Wheels of Life

by Anodea Judith

  Kundalini does produce a profound state of consciousness, and this resulting state of consciousness may make it very difficult to get along in a world so predominantly "unenlightened." It may not support our current paradigm or be harmonious to the circumstances in our lives or the physical state of purity within the body. These discrepancies may make for a great deal of discomfort, but are not always to be avoided. Kundalini is basically a healing force, and pain is felt only when it encounters tension and impurities we are not quite ready to release. Learning to open the chakras allows a clear path for Kundalini that is less apt to be painful.

  Theoretically, Kundalini produces a force that helps open the crown chakra, located at the top of the head. Because blocks in the chakras may trap our spinal energy, this chakra is often the hardest to reach. Classically, the crown chakra is considered the seat of enlightenment; however, I believe that it is the combined presence and connection of all the chakras together, given conscious attention, that brings enlightenment. With many people, their more enlightening moments come from bringing upper chakra consciousness down to tangible recognition, rather than the other way around.

  The raising of energy to higher chakras occurs naturally and spontaneously when we relax deeply and pay attention to all of our chakras. Attempts to force the energy to rise often results in strain, tension, and a feeling of being "spaced out" or irritable to all those around us who are not doing the same thing. The latter produces an alienation that I have found to be symptomatic of a lack of enlightenment. (Many people have come up to me at conferences to excitedly tell me of their enlightened seventh chakra experiences, while not having the slightest sensitivity to the fact that they were rudely interrupting a conversation, or were living in bodies that seemed horribly neglected.)

  It is impossible to talk about chakras without mentioning Kundalini, however, the raising of Kundalini is not the focus of this book. Kundalini is not necessarily the best or easiest way to achieve realization any more than driving through a stone wall is the easiest way to get to the house on the next street. There are times when a strong force is needed to get through a particularly stubborn block, but I prefer methods that are natural, safe, and pleasant. When we take the scenic route, we can enjoy the journey as much as the destination.

  This book neither supports nor condemns disciplines designed to arouse Kundalini. The drug LSD is a quick way to catch glimpses of the higher worlds of superconsciousness, and it doesn't necessarily leave you there but may still effect some permanent change in a positive direction. Kundalini is even less predictable, generally more profound, and much more difficult to obtain. However, Kundalini is not the result of a drug, but a reorganization of our own life energy. It is a unique and valuable experience available to any sincere seeker of higher awareness.

  FIGURE 1.11

  The caduceus, the modern symbol for healing, traces the path of the chakras and nadis, emanating from the base to the two winged petals at the top.

  What pain we encounter is only from our own resistance and the impurities Kundalini must burn away before she can reach her goal.

  There is a great deal of research that is presently being done on Kundalini, and many theories have been formed about what it really is and how it is triggered. The theories listed below are the ones most pertinent to this book.

  • Kundalini is triggered by a guru. Any interaction we have with other people takes place on a chakra level as well. (See Figure 1.12, page 45.) If we interact with people who are predominantly lower chakra, our own centers respond accordingly. We may be pulled down by such an interaction. Likewise, if an interaction occurs that stimulates the upper chakras, such as contact with a guru who has awakened his or her own Kundalini, this new influx of energy may awaken the disciple. When Kundalini is triggered by a guru, the experience is called Shaktipat. It awakens the centers and gets the Kundalini energy flowing, leaving its recipient free to experience both the wonderful effects as well as deal with the consequences it may affect in their lives and body.

  • Kundalini is sexual. The practice of Tantra sometimes includes elaborate yogic sexual practices, designed to arouse Kundalini and achieve transcendence. Such techniques may vary from prolonged orgasm to total abstinence. Some say Kundalini and sexuality are mutually exclusive, while others believe they are inextricably linked. This will be discussed more fully in the chapter on chakra two.

