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adyashanti
August 2008 
Gopi Krishna: The Evolutionary Kundalini Perspective
Posted on Jul 25th, 2007
by 
Delia
Delia
In 1967 Gopi Krishna published his first major book in India, Kundalini--The Evolutionary Energy in Man (currently available under the title Living With Kundalini). Shortly thereafter it was published in Great Britain and the United States and has since appeared in eleven major languages. The book presented to the Western world for the first time a clear and concise autobiographical account of the phenomenon of the forceful awakening of Kundalini, which he had experienced in 1937, and the long process by which he eventually attained the perennially transformed or sahaja state of consciousness. This book, and the sixteen other published works by Gopi Krishna have generated a steadily growing interest in the subjects of consciousness and the evolution of the brain. He also traveled extensively in Europe and North America, during the last seventeen years of his life, energetically presenting his theories to scientists, scholars, researchers and others. Gopi Krishna's experiences led him to hypothesize that there is a biological mechanism in the human body, known from ancient times in India as Kundalini, which is responsible for creativity, genius, psychic abilities, religious and mystical experiences, as well as some types of aberrant mental states. He asserted that ignorance of the workings of this evolutionary mechanism was the main reason for the present dangerous state of world. Gopi Krishna passed away in July, 1984.
The purpose of this post is to provide various excerpts from Gopi Krishna's excellent booklet, A Kundalini Catechism, where he comments on the process of spiritual emergence and the bioenergetic evolution of humans. The excerpts where drawn from various sections of the booklet and quotes are not in precise order. I have arranged them in a categorical manner, and have seperated each quote with a line space. At the end of the post, I also include a summarized personal account written by GK regarding his own personal Kundalini awakening.
It is my intention to post this pertinent material in an effort to create stimulus for discussion within this symposium, as well as provide a basis for the context of describing aspects of my own Kundalini awakening, which I will discuss in my symposium post.
Also, here is Julian Walker's essential caveat to reading the writings of Gopi Krishna in depth. In reading these writings, please draw upon what is useful and resonant, while kindly allowing for any cultural/religious variances that may arise.
Julian's observations:
I said earlier that I always recommended Gopi Krishna's classic book on Kundalini with a disclaimer/caveat. the reason for this is that Krishn'as experience as recounted in the book is terrifying and somewhat psychotic in places and I have my own theory regarding this aspect of the book.
• He had no physical practice to keep him grounded and facilitate processing the powerful energy that was washing though him.
• (In predictably culturally influenced ways) He reveals a very puritanical attitude toward sexuality and...
• A very stoic attitude toward emotions. ( So neither his sexuality nor his emotions were outlets for expression, release and relief - they were held in dualistic regard as not being sacred or part of the process. Danger!)
• He felt he had to hide his experience from others. ( A set-up for deepening alienation and paranoia.)
• He had no guidance and no community.
This is a perfect set-up for a pretty bumpy ride. Lots of repression and very little resource - his journey really is very traumatic. That said it is still an eloquent and powerful account of energetic initiation and deep self-realization.
There are many great reading sources for the Kundalini experience. This is only one of them. In addition to Gopi Krishna, here are some additional authors I can personally recommend regarding Kundalini and Spiritual Psychology:
Gopi Krishna:
Living with Kundalini
A Kundalini Catechism
The Purpose of Yoga (might be out of print)
Lee Sanella: (most of his work is unfortunately out of print and challenging to find)
Kundalini: Transcendence or Psychosis
Swami Muktananda:
Play of Consciousness
Where are You Going?
Yogananda Paramahamsa:
Autobiography of a Yogi
Wayne Muller:
Legacy of the Heart: The Spiritual Advantages of a Painful Childhood
Adyashanti:
The Impact of Awakening
Connie Zweig:
Romancing the Shadow
Additionally, here is a video of Gopi Krishna that Julian provided in his symposium post today. In the video, GK discusses Kundalini and his personal awakening experiences.
EXCERPTS FROM A KUNDALINI CATECHISM
On Methods of Awakening Kundalini Energy:
Fixation of attention in deep study, be it of a book, of the heavens, or of any natural occurence, is the natural method for accelerating evolution and, side by side with this, of stirring up and awakening Kundalini.
