BODY WEIGHT:

175 lb

Although I did not actually begin setting about to awaken the mysterious Kundalini energy until April of '04, I first developed the aspiration to do so in late '01. Finding the reliable and safe instruction to do so, however, was not so easy. Eventually I came across Genevieve Lewis Paulson's 'Kundalini and the Chakras: A Practical Manual-Evolution in This Lifetime,' and found it quite promising. I began by first practicing the nadi-cleansing practices, which are essential for the safe awakening and raising of the Kundalini energy. Although I was eager to tap into this powerful evolutionary energy, I wanted to be safe and wise in the process. I later 'tweaked' the method given by Paulsen with additional information gleaned from Georg Feuerstein's 'Tantra : Path of Ecstasy.' Since my intent for this report is only to convey my experience with the Kundalini energy, I will not try to convey instructions in raising it, and will instead refer readers to the above-mentioned titles, as they go beyond mere theory and myth and definitely deliver results. In addition, I will offer only a cursory introduction as to what the Kundalini energy is, since my main objective is to offer a report of my experience with this energy and its relevance to heightened states of consciousness.

In essence, the Kundalini is an evolutionary energy reportedly lying dormant in the perineum, and is often symbolized as a sleeping serpent, coiled silently in the root chakra at the base of the spine. The name 'Kundalini' is used specifically in Hindu and Buddhist Tantric tradition, but the energy of which it speaks has manifested in many different forms in different cultures throughout the globe: Central America - Quetzlcoatl, the Plumed Serpent, a symbol of the Kundalini energy which has risen to the seventh chakra (often symbolized with feathered wings), a sign of heaven and earth in perfect union; the flying Rainbow Serpent of the Australian Aboriginal people - it's rainbow colors signifying the rise of the serpent energy up through the seven chakras, each representing one of the seven colors of the rainbow; the Caduceus: literally a staff or spine with wings at the top (the seventh chakra) and two intertwined serpents (representing male and female energy of the ida and pingala nadis) rising up the spine. Many more such parallels exist throughout the world.

This energy, when lying dormant, is responsible for all the unconscious processes in the human body: eating, sex, desire, respiratory function, etc. When consciously awakened and risen up the sushumna nadi (energy channel) through the successive chakras, various powers or 'siddhis' are awakened, including creativity, productivity, reduced need for sleep, heightened intuition, various abilities that could be called psychic, healing powers, greater intelligence, increased sports performance, incredible states of bliss, and so on.

The results I began to experience could be said to have been gradual and not, as some have experienced, dramatic shocks of uncontrollable energy. However, though some experiences could be described as gradual manifestations, I certainly experienced unforseen and dramatic happenings periodically. At first, I began sensing physical heat rise to the crown of my head. So much so, at times, that it often felt as though someone was literally holding a lit match to the top my skull. Sometimes the heat would be so intense, I'd have headaches that lasted for hours. My entire body, and especially my head, would become filled with a bliss that was far beyond any experience with psychedelic substances (mushrooms, lsd, lsa, mdma, 5meo-dipt, 5meo-amt, salvia divinorum, ketamine, etc.) I had ever had. And I had had many experiences with psychedelic substances in the past, though I purposely stayed away from them during this period. I had always believed that such experiences were possible without drugs, but now I knew it for certain beyond any possible doubt. It was no longer just a theory to me.

Once my meditations were of consistent duration on a daily basis, these incredible sensations of heat would arise through my body at any given time of the day, sending unbelievably blissful currents of energy into my brain. Once, when I was in a local McDonald's, my entire being filled with an unfathomable bliss beyond all reason - for no apparent reason! I was just so aware of the innate and unfathomable beauty inherent in all life that I simply couldn't contain it all. As I walked out to my car, tears of joy poured from my eyes as I felt raptured in the incomprehensible bliss of heaven. At those times, it was very difficult to drive or even function in the world. Love for all beings coursed through my soul.

At times, the area in and around my perineum would also begin to literally burn with the fire of the Kundalini energy. When this happened, some pain occured, but it was all so incredibly enjoyable. I seriously entertained the idea that I might have been becoming slowly addicted to exeriencing this energy on a daily basis. Indeed, if a day went without me experiencing such states, I thought something was wrong. I was living a very basic, ascetic lifestyle. I lived simply, worked, slept, meditated two hours a day and spent the rest of my time studying. I was fascinated with reaching the state of enlightened consciousness or 'no-mind' spoken of by such historic notables as Gautama Siddhartha, Ramakrishna, Zen Master Huang-Po and Paramhansa Yogananda.

At a certain stage in my meditations, I began to experience a new phenomenon. The current of energy rising up my spine began to be so strong that my entire spine would sway back and forth during meditation, of its own volition, much like a cobra swaying back and forth to the sound of a wind instrument. It was both rhythmic (though in the organic sense, not in the mechanical sense) and forceful, so that my head would sway back and forth, often lowering almost down into my lap at times. This was something I was not controlling, though I could have stopped it if I wished. It was indeed the Kundalini itself doing its own work, creating spontaneous movements called 'kriyas.' These kriyas are physical manifestations of cleansing work the Kundalini is accomplishing within.

Eventually, I re-discovered the works of Adi Da, whose spiritual autobiography, 'The Knee of Listening,' and rumored lifestyle are quite colorful. In his works he describes an additional channel for the Kundalini I had never come across before. Whereas most manuscripts describe only the ascending channel of the Kundalini energy (that is, up the spine), Da discussed the channel through which the energy originally descends down through the front of the body (head, neck, heart, solar plexus) where it resides in the perineum before again rising up through the backside of the body up into the spine. After checking this against other sources, I became convinced of its validity, despite Da's otherwise questionable lifestyle, and began using it in my meditations. Wow! This was the equivalent of adding TNT to a firecracker! At this point, I would sometimes step outside and feel like I'd been injected with a large dose of lsd and mdma at the same time.

During those times life was positively psychedelic. I felt as though a veil had been removed from my being and I was seeing life as it truly was: a spontaneously arising Being of incomprehensible beauty and magic. Trees would glisten with untold sparkles of light emerging from their leaves. All life seemed to pulsate with the rhythmic life energy of Shakti, while secretly hosting the silent, witnessing Consciousness of the immortal Shiva.

After a while, I found that I could sometimes maintain this meditation even while engaged in simple activities which required little thought. Once, while riding in the backseat on a trip to Tucson with some friends, I was engaged in meditation and happened to look up to see the front dashboard of the car. I was silently astounded. The dashboard was literally breathing, gently waving back and forth, warping and mutating subtly as though its physical solidity was only an illusion. As these states continued, I found my intuition becoming ultra-sensitive, to the point of knowing things I had no way of knowing otherwise. I began to experience small but intriguing synchronicities. I was driving my car one day on a business trip and was having an epiphany regarding my habit of worrying too much. And just as the enlightening moment dawned on me, I happened to look to my right and consciously take in the street sign I was simultaneously passing.

The name of the street was 'Why Worry Lane.' Strange? Yes, but as soon as I registered it, another incredible surge of energy coursed up my spine, filling me with a delicate but powerful sense of joy and reminding me that this intriguingly mysterious world we live in, though sometimes seeming random and nonsensical, is suffused with hidden purpose and meaning. And so it is...

Exp Year: 2004	ExpID: 37501
Gender: Male
Age at time of experience: Not Given
Published: Oct 18, 2004	Views: 40,446
[ View PDF (to print) ] [ View LaTeX (for geeks) ] [ Swap Dark/Light ]
Meditation (128) : Glowing Experiences (4), Mystical Experiences (9), Retrospective / Summary (11), Various (28)