Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Permanent vs. Temporary Kundalini

Kundalini Activations Take Many Forms
When I visited Gopi Krishna in 1977, we discussed the reasons behind this phenomenon. “Why," he asked me, "do some people experience Kundalini so fleetingly while others — a very select few — live it 24 hours a day from the time of awakening till the day they die?”

Fork in the Road: The Path Less Traveled
I told him what I'd gleaned from my experience, that the difference must reside in the method, “In my case, once I penetrated the symbolic, poetic language of The Secret of the Golden Flower, it read like an instructional manual. It’s hard to imagine that this method was the work of one person, that one person discovered the method and then wrote the book. I have trouble believing it worked only once, for the person who wrote the book, and then twelve centuries later, it worked once again for me. Since its discovery, this method must have worked for thousands in its initial oral form, handed down over many generations before it was eventually printed.”

Permanent Kundalini is like an electrical current that never stops. The individuals who experience it know it never stops. Permanent Kundalini does not include cases where individuals felt a jolt of electricity over a given interval, followed by a complete cessation of same, even though, as a result of experiencing Kundalini, they had their lives irrevocably changed. Lingering effects are understandable, but any feelings — no matter how intensely felt — do not constitute permanent Kundalini. Permanent Kundalini is a condition under which Kundalini energy circulates 24 hours a day. That is the difference between Permanent and Temporary.

Some of the areas of confusion need to be considered — what it is and what it isn't: It is not a longing to recapture some effervescent moment of clarity. Nor is it a Close-Encounters-of-a-Third-Kind feeling that something will, or has, happened. Permanent Kundalini is happening now and will be happening twenty minutes from now, and for the rest of your life.

It is not a foreshadowing or a frisson, an exhilaration or a rush, a fleeting sensation, a bliss state, or a lasting memory. It is not an unbearable lightness of being. It is more like a medical condition, a very rare condition. A constant companion. Like high-blood pressure, you cannot shake it. Start with the earliest childhood memories of yourself, what you might call Condition Normal. Set aside the commotion in your head and concentrate on your physical being as you first apprehended it as a child. Add to that an element of energy constantly welling up from below, a newfound sensitivity to energy sources (food, beverages, natural, mechanical and electronic forces) and a heightened awareness and you have permanent Kundalini.

Welcome or not, it’s invested you, and you can’t shake it; you can only learn to live with it. Which brings us back to the question of why some experiences are temporary and others are permanent. Is it a question of method? Does the way the experience is triggered determine its permanency?

I have met and talked with many people about their Kundalini experiences. Not as many as Gopi Krishna, but quite a few. Generally, they fall into three categories:
    • Those who are not sure they have really experienced Kundalini. Difficult to gauge.
    • Those who experience Kundalini temporarily and retain vivid memories of the experience. Quite common.
    • Those whose Kundalini, once activated, continues 24-hours a day. Very rare.
      Those who are not sure they have experienced Kundalini
      In a perfect world this group should not exist— Kundalini is either active or it isn’t. Nevertheless, the group does exist and its members exhibit various and sundry states of affect. In a perfect world there would be people trying to activate Kundalini, people in whom it was active or who activated it at one time and in whom it has since returned to a dormant state, and people in whom it was awakened or who awakened it permanently. No one would be unsure. In our less than perfect world there is less surety.

      People often think they are infirm, yet they are perfectly well. It called hypochondria, and it's startlingly prevalent. Mental states and predispositions often cloud what’s really happening in the body and the mind. That’s why Gopi Krishna came to the realization that Kundalini was often mistaken for mental illness. While mental illness is an accepted phenomenon, until recently most people know nothing about Kundalini, so it’s easy to understand how a Kundalini experience that stirs up energy centers might be mistaken for mental illness, especially in a culture featuring offhand remarks like, “I must be going crazy” and “Are you nuts?” There’s a lot of confusion out there, people confusing what’s happening in the body with what’s happening in the mind, and vice-versa. Nevertheless, as Kundalini becomes more familiar and the term is used more frequently, people may begin to understand the differences, even though it is probable that some forms of mental illness and all forms of Kundalini have a biological origin.

      For those striving to awaken Kundalini, yet never seeming to get there, the problem isn’t mental illness; it’s one part method and one part Karma. After working with Kundalini for a long time, I have realized that some people are not destined to activate it, no matter how hard they try.

      Those who've experienced Kundalini temporarily
      A large part of this group activates Kundalini accidentally. This is neither good nor bad; it is what it is. When it happens and the person knows nothing about Kundalini, there’s a temptation to fight it, to resist giving in to it, which is foolish because, once activated, Kundalini takes control.