In such cases (...of ripened seekers...), when the pressure of the brain becomes so great that they find no happiness in normal life, it sometimes becomes necessary to use artificial methods to arouse Kundalini.
Meditation, combined with restrained breathing, presses on a region in the brain situated below the crown of the head. When this region starts to function, it forces Kundalini to send streams of energy to feed it.
The Physiological Basis for the Religious Impulse:
Modern science has not been able to offer any explanation for the existence of the religious impulse in the human race. Actually, the religious impulse is the evolutionary urge in man an it is one of the basic urges which unfortunately science has overlooked so far. The physiological basis of this impulse is Kundalini in the same way as the reproductive system is the basis for the sexual urge in man.
...the goal of all religions is certainly one, and that is to have a higher state of consciousness, which is nearer to God.
[This does not necessarily mean that all religions attain that goal or are even close by any measure. Yet, his firm perspective is one that the goal of the evolutionary impulse that is religion is to attain God consciousness, which is to say, a higher consciousness.]
On scientific study of Kundalini and the nature of Reality:
...science is irresistibly coming to the conclusion that the observed phenomena of the physical world cannot be separated from the observer. Since insentient matter has no awareness of itself, we have to look for another Reality that can function as the 'observer' and the 'observed' both. As matter is incapable of performing this dual role, we are left with 'consciousness' as the only 'Reality' to search for. The conclusion is clear, therefore, that the Universe is consciousness divided into the 'knower' and the 'known,' or the 'observer' and the 'observed.'
Kundalini and the Brain:
Every activity in the body is inter-linked with the activity of the brain. It i when the superconscious centre in the brain is stimulated that pressure is exerted on Kundalini to send up the energy to feed the centre.
It enters the upper region of the brain through the spinal canal. The head is filled with it, and the consciousness of the individual begins to expand in a marvellous manner. It grows wider and wider and, after a while, the observing ego finds itself floating like a bubble on a lustrous conscious ocean of vast dimensions.
...ordinarily the awakening is attended by disturbances of the nervous system, resulting from the passage of a higher form of energy through the delicate nerves. It takes some time for the brain and the nerves to get accustomed to this flow of the radiant force. When this adjustment is made, the individual lives in a state of illumination.
...it is necessary for man's life and sanity that it rises through the central canal. If the awakening is slight, and it rises in one or the other channel, it will cause disturbances of the mind and body and maybe even disease. If the awakening is powerful, it may cause insanity or even death.
Here GK describes what happens in the event the awakened person does not have a fully developed nervous system:
After having entered the brain for some time, the flow of the energy ceases, and then the individual returns to his normal consciousness. After some time, he takes it up again. So his experience is interrupted and he remains in a state of fluctuation between superconsiousness and normal consiousness.
When asked how he came to the conclusion that Kundalini is the evolutionary mechanism in the human body, GK replied:
The conclusion is simple and follows the direction of the phenomena observed. Transformation of personality, as a result of religious striving and various spiritual exercises, is a well-recognized possibility and is mentioned in almost all the scriptures of the world. This transformation must have a psychosomatic basis in the body which is powerful enough to alter the functions of the cerebrospinal system and other organs to produces a higher state of consciousness. As the phenomena associated with Kundalini point to a radical transformation of personality, it is obvious that the basis of evolution is Kundalini.
Healthy Development of Kundalini:
There are many factors necessary for the healthy development of Kundalini. The main are 1) an earnest desire to experience God or the Power behind the universe; 2) love and benevolence towards all mankind; 3) devotion to ideals; 4) a disciplined life; 5) conquest of ego.
On the transformation of personality and development of character:
It should be apparent to any impartial observer who has grasped the significance of this evolution that the very fact that man evolves towards a higher state of consciousness carries with it the responsibility that in order to equip himself for that higher stage he has to follow a way of life that is favorable and not inimical to his inner development. This means that side by side with his intellectual development this moral and spiritual growth should also proceed in such a manner that a harmonious personality, combining all three aspects of intellect, morals and will, comes to fruition, resulting in the emergence of what Heaven intends the future human being to be—the enlightened Cosmic Man or Woman.
I really enjoyed the creativity of GK's following physiological hypothesis regarding emotions:
There are some substances which when we throw them on the fire lend different colours to the flame. In the same way there are organic compounds secreted by the body, especially the glands, which, when they mingle with prana and flood the brain, cause different kinds of emotions. In its real nature, the soul is eternally pure and free of anger, lust or passion.
