HOW TO TRAIN MY KUNDALINI SERPENT?
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Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.
@Jim Eshelman said
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@bethata418 said
"over the past month or 2-3 i have been focusing on the serpents in me! i will 1st give about 5 mins to began to "MEDITATING", or being in a meditative state, tehn i will focus on my muladhara chakra and then on the serpent(s) coiling up my spine. ... I have been getting some progress, or at least i believe i have been, in that i can feel what i think is the kundalini serpent coiling up & down my pine from muladhara to about my solar plexus. sometimes it feels as if there are 2 serpents like on the cadaeus coiling on my spine. so far they have not reached above my heart, though on some occasions i have felt the energy flow thru all 7 stations/chakrasbasically i am asking for help? how can i advance? also the experiences i have had do they sound like the kundalini serpent movement??? also any suggestions on improving this??? "
For most people in most situations, we recommend not actively trying to do this, and also usually recommend no direct meditation on the chakras. The reasons for this are that (1) the same results can be obtained differently and (2) this direct "raising" attempt can be seriously harmful, at least in some cases."
I was (like, I expect, a lot of folks) surprised to read this! Aside from the fact that kundalini arousal is so widely practiced and advocated in Magick and even "New Age" circles, I have a copy of a great essay you wrote on the arousal of the cakkras by the OTO initiations, as well as one instructional article that was given to me with my Minerval package "informally," by one of your/Meral's A.·.A.·. students (who was also Master of the local Lodge) which I think may have your fingerprints on it, which instructs one on how to adapt certain existing, published Thelemic magical practices to enhance/consolidate this effect.
Jim, has your view on this changed (perhaps related to our previous discussion about weaknesses in the OTO system , or do you regard work on rousing kundalini as distinct from activation of the cakkras, or do you view it as dangerous outside of a structure like the OTO initiation series (or the rousal that you note usually happens during the A.·.A.·. Grade work/initiations), or ...?
@Jim Eshelman said
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Actually, the major exception is "middle pillar ritual" sorts of practices where a balanced set of centers - not always corresponding to the chakras themselves and, as we teach them in Temple of Thelema, intentionally differentiated from the actual chakras but, in any case, where a coordinated pattern is used)."On a somewhat tangential note: I first learned a color series for the Middle Pillar exercise with which I have become dissatisfied: it does not seem to have any internal coherence. The original instructions from Felkin, such as we have them via Regardie, don't specify a color scheme, and looking into it recently I have found a wide range of recommendations, most of them using the King and/or Queen scale for the Sephiroth in question. Do you have a preference or recommendation on this point?
Thanks!
Love is the law, love under will. -
@Forever93 said
"I was (like, I expect, a lot of folks) surprised to read this! Aside from the fact that kundalini arousal is so widely practiced and advocated in Magick and even "New Age" circles, I have a copy of a great essay you wrote on the arousal of the cakkras by the OTO initiations, as well as one instructional article that was given to me with my Minerval package "informally," by one of your/Meral's A.·.A.·. students (who was also Master of the local Lodge) which I think may have your fingerprints on it, which instructs one on how to adapt certain existing, published Thelemic magical practices to enhance/consolidate this effect."
I emphatically differentiate "raising the kundalini" from the chakra work in the O.T.O. degrees. In fact, the purification and stabilizing of the chakras is one really good preliminary for the more emphatic act of "raising the kundalini."
Some pranic or even kundalini movement may be a consequence of the cleansing and balancing - in which case, that's a natural result for which the person is likely read. That's way different from direct-forcing movement.
I never settled - to a level of comfort I found sufficient - on the exact word to describe what the O.T.O. initiations do with respect to the chakras. The most "effect-neutral" description is that that the symbolism and actions of the rituals definitely put focus on a particular chakra (sometimes two), and that understanding this chakra gives deeper insight into the rest of the ritual and the life stage. - But it actually does a lot more. What word to use for it? - The O.T.O. rituals don't purify the chakras - they don't seal them in the way usually meant - and I think it's serious overstatement to say it awakens them. (For example, what the II° does involving Anahatta isn't - at least, for most people - anything close to "awakening the heart center." That's an easy one to see. I° doesn't "awaken" Visuddha &c.)