  • Kundalini is chemical. The sixth chakra is generally associated with the pineal gland. Melatonm, a chemical produced by this gland, is known to produce increased psychic ability, dream recall, visions, and hallucinogenic effects.29 Some believe that the visions induced by Kundalini are a cycling of neurotransmitters. In some cases, Kundalini may be triggered by drugs such as coffee, marijuana, or hallucinogenic drugs.

  • Kundalini is the result of vibrational rhythm entrainment in the body.30 Undulations of the spine set off rhythms, which entrain with the heartbeat, brain waves and breathing patterns, stimulating various centers in the brain. These may be triggered by meditation, breathing rates, or pure chance, as in the cases of spontaneous awakening. This will be discussed further when we explore vibrations in the realm of the fifth chakra.

  • Kundalini is naturally produced when there is a clear, unblocked channel connecting all of the chakras. This last is my own theory, which I see as an addition, rather than a contradiction to those above. If the chakras are seen as gears, then Kundalini is the serpentine motion that energy takes as it moves along those gears. In fact the chakras may serve as inhibitors of Kundalini, slowing it down so that it can be reasonably channeled and kept from burning up the mortal organism in which it occurs. At our present state of existence, the chakras themselves are not blocks, but stepping stones; at times, however, the unresolved patterns within the chakras may unnecessarily block this life force. Through a thorough understanding of our personal chakra system, we may be able to use Kundalini energy in a safe and predictable manner.

  FIGURE 1.12

  While he may be acting from a lower chakra physical/sexual level, bringing her attention to this area, she may in turn stimulate his heart chakra by emanating at this level.

  INTRODUCTORY CONCLUSIONS

  It is at this point that some of the basic theories and biases of this book need to be presented. There is much that corresponds to standard systems (if one can find enough agreement to even say what those are), yet many things differ. The theories in the following pages are the result of making connections between the beliefs of the past, present, and projected future of researched information on the Chakra System, as well as numerous other relevant metaphysical and psychological systems.

  This is meant to be presented as theory, not dogma; the presentation of an idea, not a religion. Hopefully, it is something valuable to the expansion of one's consciousness regardless of religious or philosophic orientation. The theses are as follows:

  • There are seven major and several minor chakras in the subtle body which act as gateways to dimensions spanning from matter to consciousness.

  • In the human being, these seven planes correspond to archetypal levels of consciousness as well as various physical attributes.

  • The chakras are created by the interpenetration of two major vertical currents.

  • The lower chakras are of equal value and importance to the upper chakras for human beings at our present level of development.

  • The Chakra System describes a pattern of evolution, and the human race is presently going from the third level to the fourth.

  • The chakras also correspond to colors, sounds, deities, dimensions, and other subtle phenomenon.

  • The System has immense value for personal growth and use in diagnosis and healing.

  • These seven levels are proportional to the possible number of planes in a similar ratio to the seven colors of the rainbow and the spectrum of electromagnetic waves. The seven basic chakras are merely the vibrations that we can perceive with our present "equipment," just as t
he colors of the rainbow are all that we can perceive with the naked eye.

  • The chakras are in constant interplay and can only be separated intellectually.

  • The chakras can be opened through various physical exercises, tasks, meditations, healing methods, life experiences, and general understanding, leading to more profound states of consciousness.

  PRELIMINARY EXERCISES

  Alignment

  In order for the chakras to work smoothly, they need to be aligned with each other. The most direct alignment is with the spine relatively straight (a spine too straight is rigid and tense, blocking the opening of the chakras).

  Standing with feet shoulder-width apart, stretch your hands up high over your head, reaching with your whole body, stretching out each of your chakras. Feel how this elongated position encourages the chakras to align.

  When you return to a normal standing position, try to maintain that sense of height, aligning your body so that the central core of each major section (pelvis, solar plexus, chest, throat, head) feels in direct alignment with the central axis of your body. Allow your feet to connect solidly below you and feel the central core (sushumna) that connects all the chakras.

