To: K-list
Recieved: 1999/11/11 18:28
Subject: [K-list] Kundalini article
From: Sharon Webb
On 1999/11/11 18:28, Sharon Webb posted thus to the K-list:
Amanda,
Here is the Kundalini article you asked about. It was published on Eye On
the Web and is still probably on their site somewhere, but it was easier to
fish it out of my files than to go through their large web site looking for
it.
Bear in mind that this article was written for the layman with no knowledge
or understanding of kundalini and its manifestations.
Sharon
------------
Kundalini: Myth? Or Human Evolution?
by
Sharon Webb
The glowing dial of the alarm clock read 3:47 AM. Groaning, Lynn Tyler
crawled out of bed. Her back throbbed. She felt dry as dust and went to
the kitchen for a drink of water. The pain in her back had been almost
continuous for six weeks when her husband convinced her to see a doctor.
The results of that visit and an array of medical tests were inconclusive.
The doctor shook his head, said he couldn´t rule out fibrositis, and gave
her a prescription for a mild anti-inflammatory drug. So far, it wasn´t
helping much.
She drained the water, set the empty glass in the sink, and then closed her
eyes. Her prayer was a single word: “Please.”
Suddenly, an electric current jolted through her spine. Gasping, she clung
to the countertop as brilliant white light filled her head. She stood
transfixed for an hour, an hour that seemed like no more than a minute or
two.
“It felt like I was touched by God,” she recalls.
When she came back to herself, her back pain was gone. It never
returned. Instead, other disturbing symptoms began to appear. She found
herself riding an emotional roller coaster. Constant shivers rippled up and
down her spine. She began to have dreams that predicted future events.
Worse, after weeks of feeling painful pressure in her forehead, she began to
sense what other people were thinking. Her libido, to the delight of her
husband, increased dramatically.
Afraid she might be losing her mind, Lynn told no one at first. Finally
she confided in a friend, a yoga instructor.
“Sounds like kundalini to me,” said the friend. “It´s a spiritual
awakening. It´s what yoga is all about.”
So, what is this mysterious force ? According to The Kundalini Research
Network, “Kundalini is a term used to describe the transformative spiritual
energy/consciousness in human beings. When activated, it may be responsible
for such diverse spiritually transformative experiences as mystical
experiences, inspired creativity and genius, near-death experience, some
paranormal experiences and a host of other physiological and psychological
reactions.” ( http://www.vitalenergy.com/krn/ )
Kundalini comes from a Sanscrit word which translates as “coiled up,” and
is symbolized by a serpent coiled at the base of the spine. According to
Hindu teachings, when awakened the serpent (energy) rises up subtle channels
in and along the spine and pierces each of the seven chakras (energy
centers) of the body culminating in the crown chakra above the head. This
energy has been described by cultures throughout the world. In the east it
is called kundalini, prana, or chi, and in the west it is known as the holy
spirit, bioenergy, or the breath of life. It has been described by some
American Indian tribes and by the African bushman.
( http://166.122.32.61/trimble/Kundalini-1.html )
The Kundalini Research Foundation, ltd. describes it this way: The
kundalini paradigm hypothesizes that the operation of a psycho-somatic
evolutionary mechanism in the human frame, sometimes called kundalini, is
responsible for genius, creative expression, psychical perception, and other
paranormal phenomena, when its workings are benign, and insanity when the
mechanism goes awry.
http://www.renature.com/KRF/about_kundalini_paradigm.html )
A kundalini awakening can come as a result of many factors: long-term
meditation, menopause, childbirth, near death experiences, and trauma to
the spine, to name a few. More and more, however, these awakenings seem to
be spontaneous, as in Lynn Tyler´s case, thus adding fuel to the claims of
those who point to it as an evolutionary force. Some say that
enlightenment is physical. Others, like the Alchemical Research Foundation,
claim that “this is spiritual evolution that relies on the purification,
integration and expansion of the nervous system and its capacities.”
http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/town/place/vv60/kunda3.html )
A spontaneous awakening can be psychologically and physiologically
devastating. Medical science is virtually ignorant of kundalini and many
people undergoing an awakening have spent thousands of dollars on fruitless
tests and hospitalizations. All too often, they have been labeled neurotic
or even psychotic when they present symptoms and “wild talents” which don´t
fit into the concepts of western medicine. When symptoms are extreme, a
person may be plunged into a spiritual emergency. Fortunately though, help
is available through Spiritual Emergence Network
http://elfnet1a.elfi.com/sen/ ) and through a specialized kundalini mail
list ( http://hmt.com/kundalini/listserv.html ).
When aroused spontaneously, kundalini symptoms can be frightening indeed.
Here´s what the editors of the “Shared Transformation” newsletter have to
say: “Over and again we hear stories of frustrating, sometimes desperate
visits to doctors, healers, counselors, etc. who neither understood nor were
able to help with the myriad pains and problems catalyzed by raging
Kundalini.” They offer a web page describing the signs and symptoms.
http://users.aol.com/ckress/symptoms.html ).
Is kundalini becoming more prevalent? Perhaps. In 1936, the
kundalini-awakened yogi, Gopi Krishna, could not find one other person in
all of India who shared his awakening. But according to the “Shared
Transformation” editors: “Since we began ST newsletter in 1993...we have
been contacted by over 1000 people in the throes of spontaneous Kundalini
arousal.”
( http://users.aol.com/ckress/intro.html )
Although the onset of kundalini is often tumultuous, it can bring profound
rewards. T.G. Langston says this of her awakening: “Depression is a thing
of the past. I have become my own emotional support system, rather than look
to others to fulfill that need. I have become more assertive, more
unconditionally loving, more accepting of those around me, and of myself.”
“I have begun to live a life full of peace and discipline,” says Amarjit
Singh Khalsa. And Jerry Katz adds, “The awakening of kundalini helped me
establish a full understanding of the nondual nature of reality. It was a
preparation for enlightenment.”
Lynn Tyler looks back at her awakening this way: “Even with the pain and
emotional upheaval that it brought, I can honestly say that I would not
exchange one minute of the experience. I started to really live the day
kundalini began.”
# # # # #
sharonATnospamfractalus.com
sharwebbATnospamalltel.net
Fractal Images by Sharon Webb
http://www.fractalus.com/sharon
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