Uncoiling the Light:
The First Teachers,
The First Teachings
On the way to God the difficulties
Feel like being ground by a millstone,
Like night coming at noon, like
Lightning through the clouds
But don’t worry!
What must come, comes
Face everything with love
As your mind dissolves in God
—Mystical song from Kashmirian Tantrism
All great knowledge began with great teachers. What makes a true teacher a speaker of truth is his or her closeness to the Divine. Around the world, we cherish the wisdom imparted from on high: the insights that decrease suffering, shower us with love, and reveal a path to the heavenly.
Our current reflections about kundalini, the divine life energy, originated in the same way as has every powerful philosophy. They were initiated by the celestial, passed to teachers worthy of the name, and inscribed by followers longing to live in truth. While the concepts of kundalini can be found in cultures around the world and across time, the most noteworthy information is recorded in Hindu scripture.
To understand kundalini and its effect in your life is to comprehend its first teachers and their most important points. It’s to visit the holy space in which the word was first conceived and its most important scribes were born, and to follow the thread of time forward to today, covering specific teachings and ideas related to the rising of this serpent force. While the most vital descriptions are couched in ancient words, we will update their definitions so you can become better acquainted with the meaning of these terms and why the related concepts are important in your everyday life. You don’t need to get lost in the language of yesterday, for truth is eternal—as are you, the conveyor of the divine light of kundalini. You’ve merely to tap into their meaning to find yourself nourished by the wellspring of life.
A Story from On High
The story of kundalini starts on a mountain. Attach your wings of light and fly upward with me, back through the mists of time, to seek the earliest of truths. It’s okay to be excited as we land above the Indus Valley in an area now known as East India, where the Hindu version of kundalini, the bestowal of the divine light customized for the physical body, is about to unfold.
This is the summit upon which the Divine manifested in four ages of humankind, decreeing wisdom needed for all. The people of the first age, or Golden Age, delightedly and quickly inserted this knowledge into their lives. They understood the joy of living as divine beings in human form. There was no illness, trauma, or suffering, no guilt about sex in relationship, life’s pleasure, and heart-warming love. Life was good, and kundalini, the energy of divine light, cleanly pulsed through each and every person, linking them with his or her divine self as well as the greater Divine.
Then trouble struck, and humans forgot their innate goodness. The Silver Age was ushered in. People still embraced the truth of being divine, but their comprehension was a little tarnished. The Divine simply smiled, as might a parent of an errant child, and took a new form. Shimmering on the sacred mount, the Divine bestowed the secret teaching yet again. The people who embraced this knowing of the Divine lived solid lives. Unfortunately, not everyone followed the precepts of divinity, and soon nearly everyone rejected the kundalini wisdom—the truth of human divinity. Once again, darkness fell, and so began the Bronze Age.
Sighing, the Divine again shared the sacred teachings, the truth of the body as a holy temple for light. But things went even worse than before; what had been dark was now black, and love became lost in the nightmares. Saddened, the Divine watched the curtain fall and awaited the opportunity to initiate the teaching once again, this time in the beginning of the fourth age, called the Iron or Kali Age, the one that we now dwell within. (This name is not to be confused with the prehistoric Iron Age referenced by historians; rather, it is a 432,000-year time period for spiritual development.) This knowledge was received by wise men called the rishis, as well as women with shamanic skills.
The divine insight needed for today—for our crowded, hectic, disconnected lives—was recorded in three main philosophies: the Vedas, Tantra, and the Vedanta. It is these three bodies of knowledge that those who yearn for love and hope turn to, even now. Within these three tracts, we explore for truth—the truth called kundalini.
The Kundalini Cradle: The Vedas, Tantra, and the Vedanta
Most of us know our birth date. If our mother was a little unclear from all the stress, the moment of our entry is recorded on our birth certificate. Ancient knowledge of kundalini was certainly born a long, long time ago, but the exact time—and kundalini’s human parentage—is a bit cloudy.
We do know that the roots of this knowledge are grounded in the area now known as India and are networked among several traditions. Some experts track the idea of kundalini back to the Upanishads, or “secret teachings,” of the East Indian Hindu religious texts, which are dated at approximately 400 bc. These scriptures are usually called the Vedic, a term also associated with the people of that region. Other clues lead to earlier Buddhist teachings or even yogic practices from the Pakistan of 3300 bc. In the Indus Valley, archeologists have discovered a prehistoric image of a figure performing yoga; this carving has been claimed by both Tantric and Vedic traditions, seen by most to be the main pillars of kundalini teachings.
