Talking about how utilize Kundalini to create relationship with the self rather than see it as a means of escape.
Talking about how utilize Kundalini to create relationship with the self rather than see it as a means of escape.
An Akashic Kundalini Practice
Akashic energy, also called Prana or Qi, moves through us in two different directions simultaneously. Universal Akasha enters through our head, filling our body, being formed through our choices, decisions, actions and intentions into a manifested structure which flows out of our feet into the physical world. At the same time manifested Akasha or earth energy is entering us through our feet or perineum and informing us as it collects aspects of who we are and who we have become, like silly putty picking up a picture from a Sunday comic, and transmitting it back to the Akashics therefore manifesting the Universe.
Currently the downward stream of Akasha is more in favor, generally speaking, because it aligns with our preference for and reliance on knowing, knowledge, and will power in order to manifest our desires. Universal Akasha flows into us through the three mental Sephiroth (Kether/Chokmah/Binah) as well as the mental Chakras 7 and 6 (Crown/3rd Eye). In these our inspirations, dreams, and desires mix with our fears in the form of limitations or logic to create a plan which then begins to actuate as it moves through the body, from activation as spoken thought to heart felt wish, moving into getting our hands dirty, to connection with others and boots on the ground.
This is not to say the process runs smoothly from one to the other. With the downward path, called the Lightning path or the path of Manifestation, events, experiences, or difficulties cause the energy to move back up into the head. We then rethink our options or problem solve, adjusting the plan as necessity and new opportunities arise. We can also run into problems of non or mis- communication between our head, our heart, and our body through the process which cause things to go askew or to come undone completely. These issues become visible in the difficulty with manifesting intentions no matter how hard we concentrate on them, or plans falling through no matter how much we push the energy of desire towards them.
In comparison, the traditional means of working with this energy is via the Serpent's Path or the path of Self-Actualization which is the upward flow of Akasha. This is in part because most religions and all indigenous spiritualities develop from agrarian or ecologically grounded societies. No need to focus on manifesting things into the world when this is what you do every moment of every day in order to survive and thrive. If you make your own cloths, grow and gather your own food, create your own tools, and design your own forms of community and entertainment, then what need is there to focus on doing them just that much more. This tradition is also in part because as humans we crave connection and community. We strive to create this connection with the greater universe and in so doing become more fully who we truly are in this embodied world.
Most students of Kabbalah are directed to follow the Serpent's path because the Sephiroth of the mind are seen as beyond the reach of human understanding or access. Instead Kabbalists have taken what we have come to know as the "Start Where You Are" approach by beginning with the Sephirah Malkuth or the manifested world and working upwards toward perfection and unification with G_d. Each successive Sephirah provides new experiences in who we are and who we can be, encouraging the person to expand themselves to incorporate new levels of awareness, responsibility and capability.
Secret occult societies in Western culture have used the practical Qabalah, Chakras and other energy systems as means to achieve, not well-being, but rather power in all of its aspects. Magicians, alchemists, and mystics sought to harness magical forces in order to exert their will over both the metaphysical and physical worlds including manifesting influence on human beings, politics and society at large. Entire systems of magical practices were conceived and practiced, levels of mastery conferred, ceremonies performed and ritual groups convened in order to raise power and manifest the will of the participants. While the industrial revolution and the scientific method have stripped away some of the popularity and much of the authority of such societies, evidence of their efforts remains. The Rosicrucians and the Free Masons continue to exist in the world and have contributed a great deal to our society including the architecture of many famous buildings in North American and Europe. Some of the most important thinkers and politicians in Western culture found such societies beneficial and of course The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn brought us the Rider-Smith-Waite Tarot through the work of both A.E. Waite and Pamela Colman Smith.
The premise of these societies was to use the naturally occurring activation properties of Akasha, the earth energy running through us, in order to bend both the natural and supernatural realms to the individual's will. Learning not only to access, but to harness each aspect of this energy as it passes through the body - via will power, transgressive manipulations, and various spiritual practices focused on domination – allowed the adept to command abundance, control the will of others, miraculously heal friends while harming those who opposed them and so on. Such practices, while offering insight into the spiritual nature of things and the individual's soul, can also lead to what we today consider black magic, negativity, and participation in grave harm to self and others.
In contrast, the ancient practice of Ayurveda (which includes study of the Chakras and yoga) promotes the full integration of embodied self with both the soul and embodied life in part through awareness of and harmony with up flowing Akasha. These practices have been translated into Western culture, but, like Chinese and Western medicine, have initially been separated out into various healing modalities rather than being presented as a holistic way of living. Nutrition, body work, mental health, and spiritual practices are offered as individual components much in same vein as acupuncture and Chinese herbalism. Luckily, in the past decade or so, Ayurveda schools have become more available so practitioners and those interested can have access to the complete and robust practice and its traditions.
Yoga, in general, is concerned with the body, the soul, and cultivating the upward flow of Akasha in order to facilitate personal/spiritual/embodied activation. Many of the poses or asanas promote correct alignment of the spine (allowing for unfettered Akasha flow), lifting of the heavier bones in order to create space for the spine to expand and decompress, as well as a lifting of the heart center and crown chakra while at the same time asking the feet and legs to be firmly grounded in the here and now. This facilitates a steady and plentiful flow of energy upward.