I think the best word is "stimulates." The rituals stimulate the chakras. Through physiological and psychological means, the psychological and nerual energy locked into the physical neural clusters adjacent to the chakras draws a lot of energy for the time of the ritual, and this transfers to the (nonphysical) chakra.
BTW, that's the biggest difference I know in how O.T.O. degrees work with these compared to how the G.D. system works with these. O.T.O. rituals specifically were written to stimulate the physical aspect of the neural clusters adjacent to the chakras. This is fortified by the symbolism of the rituals and, especially, by creating certain psychological states of mind appropriate to each. I think, then, the theory must be that this stimulation in Assiah transfers to the Yetziratic aspect of the chakras. Whatever the theory, it works! - In contrast, the G.D.-derived system works on the chakras directly at the Yetziratic level.
Yes, I think stimulates is the best word.
There are many layers of working with individual chakras at this preliminary level. The new Aspirants to Light rituals also focus attention on Visuddha, Anahatta, and Svadisthana, respectively, following the Masonic pattern. I wouldn't at all call this "opening" them - it's too preliminary a level.
Temple of Thelema, based on the G.D. model locked into the Tree of Life, uses a one-two punch: One degree "activates" a center in a form sense, using symbolism to program subconsciousness to begin directing an atypically high level of attention to the psychological aspect locked into the physical position of the chakra - so that the time in a given degree has that chakra intensely stimulated, and its imbalances work themselves out into the person's life. THis results in "ordeals" - places where we find we're out of balance and screwed up a bit - and allows for gently bringing ourselves back on track, balancing the developmental imbalances, etc. - bringing that "form" aspect into healthy alignment. This completed, the next degree opens the gates to the force aspect of the same chakra to fully empower it - before (later in the same ritual) moving on to stimulate the form aspect of the next one to be addressed. (This is all intensified by direct Yetziratic modification of the energies in the chakra, by the initiator in the course of the ceremony.)
Even this intense "purifying and energizing" of the chakras isn't "awakening" them in the full sense used in Raja Yoga or Laya Yoga - although more people have some spontaneous awakenings as a result of this preparation, I think.
And so forth.
I don't know what the second paper is that you are talking about, so I have no idea whether my fingerprints are on it.
"Jim, has your view on this changed"
My primary view on this has been pretty stable for 20 years or so.
"or do you regard work on rousing kundalini as distinct from activation of the cakkras"
Yes! (As you've probably already seen above.) Quite distinctive. For rousing kundalini, see Liber HHH, Meditation SSS, for example.
"or do you view it as dangerous outside of a structure like the OTO initiation series"
It's always safer if under the direct supervision of a knowledgeable and experienced teacher who is actively monitoring what is going on - regardless of where you find that teacher. I don't think it's any safer in O.T.O. (or, for that matter, in T.'.O.'.T.'.) unless you happen to have just that sort of person available to you.
"(or the rousal that you note usually happens during the A.·.A.·. Grade work/initiations)"
Or their equivalents, yes.
Direct methods are taught in Temple of Thelema, but not until 6°. O.T.O. has direct instruction available to it - using a different approach - (I have no present-day knowledge on how or when or if it's used) in its traditional VIII° curriculum (made safter by a fully validated completion of the VII° curriculum) - this is capable of producing that result. Again, I wouldn't trust it outside of monitoring by a knowledgeable and experienced teacher.
"On a somewhat tangential note: I first learned a color series for the Middle Pillar exercise with which I have become dissatisfied: it does not seem to have any internal coherence. The original instructions from Felkin, such as we have them via Regardie, don't specify a color scheme, and looking into it recently I have found a wide range of recommendations, most of them using the King and/or Queen scale for the Sephiroth in question. Do you have a preference or recommendation on this point?"