You may not have heard of the Veda people or the Vedic scripture, but the word Tantra is fairly well known. Most often, it is linked with sex, and “Tantric sex” outlines formulas for reaching the highest peak of the orgasmic. Can you guess the name of the energy fueling this intense sensual pleasure? That’s right. It’s kundalini.
While kundalini is certainly a divinely inspired source of physical pleasure, Tantra aims at much more than achieving the sexual high. As we’ll explore, most contemporary Tantric sects minimize the importance of the orgasmic, emphasizing personal growth instead. Long ago, Tantra was really a shamanic tradition, a melding of various Asian beliefs and practices, with some Buddhist influences. In general, it is characterized by an acceptance of both body and spirit and the goodness of each. Many experts consider the Tantrists to be the first acknowledgers of kundalini. Close to nature and the natural processes of the physical body, Tantrists were in the position to notice and revere a body-based energy such as kundalini.
Other historians ascribe the inception of kundalini knowledge to the Vedas, the ancient Indian scriptures that were the first to codify yoga and knowledge of kundalini into writing in about 2000 bc. According to legend, these scriptures, the oldest on earth, were unveiled by the Divine to several holy men, or rishis. As you might have inferred from the story of the ages at the beginning of this chapter, these teachings are communiqués from an earlier epoch, and they reveal the best ways to achieve communal peace, personal enlightenment, and good health. Typically, kundalini practices stemming from the Vedic tradition emphasize the release of the soul from the body. Because all yoga practices, no matter what they are named, grow out of the Vedas, they all are rooted in the concept of kundalini.
Tantric and Vedic practices are intertwined yet distinctly separate approaches to kundalini energy and its regimens. Time has interconnected these two traditions, and although they were both born before the written word, there is no way to know which was the earlier practice. Between the two, there are many points of conflict and agreement. Some Tantrists reject Vedic tenets; others simply think Vedic tenets are too complex for today’s culture. Some who follow the Vedic tradition refuse the authority of the Tantric system. In his review of Tantric literature, historian Maurice Winternitz points out that while the Indian Tantric texts are not completely hostile toward the Vedic tradition, they offer a more approachable doctrine.3 As far as I’m concerned, the major differences between the two are:
- The Vedic path seeks to liberate the soul from the body and to train the mind.
- The Tantric traditions embrace the body and encourage connectivity with all.
The Vedic and Tantric traditions are like fraternal twins, sometimes raised together, sometimes separated for long amounts of time. Actually, the Tantric tradition is parallel to the Vedic system. It is impossible to examine the one without reviewing the other. Both systems embrace kundalini energy as one of the keys to reaching the practitioner’s aspirations.
And some experts believe there is a third kundalini philosophy, the Vedanta philosophy. Those that follow Vedanta teachings hold somewhat unique ideas about the divine light of kundalini.
No matter which path you find yourself traveling or exploring, kundalini is always the sacred feminine, and her ultimate goal is always the same: the dissolving of self into the oneness of all.
The Vedas
As noted earlier, yoga originated with the Vedic sacred scriptures, the oldest religious texts of Hinduism, around 2000 bc. In its earliest forms, yoga was a philosophy characterized by rituals aimed at overcoming the limitations of the mind and ego and connecting with the Divine through prayer, ritual, and song. As it developed, meditation and guidelines for living, including how to treat others and ourselves, became parts of yoga. Physical postures and exercises—the main focus of most of today’s yoga classes—were originally designed to prepare the body for meditation, and these have become a component of almost all modern versions of yoga.
Then, beginning around 800 bc, during a time known as the pre-classical yoga period, yogis (yoga masters) began to probe the hidden powers in the body, and many yogis mention kundalini energy in their writings. The main teachings were recorded in the Upanishads, which means “sacred revelations.” Several types of yoga can be traced to this time period, including bhakti yoga, emphasizing loving devotion; karma yoga, reflecting selfless action; and jnana yoga, concentrating on loving contemplation. Each of these yogas incorporated kundalini as a way to achieve a higher end: lifting the human condition to a state of divinity.
