Kundalini
Many people make the mistake of thinking that kundalini is not active in the average person. It is usually presented as dormant energy located in the muladhara (root) chakra, symbolized by a coiled serpent. However, every person's kundalini is very active on the physical plane and not dormant at all. It is the energy that actively manifests you and the presence of the world around you. It is your personality, your talents, your activities and everything you desire and wish to obtain. It is you and your here-now situation.
The whole of the universe is kundalini at work. It is only "dormant" in so much as a person is not aware of it. Kundalini only seems to us to be sleeping because it is not being directed by our conscious selves to move in non-physical realms. The real meaning of awakening or raising kundalini is that we achieve awareness of this energy. So, it is not really kundalini that is awakened, but the sadhaka who is awakened to its activities, and is thus put in the driver's seat, so to speak.
No matter what you have or know, it is nothing compared to the fullness of what you really are and what you can become. It is like being in a dark workshop and then turning on the light switch. You were already in the room, with all tools you need, but until you flipped the switch, you could only use or find those tools in a fumbling way, if at all.
Normally most of us grope our way through life unaware that there is a switch to be thrown that can enlighten our situation. The darkness in the workshop represents all the layers of illusion we have created to mask our true identity from ourselves. When you raise kundalini, you begin to transcend your ego-self and your space-time context by dissolving each layer of illusion. This is a good thing.
But, we resist enlightenment and keep wanting to bury ourselves in illusion, like Indra who took on the body and life of a pig and forgot that he was king of the Vedic gods. Indra was really enjoying his pig life with his sow and piglets. It is said that he wailed and cried and resisted with all his might as the other gods tried to remind him that he was not a pig but a god. Finally the other gods had to kill Indra's pig body so he could free himself and remember that that was not his true self.
As a Tantric, it is amusing to read or hear about how dangerous it is to raise kundalini energy. From the Tantric perspective what is dangerous is to not raise one's kundalini - it is very much like driving a car blindfolded. That being said, raising kundalini can be dangerous and disorienting if harsh techniques are used. With proper techniques, raising kundalini is a gradual progress that does not interfere drastically with your space-time context. For sure, you will have profound experiences, changes and challenges, but never a harmful disorientation event. If you practice good techniques, you will notice a gradual change in personality. It is subtle but is a foundation that will support your continuing growth. A good kundalini technique balances out your personality smoothly as you move through the process.
Our books Tantra, Yoga of Ecstasy and Namarupa: the Magic of Tantra Mantra include details for raising kundalini in a safe and practical way.