GK's Perspectives on the chakras also seems to be right on:
Because of the secret of Kundalini was kept closely guarded, the ancient treatises on the subject are written in a veiled language. Moreover, in ancient times it was customary to write about such subjects in a figurative language. If you read the books on surgery and medicine by ancient Indian authors, you will find that at some places they have made similar figurative statements about the interior of the body. In the case of Kundalini, as soon as the awakening occurs the initiate is astounded by the movement of the lustrous energy through the nervous system. At those places on the spinal cord where there are concentrations of nerves or plexuses, this lustrous energy moves with a circular motion that conveys the impression of a chakra, which means a circle.
On dreams:
There is no reason why dreams should be an inseparable part of our nocturnal existence. They provide irrefutable evidence that consciousness persists in the dream state and even in dreamless sleep, for when awakened suddenly, people often wake up with a brief remembrance of the last fragment of a dream they had just been witnessing. If the mind were a product of the brain, awareness would be switched off when the body falls into repose and the sensory contact with the world would be lost. But it is neither the brain nor the body but mind which holds the reins of the organism, controlling its movements both voluntary and autonomous from first to last.
It is socially acceptable to have dreams, which are of a mystical nature. Yet it has not been fully socially acceptable to have visions, extra-sensory experiences, and psychic phenomena. Thus the arguable categorization of mental illness made by modern society for one undergoing a Kundalini experience. Is waking mystical experience not simply an extension of dream-like phenomena? Is waking mystical experience not manifest upon a continuum of consciousness? My experience tells me that it is. And my experience also tells me that waking mystical experience is quite normal and acceptable.
As it concerns mental illness, GK states the following:
Yes, I believe a fairly large number of mental patients are the victims of an unhealthy Kundalini. The development of an embryo in the womb is a divine process, but all the same, some children are born deformed or mentally deranged. There are certain subtle laws of life that govern the destiny of indiviuals which future enlightened men and women will discover and reveal to mankind from time to time. For the purpose of your question, it is enough to say that the evolutionary function of Kundalini is no different from the reproductive function in this respect, that just as in birth we have deformities and derangements, so in the awakening of Kundalini we have the same abnormal and unhealthy manifestations, in some cases.
On care of the individual once the individual has awakened:
The awakening, as I've already mentioned, is of two kinds, one gradual and the other sudden. When the new energy rushes to the brain, it creates a higher state of consciousness soon after the arounsal. In this case, the candidate has to exert himself in all directions; primarily he has to be attentive to his food and to keep his mind in a state of equilibrium. If he fails to attend to these essential requirements the result can be disastrous. His stomach should never be empty, for example, and he has to take a light meal after every three hours and sometimes even more frequently to make up for the tremendous expenditure of energy needed for the transformation and the adustment of the brain and nervous system.
At this time, he can be compared to an athlete preparing for a contest. In fact, he has to be much more careful about his diet and behavior in order to save his life and sanity. The constant presence of the teacher is absolutely necessary at this critical time.
In various Tantras, the ancient manuals dealing with this aspect of Yoga, the use of animal foods is advocated in the case of initiates arousing Kundalini. This fact has brought the Shakti cult into disrepute. Actually, this injuction is meant to meet a most important biological need of the initiate through the critical period of the awakening and even later on throughout his life. Because in his case a larger consumption of prana becomes necessary to maintain a highly extended state of consciousness. A regulated supply of concentrated food, suited to his digestion, is absolutely necessary.
It is easy to understand that metabolic processes in an adult, aimed to bring about radical changes in the cerebrospinal system to adjust it to a higher state of consciousness, cannot function at all without proper nourishment to maintain the strength of the body.
In the case of a spontaneous awakening, even if the energy is benignly disposed, serious mistakes made in diet can lead to mental disorder. During this period, the seminal energy is produced in abundance to nourish the brain and the nerves. For this increased production of sex energy to save the brain, nourishing food at proper intervals is of paramount importance. A man or woman, aspiring for superconsciousness, stands in need of the greatest care in respect of diet and other things...
