Are You Ready for GFM?

Before beginning GFM meditation, you must be ready for it. Your state of readiness is not something I, or any other person, can determine. Only you know if you’re ready; only your body can tell you. And it will, if you learn how to listen to it. Here are some recommendations for determining your state of readiness.

Check Your Symmetry

Q: What’s so important about symmetry?

A: “Symmetry means being the same, or even, on each side. Over the last few years, biologists have looked at the animal kingdom, and they’ve made a few discoveries about symmetry, and how it relates to beauty and fitness.

“First, animals that are more symmetrical are more likely to attract a mate. One scientist found that he could turn attractive male swallows into unattractive male swallows (and also ruin their chances of a good sex life) by clipping their tail feathers with scissors.

“Secondly, symmetry influences fitness. Horses that are more symmetrical run faster than horses that are less symmetrical. In one study, biologists measured some ten features on 73 thoroughbreds—features such as the thickness of the knee, or the width of the nostrils. The differences they could measure were quite small, and probably had nothing directly to do with how fast the horse could run. In fact, symmetry is probably a good indicator of general health and strength. Our imperfect world is full of nasty chemicals and germs. Only those individuals that are lucky enough to inherit a sturdy genetic makeup and are also lucky enough to get good nutrition while they’re growing, will end up being more symmetrical.”

~ Karl S. Kruszelnicki Pty Ltd 2003 

Get the point? Symmetry more or less guarantees unblocked nerve channels and balanced growth.

Q: I’m not symmetrical; what can I do about it?

A: If you’re not symmetrical, something must have happened. After my accident, my symmetrical body became asymmetrical. I gambled, and , my symmetry. Now, I didn’t get up one day and announce, “I’m off to find the Secret Teachings.” I stumbled onto them accidentally. Destiny put me on a course toward my childhood accident and serendipity (a creative form of destiny) put me on the path to discovering and mastering the backward-flowing method. So, however you get there, whether by destiny, fate, happenstance, Karma, or serendipity, if you’re meant to get there, you will. It’s up to you to understand the commitment and make the effort.

Q: How do I check my symmetry?

A: There are various means of checking symmetry:

• Musical ability, rhythm. The ability to sing notes with proper intonation.
• Mathematical ability, computer programming.
• Sports. Especially balancing sports such as skateboarding, target sports, ice-skating, gymnastics, bicycling, tightrope walking, juggling.
• Kirlian photography.
• Regular photography, a process you can undertake yourself. Here’s how:

Take a portrait-sized photo of yourself. Scan the negative into your computer, load it into Photoshop, and crop the image until the face is tightly enclosed in the frame. Drop a line down the exact center of your face, cut the image in two, then separate the two sides. Duplicate each side and drag the two left and two right sides together. Flip the duplicate horizontally and nudge until it’s vertically aligned with its corresponding other half. What you have, in each case, are faces composed of two instances of the left side and two instances of the right side, one half merely flipped to complete the image. Here are sample images taken by a couple of Australian teachers. Study each composite image and compare it with the original.

“After much thought an Art teacher at school and I worked out a way to find out. We photographed some of the children and then through a bit of ‘darkroom magic’ manipulated them. You’ll notice that the photos of each child’s face is made up of the original photo.”

~ Adrian Bruce–www.adrianbruce.com 

Right/Right                     Left/Left                Original Photo

Some faces are more symmetrical than others

In his empirical wisdom, Gopi Krishna perceived a direct link between symmetry and the qualities leading to success: “Can we deny that whether a fortuitous gift, or the fruit of Karma, in every case there is a close link between the talent or beauty exhibited and the organic structure of the individual.”

Note: Failure to pass any of the tests does not constitute a lack of symmetry or mean that you are not apt to undertake kundalini training. There are other determinants, namely your own resolve and fortitude, but the extent of your symmetry will determine the outcome to some degree. The more symmetrical, in all probability, the more advanced your breathing and lung capacity. Of course, this depends on your physical state, your age, your habits and your libido.

