Kundalini - Awakening - Grace

[SoulSail]

Since the Kundalini topic is making rounds often these days here on the AD forum, and since this is a group of serious folk, all really geared up for the unknown to come at them from any direction, I thought I'd drop a link to one of the most engaging books I've come across in some time, written by David Carse.

In short...

Guy goes to the Amazon to "find himself."
Guy has a profound Kundalini experience without any idea of what Kundalini is for that matter.
Guy realizes Enlightenment without any firm idea or expectation of such a thing happening.

Perfect Brilliant Stillness by David Carse. (http://www.amazon.com/Perfect-Brilliant-Stillness-David-Carse/dp/0976578301/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393196479&sr=8-1&keywords=david+carse)


It's been out since 2005, so I'm a bit late to this, but wow, well worth the investment. Could not put this one down. So, as you read Robert's excellent guide, you might want to do some preparation for exactly what can happen. Emphasis on "can." There are no rules, no guarantees, no formulas or lottery tickets. It's just us, and there's no one home. Really.


Soul

[susan]

When soul recommended this book I immediately went for it. It arrived and the first many pages had me doubting my choice. This seemed to be written by someone who was not grounded and seemed a little odd. But that didn't mean they were odd , just maybe that they were at a level of understanding that most of us could not reach as we were not ready yet to understand. The book lay on the side for future interest.
Needing more to read I decided to order a book well talked about within the mystic section but wondered if maybe I was going backwards
. I mean, is it normal to have out of body experiences before even thinking of communicate with the other side ? To experience so much before any voices or visions come into the front? Was I doing it backwards ? Should I do it the hermetics way and read Franz Bardons book and learn how to do it before reading what seemed to be a very hard to understand mind boggling mans account of how he perceived things. ( flip, really loud crack in ceiling)
Tonight picked up David Carses book and just opened a random page and I connected with it .Wanted to read more but lost the page. I could understand it . The beginning maybe a little or a lot off putting for many because he seems a little gobble goop but I think this will be something to persevere with and find illuminating . Here goes.

[eyeoneblack]

I would like to interview David Carse today, ten years later. Kundalini has a long-lasting and evolving effect. I have read accounts by Indian meditators where the lasting effect of Kundalini, from a social perspective, seems less than attractive. I might say it is the antithesis of Ecstacy (the drug) as the 'victim' withdraws from the social sphere and might feel somewhat or a good deal isolated by the experience.

When I think of Kundalini ButterflyWoman always comes to mind because I have read her accounts and I think we share a similar experience - an experience I would not wish upon another person - life changing in a way a heart attack would be. The 'brilliant stillness' is transformative but I'd say it comes at a heavy price. Frankly, I fault Bruce for his attempts to broadcast ways to awaken the beast. Never mind that, I doubt his methods will actually be effective in any way beyond a fanciful success. We imagine and give credence to the works of imagination. This is not wrong, per se, as imagination plays forcefully in our attempts and successes regarding dream work. But I see Kundalini in a different light. It is physiologically visceral and irreversible.

And so, Susan, we can wax poetic about the clear light of enlightenment - this is inspiring and valuable - but there is a price, like any good fairy tale, that tends to even the field, to offset the gratuity of the gift.

Just my thoughts.

[DerFürst]

I would like to interview David Carse today, ten years later. Kundalini has a long-lasting and evolving effect. I have read accounts by Indian meditators where the lasting effect of Kundalini, from a social perspective, seems less than attractive. I might say it is the antithesis of Ecstacy (the drug) as the 'victim' withdraws from the social sphere and might feel somewhat or a good deal isolated by the experience.

When I think of Kundalini ButterflyWoman always comes to mind because I have read her accounts and I think we share a similar experience - an experience I would not wish upon another person - life changing in a way a heart attack would be. The 'brilliant stillness' is transformative but I'd say it comes at a heavy price. Frankly, I fault Bruce for his attempts to broadcast ways to awaken the beast. Never mind that, I doubt his methods will actually be effective in any way beyond a fanciful success. We imagine and give credence to the works of imagination. This is not wrong, per se, as imagination plays forcefully in our attempts and successes regarding dream work. But I see Kundalini in a different light. It is physiologically visceral and irreversible.

And so, Susan, we can wax poetic about the clear light of enlightenment - this is inspiring and valuable - but there is a price, like any good fairy tale, that tends to even the field, to offset the gratuity of the gift.

Just my thoughts.

The main reason I can see is that even when someone thinks they're in the right state of mind to do something, they're usually not, and so what happens is unbelievably powerful when it does. Having something big happen all at once wouldn't be like someone gentling nudging you until you wake up, but rather as painful and sudden as falling off of a tree branch... complete with broken ribs and a fractured skull.

Please, go on. What are your other thoughts and reasons for why Kundalini is something that shouldn't be encouraged to happen directly?

[susan]

DerFürst, I know your comment is directed at Richard ( Eyeoneblack) but I have to agree with both of you.
Without wanting to offend the site owner (who through his writing has helped me tremendously ) although warnings are set out in advance we see that some do not read them .
Some may put themselves on the path of discovery ( without spending time in the physical working out how to achieve a perfect balance within themselves)
I think it would be wise for all to remember that we are all at different stages of evolution.

[CFTraveler]

I didn't want to comment because it would look like I'm defending someone, and I'm not- I just remembered the stern warning Robert gave me when I suggested that I might be having a Kundalini 'coming up' due to some symptoms I was having at the time.
Anyway, in another forum I mentioned that I was practicing Kundalini Yoga. (I have stopped due to some physical issues I was having, but plan to resume it when my knee decides to let me, but I digress). Someone asked me "why, knowing what you know about the process, would you want to do this?" My answer was, "I'm not studying it to make it happen, I'm studying (practicing) it to not let it take me by surprise if it happens, I want to be ready for it if it happens in a physical and mental (if not emotional) standpoint.
And btw, I have had 'life itself' cause more kundalini-type symptoms than any practices I might have had by my practices, and God knows, if I would have had an awakening twenty years ago when I didn't know anything, I might have either died or ended up in a mental hospital.
I'm just sayin'.