Kundalini yoga hones in on the activation principal of Akasha by seeking to increase the Akashic flow and have the person participate in its movement. Kundalini energy, Akasha in its active form, is imagined as a snake coiled at the base of every human's spine and for most people residing in a state of deep sleep. Through yoga practices of movement, breathing, and conscious focus, this snake can be encouraged to awaken and unwind, moving up the spine into an energetic release through each Chakra or energy center and out through the top of the head.
What this is describing practically is self-activation or full participation in the process of being formed and informed by physical life. Our root chakra or the base of the spine is where the majority of our survival instincts reside. It is the energy center which warns us when danger is immanent, adrenalizes us to take action, and reminds us we need to take care of ourselves first and foremost because if we don't we won't' be around to care for anyone else. When over stimulated and/or out of balance our root Chakra can create situations of hording, distrust, aggressive self-interest and anti-social behavior. Most often it remains under stimulated, quiescent or asleep other than in traumatic situations. This often leads us to be too much in our own heads or overthinking things which are simple and too sluggish to take action even when we know it's what needs to be done.
Kundalini practices waken this energy. They work to stimulate the chakras, activate the Prana system, and get things moving for our general health and wellbeing. They seek to help us reach our full potential as souls connected fully to this life as well as the universe beyond it. Unfortunately what is often taught in Kundalini classes has been stripped of its spiritual and energetic wisdom which transforms it into a physical and sometimes even cardio vascular exercise program rather than a body/soul relationship. It is not uncommon for people to utilize Kundalini practices as a replacement for caffeine in the morning or to go further and see it as a means to achieve a rush or high. Instead of engaging in the wisdom and activation the practice can bring, informing them of how to unlock their problem solving abilities in embodied life, people can and do utilize it to medicate themselves so they can better survive difficulties they suffer in their daily lives.
What is very recently being re-discovered in various arenas are the healing and spiritual powers of Kundalini or the upward flowing Akasha. If the downward flow, the bringing of universal wisdom into embodied life is Being, then the upward flow of earth energy is Becoming. Universal wisdom comes to us via the Chakras and Sephiroth of the mind and is acted upon via the body. Earth energies have equal wisdom, but it is that of the body, of doing in the world which activates our potential. This in turn gifts us with a deeper and richer understanding of ourselves and the world. Our becoming in this way informs the upward flowing Akashic which informs and expands the universe.
This wisdom is being used to support the healing of PTSD symptoms, those who have suffered abuse or sexual trauma and with veterans who have survived their service by encapsulating the experiences as trauma living in their bodies. Through practices which provide safe space and listening techniques those who suffer can learn to trust their bodies, engage with their emotions, and transmute their traumas into the appropriate histories, wisdom, and a more healthy narrative. They are guided to listen as their bodies show them new ways to be and move in the world, creating community, balance, and healthy resilience once again.
By spending time focused on the body, not as a means of correcting it, punishing it, or lamenting its unfortunate ability to disrupt what we actually want to do or be, anyone can access the Akashic upward flow as a means for unfolding their soul's goals for this life and activating their ability to achieve them.
In order to begin creating an Akashic or Kundalini Self-Activation practice, the first thing to do is to stand your perceptions of yourself on their head, as it were. We are geared to perceive things from the top down or to know and understand them fully before acting on them. Instead, the upward flow asks you to feel things and act on them before knowing what they mean. The knowing will come later as the energy rises to those energy centers. At first this requires a bit of trust so we can unlearn our understanding of our body as a mechanism to be manipulated or controlled and begin to listen to it as wisdom elder and spiritual teacher.
So with things turned upside, the place to start is with the feet. Much like meditations which ask you to turn your focus inward to your center or core, you should turn your attention to one of your feet. They are not identical and each has unique information to share. Think of the foot as a wise elder come to impart a lesson. Enter into a meditative state, go inwards, not at your center, but at your foot, and listen to what it has to impart.
There may be images, sensations, emotions, insights into things which are not in any way foot related such as relationship guidance, and much more. More importantly, there will be requests or inspirations for you to do something. This may be to massage the foot in various ways, a sudden and specific creative urge, an emotion which wells up and requests permission to be present in both body and mind, or some action which feels suddenly amazingly relevant and important.
This is where the opportunity to activate the self begins. Engaging with these things, moving even a small increment towards applying the wisdom being imparted begins to heal what is out of balance and unfolds what has only been potential. Plans which have never manifested or seem "stuck" can start to move. Difficulties which seemed insoluble start to untangle and entire new capabilities and skills unfold.
The point of the practice is to create relationship with the self and, like all relationships, two of the key ingredients are attention and time. Focus on only one part of the body during any given session. Experience the wisdom imparted, act on it and return again another day. Listen when the response from the body part is "not today" or "perhaps another time". Move upwards to the next part when you are ready, but do not make this upward movement a goal to be achieved any more than a friendship is a linear goal to be achieved.
Move upwards from the foot through the leg to the hip joint, then move to the other foot and begin the practice again. The Sephiroth Hod and Netzach can provide key insights into the wisdom being shared by the legs and an understanding of the capacity for living which is being activated within you. Once a full and robust relationship with the entirety of the legs has been established, moving up the torso can begin.
This practice, done as a compliment to universal Akasha practices, can help heal stubborn habits, physical ailments, issues with self-sabotage, as well as unlock and enhance spiritual capabilities while leading to a robust ability for balancing in a chaotic world.