Introduction
The aim of this book is to look at the emergence of spirituality and the part played by the kundalini in the process. All activity that drives a person forward in development to a higher state of being is essentially spiritual in nature. However, it is becoming increasingly apparent that there is an energy in humans which is involved in this process. In the early stages of spiritual growth this energy is largely dormant but at later stages its effects can become all consuming as this energy seems to take over our whole energy system. This energy is not only found within the human energy system but also within the planet, the solar system, or higher still. It is essentially no less than an aspect of the creative energy of the entire universe.
There are references within some chapters to astrology and to the seven creative energies of the universe, the seven rays. It is assumed that ther reader has a basic understanding of these, but if not it should still be possible to gain a basic understanding of what is being said, and hopefully an appreciation of the importance of astrology and the seven rays in psychospiritual understanding.
The kundalini has, until recently, been little understood in the West even when known by its Christian name 'The Holy Ghost.' This book will attempt to research the kundalini and show that although it has divine qualities it is also very much part of the human being. My aim is to show that the kundalini can affect anyone in their day to day life, and as an intrinsic part of human evolution will eventually affect us all as we evolve from the human level of evolution to divinity in form, from the fourth kingdom in nature to the fifth. When this happens the Christian concept of 'The Kingdom of God' is attained, not just in heaven but here on earth. It is a level of divine awareness, an awareness that is achieved when, at the right time, the kundalini awakens from its slumber within us, rises to merge with God the Father, and transforms us in the process.
By researching available material on the kundalini, looking in detail at the experiences of 18 individuals who have experienced the kundalini in their lives, as well as Masters who have attained incredible awakening, I will attempt to show that it is important for anyone who has an interest in spiritual emergence within humankind to have some understanding of the kundalini. By understanding the kundalini we can be in a better position to understand and help individuals in whom the kundalini process is taking place. We can also, through understanding the importance of the kundalini in our lives, better prepare ourselves for our own kundalini awakening in this or a future life.
To help us understand the kundalini we can first look at how it has been portrayed in world religions. Within these religions there has been reference to the dual nature of the universe. In eastern philosophy the dual nature of the universe consists of Shiva and Shakti. Shiva is the will/purpose or masculine aspect, the Cosmic Consciousness, also referred to as the Father, whereas Shakti is the cosmic energy, the feminine aspect or Mother. The aim of creation is for Shiva and Shakti to merge together again in cosmic union. Although originally one and ultimately becoming one again, the process involved in this becoming one again, through the light, love and power of divinity in accordance with God's creative will, allows God the opportunity of experiencing Himself in a way, and for a purpose, that only He understands.
We, as humanity, are integral to this purpose as we have the potential to fulfil the 'conscious' reunification of Shiva and Shakti within our own being. Such is the magnificent goal of human birth. For humanity has the goal of evolving from the fourth kingdom of nature to the fifth kingdom in which divine consciousness is fully manifest in human form. From that point on increasing unification and divine awareness continues through higher cosmic levels, far beyond the capacity of current human awareness.
The divine bioenergy in humans is known as the kundalini, and as a person becomes aware of his innate divinity through the arousal of this energy within himself it is the kundalini which performs the transformation of his entire system. The kundalini is an aspect of shakti, it is the creative power within each and every one of us, that aspect of our being which will eventually attain merger with cosmic consciousness to bring that cosmic consciousness to our own awareness, an awareness which on one level of our being we never lost and yet from our current perspective we have yet to attain.
