It is easy to awaken kundalini but it is very difficult to take it to the crown chakra through the different chakras. It demands a great deal of patience, perseverance, purity and steady practice." Swami Sivananda
In a previous chapter I have discussed the seven third dimensional chakras and the fifteen fourth and fifth dimensional chakras. I have also discussed the seven main bodies. Our discussion will continue now of the spiritual constitution of man by coming to a clear understanding of the nadis, or etheric nerve channels.
The Nadis in the Etheric Body
The etheric body or etheric double is the energetic blueprint of the physical body. It is the body that distributes the vital force through the physical form. As mentioned earlier it is like the battery of the physical body. The etheric body contains an etheric nerve system of thousands of nerve channels interpenetrating both the physical and etheric forms.
Indian literature suggests that we have 72,000 meridians or nerve channels that pervade the etheric body. There are three of these nerve channels that are of specific and great importance in understanding the kundalini. These most important nerve channels are the sushumna, the ida, and the pingala.
The Sushumna and the Sutratma or Silver Cord
The sushumna is the central nerve channel which lives within the spinal cord. It flows from the base of the spine all the way up to the third eye area and then merges into an even more powerful light ray called the sutratma, or silver cord. The sutratma extends up through the crown up through the soul all the way up to the monad. The chakras also live within the etheric body, so the sushumna runs through and connects the seven third dimensional chakras.
The Ida
The ida is the feminine channel which extends from the base of the spine to end in the left nasal passage. It flows principally along the left side of the spinal column. It travels in a curving crisscross pathway through the seven third dimensional chakras.
The Pingala
The pingala is the masculine nerve channel which flows upward from the base of the spine and ends in the right nasal passage. It flows principally on the right side of the spinal column. It travels in a similar curving crisscross pathway along the spine through the chakras. The ida and pingala represent two opposite poles of the same energy.
In this book, I speak a great deal of the need to become balanced within our four bodies, three minds, seven chakras, and in terms of the yin and yang aspects within self. It is fascinating to see how the ida and pingala represents these facets within our actual spiritual constitution. When a person is too feminine, or too masculine, this will show up in the flow of energy up the ida and pingala.
The pingala controls the right half of the body, and the ida controls more of the left half of the body. The sushumna is more neutral. The ideal is to balance the currents of energy up the ida and pingala. The sushumna is the most active at sunrise and sunset, and the hours between 4 a.m. and sunrise. This is why it has been suggested in Eastern cultures to meditate at this time.
The Kundalini
The word kundalini means coiled and refers to the dormant energy or power in every human being that lies, like a coiled serpent, at the base of the spine in the etheric body. This spiral force, while still asleep, serves to vitalize the physical body and organs.
When this kundalini force is aroused, it will steadily increase the vibratory action of the chakras, and the physical, astral, and mental bodies. The rising of the kundalini has two basic effects. First it begins to eliminate all that is coarse and unsuitable from the physical, emotional, and mental vehicles. Secondly it causes the consciousness to absorb into its sphere of influence those more lofty qualities which will serve to raise the energy content of the etheric body.
One of the main objects of activating the kundalini up the sushumna is to awaken the pituitary and pineal glands, which results in the opening of the third eye. This results in a revelation to the individual of the subtler planes of spiritual life.
When the kundalini is awakened and ascends up the sushumna to reach the third eye and the crown it becomes an upraised serpent. When dormant or down flowing it can be stimulating to the reproductive organs and sexual impulses. Many young souls dissipate this energy by overindulging in sexual activity and hence, miss the opportunity to raise a portion of this energy up the sushumna to the third eye and crown.
Many people in the new age are beginning to practice tantric sexuality, which is the practice of learning to raise this energy up the sushumna and through the chakras to have orgasms in a sense on all seven levels of their being. Learning to blend and merge with your mate or partner with all your chakras is like a love making meditation. There are many good books on the market today that explore how to raise the sexual energy.
In the Taoist religion the man is taught to divert the flow of semen upward and inward rather than dissipate it outside the body. The Taoists teach that too many orgasms can dissipate your life force. I, personally, adhere to a philosophy of moderation and balance in these matters, however I do know that there is some truth to what the Taoists say.
When the kundalini rises one’s personal radiance rises and a person becomes like a lit up light bulb. Swami Vivekananda, one of India’s great saints, wrote the following in his book, "Raja Yoga" on the kundalini; "When, by the power of long internal meditation, the vast mass of energy stored up travels along the sushumna and strikes the head centers, the reaction is tremendous - immensely superior to the reaction of sense perception.
Wherever there is any manifestation of what is ordinarily called supernatural power or wisdom, there is a little current of kundalini which must have found its way into the sushumna. In the vast majority of such cases, people have ignorantly stumbled on some practice which set free a minute portion of the coiled up kundalini."
Another one of India’s great spiritual Masters is Swami Sivananda. In his book, "Kundalini Yoga" he says, "It is easy to awaken kundalini but it is very difficult to take it to the crown chakra through the different chakras. It demands a great deal of patience, perseverance, purity and steady practice. The yogi who has taken it to the crown chakra is the real master of all forces.
Generally yogic students stop their spiritual practices halfway, on account of false satisfaction. They imagine they have reached the goal when they get some mystic experiences and psychic powers. They desire to demonstrate such powers to the public to get reputation and fame, and to earn money. This is a sad mistake. Full realization alone can give the final liberation, perfect peace and highest bliss."
Earlyne Chaney, in her book, "Kundalini and the Third Eye", eloquently states about the kundalini; "When the union of the ida and pingala occurs through meditation, and breath control, and the balanced positive/negative forces rise through the sushumna meridian, the all-powerful force of aroused kundalini, being drawn upward along with the balanced pranic force, strikes the pineal-masculine gland. This stimulates the usually passive pineal into action.
Thus aroused and erected, he projects his energies across the third ventricle to simulate the pituitary-feminine gland. Responding to the essence of pineal, the pituitary unites with pineal in their mystical marriage in the chamber of the third ventricle --and the ineffable third eye momentarily opens, bringing transcendental illumination to the devotee. The experience is what Westerners call Christ or Cosmic Consciousness."
Liberation and the Kundalini
The awakening of the kundalini does not mean that the disciple has achieved liberation. As mentioned in the chapter on initiation and ascension there are many requirements way beyond having kundalini experiences. Even when the kundalini is awakened it usually doesn’t remain that way until the higher initiations are achieved through years of steady spiritual practice, purification, and service to mankind.
Possible Signs of Kundalini Awakening
1. Conscious of small area of physical warmth at the base of the spine. 2. Light physical pressure along the spinal column. 3. Slight moments of dizziness, or sudden increase of vitality, or seeing a blinding flash of light. 4. A sense in your meditations of immanent contact with the higher planes and dimensions. 5. A sense of ascending or rising into the spiritual spheres of life in your meditation.
Dangers of the Kundalini
Djwhal Khul, in His teachings, says that using artificial means and exercises for the specific purpose of raising the kundalini should be used with extreme caution. The kundalini is an enormously powerful force, and if raised prematurely, or in a forced manner when a disciple is not ready, can cause extreme damage to that individual.
There are basically, what I surmise to be, three schools of thought on this matter. There is the school of thought of Kundalini Yoga Masters who freely teach students whether ready or not, exercises to raise the kundalini. Then there is the school of thought to never even think about the kundalini and let it evolve on its own in the normal non forced development of one’s spiritual evolution.
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