Kundalini
& The Awakening Of Spirit
As humanity accelerates towards
the millennium, more and more people are reporting spiritual
experiences and opening into awareness that physical reality
is only a fraction of all that is.
How does spiritual
emergence begin?
No one knows for certain just
what kick starts the unfolding of spiritual potential. For
some, spiritual emergence is a gentle and integrated process
which develops as a natural consequence of many years dedicated
to service and prayer or meditation under the guidance of
a teacher or guru. Others may experience a more abrupt awakening,
possible due to practices which awaken transformative energy
before the person has done the necessary groundwork.
It is thought that practices
such as yoga, bioenergetics, polarity work or breathwork cause
the awakening of Kundalini energy which heralds the transformation
of spiritual potential. Kundalini is the Hindu word for the
sacred, transformative energy that awakens consciousness.
According to esoteric literature, this energy has been coiled
at the base of the spine in a latent form since birth, awaiting
the stimulus to unfold its potential.
As this energy becomes active,
it is usually sensed as a vibrational or energetic force in
the body, together with a strong sense of spirit. Its movement
may be experienced as a rushing, outpouring, a steady streaming
up the spine, or a slowly coiling spiral motion.
Another common catalyst seems
to be intense physical or emotional distress. As people confront
the limits of their endurance and come face to face with death,
they will often move into non ordinary or transpersonal states
of consciousness. Thus experiences with natural disasters,
near death experiences, or life transitions such as pregnancy,
midlife or separation, may be emotionally tense situations
which can lead to spiritual awakening.
Regardless of the specifics
of each individual's experience, the Kundalini awakening heralds
a great period of change in a person's life.
What is spiritual
emergency?
When spiritual seekers or
even those who do not consider themselves to be on a spiritual
path find themselves experiencing levels of awareness or energy
transformation that they are unable to handle or for which
they have no reference, then the result can be a state of
emergency. In this state, a person feels highly vulnerable
and oversensitive to incoming stimuli. Typically they feel
overwhelmed, fragmented, fearful, confused and disoriented.
With their absorption in inner processes, they may not be
able to look after even basic self care.
All these situations can be
bewildering and frightening, and at these times these people
need support and reassurance as they undergo their transformations.
The spiritual emergency network in the US seeks to network
people and provide information to facilitate a more gentle
emergence of spiritual potentials. The network is intended
to put people in touch with others who have undergone similar
experiences, or with counsellors who are aware of spiritual
dimensions of reality.
The Symptoms Of Kundalini
Awakening
While the awakening Kundalini
may be a dramatic experience, the resultant shift in consciousness
may be accompanied by years of physical and psychological
upheavals. The process of Kundalini awakening can vary greatly
from person to person. Some have intense physical symptoms,
while others experience mainly emotional or psychological
symptoms. It is as if the new energy invites a spring cleaning
throughout the entire system, with unresolved physical or
emotional conditions coming up for resolution and release.
The life transforming changes which accompany a Kundalini
awakening cover the entire physiological, emotional, mental
and spiritual spectrum.
Greenwell (1990) has noted
seven categories of symptoms which have been observed during
Kundalini awakening.
1. Pranic movements
or kriyas
Prana is the Hindu word for
vital energy. Thus as intense energy moves through the body
and clears out physiological blocks, a person may experience
intense involuntary, jerking movements of the body, including
shaking, vibrations, spasm and contraction. As deeply held
armouring and blockages to the smooth flow of energy are released,
the person may re-access memories and emotions associated
with past trauma and injury.
2. Yogic Phenomena
Some people find themselves
performing yogic postures or hand mudra gestures which they
have never learned or could not do in a normal state of consciousness.
Similarly, they may produce Sanskrit words or sounds, or have
an awareness of inner music or sound, mantras or tones. Unusual
breathing patterns may appear with either very rapid or slow,
shallow breathing. Some people may not breathe at all for
extended periods.
3. Physiological Symptoms
A Kundalini awakening often
generates unusual physiological activity as intense movement
of energy releases toxins in the body. Symptoms include apparent
heart problems, pains in head and spine, gastrointestinal
disturbances and nervous problems. Internal sensations have
been reported as sensations of burning, oversensitivity to
sensory input, hyperactivity or lethargy, great variations
in sexual desire and even spontaneous orgasm. Symptoms can
be erratic, coming and going without provocation, but are
generally unresponsive to medical treatment.