GK's comments on the actual experience of awakening:
Extraordinary phenomena occur in the brain. I would not be believed if I were to narrate all the experiences I have undergone and am therefore reserved on the subject. Future investigators will add to the facts I am stating. From the very beginning, the whole head is filled with a lustrous glow and a stream of energy pours into it through the spinal canal. Every part of the brain is flooded with an indescribable light, fantastic visions and super-sensible experiences become a common feature of the heightened consciousness. The individual becomes aware of the immortal and the indescribable nature of his own consciousness which, to use a simile, from the faint glimmer of a glow-worm is transformed into the glorious radiance of the sun.
Concentrated vital energy from all parts of the body, even from the toes and fingers, is felt flowing through all the nerves coming together in the spinal cord and then rising as a stream of blissful nectar into the highest center of the brain. The sensation is indescribable. The brain is now flooded with such a highly powerful and nourishing stream of vital energy that its function is immensely magnified; and soon contacts are established between the individual and most amazing planes of Cosmic Consciousness.
The superconscious state may become a permanent feature of the aspirant or the energy, after carrying him or her to a higher state of consciousness, may also bring him or her back to the normal state until the system is able to maintain the flow of the prana to the brain continuously.
...the periods of ascension of the energy are the periods of ecstasy and exaltation and its absence the periods of gloom and even depression. This marked phase in the lives of great mystics is a most pronounced feature indicating the action of some Divine Force on the brain. If it were not so, the experience would be continuous and of the same uniform character in every case.
If the total activity of all organs of the body and the cerebrospinal system is not co-related in a manner as to create a healthy condition of the concentrated prana that rises to the brain, then Kundalini is not benignly disposed, and instead of becoming blissful, the experience becomes painful and even terrifying. It is essential that the state of the body is conducive to the production of pure prana.
Anyone who has the imagination to form a picture of the stupendous nature of the universe should at once discard any anthropomorphic conception of the Almighty. Will, desire, longing and the like are attributes of our own mental attributes of God. The universe, both the material and the superphysical, is bound by laws. Though all that happens is His Creation and His Play, relatively, on the human sphere, we have to accept responsibility for our acts.
Yes, the absolute is beyond the duality of the human and the divine.
...there is virtually no relationship between the mystical experience and the universe as we see it with our normal vision, nor is there any link between what scientists say about the physical world or its constituents. What mystical experience actually reveals is the majesty of the mind—its sovereign and immortal nature, its infinite expanse. There is absolutely nothing which would remind one of what the physicists say about the 'energy fields,' or about quarks, subnuclear particles and the rest. I wonder how any wise scientists can treat the latest theories of physics on a par with mystical experience or even correlate the two.
GK on physical death:
The problem of survival after physical death is not so easy to tackle as some have attempted to do. We are lost in speculation about the possibility of survival of the mind or consciousness, after the dissolution of the human brain, because the mind, too, is a form of energy. But it belongs to another plane of creation. This energy is so different from all that we know about matter and so remote from our ideas about being, that it is impossible for us to detect it apart from the organic instrument through which it manifests itself, or to have even a clear conception of it in the same way that we conceive of matter or its energies. Our indwelling soul, the only mirror which reflects the cosmos and lends substance to it, is itself unfathomable and undepictable. It is made of a stuff that has no counter part in the physical universe.
It is not possible for an embodied mind to know [what form consciousness assumes in the unembodied state, after it is severed from the brain]. This is the point where some of the beliefs expressed in the religious scriptures or spiritual traditions fail to satisfy the doubts that arise in a critical intellect. Those who believe in the survival of the soul, after death, often project a picture of their personality in the full glory and vigor of the prime of life, assuming that it will be their perpetual state of being in the after-life.
The only answer is that the soul manifests itself in conformity to the growing and then declining capacity of the brain. It means that the soul builds up its earthly mould in accordance with the role which it is predestined to act upon the earth by its karmic inheritance of the past.
GOPI KRISHNA'S ACCOUNT OF HIS PERSONAL KUNDALINI AWAKENING
from A Kundalini Catechism
The first symptom of the awakening that I experienced at the age of 34 was a sensation of light in the head. It was not as if I was seeing the light or that I had an inner vision of light, rather, it seemed as if a stream of liquid light was entering my brain. It has not disappeared during all these years and still persists today.