The triune nature of the universe, the Trinity, adds an extra aspect to the duality. Through the union of the Father, or Shiva aspect, with the Mother, or Shakti aspect, comes Consciousness, the Son aspect. Throughout all the levels of creation this triune nature of the universe manifests in different ways depending on the level of creation or manifestation. For example, at a cosmic level, Will/Power (Father) plus Active Intelligence (Holy Ghost) results in Love/Wisdom (Son or Christ). The implication of this is that the Son aspect came about as a result of the union of the two. Through creation of the universe from within His own Being the concept of Father and Mother (creation) emerges and yet the union of Father and Mother results also in the Son (divine consciousness). Obviously this begs the question of whether God was conscious before creation. This really is only a problem from the perspective of space and time. Without space and time, consciousness as we know it would not exist, perception would not exist, creation would not exist. So, this is really only a problem from our own perspective. By creating space and time, God also created consciousness and yet space and time are in the ultimate analysis illusions and consequently so is consciousness. 'God Is -- everything else appears to be!' When our consciousness, through evolution, through the many expansions or initiations needed to reach the ultimate awareness of our divinity in its most infinite, in its most glorious, perceives God as He really is, the perception can only last for an infinitesimal fraction of time, because then we will be God, perception will no longer exist and all of this will have been a mere dream.
As the created universe is Shakti, the female aspect of divinity, then the whole of manifestation as we see it is also Shakti. All energy is Shakti. All of nature is Shakti. We are Shakti. Every aspect of our created being is Shakti. Kundalini is Shakti. Considering the whole of creation as Shakti or divine energy, then the only difference between one aspect of creation and another is the rate of vibratory energy. The different rates of vibration account for the different forms of manifestation, and the slower the vibration the denser the form. Matter can be considered as Shakti in its lowest rate of vibration. Kundalini is, therefore, the spiritual energy in a person at a higher rate of vibration. Kundalini is the Shakti in a person which has the power to transform all aspects of the personality, including the physical, emotional and mental bodies which are all manifestations of Shakti at different vibratory energies. It is the divine energy working in a human to raise him up to an energy level capable of withstanding the union of Shakti with Her beloved Shiva within the human form. Imagine the divine union or marriage of Shiva and Shakti taking place within our own selves, for such is the purpose of our existence. It is unlikely to stop there though, this union occurs throughout our expansions of conscious awareness beginning with what is known as the third 'initiation.' The first and second initiations contain the divine enticement but at the third the marriage occurs within our bodies and reaches its perfection in the fourth initiation. It is impossible to imagine the divine ecstasy to be experienced through the higher initiations, the fifth, sixth, seventh, the cosmic initiations and more. Yet the nectar of this union of Shiva and Shakti is the perception of, and unity with divinity gained. This is the ecstasy of the union, the higher consciousness gained and the purpose behind creation.
Shiva and Shakti are the source of power and the power itself. For there to be spiritual energy there has to be a source from which it comes. From another perspective it can be said that the source of the universe, God, cannot be discovered or known unless something emanates from Him. By creating the universe God was able to know and love Himself.
When a person becomes aware of his divinity during the meditative state of Samadhi, he realises that he is one with God. He is God. Thus the creation of human beings was to enable God to be conscious of Himself through the form He created. And yet a human, even as a Self-realised being, aware of his own Divinity, will ultimately pass through many higher levels of awareness as he progresses through the many initiations and expansions of consciousness, after he has moved on from the need for a human body, enabling his own Divinity to experience more and more of Itself until He finally realises complete merger with Himself.
Understanding of such levels of awareness are far beyond the comprehension of our human minds. We live in a world of maya or illusion and yet when we see through the veils of illusion and perceive reality, then maybe even reality will be seen as a form of maya compared with the higher levels of awareness one attains as one passes through still higher cosmic initiations.
At the human level, consciousness has the threefold function of will, perception and thought. At the divine level this threefold manifestation is Atma, divine will; Buddhi, divine love and understanding; and Manas, divine mind or creative intelligence. Consciousness, although a result of the merger of the Father and Mother still contains the Father and Mother aspects within it. In fact, there is no part of creation which does not contain the totality of the universe within it. This is the concept of Hylozoism. It is behind the theory of the Holographic Universe and the Holotropic Mind.
Copyright © Charles Attfield, 1999 - 2002