  Practice the same alignment from a seated position, either in a chair or cross-legged on the floor. Try slouching and returning to an erect spine, feeling the difference in your body's energy and your mind's clarity.

  Establishing the Currents

  The Manifesting Current

  Stand or sit comfortably, spine straight, feet planted firmly on the floor, shoes off. Tune into the vertical axis of your body. Allow yourself to find a comfortable position of balance where this vertical axis is calm, centered, and effortless to maintain. Breathe slowly and deeply.

  Mentally reach out through the top of your head and allow yourself to experience the infinite vastness of the sky and space above you. Breathe into this vastness and imagine yourself drinking it in through the top of your head, pulling it down into your head, letting it cascade across your face, your ears, the back of your head, and down across your shoulders and arms.

  Allow your head to fill again with this "cosmic" energy, this time letting it tumble into your neck, down into your chest, filling it as you breathe in ... and out ... in ... and out. As the chest fills, let your belly release, allowing this energy to fill your solar plexus, your abdomen, your genitals and down into your buttocks, through your legs, into your feet and out. Let it go deep into the Earth.

  Go back to the top of your head and repeat. As you begin the process again, you may choose to think of this energy in a more concrete form: as light, a particular color, a form of divinity, a column of bubbles or stream of wind, or just simply movement. Repeat the process until you feel that your image comes easily and flows smoothly from above your crown to the Earth below your feet.

  The Liberating Current

  When the above exercise is comfortable, you can begin working with the upward current in a similar manner.

  Through your feet and legs, imagine energy from the Earth (red, brown, or green; solid, yet vibrant) coming up through your legs into your first chakra, filling up there and flowing on into your genitals, abdomen, and solar plexus. Filling again into your heart and chest, neck and shoulders, face and head, and out through the top of your head, releasing any tension it encounters outward and above. Work with this current until it, too, flows smoothly.

  When these two currents are smooth, try running both of them at once. See them mixing and combining together at each of the chakra levels. (If you would like to work with colors, see the meditations at the end of chapter 7, "Chakra Six.")

  As you go through your day, be aware of these two currents running through you. Make observations as to which one is stronger and at what times of the day or during what activities. Perhaps your body needs to develop one current more than the other in order to balance your energies. Notice where a current may get hung up on a particular block of tension. Play with the two currents and see which one is more effective in pushing through the block.

  ENDNOTES

  1. From a song by Rick Hamouris, recorded on Welcome to Annwfn, available from Nemeton, P.O. Box 8247, Toledo, Ohio.

  2. Chakras and energy currents are mentioned in the Atharva Veda, (10.2.31), (15.15.2-9).

  3. Georg Feurstein, in The Shambhala Encyclopedia of Yoga, refutes the Aryan invasion theory and pushes the date of the Vedas back into the third or fourth millennium BCE. He counters that the lighter-skinned Aryans were native to India, due to similarities in the ancient IndusSarasvati civilization.

  4. Troy Wilson Organ, Hinduism, 183.

  5. The eightfold path consists of the yamas (restraints), niyamas (observances), asana (postures), pranayama (breathing), pratyahara (withdrawal of senses), dharana (concentration), dhyana (absorption), and samadhi (enlightenment).

  6. Arthur Avalon, The Serpent Power: The Secrets of Tantric and Shaktic Yoga.

  7. The Serpent Power actually lists six centers, plus the Sahasrara (thousand-petaled lotus of the crown).

  8. The five Koshas are: annamayakosha, or physical sheath, prana- mayakosha, or energy sheath, manamayakosha, or mind sheath, vijnana- mayakosha, or wisdom sheath, and anandamayakosha, or bliss body.

  9. See Georg Feurstein, The Shambhala Encyclopedia of Yoga, 68-69. Nine chakras are described in Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, Ph.D. Sakti: The Power in Tantra, A Scholarly Approach (Honesdale, PA: Himalayan Institute, 1998), 111.