During the first days, it was distracting, but slowly it began to acquire an enrapturing condition, and now it is fascinating to a degree which I am not able to express. From the very day when I sat down to meditate, and when the power was aroused, it was this stream of liquid light that had started to enter my brain. I felt it moving through all my nervous system, in my stomach, in my heart, in my lungs, in my throat, in my head, and taking control of the whole body. That was a most marvelous experience from me, as if a new life energy had now taken possession of my body.
It was intelligent, purposeful, an energy that knew what had to be achieved and which was aware of all the conditions, rhythms and effects of my body. It knew every organ intimately and behaved in that manner, continuing to sustain me through every day. For months and years, I thought I was perhaps heading for a lunatic asylum. This same experience is mentioned in many ancient esoteric books. It is described in Sundalarhi, perhaps one of the most authoritative books on this subject. It is a beautiful piece of poetry, and it has its own authentic value. Shankaracharya expresses his humble submission to the same power to which he attributes his life and all that he has gained, his genius, his breath, and everything that he owns on earth.
The moment this energy begins to circulate in the body, ones pride falls to the ground and he or she sees for the first time that he/she is not the master of the body, that there is a life energy, super-intelligent and loving as a mother. That is the reason why this energy is always addressed as a mother, the mother of the world and the mother of the human system. In Panchastavi, another very ancient poem on this same subject, it is also called mother...
...It took twelve years of daily remodeling for me to reach a new dimension, where I could be certain that a very radical change had occurred in my interior, and all the while, I was watching it helplessly as it acted in my body. Specifically, some of the changes I noticed taking place were, from the very start, I was day and night living in light. The bioenergy that feeds our brain is not visible in the normal individual, but after the awakening it becomes distinctly perceptible.
Suppose you try to visualize New York City and you then see it in the normal way. But now if I try to visualize New York, I see it bathed in light against a bright background in the back of my head. My imagination is virtually glowing like an ever burning light, and all my thoughts, all my reasoning, all my calculation, is done in this light. So there is a radical change in the mental stuff and one lives in a world of light. The very first verses of Panchastavi makes this clear by calling the energy by two names—the abode of light and the abode of sound—and both are present in me. I constantly have music in my ears. Constantly I hear a sound like the murmur of bees, or like bells that are ringing at a distance, or like a stream that is gently flowing. It is beautiful music, always present in my ear, and an effulgent light is always present in the back of my head. It pervades my visual field of perception, both internally and externally; internally in dreams, internally when I am imagining something, and even internally when I turn my attention inward. Or if I close my eyes I see a starry sky glowing, just as on a clear night you see a sky shimmering with starlight. When I turn my vision outward on the world, I see everything bathed in a silvery light, like an enchanted place.
The light and the sound are the two most prominent signs of a spiritual awakening, or in Christian terms, of a spiritual rebirth; also inspiration and revelation. They are considered to be the signs of one being born again. In all the authoritative books on spiritual or mystical experience, these symptoms, including bliss and inner happiness, are mentioned repeatedly. There is an ever-welling fountain or happiness. This is one thing, the other is that it is attended by music in the ears and light in the head, an entrancing and absorbing light. Then there are also deeper insights, knowledge, inspiration and poetry. In some it may be art or it may be sculpture, etc. They come spontaneously. These creative gifts come from inside, even if one has had absolutely no attachment nor any aptitude or predilection for such things...
...There are two phases to the spiritual awakening. The first is when the energy is working to adjust the inner organs and the brain to the new condition. During that period, any physiologist can see an unusual activity going on in the body. For years my pulse rate was about 100, just like a baby's. And then my appetite increased during one period to an enormous extent, so that I could eat about ten times what I was normally eating. But during those days the body had already been adjusted to some extent, and my elimination remained normal. I gained weight, of course. but at the same time, what was more important is that I survived. I survived through I had made a mistake. I had again begun to meditate, though my body was not yet adjusted to the former awakening. Somehow I started to meditate anyway, and I opened the center in the brain even further. Now, the opening of this center needs a greater flow of the new bioenergy, otherwise there is either insanity or death.
...When we have an infection, the body tries to throw it out, and the organs work with increased activity; there is higher temperature and the heart beats faster. It is the same after the awakening. In the beginning stages, it seems as if a foreign element has entered the body, and the reaction follows. Ultimately, there is a battle between the energy and the organs, and they are subdued. The nerves become accustomed to it and then a person again becomes normal. Now I am just like a normal person. I don't perceive the energy flowing through my nerves, because they have accustomed to it. In the beginning, however, the sensations were very acute and I was constantly disturbed.
