Searching for the Truth in the King James Bible;
Finding it, and passing it on to you.
EDITOR:
Steve
Van Nattan
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KUNDALINI--
The Road to Enlightenment through Charismaticism?
Prologue This
article was written to show the need for discernment Defining the concept of Kundalini ``Kundalini'' literally means coiling, like a snake and conveys the sense of untapped potential energy. The serpent image is slightly misleading and is probably better summed up very foundation of our consciousness . When ‘kundalini’ moves through a body, consciousness changes with it. It involves the three areas of universal energy (para-kundalini), the body-mind complex (prana-kundalini) and the consciousness (shakti-kundalini) which subsumes and intermediates between the first two.
Prana and Kundalini Prana can be translated ‘vital breath'’ or ‘bio-energetic motility'’ and is associated with mind and body Kundalini, in its form as prana-kundalini, is identical to prana ; however, Kundalini also has a manifestations as consciousness and as a unifying cosmic energy. There are different opinions on these depending on the religion and the context. For example, Tibetan Yogans see the activation of prana (Tibetan: rlung –much like the pleasant sensations of kundalini) being different to the activation of kundalini (Tibetan: gTummo –much more the freight-train type of sensations). A second opinion is that prana and kundalini are the same and there is no difference. The third opinion, espoused by the modern hatha yogin, Desikaran, is that pranic awakening is the true experience to be aimed for and kundalini is actually an obstruction. Desikaran sees the kundalini as a block in the central channel and thus the kundalini must be ``killed'' to make way for the prana. This is the most unusual view of the three.
What are the Signs of Kundalini Classical literature define the signs of an awakened kundalini as mental, vocal and physical signs.
Other experiences associated with kundalini include waves of bliss, periods of elation, glimpses of transcendental consciousness. There are also less pleasant experiences associated with a kundalini awakening including trembling, sharp aches in areas associated with the chakras, periods of irrational anxiety, sudden flashes of heat. The chakras are the seven nerve centers in the body:
Bringing about Kundalini within the Church.
In many eastern religions, yoga is used to practice techniques aimed at actively
awakening kundalini.
Kundalini can be awakened by devotion, selfless service, or by intellectual inquiry. Siddha Mahayoga and the Kundalini Yogas use differing methods of awakening Kundalini. In Siddha Mahayoga the guru awakens the kundalini and in Kundalini Yogas the will is used to awaken the kundalini and guide it’s progress. In relation to these two methods, let us consider how we can arrive at kundalini or ‘enlightenment’ using charismatic methods.
This yoga is at least 1000 years old and is documented in the Kularnava Tantra and in the works of the great Tantric scholar Abhinvagupta. Also known as ‘the grace of the Guru, Shaktipat is a method by which an individual's kundalini is awakened by the direct intervention of a guru. If we put this in the context of a Church structure, the minister will use methods which will awaken kundalini within the members of the congregation. Where eastern mystics would see this as a result of positive and negative karmas , Christians would see this as the influence of spiritual forces either held by the leader or by the ‘Holy Spirit’ (but more likely the demonic). Some people are more likely to experience kundalini at a deeper level than others. The ability of using Shaktipat is given by a guru and passed on to the initiate. Care should be taken in who is given shakti as some people who have received shaktipat from well-known gurus have apparently only manifested greater neuroses and unhappiness in their lives as a result. Within the context of the Church, Shaktipat can be passed on through methods such as laying on of hands from those already having the ‘spirit’ or ability of using Shaktipat. There is no doubt that shakti is contagious. The mere presence of a single being whose shakti is strongly active can awaken the shakti of those around him. Similarly being in the presence of many people whose shakti is awakened to some degree can awaken one's own shakti. All that is required is that the student completely surrender to this force. For most people to reach such a point takes some practice. Within eastern mysticism chanting and selfless service are used. Within charismaticism, selflessness and use of tongues can help to produce the same effect. By using the Siddha Mahayoga methods, Kundalini can be induced within the Church using repetitious tongues which have no meaning or purpose other than to deter thought, repetitious music with a steady beat (preferably as near to the human heartbeat as possible). Laying on of hands can be used to awaken shakti-kundalini from the minister or