Get Clean!

This means including more raw foods in your diet! You can’t heal on a poor foundation. This was the one issue hindering both Gopi Krishna and myself. So, learn from our mistakes. By the way, even if you decide not to undertake Life Force activation, this step should be a keeper.

Why? Let’s take a closer look at the relationship between a raw foods diet and GFM. What do these two healing instruments have in common? Well, nothing secret or cryptic. In fact, a little common sense reveals that both rely on ingested substances. For a raw foods diet, it’s the food and drink you consume; for GFM, it’s the air you breathe. One, as food and drink, fewer fats, less sugar and less salt; two, elements in the air that your body converts to Prana. I won’t go into the science of nutrition or Prana. There are researched volumes of relevant materials. Let’s just say that both mechanisms use and refine the elements we introduce into our bodies, so it’s up to us to make sure these elements are pure.

The Four Dhyanas

In my previous post, I spoke about anapana, or “tying consciousness to the breath.” Anapana, or watching the breath, represents the beginning stage of the first of four dhyanas. What are dhyanas? Put simply, they represent the stages or progressions in meditative absorption.
  

According to the sutra, the first stage is marked by awareness and contemplation. Here “awareness” means the condition of physiological feeling and sensitivity to all that is going on internally. “Contemplation” means the condition of psychological awareness, knowing the coming and going of every thought. For me, it is as if my outward senses have been turned inward.

At the beginning of my daily meditation, there are certain things that I practice that have the effect of releasing me from wandering passions, desires, and unwholesome thoughts while moving me towards a joyful interest in what I am doing and a sense of well-being.

I start by listening to Santam Kaur’s song Ong Namo, the words that begin the centering process:

Ong Namo, Guru Dav, Namo,
Oh my Beloved, Kindness of the Heart, Breath of Life, I bow to You.
Divine Teacher, Beloved Friend, I bow to you again and again.

During the course of this song, I am able to move away from the exterior to become very aware of everything that is happening internally. At one point in the song, I direct my intention to the chakra areas and silently repeat the following sounds as my attention is given to each chakra starting with the root and emphasizing the Anahata or heart chakra: LAM, VAM, RAM, YAM - YAM, HAM, SHAM, CHREE-OM.

   

The second thing I do consistently and find very useful is to visualize the subtle body with its three main channels. The larger central channel begins at ajna chakra (third eye) runs over the crown of the head and down to the Svadhisthana or Sacral chakra. It’s exterior is pale blue with a reddish interior color. Starting at the inner nostrils and running parallel and on either side of the central channel are the smaller channels connected with the nostrils. The one on the right is red, and the other white. At each chakra point, starting at the crown, these two smaller channels cross over the larger central channel, one from the left, and the other from the right, curving around and returning back to their original position, but forming a loop or knot. At the Anahata or heart chakra, they loop three times, then continue this course until they reach the end at Svadhisthana or Sacral chakra.
  

In the practice of tying consciousness to breath (Anapana), on the inhale, I follow the breath from the nostrils, down the two smaller channels to the Svadhisthana or sacral chakras to the base of the central channel. On the exhale, I follow the breath up the central channel to the crown. I’m not sure of the exact point of connection with the central channel on the exhale, however, the breath seems to always follow my intention in this regard. In the tantra, this is called “Vase” breathing meditation, and is described is much more detail there.

Other Anapana practice that I do consistently at the beginning of my meditation period is alternating nostril breathing. I don’t cover a nostril as suggested for this practice. Directing the breath by intention does the same thing and keeps it simpler.

These exercises, along with the backward circular flow of breath in the abdomen area, always move me into the deeper absorption, increasing my awareness of a mindful joy of how I feel physically, and contentment as in peace and ease. It is as if the body and mind are beginning to sit in empty space. I have the experience of slowly surrendering to that which is beyond self.

