The Energy Continuum

I don't know if the phrase Energy Continuum originated with me; I don't care. What I do know is it's the closest I can come to expressing what I perceive to be the reality of what can only be termed consciousness that extends beyond the physical, material dimension we like to believe is all there is. I use it because it applies to my observations and experience. It's what I have observed since my Kundalini activation provided me access to the metaphysical dimension, allowing me not only to see beyond the material world, but also into the inner workings of a metaphysical subsystem within my own body.

At present, my accounts cannot be disproved or proven by the scientific community, only discounted as anecdotal. The fact that thousands of kundalini adepts and near death experiencers (NDE) have witnessed and merged with the Energy Continuum holds no sway with scientists. That's fine. Nevertheless, these accounts, though anecdotal, are the first wave in what will ultimately become a tidal wave of scientific exploration on the Energy Continuum, and on Consciousness with a capital C.

Kundalini Is Not A Bed Of Roses!

Discounting the existence of the Energy Continuum is actually silly. Why? Because so much energy is spent by scientists/atheists and their religionist counterparts in proving/disproving the God/No God theories. Theories that cannot be proven or disproved.

As stated previously, there is no evidence for, or against, either of the two positions: God or No God. None. But there is evidence, albeit anecdotal, for the Energy Continuum.

This should actually please the respective sides of the God/No God argument. Sadly, it doesn't. They've been at it so long, they can't foresee an end to the argument, even though if they settled for what we do know, thanks to mountains of first person Kundalini and NDE accounts, they might drop all the posturing about a notion (God or No God) which, at this time, is neither provable nor disprovable. Drop it and do what? you ask. How about trying to piece together the various accounts of the Energy Continuum and extended Consciousness!

What kind of accounts? We're talking about out-of-body, kundalini meditation, Near Death, astral travel, kundalini experience, Energy Healing, consciousness, and psychic prescience. I'm sure I've left someone or something out. I'm sorry. But there are so many firsthand accounts, metaphysics (beyond the physical) has got to be more than Coincidence, more than Synchronicity. It has to have some foundation, or one out of four people are crazy. I'm not crazy. I have seen the other side and it is continuous (as in everlasting) and full of energy (as in conscious energy). Others — too many to ignore — have also witnessed or become immersed in the Energy Continuum, each in his/her own individual way. Each has his/her story to tell. Why not join forces to study these experiences?

Yes, there is resistance. It comes in many forms, people who say things like:

• It's all in you mind.
• There's no proof.
• Science does not accept anecdotal evidence.
• Death is like the crash of a motherboard.
• It's not a question of belief; it's a question of faith.
• There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers.

Why should this discussion matter to someone pursuing self-realization or metaphysical truth? Why should you care if no one believes in your experience? Is it worth trying to convince closed minds to open and to remain open?

Think about it. When you choose the path of faith and belief, you give up your power. You become subservient to the argument you support; you become subservient to someone else's opinions; you become subservient to polemics, useless discussion of something that cannot and does not affect your life, your health, your conscious refinement, or your being. What do I mean?

If you are truly interested in self-realization, you will forget polemics; you will concentrate on practice, secure in the knowledge that there is an Energy Continuum. Why should you take my word for it? You shouldn't, but the fact that you are reading these words means that something has piqued your interest in the subject. Most likely it wasn't a discussion in a bar about the non-existence of God or a sermon in church about the existence of God; it was an actual physical sensation or experience. Something inexplicable happened in your life: a feeling of weakness followed by a renewal of strength, a moment when you felt great clarity, the ability to heal yourself and others, an instant of energy surging up your spine, an out-of-body experience, clairvoyance, some unusual feat of dexterity, a precognitive vision, the capability to control heart rate or body temperature, extraordinary somatic awareness, scientific or artistic inspiration, and so on. In short, a metanormal experience.

What mattered most to you was the certainty that your sensation or experience was real, not a figment. So what do you do when someone attributes your sensation or experience to mania, madness, mental illness or aberration? What can you learn from this sort of criticism? Simply, that it's better not to talk with close-minded people. You can't get anywhere by arguing. So don't. Redouble your efforts and continue to practice, knowing that many are doing the same. They may not be using the same techniques or the same method. Respect that, knowing that they were probably "picqued" by some metanormal experience in much the same way you were.

There's an energy revolution on this planet. I'm not talking about the energy we extract from the ground. This revolution is taking place in the bodies and souls of men and women. This is the millennium of the Energy Continuum, man's last greatest frontier, if we are to survive on this planet and in this universe. We must find a way to master the negative aspects of our Beings, to change our consciousness as we move forward in a complex, unforgiving, technological world.