In the case of insanity and psychosis, one always find the people affected complaining of sensations—burning, terrible lights, fire, noises. That means the prana is in a morbid state, when the nervous system is not in proper order, or when the heredity is not favorable, or when the person's life is not well disciplined. Then the bioenergy or prana, now flowing, is unable to adjust the body. I passed through almost every stage during the course of my experience. One thing was of great importance: Heaven bestowed on me a tremendous power of mental endurance. Every day I witnessed in my own self something which I could only ascribe to insanity. And yet something was assuring me, 'be patient, this will end in a beautiful way. You have to endure this torment for a short time.' This happened in dreams especially. When I was terribly agitated, all I had to do was recline on a bed. Then I would feel the silver energy going into my brain and soothing me, and I would soon fall asleep.
Somehow my system was already ripe for the experience. If it had not been so, I would not have survived...
...Sigmund Freud's concept of the libido is of a psychic energy drawn from the libidinous tendencies in human beings, that is, the reproductive energy. But only from a psychic point of view. He does not say that it has organic roots, although that is what Wilhelm Reich emphasizes, that the libido must have roots in the organic structure of the body.
Our organisms depend upon food, and there must be some way by which organic energy is transformed into psychic energy. Psychic energy is not purely chemical energy nor is it purely electrical energy. Science is not aware of how organic energy is transformed into psychic energy. Therefore, Freud's concept of libido was restricted only to its psychic sphere, and he gives no explanation nor description of its somatic base. In the seminal energy of man, i.e., in the seminal fluids, there are two ingredients. One has a subtle, volatile organic base which can at once be converted into a psychic energy of greater potency. It is this energy which streams into the brain in the form of liquid light. The other ingredient is the grosser biological part, and it also goes to the brain through the spinal canal, and there it supplies nourishment to the cells when the process of rejuvenation is going on.
What my experience tells me is that in the whole organic structure of the body, and in the cells, there is a vital element, and the nerves collect this vital element and concentrate it in the reproductive fluids, both in men and in women. When there is a spiritual awakening, a reverse action takes place, separating this vital element from the grosser elements, and as a radiation it then streams into the brain to give rise to the phenomena associated with mystical ecstasy.
For many years after my awakening, this light flowing into my brain presented a different picture of the world to me. I seemed to see everything whitish. It seemed as if the mirror—the observing mirror through which we observe the universe subjectively—had a sort of white dust on it. For instance, if I saw someone, or the clothes he or she was wearing, it appeared to me that there was a thick coat of a white substance on it. I could not understand or account for it for years. Then suddenly it began to get more and more refined, and finally it became a silvery light.
After that, I began to see everything in a silvery luster, both when I am asleep and when I am talking or thinking. So the whole mechanism and the stuff of the brain has changed. This is the most extraordinary thing that I would like to have scientists investigate and know about. And this is not peculiar to me only...There are repeated references to this light in the scriptures. The soul is always described as wearing a mantle of light. [e.g. halos, etc.]
...Above all, there is this upward flow of the sex energy and the upward orgasm. This is an absolutely clear indication that a sage in whom the reproductive system has started to function in the upward direction, will have it as his choice, even when he is meeting a woman, whether the emission should be outward or whether the energy will go upward...
...And there is the surprise, the awe and wonder of an experience that is not normal, that does not come to us in the ordinary course of life. There is also a sense of happiness and a sense of an extension of knowledge, as if we know the whole of the cosmos. In some cases, there are also visions of spiritual beings such as Christ, or Buddha, Krishna, Vishnu, or Allah.
But these other characteristics are almost always present, and in my case, they are perennially present.
•••••••••••
Access: PublicTagged with: gopi krishna, kundalini, swami muktananda, lee sanella, yogananda paramahamsa, wayne muller, adyashanti, connie zweig, julian walker
I would not recommend trying to do it artifically. It is not something you want to play around with. I haven't read Gopi except in this post but even from the above you can get an idea of the physical aspects of the issue. Some notes..