In the second dhyana stage, the intellectual activity described above begins to fade and is replaced by tranquility and one-pointedness of mind. Joyful interest and sense of well-being are still present, but the awareness and contemplation are emptied out, and one experiences just the mindful joy of samadhi. At this point, I am no longer conscious of the flow of breath or its direction. In fact, I am not conscious of breathing at all. The joy and contentment of just being seems to heighten. There are no thoughts running around in confusion. They come, are recognized for what they are, and are immediately dismissed. This is not the stage of “no-mind” because there are still objects present, however they are not much of a distraction. At the early part of this stage, as a practice, I often explore and experience the impermanence of my physical form, senses, concepts, motivational synthesis, and discriminating consciousness.

In the third dhyana, the mindful joy and contentment fades and is replaced by the rise of bliss and a movement towards equanimity. In this stage, everything inside the body is going through a great transformation including to energy structures and channels and every cell and nerve. After realizing the third dhyana, we look upon previous realms of joy as being the same as that of any ordinary person because we have now reached a heightened joy. Master Nan Huai-Chin says that it is only after one reaches this stage that you can get rid of diseases.
   

I find that I can get attached to this stage if I’m not careful. Some of the practices I do are probably not the best for moving into deeper absorption. Bliss is a very enticing force, and I am inclined to enter into practices that serve to enhance it for its own sake. I have trouble at times discerning when it is best to continue with a practice, or just let it go. For example, sitting in siddhasana is one of the practices I do from the beginning of meditation. The rising energy from this practice affects every nerve and cell and increases the level of bliss throughout the whole body. One may erroneously believe that they have arrived when this happens, however, such beliefs are only an obstacle to further meditative absorption. I must eventually let go of the bliss and allow it to fade. The temptation is to hang on to it, and enhance it.

In the first three dhyanas, there is an increased awareness of that which exists beyond self (ultimate reality, presence).  As all the remnants of "I-ness" fade, it is as if you become that presence. The seeker becomes the sought.  

    
In the fourth dhyana, all sensation ceases and only mindful equanimity remains. This is the realm where both suffering and pleasure are extinguished, where sorrows or worries no longer exist. This is the stage of the beginning of pure mindfulness. According to the sutras, unless this stage can be preserved (body and mind, inner and outer, fused into one whole) then the fourth dhyana is not completely realized.
    

In meditative absorption, I have touched the fruits of this stage, but it is far from a permanent way of being. At times, I've wondered if the complete realization of this stage would take one out of the realm of day-to-day living and responsibility, but the sutras suggest not. Those who have mastered this stage are able to move to other realms to fulfill daily tasks and responsibilities, but still not lose their state of pure mindfulness, and return to it at will.

My Kundalini Experience

Like many seeking spiritual knowledge, I started as a novice, looking for something that didn’t exist in the material world. Religion hadn't worked for me, neither had higher education, nor specializations such as law, medicine, business. I wanted to take an active part in my development, to probe for truth beyond the confines of my narrow world. I wanted to be the creator of my own Being.

High Desert Sunrise

As far as career paths, I felt that everyone around me had already figured things out; all they had to do was learn the ropes, keep their mouths shut, and the doors of riches and success were open to them. I wanted something else, something that would allow me to figure out who I was. At the time, I didn’t know much about spirituality. In fact, the first self-realization technique I came across was hypnosis.

Almost immediately, however, I sensed there were other forms of consciousness. I thought this was great! I picked up a few books, listened in on a few conversations about yoga and meditation. Pretty soon I found myself on the spiritual bandwagon — Yoga magazines and studios, spiritual bookstores, so-called highly evolved friends, etc. I began to investigate the concepts and employ the vocabulary. Initially I was a dabbler, I practiced Hatha and Kundalini Yogas off and on, but something pushed me toward a deeper exploration. I advanced from dabbler to practitioner. A few months into my meditation practice something unexpected happened. I started getting feedback.