Mastery is a Process

"I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times."
~Bruce Lee

I have always been the kind of person that loves to practice. Most of the things I loved to do, I didn't just do for fun, I wanted to be good at them. I started working out at around the age of 14. Immediately I was obsessed with the whole process. Lifting weights in a systematic manner, the diet, the feeling of increased self-esteem, it all worked wonders on a shy kid that had social anxiety issues. Until that moment, I had never given my complete attention to any activity, neither in school nor on the playground. With working out however, I was driven. 

As I grew older, this became a pattern and I started to see that talent mattered very little at whatever activity I chose to pursue. In fact, having the talent or a better ability to grasp a skill could have an adverse effect on the practitioner. If I am much better than my peers, I lose all motivation to improve further and may not become skilled in the absolute sense. This was true in the gym. The genetically gifted (or pharmacologically assisted) bodybuilders that became big and strong faster than others seldom had the patience and perseverance to stick with the regimen longer than a few months or few years. They invariably dropped out, bored or dejected because they were no longer getting the results they got in the first few months. The few of us that survived the plateaus and kept plugging at it reaped the benefits. The most important thing I learned there is to love the process itself. The journey IS the destination.

To me, what mattered more was the knowledge I gained along the way and the sheer joy of lifting for its own sake. As I got better, a funny thing happened. Not only did I get better at building my body, I got better at learning HOW to learn and could apply the same principles to any activity. The period from novice to expert was a lot shorter for me. It's quite simple. The more you practice, the better you get. The corollary to that is, unless you practice, you don't get better. I taught myself to play golf, with very little outside help in the form of one teaching pro friend who fine-tuned my swing.  95% of the learning was because I just showed up at the range, day after day and built my game from the ground up. The same principles learned during my years in the gym came in handy at the driving range.

During the Kundalini awakening process, one of the most trying journeys I have ever embarked upon (more like, deepest pool I have ever been thrown into) this habit of patience, perseverance and 'stick-to-it-iveness' paid large dividends. More than anything else, this journey is about focus, the ability to learn and the willingness to discard all known ideas, the ego and one's false sense of accomplishment. There is no room for vanity and this is definitely not for the faint of heart. It requires total commitment and willingness to face each obstacle, whether it is detractors in the form of well-wishing (but misguided) friends and family or your own mind rebelling at the changes it faces.

Of course, as described by JJ in an earlier post, the phase when the energy 'does you' and takes over makes it a lot easier since one has the road map that needs to be followed. However, even someone that considered himself disciplined came to realize that we are conditioned, programmed and full of bad habits of diet and a lack of routine. These become the biggest obstacles. We are our own worst enemy. Overcoming this inner barrier, without growing an egotistic sense of achievement at being such a disciplined person is the balancing act faced by each adept that walks this path. "Do your best and give the fruits to the almighty" sums up the crux of karma yoga. Karma, or the actions we undertake, are our birthright. The resulting actions, an offering to the almighty. Any attachment to the result, be it pride or disappointment becomes an impediment for further growth. Keeps us stagnant at that level. Do it, learn, move on. At every step of the way, inflexibility is your worst enemy. The ego and its hankering, its need to attach a label of 'I did this' to each moment gets in the way. Detach from the result and move further along the path. Stay attached and you get slowed down or come to a complete halt.

Meditation is not easy and neither is lifting heavy at the gym. Both require doing the same thing over and over. Show up at the gym and work out at a set hour, day in and day out, or sit still for 15 minutes at a set hour, day in and day out. Showing up is half the game. Consistency is the key to steady progress. Our minds play games with us.  "I'm tired." "I am just not feeling it today." "I have done it for 2 weeks straight, I deserve a break." A million thoughts arise when you are seated trying to meditate.  

Discipline is not the lack of intruding thoughts. Discipline is the process of dealing with each one and gently bringing the mind back to meditation. It can be broken down into several smaller steps. Give yourself credit for showing up and sitting down to meditate that day. Give yourself credit for sitting still the whole 15 minutes. The more you do, the easier it gets. This whole process of inculcating the habit is discipline. It is a process. Each day teaches us more about our own mind and it's ability to find new distractions and excuses. Each day we discover a technique to quell that unruly mind. Witness that struggle. Make that your meditation.

Bruce Lee once said, "Absorb what is useful, discard what is not, add what is uniquely your own." Whether you are starting your journey on the path to a Kundalini awakening using the 'backward flowing method' or you are in the throes of an awakening looking for answers, remember that there are no shortcuts. Total commitment and surrender to the process are prerequisites that cannot be bypassed. The journey is the destination. Learn to enjoy each step.