Starting in the second century ad, yet another era, called the classical yoga period, ushered in newer understandings of kundalini. At this time, the yoga master Patanjali composed the Yoga Sutras, a benchmark text for achieving enlightenment. His work features the important Eightfold Path of Yoga, reflecting eight steps to enlightenment. Thus was birthed hatha yoga, which employed—and still teaches—these eight steps as ways to encourage the kundalini upward so we can attain spiritual bliss, or samadhi, and longevity. These steps include various asanas, or postures; pranayama, or breathing techniques; relaxation; and cleansing.
The last major developmental stage for yoga is called the post-classical period, which basically started after the introduction of meditation by Patanjali. The Eightfold Path of Yoga jumpstarted an intense interest in using yoga to prolong life and rejuvenate the body.
Another important type of yoga, still practiced today, was started by Yogi Bhajan. Called kundalini yoga, it is a systematic practice for cleansing the body in order to raise the kundalini. It incorporates many of the eight steps, including postures, breathing, and meditation, as well as visualization and affirmations. Tantra yoga also became popular, adding rituals and mantras, with an ever-greater emphasis on kundalini practices.
Ancient Veda ideals still dazzle us, even in modern yoga study—or for those of us at home exercising in front of the television. Because of our ancient teachers, we now embrace many health-conscious and personal growth–oriented practices, all of which employ kundalini as the life force that energizes the body, mind, and soul. These practices emphasize relaxation, exercise, breathing, diet, positive thinking, and meditation. What started atop a mountain is still very alive today here on earth.
In general, the Vedic path explains kundalini as a feminine, divine energy that, when merged with the masculine spiritual energy, “shoots us to the sky,” lifting our soul out of the body and claiming it for the heavens. According to Vedic philosophy, any technique that directed the mind toward God was considered yoga, not only the types of meditations or exercises performed in yoga studios today. As long as the technique bestows the experience of divine consciousness, it is yoga.4
Tantra
As mentioned, there is a version of Tantra that coaxes the kundalini up the spine so that we can reach the heights of sexual pleasure. (We’ll share a few of this version’s secrets later in the book.) Even these techniques, however, are more than just titillating advice in women’s magazines or the stuff boys giggle over before their mothers catch them. Tantric sex, when employed, is not only a way to reach the stars or prolong orgasms, but it is also a way to create intimacy and raise the kundalini for spiritual reasons. While the body loves to feel kundalini through sexual ecstasy, and sensual enjoyment encourages its climb, Tantra is actually a religious philosophy. Some Tantrists don’t even engage in the recreation of sex at all.
Tantra has two formal paths: celibate Tantric traditions are known as the right-hand path, and the sexual tradition, the left-hand path. Even that compartmentalizing is a bit misleading, as Tantric practices have developed across Asia and emerged as divergent and multifaceted streams of thoughts and practices around the world, including Tibetan Buddhist Tantra and a classical Hindu Tantra.5
In all its variations, Tantra presents a divine performance and invites us to participate. The two main characters are as fascinating as any Shakespearean partners. The primary female lead is the goddess Shakti, the feminine power, or kundalini. Her male equivalent—for all great dramas are love stories—is Shiva, the male god. Shakti’s ascent through the body is the maiden’s pilgrimage to her holy grail and consort. In turn, Shiva’s awaiting for his love is the basis of legends.
Tantra is also the name of the Tantric scriptures that explain the worship of Shakti and relay the spiritual practices and rituals aimed at achieving rebirth and liberation from ignorance.6 All Tantra involves the activation of kundalini energy as a way to unify the female Shakti with the male Shiva. Considered separate and distinct, these two gods are nonetheless interconnected. Just as the Divine is never truly separate from us, although we might perceive it so, Shakti is never truly separate from Shiva. To help us recognize this truth—to clear our inner eye so that we can view the real nature of the universe—a pantheon of other goddesses and gods are used to assist in the recognition of our true qualities and the unconditional grace that streams everywhere in and around us.