For Classic Middle Pillar (just to coing a term): White brilliance, gray-white, yellow, violet, and either the four Malkuth colors or (in practice) olive. That's the all-around best, I think.
However, as a preliminary, there is much to gain by using only white light for each center - You usually can't go wrong with that! Using only white light for, say, 6 months of daily work is a good lead-in.
Neither of the above is what I personally use most of the time. - We have other variants that are taught at different levels in the T.'.O.'.T.'. Second Order (matched to the particular level where it's taught), and I use one of those most of the time.
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I had some weird experiences with kundalini/chakra meditation based on Jonn Mumford's methods. When I told a friend who recommended it to me in the first place, he said he had the same problems which is why he stopped. He was working with Wheels of Life, though. Powerful stuff more than likely to freak you out if it starts working. So, I don't recommend it.
Now, I use the three methods in Hyatt's "Undoing Yourself With Energized Meditation and Other Devices" book. They work amazingly the very first time. The rest of the book doesn't appeal to me, but it might appeal to you. I'm just recommending the 3 methods on pages 54, 79 and 107. The rest of the book is garbage as far as I'm concerned. I mean real boring sub-par RAWilsonesque Discordian crap. There are some techniques in the back for tantra/sex magick and stuff to open your chakras which I'm positive is dangerous. But, those three techniques are great. Worth buying used, xeroxing and reselling.
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cool thanks i will check it out!
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I was systematically working with the chakras, tattvas and mantras using Mumford's system outlined in "Magical Tattwa Cards" and "Chakra Kundalini Workbook" (I had read Mumford was the "REAL DEAL" and my research seemed to confirm this) when I began to have bizarre experiences.
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I felt as if I was being pulled up by my pelvis, as if an imaginary hook had gone right through my pelvis and was lifting me. There was no pain, but it shocked me out of meditation. This happened a coule times. And it was impossible to meditate afterwards due to being freaked out.
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I was paralyzed, swooning under the pressure of an immense source of energy that felt connected to my heart chakra. I remember it felt like a big, circulating black hole of energy and it felt GOOD, which is when I thought, "this is what it means to 'swoon.'" But, shortly after this thought, I realized I couldn't move and I suddenly panicked. I tried with all my might and eventually broke out of it, shaking like an epileptic for about 5 seconds.
I shared these experiences with the guy who recommended Mumford's work to me and he said that HE TOO had similar experiences and he had to stop because it was freaking him out. When I asked why he recommended it to me, he said "because it works."
When I told a member of this HeruRaHa forum community, his advice was simply, "DON'T DO THAT AGAIN." I asked him why and what he thought was the cause of my weird experiences, but he never replied.
Is this typical progress with Kundalini or are these things not good?
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The Tattva cards are best saved for when you have considerable experience in meditation. Even more so for Kundalini techniques. Warnings for awakening Kundalini are there for a reason.
Redd Fezz wrote:
"1) I felt as if I was being pulled up by my pelvis, as if an imaginary hook had gone right through my pelvis and was lifting me. There was no pain, but it shocked me out of meditation. This happened a coule times. And it was impossible to meditate afterwards due to being freaked out. "
The first thing to learn in any program of meditation is to quiet the mind. The untrained mind is like a monkey, highly active. All the imaginary images you experience should be resolved before undertaking deeper meditation. Learn to let go of them; observe them as an outsider. It generally takes several months to a year of regular practice.
Redd Fezz wrote:
" I was paralyzed........But, shortly after this thought, I realized I couldn't move and I suddenly panicked. "
This is a very common experience. When you reach a relaxed enough state, your body falls asleep while your mind remains conscious. Early experiences of this can be quite scary. You'll get used to it. When you reach this level of relaxation, you can "actually" begin to meditate. But in order to do this, you must have your mind silent. Emotions are powerful and can often disturb meditation. They too must be quieted.
93, 93/93
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@Draco Magnus said
"The Tattva cards are best saved for when you have considerable experience in meditation."
I disagree. They're top-notch beginner tools.