      Kundalini can be triggered by Yoga, by meditation, by ingesting drugs, or just plain not-doing. It can occur while walking down the street, driving a tractor, chewing your food, or making love. Just about any banal activity or non-activity can set it off. When it does occur, don’t fight it. Why? Because you can’t. So submit and learn. Perhaps, it will go away; perhaps it won’t. If it does go away, it’s probably because you did something to temporarily release sublimated sexual energy or the energy shook loose on its own. If the energy does cease for some reason, the conduits — between the base of the spine and the brain — have not been permanently opened or, as Gopi Krishna stated, the "serpent fire is not burning ceaselessly." 

      How it burns is just as important as if it burns. As Osho said:
      “Kundalini is not felt because it is rising; kundalini is only felt if you do not have a very clear passage. If the passage is completely clear-cut, then the energy flows, but you cannot feel it. You feel it when there is something there that resists the flow. If the energy flows upward and you have blocks in the passage, only then do you feel it. So the person who feels more kundalini is really blocked: there are many blocks in the passage, so the kundalini cannot flow.”
      At this point it’s up to you whether you want to pursue the matter. Read Deciphering the Golden Flower One Secret at a Time. Read the many other first hand accounts of Kundalini awakenings. Do you want to move forward? Do you want to recapture the Kundalini condition permanently? If so, use a reliable meditation method, one that you've vetted scrupulously. Do NOT attempt it if you’re not absolutely sure and/or you don’t have the time and the support system to follow through.

      If you have experienced Kundalini in any way, shape, or form, vivid memories of the experience will stay with you, even though the condition itself may have become dormant, even though the current may have ceased to flow. You will be able to use this experience in your overall understanding of life.

      Those whose Kundalini is permanently active
      In Kundalini: The Evolutionary Energy in Man Gopi Krishna describes his search for individuals whose Kundalini functions 24-hours a day without respite. He did not find many. This in India, a country renowned for spiritual exploration and practice.

      So if Gopi Krishna couldn’t find them, and modern investigators can’t find them, there can’t be many. Why is this? There are as many reasons as there is diversity among individual experiences. Perhaps there should be a directory of case studies with gradations and classifications, especially given the interest in the subject and the various gurus and methods extant. But there is no directory.

      The only testimony I can bring to bear is my own. That I’ve lived with Kundalini for over forty years, that it’s a biological transformation triggered by intense neuroplastic activity which, in turn, leads to an extension of consciousness and in some cases, although it varies from case to case, the appearance of metanormal powers.



      I’d like to say that in each successful case permanent Kundalini is due to the successful application of a method. But I can’t, even though I myself used Golden Flower Meditation (GFM), the time-tested method derived from The Secret of the Golden Flower. Even though I've been saying, "It worked for me. It ought to work for others."

      So while the method should constitute a testimony to the ancient adepts who discovered it, I can’t say with any certainty that others have used my method successfully, even in cases where the individual insists he or she has. Is that a cop out? No, merely the realization that each case is difficult to verify and document.

      As with all historical information of this type, this method — the one I used — must be continually tested and hopefully improved. Why? Because if a serious line of study is ever to emerge around Kundalini, the method must be tested and peer reviewed. After all, wouldn't you rather start your Kundalini activation efforts with a reliable method than have Kundalini strike you while riding the subway or watching a baseball game. I would.

      For the moment, however, even with the extraordinary buzz surrounding Kundalini and Kundalini Yoga today, there’s just no telling how, when, or where it will strike, and once it does strike, whether it will be permanent or temporary...



      Since the death of Gopi Krishna in 1984, Kundalini has fragmented into various and sundry groups, all believing they hold the answers to the mysteries of higher consciousness. Not that the focus was more acute while he was alive, it probably wasn’t, but his voice — supported by his incisive writings — was practically the only consistently sensible voice out there. Since his death, a Babel of Voices has commanded the stage, and that disunity is responsible for the lack of focus.

      Compare the work around Kundalini to that on Near Death Experience (NDE) and you see a disorganized set of rival tendancies next to a phenomenon now being studied at the Psychology Departments in universities.

      Why? NDEs have one trigger; Kundalini has many. NDEs share the same effects while the effects of Kundalini are varied and disparate. Yet, the effects of an NDE are a mere subset of those manifested after a permanent Kundalini activation.