Feedback from my Body

My body started changing. Profound psychological and mental changes occurred as well, but the bulk of the transformations occurred in my physical body. Moreover, once the transformations began, my body took over on its own. How does a body take over and effectively transform itself? Very simply, I had aroused a power within myself known as Kundalini, our natural life force, the power that shapes our bodies in the womb. I began to think Yoga and meditation were merely means of physical improvement. Little did I know that the Golden Flower Meditation I was practicing would lead me to metaphysical discoveries.

A Childhood Injury Led me to Kundalini

If it wasn’t for a childhood injury that deformed me, I might never have discovered the amazing transformative power of Kundalini. The extraordinary factor in my case was that my injury occurred when I was very young, so young I actually suppressed all memory of the accident that caused my injury.

Years later, when I was thirty-four, a stranger handed me a book entitled The Secret of the Golden Flower. It was a serendipitous moment, the beginning of my recovery process. I didn’t realize it at the time. In fact, I put the book away for over a year. Sometime later however, I picked it up and began practicing the method of meditation in the text. At first I thought I was wasting my time.

Kundalini Started Transforming my Body

The method in The Secret of the Golden Flower was for real. Not only was it for real, this ancient method turned out to be the safest and most complete Kundalini method I’ve run across in my forty years of research. Why? Because it advocates using the backward-flowing method.

Upon awakening, Kundalini recognized my deformity and immediately began to restore my body to its original state, a pristine state of perfect symmetry that existed before my accident. If that hadn’t happened, my focus on Kundalini — like the focus of so many others — would probably have centered only on consciousness. As it was, I realized the practical healing benefits of Kundalini are as important and as wonderous as the metanormal effects that occur later on.

A New Phase of Kundalini Research

The fact that my childhood injury allowed me to discover the amazing transformative power of Kundalini has led me to frame Kundalini in entirely different terms from many other practitioners and researchers. I believe that the most important aspect of Kundalini — aside from its amazing curative power — is that Kundalini is actually an ancient scientific tradition, one that might be called Life Force Science. I did not get this from reading books like Wholeness and the Implicate Order or Mysticism and the New Physics, books written by scientists who, for one reason or another, hit a dead end in their interpretation of the universe, thus turning to mystical explanations. I came to a realization that Kundalini was a key to exploring a new science — the science of consciousness. The act of raising my Kundalini turned my body into a laboratory — one whose processes I could observe and document in a scientific manner. A process for others to explore...the same way I have explored it.

First, I observed that the diaphragmatic deep breathing I practiced created an energy buildup in my lower belly. I realized this was Prana, the life force energy, and it had a purpose. During meditation, I was able to slow down my heart rate, which seemed to create a vortex of all-encompassing consciousness with my puny being at the center. I noticed this energy in the belly had the property of direction and, if it had direction, I realized I might be able to guide it. But how and where? The words "backward-flowing method" came to mind. Quickly, I looked up the term in The Secret of the Golden Flower. And there it was — almost taunting me to order the energy to change direction. I did, and the rest is Kundalini lore, experiences and wonders so many others have shared. The energy:

• working its way up my spine to the brain,
• opening the chakras along the way,
• reengineering my body,
• plunging me into the energy continuum.

All of which should not be thought of as metaphysical phenomenon, but should be treated as scientific actualities, albeit ones the science of today has not yet discovered. Gopi Krishna knew that Kundalini is science; he wrote about it eloquently in his many books. Kundalini is part of the science of consciousness, just as the heart attack is part of medical science or the orgasm is part of reproductive science and biology.

A Reliable Method of Awakening Kundalini

Not only did I learn about the self-healing potential of Kundalini, I realized the method I used to arouse my Kundalini was more related to science than to mysticism, religion or spirituality. Why? Because Golden Flower Meditation (GFM) is capable of producing results with the consistency and predictability of a scientific experiment. So even though I started out as a spiritual seeker, I have become a Life Force Scientist. And as I scientist, I suggest that we research all aspects of Kundalini Awakening, from documenting the most reliable methods of activating it to examining the metanormal effects it produces. The best way of documenting Kundalini experiences? Tried and true peer review!