Most Tantric practitioners employ several practices aimed at connecting with the Divine and empowering themselves magically. Participants often undergo a lengthy training process to better summon and master the kundalini, the creative force that culminates in almost miraculous abilities. Processes include asanas, or postures; mudras, or hand gestures; visualization; breathing; meditation; the use of mantras, or tones and repetitive words; the engineering of yantras and mandalas, or powerful symbols; and conscientious monitoring of the diet and other physical needs. Practices can also include the controlled manipulation of sexual energy, whether within oneself or in the context of a relationship. Very few Tantric practices involve undisciplined sex. Chapter 11 explores most of these Tantric practices in more detail as means of cultivating kundalini awakenings and working with rising kundalini.
What do all of these processes have in common? Tantrists believe that managing the body and natural forces invites union with the cosmos and the Divine. Consequently, many of these methods involve invoking a deity whom the practitioner seeks to emulate. Ultimately, every Tantric method seeks to merge Shakti and Shiva, for the Divine is both feminine and masculine, although in this world, we too often separate them. To leave one out is to forget a part of ourselves. It’s also to pretend that we don’t know what we really know inside. We already understand what the Divine taught—and is still teaching—on the mountain. We came from the Divine, and therefore we are divine. Is the highest goal of life not, then, to embrace our kundalini, our divine light, and live the divine life? Shine a light on a Tantrist, the fraternal twin to the Vedic, and this is the motive beneath.
The Vedanta
Some believe that there are actually three paths to kundalini and the ultimate goal of yogic practices, which is unity with the Divine. To the Vedic and Tantra traditions, they add the Vedanta.
Vedanta is a Hindu name for part of the Vedic texts known as the Upanishads. The term Vedanta literally means “the appendix to the Vedas.” The philosophy was not crystallized until around 200 bc. By the eighth century ad, the use of this appendix had transformed into a movement of its own, one supporting personal inquiry and self-realization. There are many spinoff groups, but primary to each is the belief in Brahman, or the supreme spirit, and the desire for oneness with this creator. The two main tenets of Vedanta are that (1) human nature is divine, and (2) the aim of life is to realize this fact.
Perhaps the most well-known adherent of the Vedanta approach is Swami Vivekananda of the Ramakrishna Order. Vivekananda’s precepts influenced a number of famous people of the twentieth century, including Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Subhas Chandra Bose, and Martin Luther King Jr. His appeal could be summarized in his logic:
- God is absolute, but the world is relative. We must, therefore, pay attention to the world.
- We must remove poverty so people can turn their minds toward God.
- All religions are striving toward the ultimate truth. We should, therefore, support religious tolerance between and inside all faiths.7
Vivekananda’s views on religious tolerance are visionary, making the Vedanta approach a truly ecumenical one. He considered women to be the equal of men, saying, “There is no chance for the welfare of the world unless the condition of women is improved…The principal reason why your race has so much degenerated is that you have no respect for these living images of Shakti.”8
Regarding the internal Shakti, the kundalini, Vivekananda did not reject it, but neither did he consider kundalini an end unto itself. He believed that you had to first search for God and then for the “occult powers,” one of which is kundalini. In other words, kundalini is supposed to be used to support one’s path, not be the point of it.9 Like the Vedic and Tantric approaches, the Vedanta explores the use of kundalini energy, but unlike them, it does so secondarily.
The most popular Vedanta yoga practice today is called Advaita Vedanta. It is a path of self-realization, inviting the initiate to move ever inward. Other types of Vedanta yoga are included within the Tantric tradition; these are Vedanta versions of bhakti, raja, jnana, kundalini, and karma yoga.
The Junction of the Three Paths
In my own view, we can put the three yoga paths together to form a complete one. By incorporating the most powerful processes of each path, we take the best of each and not only encourage the rise of the kundalini and its ultimate union in divinity, but also discourage the most irritating side effects of the awakening process, namely the stirring of “the issues,” blocks caused by others’ energy or by our own inner wounds.
Each of the three main avenues of the traditional kundalini paths invites the kundalini to operate in a different way.
We can turn to the Vedas to learn how to clear our mind, develop self-control, and free ourselves from energies that harm us. The more self-managed we are, the better we are able to separate our own issues from issues that aren’t ours, own our mistakes, and be who we really are. Our self-esteem increases as we sort through the issues and invite the beauty of kundalini to show us how truly amazing, brilliant, and powerful we really are. Here, kundalini teaches us that we don’t have to take on darkness to perceive—or help others see—the light.