The Divine Vibration

“If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration.”
~ Nikola Tesla

What is the nature of reality? Albert Einstein, that wise sage, once remarked, "Nothing happens until something moves." This is quite literally true. Nothingness is the pure potentiality, the unborn absolute in it's un-manifest form. When vibration happens, the nothingness gives birth to all that is. Call it the big bang theory or 'yoga spandakarika' The theory of spanda (pulsation or vibration in Sanskrit) or string theory. "There was the word and God said, let there be light". This primal sound or vibration, called Aum, Amen, Ameen by different religions is the basis of all creation. Whether we approach this reality through scientific thought or through the inner realization in samadhi, this is the absolute reality underlying all existence.

Existence, the framework based on time-space we experience as finite mortal beings is a very very small part of the infinite unchanging never-born reality that transcends such classifications. The nature of reality. This is a deep subject and there are no easy answers. Can us mere mortals even begin to fathom the universe in it's vastness? Cognitively, we can only grasp at straws. With the experience of kundalini and the deep 'samadhi' or union with the absolute, we can become one with it and experience the 'I AM'.

All that we experience is a result of vibration. Even in an empty room, the molecules and atoms that make up the room and the air within are pulsating at fast speeds. What we call solid material is neither. Physics tells us that the deeper we look, the more difficult it becomes to find a solid particle. Everything is broken down into smaller particles and under it all are just different forms of energy, vibrating strings of energy that make up the mass we experience in the world around us. Reality is not so real. We are made up vibrating energy experiencing other forms of energy around us through our 5 senses.

My kundalini awakening was a 'spontaneous' one. Meaning, I was not consciously aware that I was seeking this blessing but certain guiding forces led me to practices such as yoga and meditation a few weeks before this event occurred. I was leading a 'normal' existence. 9 to 5 job, no interest in spirituality, but a fascination with music (of the Pink Floyd, Miles Davis, Eric Clapton variety). The weeks before my awakening, I became interested in Indian classical music. The simplest form of vibration that we all know is music. When a musician strikes a string on a guitar, the string vibrates and we hear a sound. When we organize those vibrations in a composition with rhythm and a beat, we create music. Indian classical music, I later found out, had its origins in the meditative practices of adepts familiar with kundalini energy and the formulation of 'ragas' or compositions based on various scales were specifically formulated for meditation and through it, the awakening and smooth passage of K energy through the chakras (propellers of energy) and nadis or meridians as described in the acupuncture system that are canals that move the energy through the body. Each chakra corresponds to a certain musical note and the ragas are ascending and descending vibratory activating mechanisms that can be used to balance the flow of this energy.

As described before, I was being drawn to this music and I listened to it more and more. In this state of musical ecstasy, listening to the ragas, being aware of the cyclical nature of sound, the peak and trough that make up a wave, but in an intimate way that is not merely 'listening' to the sound but becoming it, one day, at the culmination of the sexual act with my wife, I heard a cracking noise at the base of my spine. For some reason, the word kundalini flashed in my head right away. Having grown up in a religious Indian background, I was aware of the concept even though I had no active interest in the phenomenon up to that point. I laughed off the idea and thought to myself "Yeah, right. That's a fairy tale" and thought nothing of it. I was curious about the crackling sound and the feeling of energy rushing up to my head. Very mysterious and uplifting. Not scary but definitely weird. A sensation I had never experienced before.

As i went out of the room, I felt different. Like I was aware of every little thing that was happening around me. 'Hyper-awareness' is the best word to describe it. There was water gushing out of the kitchen sink and I was aware of each rivulet and how each stream created a complex vibration as it mixed with the other, creating the focused jet of water. Water coming out of a tap. Something we see every day. But at that moment, it was a profound realization. "I understand spin resonance," I said to my wife. A concept from chemistry I had learned without really 'getting it.' Well here I stood, almost hearing each water molecule bounce against another, feeling this resonance. My wife stood there bewildered, not knowing what to say. She could sense something very different about me. I 'saw' (definitely not the right term but the only one I've got) everything as vibrations. The music, the streams of water, the glimmering light from the bulb above me.

That night began a journey down the rabbit hole that continues to this very day. It took me another 2-3 months to confirm that this indeed was a kundalini awakening, but the evidence was piling up high each moment. My body started behaving like it was possessed, contorting into involuntary 'kriyas'. Yogic positions that the body was forcing itself into. I decided to remain skeptical and make sure that this was what it seemed to be, but the energy started moving up and down my spine and became a regular feature of each waking moment. I read up on each and every book I could lay my hands on, researched every website, book and first hand account I could get my hands on. It was a fascinating journey and one that showed up unannounced at my doorstep saying, "Here I am. Deal with me."