      Why do I use the term activation, rather than awakening? While I don’t use it exclusively, I do think it’s appropriate because it shifts the discussion to a more scientific basis so we can begin to investigate the biological nature of this amazing phenomenon. If we are unable to do this, Kundalini will remain a cult or sect with quasi-religious overtones in most people's minds. And we will keep spinning our wheels.

      I don't rule out the divine in my investigation, but I have no evidence to support it. Yes, I can attribute divine origins to certain aspects of Kundalini, but that is only my mind — influenced by cultural conditioning — that is doing the attributing. Rather than starting with the divine, I want to start with the "biological basis" that Gopi Krishna so ably pointed to 40 years ago and work my way up from there.

      20 comments:

      1. Hello JJ,

        1. Is there an age limit to when a person can start the GFM method ? Or is it dependent on how much of the "jing" has been expended in a lifetime?
        2. Is it possible to read "Seminal Retention and Higher Consciousness: The Sexology of Kundalini" now - that is can I pay for it now before it is published in 2015 ? I have enjoyed your books but I will need to stop reading and get to the persistent practice aspect of it.

        ReplyDelete
      2. I like to think it's about the time when all life's responsibilities are taken care of. Could be when the age of useful childbearing has passed. I was 34.

        As for "Seminal Retention and Higher Consciousness: The Sexology of Kundalini," it's available for pre-order now through Apple, Barnes & Noble, and KOBO. On Feb 25, 2015, it will be available for pre-order on the Amazon Kindle store. Pre-orders will be released to buyers on May 25, 2015. Save $3.00; pre-order it now.

        ReplyDelete
      3. Wow. I did not know there was even an option to NOT have it 24/7. Mine has been blazing for 5 years and to be honest I do not know if it has blasted through all the chakras. I am having intense back pain where i have had a few injuries and I think it is blocked there. I opened in the crown first... a reverse Kundalini. Very disturbing for a man in a professional role. Nearly ruined my life over 4 years up until recently. Just now getting my footing on it with resources to rely on. For years I was the psycho who was nearly outcast from all social forums including my own family. Running around like a madman begging doctors to diagnose my pains only to hear that other that chronic white matter changes in my brain (I am growing Myelin) I am a very healthy guy. I have had numerous MRI's over the past 5 years and they show a significant progression of the myelin. I can tell too. Cognitive abilities, ESP, clairvoyance, etc.. all off the charts. But.... it hurts like hell. Just off of 5 days of pooping pure blood and flesh the ER calls colitis or chrones. I think it is just my root chakra opening. But I stilll had to be safe and go to the ER. Very painful but overall such wonderfull feelings of bliss override the down sides.

        ReplyDelete
        Replies
        1. Wow! Would love to hear more details as we have a lot of researchers here interested in documentable brain changes.

          Delete
        2. you can email me at ericwright82@yahoo.com. I have a ton of documentation. I ran to the Veterans Administration for 3 years looking for help with no advice because I was not in the grips of death. I am working with a neuroscientist to help him grow his business and he he said it is rare but happens. My skull is growing in width and thickness too. Glasses are not fitting the same as well as hats I have had for years. I had people tell me it was a reverse Kundalini that is blocked but I have my doubts for many many reasons. I had an amazing 3 days of intense chakra blasting with the lotus flower visions, visions of Krishna (which I still have to this day) and many other things. It did start in my crown chakra and that is where the multiple MRI's come in. Then traveled down the body and just recently my root opened.
          If there are some people I can speak to knowledgeable in this I would love to connect. I have been contacted by Linda Molina from the Emerging Sciences Foundation to be a part of their research pool but that just started.

          Delete
      4. Well, ... a sort of kind of current began to flow in my body in the past 7 days... and since then I can't sleep at all. I now have zero hours of sleep per night but this situation is not making me happy... because I can't perform intelectual activities, and also I can't sleep. I just lay down in the bed, close the eyes and nothing happens. I just stay there 4 or 5 boring hours with my wandering thoughts. At least I have no more pain due to these energies, when they erupt. It is something that will continue all life....

        ReplyDelete
      5. Many are seduced by the lore surrounding Kundalini — the prospect of extraordinary powers and meta-normal abilities. And then they find out... Living with Kundalini can be fraught with physical issues as the being (body, mind, and spirit) adjust to the anatomical, metabolic, and somatic changes it causes. I've lived with it for 40 years, documented in my books.