4. Psychological Upheaval
Spiritual awakening offers
a direct challenge to the primacy of ego consciousness and
the myth of separation. It brings with it a challenge to move
beyond the unconscious responses ruled by drives and instincts
and remove ego consciousness from the centre stage of the
psyche. It comes as no surprise that such a challenge produces
a period of confusion and unbalance. People find themselves
beset by inexplicable emotional states as they move to clear
out unresolved issues. The emotional roller coaster may swing
from feelings of anxiety, guilt and depression, through to
compassion, love and joy, with accompanying bouts of uncontrollable
weeping.
5. Extra Sensory Experiences
As perception expands outside
of consensus reality, people experience atypical visual phenomena,
including visions of lights, symbols, entities, or review
of past life experiences. Auditory input may include hearing
voices, music, inner sounds or mantras. Even the olfactory
system may be stimulated with perception of scents of sandalwood,
rose or incense. There may also be disruption of the proprioceptive
system, with losing a sense of self as a body, or feeling
bigger than the body, or out of the body, with the resulting
confusion and disorientation.
6. Psychic Phenomena
With the opening up of psychic
abilities, a person may experience precognition, telepathy,
psychokinesis, awareness of auras and healing abilities.
7. Mystical States
of Consciousness
A person may shift into altered
states of consciousness where they directly perceive the unity
underlying the world of separation and experience a deep peace
and serenity with a profound knowing of wisdom.
In some cases, the state of
emergency due to psychological upheaval is so acute that it
resembles a psychotic episode. Many clinicians still regard
phenomena associated with spiritual emergence as indicative
of pathology because the signs are so easily confused with
the indicators of psychosis, mania, depression, schizophrenia
or borderline personality disorder. Many people undergoing
spiritual emergency are misdiagnosed and treated with suppressive
medication which further complicates their process.
What can be done to
support a Kundalini awakening?
When Kundalini awakening happens
to people who are not on a spiritual path or who have no context
or framework to understand the bewildering upheaval of mind,
body and spirit, the experience can leave them fragile and
fragmented. As the Kundalini process involves a redefinition
and reintegration of self, it adds extra pressure when health
professionals or significant others wish to suppress the transformation
and insist that the person conforms to old ways of being in
the world.
Of greatest benefit is a supportive
framework which can allow people to make sense of the intricate
connection between spirit and the movement of physical energy
in the body, rather than fearing they are going insane. It
is more empowering to understand that Kundalini awakening
is a process which taps into the blueprint for higher consciousness
which is latent within every human. While the enormous changes
associated with a spiritual awakening may demand psychological
and social adjustments, they are not in themselves necessarily
indicative of illness. Communication and connection with others
who can provide support and a meaningful context for understanding
the process reduces the isolation and overwhelm and can help
to minimise the disturbance. Someone who has the personal
qualities of creative adaptation to change and a flexible
mental framework is more likely to weather the changes with
grace and style than someone who is rigid in their beliefs
and world view.
Humanity's Wake Up
Call
Usually the awakening of Kundalini
was a process which only occurred after years of spiritual
practice and meditation. Yet increasingly, the Kundalini experience
is being reported among people who are not undertaking spiritual
practices. Since 1993, when Shared Transformation, an American
journal for connecting spiritual awakeners first began, it
has been contacted by over 700 people in the throes of spontaneous
Kundalini arousal (Collie & Kress,1995). These increased
reports of spontaneous Kundalini awakening at this time of
planetary upheaval may be indicative of a larger purpose at
work, the beginning of a planetary wake up call. Anyone who
is on a spiritual path, or engaging in practices which change
body energies, such as meditation, yogic practices, breathwork,
rebirthing or polarity balancing, may find they begin to resonate
with the changing energies at this time and that they begin
their own Kundalini awakening process.
Is Kundalini awakening
the same as enlightenment?
It is important not to confuse
Kundalini awakening with enlightenment. Enlightenment rarely
results from a single encounter with the numinous. It is more
as if the energetic awakening initiates an expansion in consciousness
which sets the scene for a progression of many experiences
with transpersonal states of consciousness. The intensity
and duration of each of glimpse varies with our readiness
to contain and integrate them. Thus the Kundalini awakening
is not an end point in itself, but the beginning of a transformation
of consciousness which expands our capacity to KNOW the infinite.
Spiritual emergence often includes expanded perceptual abilities,
increased energy, creative expression and a dedication to
being of service for the greater good.
| Authors Details: Karin Hannigan |
Read About Enlightenment
(Enligtenment
Pt1)
(Enlightenment
Pt 2)
(Enlightenment
Pt3)
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