Blueprints of our Physical Bodies

"We are all perfect at the split-second moment before conception. Of course, like a building before the foundation is laid, at that moment our beings are only blueprints. These blueprints — the numinous plans laid out for our embodiment — are perfect. At the moment of conception — the moment the egg is fertilized by the sperm — the embryonic body begins to take shape. It’s the moment when, were we able to stand over our perfect blueprints, we might wonder if they will be executed as designed. From the moment we’re born, any one of thousands of stimuli — within or out of our control — can alter our growth, assuring degrees of deviation from the blueprint for our unique embodiment.

"After activating the Kundalini-Life Force, I was able to see the blueprint of my perfect body and compare it to my altered state. Amazingly, the Life Force recognized my deformity and immediately began to correct it. I witnessed it slowly reshape my body to the exact proportions in the blueprint. So — and this requires a leap of logic — if I could see the original design for my body and it was perfect in every way, there must be some sentient agency that created this design. And even though my growth took a detour on account of my deformity, the blueprint continued to exist in some ethereal computer-memory-like storage, waiting for the day that I might learn of its existence and find a way back to it.

"Happily, GFM, the method of meditation I practiced, restored my deformed body to its original state, and, in so doing, proved both the existence of the blueprint and the restorative power of the Kundalini-Life Force. This sounds an awful lot like Intelligent Design, doesn’t it? A permanent blueprint of our beings and a mechanism within the body capable of restoring it to its intended state."

~ Deciphering the Golden Flower One Secret at a Time - JJ Semple

I suppose many readers pass over the above without a second thought. One reader, however, challenged me to explain these words when he posted this inquiry on the Forum,"Dear JJ: How does a person access their blueprint? It's not clear from your book."

I got to thinking, and I had to agree: It isn't entirely clear, but not because my description is poor — it's the best I can do — but because you can't see the mountaintop until you're on top of the mountain. 

So what's the real issue? For one, the only way to describe a phenomenon like this is by liberal use of imagery: "perfect body," "template shroud,"  "sentient agency," "bodily substantiation," "controlling field," "permanent blueprint?" What do these terms mean? Two, we have to determine what this blueprint is before we can talk of accessing it.

Edward Hopper: Girls In Cafeteria Line

I don't know any way of doing this without using more imagery. No words suffice or exist for those who have never experienced the energy continuum. But I won't compound the difficulty by adding more imagery.

I was able to see two separate bodies, one, my actual physical form; the other, my intended form which lay over my physical body like a template shroud. Now I didn't actually see it so much as sense its surrounding me like an aura. I knew it was there; I knew it was perfect. I knew the physical body could be "stretched" to fit this causal body, using it as a blueprint to restore my physical body to its intended form. So how did I know it?

Simply that once the Kundalini rose, my nervous system found another level of activity, as if it morphed from a chugging Model-T Ford to the Warp Drive propulsion that characterizes fictional Star Trek spacecraft. My mind's eye perceived my aura shimmering around my body. See my aura? I had never been able to beforehand.

Whole lifetimes without seeing one's aura is par for the course of life, in most cases. It could have easily been mine. Yet when it happened, it was a feeling greater than enchantment; it signaled a complete breakdown of the duality paradigm. I realized I was a part of a greater whole, that I extended beyond the limits of my physical body into an infinite horizon.

Kundalini is not the private domain of certain adepts

I wasn't able to get to the state that allowed me to perceive the blueprint until I had successfully mastered all steps of the method. Yes, there are many other types of awakening experiences, many induced by other sorts of stimuli or triggers, but I only know mine.

I can tell you about it, I do in my books, but you shouldn't rely on me. In fact, the more you rely on me, the less likely you are to actually experience any of this as anything but an intellectual exercise. A big part of the method — of any method — is the challenge of validating everything you see, hear, and feel as your practice progresses. An even bigger part is practicing the method until you become a trained observer of the inner landscape. Complete the method — all parts, all steps — as per the instructions. When you do, you won't be asking questions: you will have answered them the only way possible — by hard work and practice. Only then can you expect to reach states attainable by completing the work.