        ReplyDelete
      6. This is now one of my difficult life exams: to spent my nights without sleep but also without performing an intelectual acitvity - just to face the worse combination of : me + my thoughts for at least 4 hours, after that I am back again in the full awakening state. I am not tired in daytime... it just like I slept enough and I feel rest and fresh. It is now evening again in Romania... I'll do some intelectual maybe until midnight and then I'll see what will happen until morning. In the past nights I tried everything to get some sleep but I was unsuccesful. I took some melatonin pills (natural herbs extracts), I put metamusic on the loudspeakers to induce a trance state, I tried to slow my breath... and the only results I've got was a short 5 to 10 minutes (maximum) of conscious sleep, when I could hear my snoring breath and those were the only moments when I had a lower stream of thoughts and I could enjoy that cvasi-silence. But even in those very short timeframe of very superficial sleep, I had many dreams episodes...

        ReplyDelete
        Replies
        1. Cristian... I have been 24/7 for 4 years now. Some help for me is doing an isolation chamber/float tank. You can meditate very deeply in it and access aplha wave activity very deep. Also, trey grounding yourself. The same as an electronic device, our bodies hold a charge and Kundalini causes us to pull in more energy than normal people. We pull it in from electrical devices, other people's auras, and especially being out in crowded places. Try to find time to dig a small hole in the dirt 2 to 3 inches deep and big enough for your feet to fit in. If you have some salt, pour a couple pounds in each hole and put in water to make it muddy as this will help to pull the charge from you down into the earth. I put an 8 foot grounding rod in my backyard and have to go to it multiple times a day to discharge. usually takes 10 to 20 minutes and you will notice it immediately as the pressure and pain just melts away. Walking barefoot as much as possible indoors and outdoors is also a good idea I have found. walks barefoot in the grass discharges. It is this energy that keeps us up for days on end.

          Delete
      7. Maybe I'll ttry that on summer, because now in Romania is a freezing winter, but until then I am not sure how to deal with the boring hours of night.

        ReplyDelete
        Replies
        1. Ugh... I have grown up in a tropical climate all my life and other then when I was a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division and stationed in South Korea I have never really been exposed to frozen ground. I do have sympathy for your situation my friend. When I am bored I find a lot of entertainment in meditation. How is your meditation practice? It has the potential to keep you very occupied with some very entertaining visions. If you haven't gotten to the that point of meditation yet, I would recommend to look around online for some techniques or I can give you some of my tips and see where that goes.

          Delete
        2. Better yet, check our my post on Earthing. Its the modern way of staying grounded all through the night and much of the day: http://www.kundaliniconsortium.org/2013/03/neuro-energetic-stimulation-tweaking.html

          Delete
      8. I have active kundaluni 24 hours a day for the last two years. I didn't realize that it is temporary for some people. I started going to Svaroopa yoga as a way to relax, and the awakening happened within weeks. I feel like I ruined my life. I could go on for days about the physical and emotional fallout. The worst part is being alone through it all. I would genuinely appreciate being able to communicate with someone who has been through this. I have two small children and my husband is underway for months at a time. It has been difficult to maintain a meditation practice. I have suspected recently that this is making things worse. Nevertheless I am happy to have found this page. Even if it was by searching, "kundaluni ruined my life," lol.

        ReplyDelete
      9. I would stop all practice for a while and see if the condition you are suffering from, stabilizes or goes away.

        ReplyDelete
      10. I have my kundalini awakening last nov 4 through meditation, i used a method from nithyananda in youtube, thought it wont work, but as i meditate i notice spontaneous movements, now 3rd and im experiencing head pulsation during meditation or even not meditating, i dont know if it temporary awakening or permanent

        ReplyDelete
        Replies
        1. *now 3rd week, also im experiencing intense fear for some unknown reasons, btw hi

          Delete
      11. Hi
        My snake has been working constantly, 24/7 the last 5 months. It did happen during a magic mushroom therapy session.
        Shakras has been opened.
        What I also realized, is that the kundalini has not been as dormant as I would like to think of, considering all the coinciding symptoms which has been maginified the last few months.
        There are still blockages. There is still pain to go through. Tendinitis.Stomach ticks.

        What is unique in this sublime company, is that I never knew what kundalini was until it happened, and I heard someone speak of it as the snake and symptoms was raging inside. That's when I recognized it. I never feared it. It was all just new. As if something my subconscious has been waiting for a long time... My ego self was off course worried. Desperate to find similar experiences. Something to put the label on. And when the word "kundalini" popped up in front of me, it was as if my sub-conscious told me, "there you go, son!"
        She goes up and down my spines when I lie down. I feel the blockages. The numbing sensation in my left arm. Stomach pains that drove me nuts last night. Flu symptoms.
        As far as my back and shoulder pains goes, I've heard different theories about them. They sound equally sound in my book.
        I can't plan anything anymore.

