Kundalini Yoga

“The phenomenon of Kundalini Shakti has been at the very heart of mystical tradition, not only in India but in fact all over the world. Let's have a look at it:

Genesis 28:12 talks about Jacob's ladder:

"And he dreamed and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it."

• earth: Muladhara Chakra

• heaven: Sahasrara Chakra

• ladder: the chakras, levels of consciousness

• descending angels: pavritti or involution, the path towards creation, limitation and individuality; you can compare this with the orthosympathetic nervous system.

• ascending angels: nivritti or evolution, the path towards one's Ultimate Source, the breaking of the individual barriers, limitation and the raising of one's level of consciousness; you can compare this with the parasympathetic nervous system.

Revelation 1:20 talks about seven stars:

"The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches; and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches."

In her "Die Seelenburg" Saint Theresa of Avila described the gradual, step-by-step development of the soul like entering a citadel. While doing so one has to pass six halls before one could enter the seventh, where one is united with Christ.

In the Islam religion there is this story about Mohammed being awakened one night by the angel Gabriel. Mohammed has to undergo a process of purification and is then taken to Jerusalem. There he ascends a golden ladder set up on the earth. Accompanied by Gabriel Mohammed visits seven heavenly cities. In each city he pays his respects to its patriarch. In ascending order: Adam, John, Joseph, Enoch, Aaron, Moses and finally, Abraham or Jesus.

In Shakespeare's "As you like it", Act 2, Scene 7, Lord Jacques says:

"All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players; they have their exits and their entrances. And one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages."

There is this Johannes Georg Gichtel, who in the 17th century happened to live in Amsterdam and whose funeral in 1710 was attended by half the population of that city, who wrote a treatise on "the three principles of the three worlds in Men, shown in plain graphics, which demonstrate how and where they have their respective centres in Man's inner body." He then attributes these seven centres the names and values of the planets. In ascending order: Moon, Mercury, Venus, Sun, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn.

The late Edgar Cayce attributed to these centres the names and values of the seven planets as well, but he did not follow the same order as Gichtel. In ascending order: Saturn, Neptune, Mars, Venus, Uranus, Mercury, Jupiter.

Dante's "Divina Comedia" is in fact the story of the awakening of the seven chakras. The Purgatory is divided into seven parts, the highest of which is The Garden of Eden (Sahasrara) where Dante (Shiva) meets (Yoga) Beatrice (Shakti).

One might wonder why the so-called Creation (materialisation) of this our world happens in seven stages.

When talking about Kundalini Shakti, Yoga refers to the psychic or spiritual energy which is said to reside in every human body at the base of the spine and which can, under certain circumstances, be aroused so as to irrigate and irradiate consciousness as it mounts up the spine to the brain.

On its way upwards the Kundalini Shakti pierces and awakens the so-called chakras.”

Kundalini Yoga, /users.pandora.be