What's more, there are no guarantees in this work, you shouldn't expect them. Success (whatever that is*) depends on your Karma, your efforts, your conditioning, and the method you use. Is GFM is the only method that induces permanent Kundalini? No, there are other methods and I encourage you to explore them. I can vouch for GFM; I can't vouch for any other method. Sensing the blueprint and seeing the inner workings of my being only occurred after I was deeply into the process, i.e., months and months of working at it. It's not a question of fairness, that I can see it but you can't. It's a question of practice and training.

If you play around with a lot of methods, you may have some Kundalini experiences, even a Kundalini awakening, perhaps. The question is: will they be complete enough for you to witness the inner workings of your being?

 

* You should have a goal and a roadmap; many individuals don't; they dabble and flail about, then wonder why they're not successful. Success is dependent on many factors. If there was a magic Kundalini elixir, that would be great, but as of now, there isn't. Nevertheless, a good way to find out about the design for your Being is to practice Kundalini meditation.

Does Activating Kundalini Make You a Happier Person?

Recently someone sent me an inquiry, "I've read your kundalini books and I'm beginning a meditation practice. But the question that keeps popping up in my head is: Does activating your kundalini make you a happier person?"

Overlooking for a moment the semantics behind the expression "happier person," I'd respond with a resounding YES, in the sense that Kundalini makes you a different person. What you want to make of this different person, how you want to mold him/her still depends on your basic character. All Kundalini confers on you is the opportunity to meet, perhaps for the first time, the elusive, real YOU.

By stripping away denial and evasion tactics, an active Kundalini allowed me to focus on the weaker aspects of my character. What I decided to do with this opportunity was up to me. But at least I now had focus. The stage was set for work.

This work can be extremely constructive, especially as concerns addictive or self-destructive behavior.

It's so easy to be cynical about change, self-discovery, and spiritual transformation; even Oprah Winfrey faces ridicule from the conventional press when she talks about her personal journey: "Ms. Winfrey shared no secrets, but she did repeat some of her most familiar, if impenetrable, platitudes, including "my personal journey is to fulfill the highest expression of myself here as a human being.'" Lack of understanding is rife. This language says more about the NY Times writer than it does about Oprah's sincere expression of self-discovery. So be ready for doubt, ridicule, and misunderstanding.

The advantage Kundalini gives you is that the body becomes an ally. You are functioning at a higher vibrational frequency. At frequencies where drugs and alcohol no longer hold any appeal. The body begins to resist harmful substances. This is a place to start — at the bottom (the physical level), an enormous advantage when you realize the hardest thing in life is taking the first step, especially when it means starting at the bottom.

Each stage in the pyramid is attuned to a different frequency Yet, only by starting at the bottom can you can build a solid foundation — one stage at a time.

"Self-realization begins at birth; it is the journey as much as it is the destination." Eventually you realize there is no separation between the journey and the destination. Kundalini gives you a place to start. It wipes the slate clean in that you are now functioning at a higher vibrational frequency, affording you an opportunity to insure that the journey is upward, providing you a vantage point for putting things in perspective as you move along.

What does "starting at the bottom" really mean? How did it work in my case? When I wrote about starting at the bottom, the tried-and-true Maslow diagram popped into my head as a ready example of start and finish points. I began to think about the diagram I created in The Backward-Flowing Method: The Secret of Life and Death, a diagram that explained my journey, that it didn't just happen in a vacuum, that there was a karmic dimension to it — a vibrational dimension.

As you can see, this diagram's first stage Search for the Secret Teachings is characterized by exploration. In my case, it meant discovering and taking up Yoga, not as readily available in the 1960s as it is today. My path followed the Maslow diagram to the extent that it provided me with a way of harnessing the power of the body — a feeling that I had to stop abusing it and get it working for me.

When I first started out, I had not the merest iota of self-awareness. I didn't really know what I was doing or why I was doing it. I just practiced the poses. Little-by-little, however, things started to percolate upward. During my practice I noticed that my breathing exercises produced rumblings in energy centers throughout my body — sensations I had never before felt, which, as I continued to practice, became palpable and real. I had awakened a sleeping subsystem. I realized that breathing — an autonomic process I had always taken for granted — was the key to the changes taking place in my body.

Breathing became the center of my practice. Not only during my practice, but in every other activity: walking, driving, lying in bed. Little did I realize. More is less. Breathing is more powerful than any physical exercise.

Where my exploration differed with the Maslow diagram: I failed at the Belongingness & Love Needs and the Esteem Needs stages. Had I been obliged to master these steps before attempting the final stages in Blocks Two and One of the Maslow, I would have been condemned to perpetual failure. Only by jumping ahead to the Need to Know & Understand stage was I able to eventually succeed (reach the top of the Maslow pyramid) and ultimately work my way back down to Block One to complete the work on the stages I skipped.