We can turn to the Tantric to enhance our greater self. The Tantric stream of knowledge creates unity. Through Tantra, we explore our own inner feminine and masculine. We then embrace both, becoming more than we’ve ever been. The resulting bliss is one we can share with others, bringing joy into the world. Through Tantra, the kundalini shines light on our true self and prompts us toward our spiritual mission.
We can turn to the Vedanta path to explore every pocket of our being and awaken our unique attributes. That issue we’ve been overlooking? That emotion we’ve avoided? That talent we’ve forgotten to express? We can’t merge with another until we’ve accepted all that we are. Through the Vedantic beliefs, we tap open and nourish each aspect of our individuality, the special learning and abilities that are ours to offer the world. Through this pathway, the kundalini nurtures every single part of us, wounded or not, and helps us heed their various messages. We become one with the circle of life.
We could say that taking a unified approach to kundalini unblocks and harmonizes us at every level. It throws open the gateway to the original heavens, the loving place from which we all come, and unbolts the locks to our desired future. We can now sing our song in concert with others so as to join the chorus of the Divine. Our lives are now bedazzled.
Sanskrit: The Chorus of Kundalini
In order to sing our unique song, we must not only understand our own internal language but also learn how to communicate with the people around us, as well as with spiritual guidance. Little wonder our primary knowledge of kundalini was first recorded in Sanskrit, the most complete and arguably most sacred language of all time.
Sanskrit is the world’s oldest-known systematic language and the tongue of ancient Hinduism. References to the Sanskrit language date back to the eighth century bc, well before it was used to write the Vedic, Tantric, and Vedanta texts—the first writings that mention kundalini—and other classical literature of the Indian subcontinent.10 The richness of the Sanskrit language has never been matched. NASA has recognized it as the only “unambiguous language” in the world, meaning that every sound, nuance, or tone has meaning, leaving one able to describe the slightest of details.11
The Australian website Transpersonal: A Plain Man’s Transpersonal Psychology, written and published by Christopher Wynter and Fiona Tulk, offers the following breakdown of the Sanskrit word kundalini:
Kh = a dot (black stone); hollow, aperture (sometimes symbolized by the open vagina), the cup; the yoni as the feminine symbolized
U = the moon calling to the sun
N = wave (as of the ocean), ebb and flow of consciousness
Dh = virtue, merit…
A = the concept of going inward, within, or in; the feminine of the first sound (sruti, hidden), from which all words are formed and from which all life emanates as a bidirectional action
Li = to adhere and to hold; to rock, pulse, sway, tremble, vibrate
N = the lotus plant, the pearl, the primal mother, seed, naked
i = to pervade as perception or consciousness, to go beyond, to grow, to evolve12
When I found this list of syllabic meanings, I was astounded at how the meanings of each letter or sound of the Sanskrit word captured just about every aspect of kundalini I’d learned and experienced over years of working with this vital energy. I believe that kundalini’s essential attributes are conveyed in these Sanskrit syllables. Kh, a, and n are direct references to the feminine. The letters u and n are metaphorical references to feminine energy; the moon is a common feminine symbol because women’s menstrual cycles, like the full cycle of the moon from full to new, last thirty days, and the sea and its tides are directly influenced by the moon. Dh encapsulates the inner spiritual work prompted by a kundalini awakening. The syllable li seems to capture the feeling of kundalini’s movement; people who have experienced kundalini risings often describe feeling inner physical sensations such as trembling or vibrating (see chapter 3). Finally, i refers to the expansion of consciousness that comes from kundalini’s rising. Who knew that so many meanings and truths could be hidden within—and then uncovered from—a single word?
Closer to the Source: The Magic of the Divine
In paring down the term kundalini, we find a world of meanings, jigsaw puzzle pieces that form a sparkling image—one that is more like a colorful work of art or stained glass icon than a simple cardboard picture. To truly understand the divine power of kundalini, it’s helpful to break down its energy in a similar fashion. To do that, let’s explore the concept of prana, or life force.
A kundalini awakening and rising occurs via relationships between our feminine serpent power and our prana. Prana is considered a universal energy that animates all physical matter, including our body. Hindu, Tibetan, and Tantric yogis have directed this energy for good health and creative service, but they have also used it to perform supernatural acts such as lowering their body temperatures, performing healing, and materializing objects. (See chapter 5 for more of the miracles of prana.)
