Kundalini - The Catalyst for Evolutionary Leaps in Consciousness

2001 - A Space Odyssey, the Stanley Kubrick masterpiece, is one of my favorite movies of all time. It begins with a scene depicting ape-men surviving in a brutal prehistoric landscape scrounging for food, fighting a rival group of apes. Suddenly a black monolith appears and an ominous sound emanates, a whirring drone-like hum.

Apes Watching Monolith

The apes watch it, transfixed. Whatever knowledge the monolith imparts to those creatures, it sends them hurtling towards higher consciousness, eventually leading to their taking the human form we now inhabit. They go from hapless bystanders, surviving the vagaries of nature and at the mercy of circumstances, to users of tools, taking charge of their own destiny, almost immediately.

The culmination of events set in motion by the appearance of the monolith is shown in a flash-forward to an imagined 2001 (the movie was made in 1968, before man landed on the moon) with space stations and an expedition to the moon where another monolith has been discovered, which eventually pushes the humans in the movie to the next higher level of evolution. The film is a fascinating twist on the sci-fi genre, mixing elements of old-school space exploration themes with deeper ideas about the human quest for a greater understanding of the psyche and the collective consciousness, and our sometimes uneasy co-existence with the technology we have created.

Astronaut watching monolith

After my Kundalini awakening, it became obvious that higher levels of consciousness are already at our disposal, hidden deep within the dormant parts of the brain, waiting for a spark from the proverbial 'philosopher's stone' to set in motion events that are the equivalent of the apes staring at the black monolith, grokking information, ascending to a higher state.

Gopi Krishna presents a convincing argument that the awakening of the kundalini has been responsible for all exceptional genius and their consequent achievements through the ages. He went through a spontaneous kundalini awakening as a result of the practice of meditation. It was his hypothesis that throughout history, mankind has been assisted by a few extraordinary individuals, touched by the divine spark, each expressing this leap into a higher realm through his or her own unique and individual set of gifts. The famous examples, those we call prophets, Buddha, Jesus, Abraham, Nanak, Mahavir started religions that have large followings to this day. We can also add to that list artists, musicians, writers and scientific thinkers, people like Leonardo Da Vinci, Newton, Mozart, Van Gogh.

God Creates Adam - Michelangelo

Gopi Krishna states in his book, Higher Consciousness and Kundalini:

"The aim of the evolutionary impulse that is active in the race is to mold the human brain and nervous system to a state of perception where the invisible world of intelligent cosmic forces can be cognizable to every human being.

"Can there be any more powerful factor to remind us that we are in a state of constant transition toward an unknown destination than the picture of our primitive ancestors of less than ten thousand years ago, working with instruments of flint to fashion their weapons and implements of stone, living in caves, sheds, or skin tents in a rough, savage way of life so abhorrent to our current tastes that, even if experienced in a dream, may cause the horrors of a nightmare?

"With the transition that has occurred clearly before our eyes, we can easily infer that not even in their wildest fancy could those leading that barbaric mode of life imagine their distant progeny in the present state of glamour, abundance, and luxury we enjoy today."

Coincidentally, Stanley Kubrick later chose, in 2001 - A Space Odyssey, to contrast those two states of man, the modern version, at the peak of technological progress, and the primitive man-ape of a few thousand years ago. More intriguing is the use of the mysterious black monolith to underline the evolutionary leap between those two states of consciousness. Maybe Kubrick was one of those people blessed with this gift and chose the cinematic medium to express it, just as Gopi Krishna used his books, Da Vinci and Michelangelo used art and Osho used the spoken word. Kubrick certainly qualifies for the title of 'extraordinary genius'.

Gopi Krishna states further:

"Why research on kundalini is of utmost importance for mankind at this stage of its evolution is because it can directly lead to the awareness of the fact that Revelation, to which paramount importance was attached throughout the past, is as essential for the welfare and progress of the race as genius and intellectual talent and that the Serpent Power is the organic source behind it all.

"Contrary to common belief, the real object of yoga and the transcendental states of consciousness to which it leads is not merely to experience a state of bliss or to perform miraculous feats but, what is of the highest importance, to open new channels of perception by which Revelation and jnana (perennial wisdom) become possible."

We have not progressed very far in terms of scientific research since Mr. Krishna penned those words. However, more and more people come in contact with meditation techniques, hallucinogens, yogic breathing practices, tantric sex, which lead to the awakening of the kundalini energy.

Chakras

Unless there is a framework for scientific research that both provides support to those undergoing the trauma associated with the event and also carries out an in-depth analysis of the abilities, revelations and changes brought about post-awakening, we are missing out on valuable opportunities for using this phenomenon towards it's intended goal, the benefit of mankind.