My diagram jumps from the Physiological Needs stage to the Need to Know & Understand stage and then continues to the top. It completely ignores the two steps at the top of Block One of Maslow. So what, you say? The point is you don't have to follow an order. It's not set in stone or in a diagram. Whatever gets you vibrating at a higher frequency. The important thing is getting there, and that entails a journey and a beginning — starting out and finishing. The sequence isn't as important. All roads lead to Rome.

I chose Yoga, and it led me to study my breathing and the realization that breathing was the key to everything. And kundalini meditation became my vehicle for breathing in a controlled and systematic manner.

As for the notion of a "happier person," let's just say that if we concern ourselves with happiness, we're a long way from understanding the nature of life, and therefore, probably on another path. The Buddha said Life was suffering, and he prescribed a path to deal with it. Does mean happiness gets lost in the shuffle? That when you get to the Transcendence or the It Does You! stage, you have somehow, mysteriously reconciled the two — Transcendence and Happiness? It means that as long as we inhabit bodies, we will suffer if we base everything on the pursuit of happiness, which, a Buddhist might say, is an illusion. So, in relative terms then, doesn't Oprah Winfrey's statement of devotion and service ("fulfill the highest expression of myself here as a human being") ring true to both the Buddhist and the Christian approaches? To be more aware, to make better decisions, to treat others as we would be treated? If a Kundalini awakening figures in somewhere along the way, so be it. If not, there are many paths and many roadmaps.

Sexuality and Kundalini

In Gopi Krishna's book, The Biological Basis of Religion and Genius, what do you think the word biological refers to? No tongue twister, trick question here: the answer clearly is SEX, or the repurposing of latent energy for evolutionary advancement within the space of a single lifetime.

"It is sufficient to mention here that during the whole course of this (kundalini) transformation, in addition to the blood and other fuels present in the body, every particle of powerful reproductive fluid in the system is sucked up through the spinal canal to irrigate and feed the various nerve junctions and the brain. This entirely biological operation is carried out in such an unmistakable way that even a novice in physiology cannot fail to notice it. The semen in men is now produced in such abundance that a tiny stream rises day and night through the spine into the cranium to provide the richest and the purest food for the now heavily overworked brain cells. In women, the sexual energy and secretions involved in erotics are used as the fuel. This is a perfect example of the forethought and ingenuity of nature to keep the body equipped with all the necessities to make the completion of the evolutionary process, normally needing eons to accomplish, possible in the short span of one life."
   ~ Gopi Krishna – The Biological Basis of Religion and Genius

Botticelli's Venus American-Style — 2011 Gay & Lesbian Parade (PFLAG), Portland, OR

Everyday, this information is becoming both accessible and understood by more and more people, whether it's through exposure to books like Deciphering the Golden Flower One Secret at a Time or Kundalini: The Evolutionary Energy in Man or just by talking or exchanging information on web forums. People are beginning to understand this information and act on it. Sublimation, as a process for using sexual energy to awaken Kundalini, is ubiquitously up for grabs. There are almost as many techniques as practitioners.

If some fail to arouse Kundalini, it's probably due to the issue of adapting a particular technique to a particular individual. Or perhaps it's Karmic — the individual isn't ready. One lifetime too few perhaps. Or another technique that might work is out of reach.

I get questions pertaining to sexual pathology — involuntary ejaculation, hormonal irregularities, inability to consummate, low semen count, erectile dysfunction — questions from readers considering Kundalini as a possible means for overcoming their condition. Every type of sexual irregularity imaginable. From sexually active men and women, to gays, to the sexually inactive.

Yes, what about gays? Are they somatically or metabolically unable to activate Kundalini? With so little discussion on this issue, it's important to reread Gopi Krishna's passage above. Nowhere does he say that certain groups or individuals are excluded from accomplishing this process. In fact, this process isn't about sexual energy flowing out; it's about conserving sexual energy, about holding it in, redirecting it. And that's a big challenge right there because it supposes that interested parties — especially males — are going to refrain from ejaculation because it interferes with the activation process. It's a big hurdle. Many are infatuated with Kundalini, but don't want to abstain from sex.

It's understandable that individuals who consider themselves "sexually irregular," either over- or under-sexed, or otherwise impaired, should regard Kundalini as a possible solution. And while no group or person is excluded, some persons may need clinical treatment for the irregularities they cite.