"Even more so for Kundalini techniques. Warnings for awakening Kundalini are there for a reason."
Agreed!
"Redd Fezz wrote:
"And it was impossible to meditate afterwards due to being freaked out. "
The first thing to learn in any program of meditation is to quiet the mind."
Yes! Understandably, though, some events can shake you up too much to get right back on the horse. It's important to get back soon, though - perhaps the next night, for example.
"Redd Fezz wrote:
" I was paralyzed........But, shortly after this thought, I realized I couldn't move and I suddenly panicked. "
"Not all that unusual. It was more likely parasthesia than paralysis. There are a lot of results that dissociate you from the usual conscious connection to the body. Quite commonly, one can move but one is very settled into the decision not to - I'm not sure how else to describe it - it's like a very conscious mental block against believing one can move.
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93
bumping an old topic
these may be dumb questions but i have to ask them because im sure people here wont give me "new-agey" answers:
what are the symptoms of kundalini awakening? most of them sound very dangerous, like seizures and other kind of "medical problems".What is the difference between a person who has awakened kundalini and one who hasnt? I'm not expecting siddhis here
or super-human states but im sure there has to be some differences (internal ones)How can kundalini be measured? Can this be evaluated by someone other than yourself?
93 93/93
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@nirbiraja said
"That's dark, ill-humor if I've ever seen it. You use it in the 3=8 curriculum? That's interesting."
Well, it's not that I use it in 3=8, but that it's part of the original system there. From Liber 185: "Further, he shall pass in the meditation practice S.S.S., in Liber HHH."
"Meditation SSS doesn't raise Kundalini; it's a practice to create a vehicle by which an orgasm can travel up the spine to the brain in sex magick or Tantra."
A passingly similar technique - quite different in key features, though, and not nearly as elaborate - does what you say. But SSS is quite explicitly a method for intentional raising of the kundalini. (Bindar Dundat.)
"That's clearly not in the A.'.A.'. schema."
Clearly? Hardly. It's quite specifically there.
"But now that we're near it, what extensive internal precautions are you giving your students using SSS as a Kundalini raising regimen? Are you having them stop raising at the anahata chakra?"
No, that would not be the full practice. (Besides, Anahatta is already naturally open in most who have gotten very far into the 2=9 grade, as a side-effect of that grade.) The precautions I meant were completion of the standard A.'.A.'. curriculum through 2=9 - primarily (but not entirely) the yoga training and testing. (Or, of course, equivalencies.)
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@nirbiraja said
"For the record: You're telling us that a full blown raising of Kundalini straight to the ajna or sahasrara chakras will result in, what, exactly? The next grade is still Without."
Exactly. Raising of kundalini is an important development but seriously over-rated by the rank and file. It's not inherently related to the primary goals of the system, but (like other developments) does open certain channels.
"Even were it not, are you suggesting a full blown Kundalini raising to chakras above the abyss wont cause detrimental problems for an initiate?"
This bioenergetic phenomena as nothing direct to do either with the K&C of the HGA or crossing the abyss, I don't care where in the body they are located.
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@nirbiraja said
"The ordeal may not seem like a big deal to you, simply because you're mistaken in labeling the experience."
Anything is possible. This was, however, not the conclusion of of the teachers who reviewed my work.
The imagination is merely the preparation. Put it in the context of a situation where kunalini has already been flowing in greater and lesser degrees for years.
As for scope of effect... the initial break-through of Kundalini that I experienced in 1=10 very significantly altered my life. I'm not saying it's inconsequential. It's a very big deal in context of when it occurs. But, proportionate to the primary goals toward which 1=10 is an early preparatory step, it's just one of several phenomena that pave the way for something against which it pales.
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Geeee
just immagining a serpent coil up my spine makes me terrorized.
i prefer to let mine asleep -
(giggle.)
chrys333 -
If this is accurate I'm a Master of the Temple, or completely ungrounded, either way...
www.eclecticenergies.com/chakras/chakratest.php