Biology and Consciousness
The reason I pursue this is because I have first hand observational experience of metaphysical activity in my own body. Myself and millions of others. Trouble is, even though our experiences are very similar, occur irrespective of culture, language, geography, physical characteristics, without any intimate contact between subjects, material scientists still label these experiences as anecdotal. But every scientific breakthrough starts out as a hypothesis, based on some combination of intuition and anecdote. The reason that biology is important is that, unlike divine inspiration, which must be seen as God randomly choosing candidates for inspiration, Kundalini, induced by the body's biological triggers, becomes an evolutionary mutation capable of modifying DNA within the span of a single lifetime, and even more important, an evolutionary improvement capable of being passed through DNA to future generations.

The Secret of the Golden Flower - Revisited, Part II

For over 40 years, I’ve practiced Golden Flower Meditation (GFM), the method in The Secret of the Golden Flower (SGF) that many adepts recognize as derived from the Buddha’s own meditation system. When I first started, I had no idea it was a manual for activating kundalini...

Perhaps it was because the Wilhelm translation of the SGF has a poetic quality that obscures unambiguous execution of the meditation teachings embedded in the text. Metaphor rather than easy-to-follow, step-by-step explanation is the norm. A modernized How-To it is not. Terminology often sidesteps the underlying process, hints at it, leaving you to wonder if you are doing it correctly. Some terms overlap in meaning; some techniques are referred to by more than one term. Only by obstinate practice do the techniques become clear.

Nevertheless, I kept at it. I’m not sure why. Part intuition, I suppose. Part distrust of mass movements: I was turned off by Scientology and similar movements that herded initiates toward obedience as dictated by a single leader. Buddha and Milarepa had done it on their own. Why couldn’t I?

Life in 1970 — when I started meditating — was quite different from today. No Internet, not many books on yoga or meditation. It took me over a year to understand the method and practice it in a systematic manner. The one thing that kept me motivated was that, once I caught onto the breathing techniques, I began to detect sensations of energy stirring and flowing throughout my body.

I became a skilled observer, applying techniques in a manner best suited to my particular morphology and soma. I created a step-by-step order for my practice, which turned out to be important because it’s not possible to jump over or skip a step; each one has to be mastered before moving on to the next one.

I stress the point about becoming a skilled observer as much as I stress learning to meditate on your own. Groupthink never gets it done; you can only learn so much from others. The real work is done in the laboratory of your own body. You must become your own best “spiritual” detective.

It Takes Courage to Go It Alone

GFM has entirely reengineered my nervous system, body, and brain. The method is composed of three techniques, each of which must be mastered in turn before beginning the next:

1. Diaphragmatic Deep Breathing (DDB)
2. Control of Heart Rate
3. The Backward-Flowing Method (BFM)

The Backward-Flowing Method

It’s a system that Gopi Krishna, the 20th century’s great elucidator of Kundalini, described as “containing unmistakable hints about the sublimation process.”

He’s referring, of course, to sexual sublimation, a process that uses distilled sexual energy to wake up the nervous system and revitalize the brain and the body, ultimately triggering Kundalini. Although sublimation sounds mystical, it is really a biological process, entailing the diversion of  sexual energy to the brain. Instead of flowing out, as it does during normal sexual intercourse, the seminal fluid, or cervical fluid in a woman, is diverted to the brain in a distilled form known as prana, which is the key to enhanced neuroplastic activity in the brain.
 