However, when I'm asked if Kundalini is a cure for such and such irregularity, there's little I can say. Fact is, I don't know. If I were to guess, I would say it behooves the individual to investigate his/her condition first. Think about treatment. See a pathologist. After all, if Kundalini is only being considered as a remedy for some condition, it might indicate that the person is not truly purposed for the challenge ahead, not suited to the life style Kundalini imposes. You have to consider all sides of the issue. The Backward-Flowing Method: The Secret of Life and Death explores the challenges of living with Kundalini American-Style.

Stop being a Robot

One of the most frequently asked questions to me is "What exactly does the kundalini do to you?" How does one change? Can those changes be experienced by those that don't currently have an awakened Kundalini? The answers to those questions are complex. It changes you in ways that can't easily be summed up and each experience is different. "Your results may vary" as they say in the commercials.

Having said that, to give a general overview, the most important change that occurs is the loss of your conditioned self. What does that mean exactly? Since birth, each of us is placed in an environment. Regardless of where you grow up, you are part of an established social order. Our minds pick up cues from those that we see around us. When I see my four-year-old daughter, so eager to imitate and get the pat on the back from her parents, doing her best to be like mommy, I see this dynamic played out in real life. Of course, this is the natural learning curve and we all need to go through it.  We learn language, social skills, and find our way in life using this compass. However, a lot of the subliminal messages we pick up in today's society keep us in a limited, programmed state of mind. Certain dos and don'ts, unwritten laws, hierarchies that rule this world are inculcated in us that keep us from reaching our true potential.

For example, a child, when he picks up a little guitar and proclaims, "I'm gonna be a rock star," we all laugh and join in the little role-play. Indulgent parents may even get the kid some lessons and encourage him or her to go for it. Most often though, the "practical" side wins out and the kid is made to "see the light and "be real." Years and years of sibling rivalries, petty jealousies, others passing negative judgment on your dreams and the insistence that you conform to a certain idea of "normal" becomes part of our lives. This does not mean that all parenting is bad and will leave the child traumatized. Good parenting is like planting a sapling and allowing it to grow to a large tree, giving it the right amount of water, fertilizer and protecting it from being destroyed when it is at it's most vulnerable. Bad parenting is making a bonsai miniature out of a giant redwood by pruning the branches and cutting off the roots. The essence of the tree exists, but in a much more unnatural state. It is the triumph of the ego and control over a living being, subjugating the tree or the child to one's demands. This has disastrous consequences to the fragile psyche of the child.

We are the product of messages bombarded from every direction, from commercials, fashion trends, the 'how it is supposed to be' of life. Most people accept this as the only reality and never question the validity of the underlying assumptions. Commercials work because of repitition. Repeat the same message over and over and program the viewer to follow it blindly. I have seen some parents program their children to 'like' a certain field of study by constant repitition regardless of whether the kid likes to be a doctor or not. The threat of social ostracism, of 'letting down' your family and of being different hangs on our heads like an anvil that might crush us at any moment.

A kundalini awakening removes all of the conditioning and hence, the limited self that lives that limited life. It reminds me of the story of the baby elephant that is tied to a post by a metal chain. It has limited mobility. As the animal grows older, it can move around but in a small circle. Once the post is removed, the elephant does not escape. Years of training has programmed it to believe that it can only move in that small circle. We are like that elephant. We have been trained to be and act limited and after many years, we repeat that pattern, and join in programming others, never believing that we are free and that the social limitations are only in our minds. When that paradigm changes, we see the world in a new light.

Kundalini removes the old paradigm from the very roots.  As the energy moves through your spine and brain, it removes blockages caused by old trauma. Usually it is some event in your life that reminds you of something shameful, when everyone laughed at you and ridiculed you for something you did, a moment when you failed to please a parent or some such event that triggered a limitation in your being that you now repeat over and over without even realizing or having a vivid memory of the past incident. Kundalini brings all those events, anything that gets in the way of being your real self, to the surface and then discards those blockages.

This is a long and very traumatic process, which, once completed, leaves a clear, cleansed psyche which is a much stronger self, a new and improved version of yourself, sans baggage and with no more automated responses. I am free to think for myself in this moment without having to think back to the past or to make sure my actions meet the approval of my mother's voice in my head. The voice is gone and so is the platform that allows the voice to have any say in my current actions. It is a blissful feeling. Looking at the world and the programmed robots desperately trying to control and program others is an amusing and disturbing sight, seen from your new perspective.

Drop conditioning. Be in the moment. Remove past trauma. Be free.