As a concept, prana is not limited to the Indus Valley in prehistoric India. China has several words for it, including li. Chinese legend says that long ago, li was used to power technology that could fly and enable supernatural healing. Today, we are more acquainted with the Chinese term chi, which exists as supernatural, mental, and physical energies within our bodies. The Japanese use an equivalent term, ki, which is credited with the supernatural feats of the ninja and ronin warriors. Ki also flows through all our bodies to enable health, balance, and higher consciousness.
This energetic force is known by other names in various localities, such as kachina in Hopi, wakan in Lakota, and orenda in Iroquois. Egyptian lore tells of a time when individuals could move great blocks of stone with rods empowered by this energy, and Canadian First Nations tell of a secret society that built great big cities and flying machines powered by this energy. Serge Kahili King, a Hawaiian kahuna, or medicine man, tells us that the Polynesian word for this energy is mana. King also employs the term vril to explain this energy. Scientific evidence shows that this vril has been used throughout the Polynesian culture for healing, levitation, telekinesis, fire walking, and shape changing.13
Prana is present everywhere in the cosmos, as well as everywhere in our bodies. In the body, it takes five basic forms, called vayus, which move in five different directions or serve five different functions:
1. Prana is chiefly located between the navel and the heart. Some texts link it mainly with inhalation; others with both inhalation and exhalation. This energy travels upward.
2. Apana is the descending vital energy associated with the lower half of the body (below the navel) and with exhalation.
3. Vyana (meaning “through-breath”) is the vital energy that circulates through the limbs.
4. Udana (meaning “up-breath”) enables our physiological functions and our ascent into higher states of consciousness.
5. Samana (meaning “mid-breath”) is localized in the abdominal region and connected with the digestive process.
From a yoga perspective, the most important vayus for kundalini processes are prana and apana. Underlying breathing, they influence kundalini’s vertical movements. Kundalini awakens when these two vayus mix and unite, creating enough pressure to force the kundalini to rise. The unification of these two vayus usually occurs through a combination of pranayama (yogic breathwork) and the use of bhandas, kriyas, asanas, mudras, and mantras—all of which we’ll discuss in chapter 6 as methods for cultivating a kundalini awakening and working with rising kundalini. Some people actually force a kundalini rising by using a technique that reverses the upward flow of the prana and the downward flow of the apana.14
One of the great debates in the spiritual movement is figuring out the exact relationship between kundalini and prana; in fact, the words are sometimes used so interchangeably, it’s hard to discern whether kundalini and prana are the same or different forces. The answer is going to be yes, no, and both.
Some experts believe that prana is an energy within kundalini—that kundalini, as a divine light, contains the prana, although the prana within it percolates, supports, and boosts the kundalini flow. Others insist that kundalini is a type of prana—that prana is an overarching energy similar to li, chi, ki, and the like, containing the feminine force of kundalini. Perhaps both concepts are true.
We might consider that, when inactive—like when it is dreaming at the base of the spine—our kundalini is smaller than or incorporated within our life force. After all, if we depended on the full flow of kundalini to be alive, many of us would be dead or sleeping all the time. Obviously, some sort of vital life force is keeping us kicking, and that would be prana, which draws on the whispering support from the sleeping kundalini. Once the kundalini begins its ascent through the body, it picks up speed. Prana, along with other energies, now nourishes the kundalini. As our kundalini’s “dimmer switch” is turned up, the kundalini becomes more conscious, and so do we. When kundalini merges fully with the sacred masculine, we become our own life force; we become life.
As confusing as some of these concepts can be, they are nonetheless real. They describe the “real reality,” the spiritual world that lies under and weaves throughout this physical one. Of course, the chair you sit on is “real.” If not, you’d be on the floor right now. What holds your chair together? For that matter, what creative forces manifest your thoughts, tickle your feelings, and fill your soul with the gems of truth? Plain and simple, the answer is energy, or information that vibrates. It’s the subtle or quick energy that composes kundalini and the various energy apparatus used by your kundalini in its upward climb and stretch to the stars. You can only fully express yourself once your energy centers and channels are bedazzled with kundalini.
What are these energy centers and channels? What do they have to do with the kundalini ascension and the unfoldment of your soul? Let’s fly a little farther, this time to the stars, and see.