        So what constitutes a temporarily awakening, and a permanent does not say in your article.
        All I know is that I have gotten used to the 24/7 generator which sometimes works on my system, and give me some growing pains. If it went away tomorrow, I'd miss it.

        Let me add that I am a traveler and freelance writer with a writer's block. That's what drew me to Mother Mushroom, and the meeting with a shaman whom has become a friend and advises through the process. Not with so many words, since I have to figure things on my own... The only thing he said when I asked him in an SMS as I was abroad, vistiting a sick and old father in the hospital in Canary Islands when I did get worried - he just replied "Awakening. Take it easy on yourself. Get plenty of sleep, eat properly, meditate, take sun and relax."
        That was it.
        His answers didn't satisfy me ego. Hence, relentless search on the interwebs....

        ReplyDelete
      12. ...Cont.
        When my pains are at worst at night, and I can't fall asleep, I ask my snake to take it a bit easy on my stomach, as I needed the rest. She does resend a bit, but only to the pelvis area and the root chakra.. Continuing the work from there.
        Still haven't reached my crown chakra. However, I do suspect that I might have stumbled into Kali and Vishnu during my last ceremony.

        The 5 mushroom ceremonies I've attended since July have all been different. New revelations. I even connected what is happening now with some quite mysterious and interesting experiences I had in India at the age of 19 in 1991/92. Some meetings I will refrain from speaking of here and now...since I have problems coming to terms with what I heard in any case.
        The experience I want to share here, is what popped into my head when I was getting my picture taken by the entrance of a buddhist cave in Ajanta mountains.
        "I bet my best friend's mother is going to ask me if I've been here before when I get home"....
        Low and behold, less than a week later, she asked me that exact question. Both her and her son was into the paranormal.. Her sister is a medium. Her son could see auras and spirit guides, and could heal.
        What stands out in this story, is that in 19 years, I felt that this brother was someone of my "own kind"... A lady friend of his gave me the honorary endearment "Indigo"...But I never took much stock in the term "Indigo children", since the term was completely unknown in my neck of the woods (Norway) at the time.
        I started drawing a red line between then, and now. My journey from there to here.. The pitfalls... The uppers, downers, laughers, screamers... And the signposts showing themselves to me like giant neon signs showing that Vegas is just around the corner.

        My $24 question. How many weeks/months/years would a spontaneous kundalini last?

        Because I think this is a permanent one. Regardless of what I sought out in the first place.
        But it would be great to get a second opinion from someone more knowledgeable than me on this issue.
        And yes. I agree that the term "activation" is better than "Awakening" since that only draws associations with those Christian sects that popped up around the New World like toads after a rain.
        Cheers

        Morten

        ReplyDelete
      13. Hi My Name Is Gone. And Just When I Think I'm Somebody, I'm Goner. Reading About The Rareity Of Permanent Kundalani Has Made Me Second Guess The Credibility Of What I'm About To Say, But I Am Positive I Have Permanent Kundalani. My Symptoms Started 5 Months Ago (Mildly), And Have Since Increased To (Every Day Annoyance), And It's Severity Relies On How Much "Power" The Kundalani Either Tricks Me Into Giving It, Or How Much I Give It My Self (Which By The Way, Apparently It Can Choose What To Believe In, As Long As That Perposterous Belief Is For The Benefit Of Gaining Power. Which Has Made This Fairly Difficult Considering I Cannot Say, "Every Time I Say My Name, I Gain Power." . I Don't Meditate, But I Am Familiar With Chakras To An Extent. That Being Said I Have Searched And Searched To Find An Explanation To What Is Going On With Me. And The Only Thing I Have Found Are "Kundalani Awakening Meditations", Which Is The Complete Opposite Of What I Want To Do. It Actually Makes No Sense To Me Why Any One Would Want Such An Annoyance. I Was Starting To Believe I Merely Had Schitzophrenia, But It's Just So Starnge How My "Schitzophrenia" Identifies Itself As "Kundalani Serpent". Anyway, Hopewillleave You Believe Me And Respond To My Message With Anything You Can Tell Me About This. I'm Willing To Answer Any Questions You Give Me.

        ReplyDelete
        Replies
        1. jamesvigilant@gmail.com Is My Email For Contact.

          Delete