Delia
Thanks for this. I have been trying to post comments to your blog all morning. Something is up with Zaadz that is preventing it. If this holds I will follow soon with further. Thanks again. I love this deep work on Gopi Krishna's part.
Thank you, Delia. That's really great. Also thanks to Julian for starting it off and putting it all in context.
Anyone want to discuss the delicate subject of transmutation of sexual energy? I've always wondered if maybe GK was too suppressive and that that may have been the cause of some of his issues–he spoke of considerable pain in that process. But then it also makes sense that that energy can be used for nourishment. Is considerable pain a normal part of the process? Anyone have any experience with this?
Thank you, Delia. That's really great. Also thanks to Julian for starting it off and putting it all in context.
Anyone want to discuss the delicate subject of transmutation of sexual energy? I've always wondered if maybe GK was too suppressive and that that may have been the cause of some of his issues–he spoke of considerable pain in that process. But then it also makes sense that that energy can be used for nourishment. Is considerable pain a normal part of the process? Anyone have any experience with this?
Also, would anyone like to expound on the difference between Kundalini coiled at the base of the spine (muladhara) with Kundalini at the top of the crown (sahasrara)?
Also, would anyone like to expound on the difference between Kundalini coiled at the base of the spine (muladhara) with Kundalini at the top of the crown (sahasrara)?
juicy stuff delia - cant wait for the actual post, the preview is a great resource…
david thanks and the muladhara is more primal, the saharara more esoteric/mystic.
the mythology says that kundalini starts off coiled at the base of the spine and once awakened makes her journey toward the crown of the head.
i dont think it is quite so literal and linear - but there does seem to be a processing through of various levels of consciousness/aspects of being - i think of it more as a spiral process that peels layers at every level and cycles through - sometimes leaving out whole areas that are too defended/unconscious- that then need special attention
peter - yes, i don't recommend artificial means of prompting a kundalini awakening either! see my symposium post above. LOL! This Gopi Krishna post was simply intended to serve as a preamble to my piece today. :D
michael - thanks for the encouraging support! :)
david - i hear ya on the getting online today thang! i've hyperlinked my symposium essay now THREE times! Yipers!
Transmutation of sexual energy…hmm…yes, alluded to in most of the ancient texts on the subject. What I have gather over the years from my own experience as well as others (and that includes the masters) is that how much one focuses on this aspect of the Kundalini energy has a lot to do with one's dharma and what one is intended to do with their spiritual energy. The master teachers are often called upon to transmit the Kundalini energy to others, and then to also guide it. That's a lot of shakti responsibility. They are religious professionals for all intensive purposes. Therefore, I could totally understand the need to transmute sexual energy for that particular dharma.
Eat raw for about two weeks. See how much energy you have initially. Likewise, go celibate for about a month (no masturbation). See how much energy you have initially. Usually, its quite a lot. Yet the question remains: What do you do with all that energy? How do you manage it? Are you ready for it? Again, light will unearth shadow. How much are you ready to handle?
A little bit at a time is an approach that I find works for me most of the time these days. Pacing and acclimating are important concepts to contemplate in a spiritual path. Pacing and acclimating.
Directly, as it regards transmutation of sexual energy, I do feel that is crucial to be very learned and skilled in how one channels and circulate that energy. Mantak Chia's books and workshops are all about that. Excellent teachers on the subject, who can personally guide you could be helpful. Conversely, I also want to mention that sexual repression is neither the goal nor helpful…it can be highly detrimental.
At certain points early in my awakening, I felt no compulsion to participate in sexual activity. The energy was just elsewhere. It seemed to naturally be directed up the spinal column continuously. The shakti is an intelligent energy and when we listen to it, feel where its at, we can usually sense what is healthy.
It's important not to compare our experience to others too much or too frequently. Self-doubt is not helpful. Reality checks are. Steady state. Very important. Shared consensus of reality. Crucial to functioning in the material world. :)
Once more, to reiterate my personal take on sexual transmutation: as householder, who is not a religious professional charged with the mission of giving shaktipat to multiple others…as a person who lives in the day-to-day world, I find sex within the context of a loving relationship to be a healing and strengthening element in my life. Chinese medicine and Qi Gong practices have a very healthy outlook and approach to working with, channeling and circulating sexual energy. Again, I recommend reading in that direction.
Julian - thanks again for holding down the fort for me while I finally get back online! :)