Sexual sublimation is the basis of activating Kundalini in whatever form it takes. I say this because the Kundalini experience takes many forms, probably because the sublimation process takes so many forms. Hidden channels can open in dissimilar ways, triggering a flow of distilled sexual energy to the brain that varies according to individual metabolism and soma:

“For a week I observe my breath circulate in the opposite direction without noticing any effect. The mind goes on autopilot and I go back to my uninspired routine: walking, cooking, meditating. Then, two weeks later, about the length of time it takes the backward-flowing process to become permanent, there’s something new. On the day in question, I feel a sensation at the base of my spine like the cracking of a small egg and the spilling out of its contents. For the next month, I observe the fluid-like contents of the egg trickle out of its reservoir and slowly begin to climb my spine. What is this fluid? I can’t describe it exactly. It seems to emanate from the base of the spine and press upward. Each time I sit to meditate, it has risen a half an inch higher.”
~ Excerpted from, Deciphering the Golden Flower One Secret at a Time

Meditating is easy for some, but not for others. It took me a long time to get comfortable with the process, to learn the posture and to concentrate. I was alternately bored and restless, fidgety and impatient, sleepy and indolent. Sitting in the lotus position, my mind used the time to review the events, impulses, and relationships in my life. I was powerless to stop this inner dialogue, to clear my mind of chatter. I knew it could be done; others had written about it. To succeed in meditation, it had to be done; all the teachings said so.

"Nor must a man be led astray by the ten thousand ensnarements. This happens if, after the quiet state has begun, one after another all sorts of ties suddenly appear. One wants to break through them and cannot; one follows them, and feels as if relieved by this. This means the master has become the servant. If a man tarries in this stage long he enters world of illusory desires."
~ The Secret of the Golden Flower

I dropped everything and concentrated on meditation in the hope it would improve my breathing, allowing me to become a better musician. However, sitting in the lotus position, I couldn’t get the breathing right. One day while walking, I decided to sync my breathing to each step, counting my breath over a series of strides. Exhale four counts, hold four counts, inhale four counts, hold four counts. Start over. I practiced a lot, walking great distances until my breathing became regular. The process of counting obscured the chatter, and it gradually disappeared. Eventually, I stopped counting; my mind had emptied. And I returned to sitting meditation, which then kicked into high gear. It had taken me over a year to get my mind under control, but once I was able to, the meditation advanced quickly.

As a result, my Kundalini activated at the age of 35. Energy I didn’t know existed started flowing through the neural channels of my body. I could feel and observe it. Almost immediately, I realized that this pranic, super-conscious energy was the Primal Spirit, a term I’d come across many times in The Secret of the Golden Flower without really understanding what it meant.

It took about three months for this process to complete. I never felt sexual arousal, rather a benign hydraulic sensation, as if a liquid was slowly being “pumped up” my back. Should you succeed in activating "the circulation of the light," as explained in Part I of this post, the outcome will probably differ from mine, or from the next person's. Don't worry about it. You'll find your way.

"When one begins to carry out one’s decision, care must be taken so that everything can proceed in a comfortable, relaxed manner. Too much must not be demanded of the heart. One must be careful that, quite automatically, heart and energy are coordinated. Only then can a state of quietness be attained. During this quiet state the right conditions and the right space must be provided. One must not sit down [to meditate] in the midst of frivolous affairs. That is to say, the mind must be free of vain preoccupations. All entanglements must be put aside; one must be detached and independent. Nor must the thoughts be concentrated upon the right procedure. This danger arises if too much trouble is taken. I do not mean that no trouble is to be taken, but the correct way lies in keeping equal distance between being and not being. If one can attain purposelessness through purpose, then the thing has been grasped. Now one can let oneself go, detached and without confusion, in an independent way."
~The Secret of the Golden Flower

Don't Lose Sight of the Body's Role in This Work

After awakening Kundalini, I was able to visualize my body as a real time, transparent, 3-D model, much like a life-size version of a child’s human anatomy toy model. I could see the defective parts; they lit up and vibrated at a different frequency. I could see how certain parts my body had torqued as a result of their being denied vital life force growth energy. How do I know this to be true? I know it firsthand; it happened to me. I felt and observed the energy rising along my spine, felt and observed it entering my brain. But don’t take my word alone. Test it in the laboratory of your body.
 

Read The Secret of the Golden Flower - Revisited, Part I