those with a strongly active shakti. This can mean that those from one area can pass on shakti-kundalini from leaders from one area, and pass these abilities / powers on to other leaders who then are able to use shakti-kundalini within their own Churches. The aspects of surrendering to such forces and seeking them, enables the influence to be passed on, or induced. One method is to encourage people to empty their mind or speak in tongues, repeating phrases over and over again. Despite true Siddha Mahayoga involving the student and teacher role, the same roles can exist within the Church context. The more the initiate practices deeply surrendering to the spontaneous manifestations of kundalini shakti the deeper the experiences can become. In practice many practitioners experience kundalini awakening. Some experience it quite violently. The result of Siddha Mahayoga methods within the Church. The result of this are Kriyas, literally ‘activities’. These are spontaneous movements that occur after kundalini awakening. These include bodily activities such as trembling, shaking and spontaneous yoga postures; vocal activities such as yelling, or spontaneous chanting and mental activities such as visions. Such chanting involves the use of ‘tongues’ which are created within the mind of the person or by spiritual influence. Members of the congregation will also see pictures which many are all to eager to put a meaning to. The whole context of this method of attaining kundalini is surrendering to the guru or Leader.
The role of the Congregation in Sahaja Yoga (Spontaneous Yoga). Where Siddha Mahayoga involves surrender to the guru, the Sahaja Yoga method uses the effort of the individual. It is generally observed that kundalini is more easily and reliably awakened by the grace of the guru than by individual effort.
It seems that it is the guidance of the guru which is the determining factor as to which style of Yoga is effective. There is much debate as to which kundalini awakening method will produce fewer problems such as mental imbalance. The strength of Siddha Mahayoga is the ease with which it awakens the kundalini. The weakness is that because the kundalini is so easily awakened by the guru, students of Siddha Mahayoga often have completely undisciplined personal meditation practices.
Using Mantra or repetitious ‘tongues’ or music to produce kundalini. If the kundalini is to be awakened by means of this yoga then it is essential that the guru gives consciousness or ``chaitanya'' to the mantra. This consciousness can be viewed as the cit-shakti-kundalini. Through repetition of the mantra the cit-shakti-kundalini of the mantra resonates with the cit-shakti-kundalini of the student and in this way the student's kundalini is awakened. In the context of the Church, repetitious tongues for long lengths of time or repetitious songs can awaken kundalini.
Uniting of the prana and apana, or uniting of the rajas and retas. In yoga the concept of kundalini is often referred to as fiery hot energy, or the ‘fierce woman’ . Basically when kundalini is stirred, the fiery energy is activated or awakened by the uniting of the ``winds'' or ``energies'' of prana and apana. Prana is the life-giving energy associated with inspiration. It is associated with feelings of expansion and its center is in the heart. Apana is the downward-voiding energy associated with defecation. It is interesting to note that some Churches attach the move of the Spirit with defecation and wear nappies or diapers to Church meetings. It is associated with feelings of contraction and its center is in the anus. The uniting of these two very different forces creates a ``spark'' which awakens the kundalini from its slumber at the base of the spine. Another description would be the uniting of the energies of the two channels of ida and pingal. The ida channel is associated with a cool energy that descends from the crown of the head. The pingala channel is associated with a hot energy that ascends to the crown. A similar description is that kundalini is awakened through the uniting of the two bindus of rajas and retas. The bindu retas is associated with the sperm of man. The bindu rajas is associated with the egg (or sometimes menstrual blood) of woman. But both more fundamentally refers to a constituent present in both men and women. The fundamental approaches to awakening kundalini are through the uniting of the prana and apana, or through the uniting of the rajas and retas.
Uniting prana and apana Two techniques are used to do this. In the vase breath exercise this is done by using phases of inspiration and retention and adding muscular control to cup the winds in a vase or pot below the navel. In bandha traya this is accomplished by phases of expiration and retention and adding muscular control to force the winds together in the abdominal region. These aspects are difficult to do within the context of the Church but can involve a willing on of emotions within, done unconsciously by the ‘worshipper’ to produce a similar effect.
