nehushthan, the brass serpent of Moses
“Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”