  10. Chakras one and two are combined as one center, as are chakras six and seven, giving five in all.

  11. Caroline Myss, Anatomy of the Spirit.

  12. For more detail on comparing the chakra system and the ten sephiroth, see endnote 11.

  13. Arthur Young, The Reflexive Universe.

  14. See Rosalyn L. Bruyere, Wheels of Light: A Study of the Chakras.

  15. For more active suggestions on ways to experience the chakras, including yoga postures, journal exercises, meditations, tasks, and rituals, see Judith and Vega, The Sevenfold Journey: Reclaiming Mind, Body, and Spirit through the Chakras.

  16. Classically, there are only five elements associated with the chakrasearth, water, fire, air, and ether, respectively from bottom to top. Chakra five is associated with sabda, or sound. It is my modernization that links the "elements" of light and thought to the upper two chakras.

  17. For more explanation of excess and deficiency see my book Eastern Body, Western Mind.

  18. For more details on chakras and childhood developmental stages, see my book Eastern Body, Western Mind.

  19. Avalon, Serpent Power, 23.

  20. The first chakra, however, contains the Shiva lingam, which is the form of Shiva invigorated by the presence of Kundalini-Shakti, who resides there in her sleeping form.

  21. Sir Monier Monier-Williams, Sanskrit-English Dictionary, 811.

  22. Lizelle Raymond, Shakti-A Spiritual Experience.

  23. Swami Rama, "The Awakening of Kundalini," Kundalini, Evolution, and Enlightenment, ed. John White (Anchor Books, 1979), 27.

  24. Haridas Chaudhuri, "The Psychophysiology of Kundalini," Ibid., 61.

  25. Avalon, Serpent Power, 38.

  26. Sri Aurobindo also describes ascending and descending currents in many of his writings.

  27. Verses 10 and 11 of the Sat-Chakra-Nirupana, as translated by Arthur Avalon in Serpent Power.

  28. Spiritual Emergence Network, run by California Institute of Integral Studies (415) 648-2610, or Kundalini Research Network, P.O. Box 45102, 2483 Younge St., Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M4P 3E3.

  29. Philip Lansky, "Neurochemistry and the Awakening of Kundalini," Kundalini, Evolution, and Enlightenment, ed. John White (Anchor Books, 1979), 296.

  30. Lee Sannella, M.D. Kundalini: Psychosis or Transcendence? Also see Itzhak Bentov, Micromotion of the Body as a Factor in the Development of the Nervous System, 77 if.

  PART TWO

  JOURNEY

  THROUGH

  THE CHAKRAS

/>   CHAKRA ONE

  Earth

  Roots

  Grounding

  Survival

  Body

  Food

  Matter

  Beginning

  Chapter 2

  CHAKRA

  ONE:

  EARTH

  OPENING MEDITATION

  You have been provided a vehicle in which to take this journey. It is your body. It is equipped with everything you might need. One of your challenges on this journey is to keep your vehicle nourished, happy, and in good repair. It is the only one you will be given.

  So, we begin our journey by exploring our vehicle. Take a moment to feel your body. Feel it breathing in ... and out ... Feel your heart beating inside, the moisture in your mouth, the food in your belly, the sensation of cloth on your skin. Explore the space your body occupies- height, width, weight. Find the front and back, top, bottom, and sides. Begin a dialogue with your body, so that you may learn its language. Ask your body how it feels. See if it is tired or tense. Listen to the answer. How does it feel about going on this journey?

  You have been given a vehicle for this journey, but it is not something you have-it's some thing you are. You are your body. You are a body living a life in this physical world-getting up in the morning, eating, going to work, touching, sleeping, bathing. Feel your body going through its daily routines. See the number of interactions it has with the outside world in a day-notice the interchange of hands touching doors, steering wheels, other hands, papers, dishes, children, food, your lover. Think about how your body has grown and learned and changed over the years. What has it become to you? Do you ever thank it for taking care of you?