Kundalini & Baptism by Spirit

[dreamosis]

thus, the true, imo, meanings for the baptism are not examples of flesh being risen up

Every truly amazing experience I've had has been more of a spirit-coming-into-the-body rather than spirit-transcending-it.

[star]

A misunderstanding about Kundalini is that it is an "energy." This is to confuse metaphor with mechanism -- and it is dangerous to do so. Many people take up Eastern spiritual practices with the intention of having an "Experience" and of manipulating "Energy" and have no clue about what they are doing in terms of meaning, method, or consequences. The literature is metaphorical, cryptic, and I suspect, incomplete for good reason, and some Eastern teachers certainly have been irresponsible -- or ignorant themselves -- in how they've disseminated the information. The Kundalini phenomenon is better described as a process that works with the energy. The process is the catharsis of consciousness. It's equivalent in Christianity is the mystical descent of the Holy Spirit.

Gopi Krishna associates it as energy, very vividly, so do many other authors who have experienced it, yes, there is a change of conciousness - and a change to the nervous system. So why does the qoute discount this?

[dreamosis]

So why does the quote discount this?

I wouldn't say it's wrong per se to think of Kundalini as an energy, but focusing on it as such puts you in the mindset that kundalini can be applied to your soul through exercises like lotion can be applied to your skin. It can, but doing it that way is probably what will invite all of the ominous side-effects.

The belief, if I'm not mistaken, behind the quote is that a Cartesian understanding of kundalini is limiting. In other words, if you think of it as a thing, you could be missing out -- you're focusing on means instead of ends. What is important is the experience of the change in consciousness, not the experience of the energy. Think of Kundalini as money. Do you only want to have money, or do you want to be able to spend it too?

It's very tempting when you're energy-aware, or when you're first becoming aware, to focus on the experience. And so you have a powerful OBE, or feel a chakra spinning fast, or see a vision, or experience a kundalini spike. But none of these experiences mean anything in and of themselves. They're only meaningful insofar as they practically help us to live more wisely and happily.

Also, on a technical note, it hasn't been my experience that kundalini is literally stored in the root chakra (I would say that's metaphor); rather, it seems like it is generated by a certain rate of activity in the root. It's more like a harmonic of the root chakra at a given "tone." And this energy harmonic moves upward, affecting the rest of the centers.

Kundalini is also referred to as the "inner fire." Metaphorically, kundlini is raised by blowing on the root chakra, enflaming it, and causing a fire to rise through you. But the feeling of fire isn't the point of the fire; the point is "baptism."

[star]

Thanks for the clarification.

[dreamosis]

A simple technique I've learned for raising kundalini is to concentrate on your root chakra and "rev" it up. Make it spin as fast as you can. Breathe, and let the energy move upward. If you prefer to visualize it, choose a bright color like fire-engine red or spring green. Notice if it stops anywhere along the central channel. Check in if it stops and ask yourself what the block is. Breathe and let the kundalini work on the block.