This can be achieved by anyone and the methods are freely available to us all. Meditation is the key to cleansing the psyche.  Mindful awareness of our actions helps us identify an automated pattern and change our responses. Knowing that each action is a choice and mindfully weighing the response before acting helps us rid ourselves of the programmed habits that keep us bound to our old selves. Positive affirmations of our chosen goals allow us to program the emptied mind with suggestions of our choice rather than let society fill it up with it's edicts. Avoiding negative people, avoiding commercials, viewing less TV, learning new skills, meeting new people, keeping an open mind and not becoming rigid in our world-view. These are a few things anyone can do. We store a lot in our psyche. It is our duty towards ourselves, for our good health and well being to make sure that mind is balanced and aligned towards our best interests.

Living with THE NEW NORMAL

I'd like to introduce myself to the readers. My name is Vivek Govekar. I am 38. I live in Cary, NC. I had a spontaneous kundalini awakening in 2006 and have been living with this amazing force ever since. It was only after a few years of dealing with the changes brought about by the awakening of this force in my body that I have been able to return to 'normal' (if one can ever go back to one's old self after this occurs). Around 2009, I stumbled upon JJ Semple's blog and was glad to find another person that had gone through the same ordeal as myself. At that point, I was grasping for answers and finding ways to adjust to the world with my new reality. It has been a surreal journey but one with many benefits and definitely worth the trials and tribulations for the insights I have gained and for how it has changed me as a person.

I am still dealing with the changes brought about by kundalini but it gets easier once the 'is this for real?' aspect of it subsides a little bit and this becomes your new normal, your new reality. Getting to this point, over 6 years involved almost complete isolation from the outside world, changes in diet, lots of meditation, lots of music and finding methods, through trial and error that would work on my condition to get me some relief from my back pain and the enormous amount of trauma churned up by the energy moving up and down my spine. Those familiar with JJ's blogs may know that kundalini is the manifestation of the primal spirit within us all. This energy lays dormant at the bottom of our spine and through practices such as those described in 'The backward flowing method' or through shaktipat, can be awakened. Once awakened, the energy takes over and the individual can assist in its safe passage by surrendering to the flow, allowing it to go about it's business, cleansing the psyche of past trauma, repressed memories and other karmic baggage that prevents us from achieving our true potential.

It is this transition from an average guy to recipient of divine grace that is usually a harrowing experience, especially for a novice, previously clueless about all things spiritual who has suddenly received this gift. My journey was a cross between 'Alice in Wonderland' and 'The Matrix'. I was waking up to my higher self the deeper I went down the rabbit hole. These analogies don't really do it justice, although I now identify with a lot of the hidden metaphors in a lot of tales and understand the disorientation and terror felt by the protagonists of those stories. At every stage of this process, one awakens to the reality that has always been hidden in plain sight. Our mundane existences and distractions we have created, the internet, television and the established status quo of 'how things are' keep the deeper reality hidden from us. We all have the potential of becoming enlightened buddhas not because the gift could be given to us someday, but because it is our inherent nature and we already possess the gift but have forgotten it, lulled ourselves into a deep slumber and travel through life in a somnambulist stupor.

Our greatest abilities and talents lie dormant, often neglected by us in an attempt to conform and adapt to the demands placed on us. Finding a job, being part of the rat race, while important for making a living, carried to excess, lead us away from our calling, what we were meant to be. Each illness, every neurosis and malady that we face in modern life can be traced back to the excessive demands on the body and mind by man. Our excesses lead to imbalances. We eat a bad diet, lack exercise and worry ourselves to death, quite literally. The statistics show an increase in the risk of stroke, an obesity epidemic, abuse of prescription drugs, especially opium derivatives masked as pain pills. Our minds and bodies rebel at this abuse and constantly warn us. Every headache, episode of heartburn, constipation or panic attack is a wake up call, often ignored or treated with more pills that a morally bankrupt, for-profit medical establishment is eager to provide. The one-a-day pill for lifetime is the big pharma cash cow that helps their bottom line not your health.

Meditation, a healthy diet and moderate exercise can do a lot more for the individual than the abuse of pills. Let me add that I am, by training, a pharmacist and also a research scientist and don't wish to vilify all modern medicines, but only object to the 'for-profit' method of sales-driven application of the current medical therapies available to us. Used when needed, for healing, all chemicals have a place in society. But when was the last time a doctor told you to change your diet and made sure you exercised? The system is setup for the recurring 'one-a-day' pill model. No one needs to take a pill a day to relieve heartburn. Changing your eating habits and getting some exercise is a much easier option.

Well, this was my introduction. I intend to write more often on this forum and on the other blogs related to kundalini and spirituality. Keep meditating!