Uniting rajas and retas The techniques involved here range from the gentle to the forceful. Using the gentle technique one attempts to bring the winds into the central channel by imagination or concentration alone. One visualizes an image, such as a deity central channel and lets their mind become absorbed in that. In the Church context the person would imagine the Holy Spirit being within and moving within them. This technique in Yoga is often complemented by breathing techniques. This use of visualization and the use of tongue mantras can enable kundalini to be awakened.
Other techniques of awakening kundalini using effort. There are other methods of awakening kundalini used in Yoga. One method is sexual union, which has been observed as sometimes being induced outside Church buildings in cars in the car park etc. due to the inducement of the effects of kundalini. If the affect of kundalini is sleep, in the context of the Church, this possibly would be being slain in the Spirit, Some yogins would attempt to forcefully waken the person by dropping them on the floor. The context of kundalini in Yoga is the energy within. For the Christian whether this is literally power potential within the person or through an outside influence remains unclear.
The dangers of awakening kundalini. Awakening kundalini has its dangers. Yogins believe kundalini brings unconscious material into our consciousness. If an individual is barely coping with his unconscious even under normal circumstances then awakening kundalini may push the individual over into psychosis. This phenomenon has been documented many times. Breathing practices and the breath or prana is strongly interdependent on the mind. If one begins to actively control the breath then the mind will be affected. Unfortunately, with incorrect practice rather than bringing the mind to a greater state of equanimity the breath control practices can also create even greater imbalances in the mind.
The context of kundalini in Yoga and life in general. Greenwell (1990) has noted seven categories of symptoms which have been observed during Kundalini awakening.
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.
The context of Kundalini within the Church.
As there are serious side-effects to such experiences as admitted by the gurus, one wonders what should and can be done about this if there is no discernment as to what is of God and what is not. Who knows what damage has been done to believers and non-believers alike by the desire to attain kundalini, which is mistakenly considered to be the work of the Holy Spirit. Who judges what is ‘of the spirit’ and what is not? And more importantly how do they know they are right in their presumptions. So what is the answer to this? Well, to attain the experience of kundalini within the context of the Church is not within the context of the Bible. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, methods of worship, repetition and leadership style are resulting in kundalini phenomena within the individuals and this is deemed the work of the Holy Spirit. This is dangerous and blasphemous. Without a proper, biblical context in which worship is given as an offering and not necessarily for the benefit of the giver, where the word of God is used and preached, and where the Glory goes to God and not the ‘gifts’ can stability begin to reign. Where there is order rather than disorder. In moving from the biblical realm into the unbiblical there is a very fine line and this line is drawn by the Word of God as stated in the Bible. Many believe that we all have latent spiritual power, however whether we should use this or not and in which way should be governed by the scriptures, not by experience. In the experience realm of the supernatural there is little difference between what goes on in a Charismatic Church and what goes on in Eastern Mysticism, the only difference is that such activities are credited to the Holy Spirit in the Church. How easy it is to walk in deception if we interpret the Word of God in such a way as to justify such activities. At the right is Kathryn Khulman transferring power in her classic manner. The victim was always "slain" by demonic power. Read about such a church in Missouri
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That
is the goal and the techniques vary, but as one "ascends" through the 7 progressive
chakras, each is an initiation unto a higher consciousness, until finally when
you reach the point of union with "Sanat Kumara", "Shiva", "Vishnu", "Lord of
the World" or what they most blasphemously call the "Christ Consciousness". Satan's
deception is that through each successive chakra the occult initiate actually
does perceive a shift in consciousness, which to him it seems, is a progressive
shift. 
In
realistic terms, these aspects of Kundalini are all to readily observed within
certain Churches to one degree or another. Where the Bible links this aspect to
people is within the realm of the spiritual. Unfortunately for many there is little
distinction between what is Biblical and what is unbiblical in the desire for
many to have a kundalini experience at Church. By this I mean having experiences
likened to those above, desiring and obtaining them as encouraged by the leadership.