ORRAR - MGGS - Yoga Department

Kundalini

Lord Awen Eldorath
High Priest-Cove of Light
High Priest-ORRAR

The concept of Kundalini stems from the Yogi philosophy, and is the word used to describe the innate energy that travels along the chakras. Kundalini is often depicted as a serpent coiled near the base of the spine, and which travels up and down the spine energizing and connecting all of the chakras. This energy can be activated through meditation, and it can increase one’s health and longevity, help one feel more energized and “awake”, and bring one more in tune with one’s inner divinity.

In many traditions, the snake represents wisdom, healing, and enlightenment. One example is the Ouroborus, a snake that is coiled around with its tail in its mouth forming the shape of a circle and which is sometimes depicted as encompassing the Earth. In the Hebrew Scriptures, it is a snake that shows humans the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden. This serpent is sometimes associated with the devil or “Satan,” the “adversary” of God who tempts humans to eat the fruit of the Tree because Yahweh tells them not to. The serpent is also associated with Lucifer, the “Light Bringer”, who shows human beings the ways to true Liberation, and who is sometimes seen as opposing the god of the “Old Testament.”

As a deity in the pre-Christian Pagan traditions, Lucifer was the god of light, air, and the sun, and was similar to Hermes, the divine messenger of the gods and jack-of-all-trades. Hermes is famous for holding the caduceus, a winged staff with two serpents intertwined along its shaft, which represents healing, peace, and wisdom. Hermes is attributed with writing the Divine Pymander, and is often associated with the Egyptian god Thoth. There is even an entire tradition of ceremonial magick that is considered Hermetic.

The action of Kundalini is also similar to the “Diamond Thunderbolt” of the Qabalistic Tree of Life, which is the basic path through the sephira from Malkuth to Kether. This path is visualized as being present within the body in some Qabalistic rituals as a means of connecting with the Godhead or the Holy Guardian Angel. Interestingly, some Buddhists speak of the path to enlightenment as the “Diamond Way”, in which various forms of meditation and visualization are used as helpful tools to achieve enlightenment. The image of a diamond is also sometimes used as an allusion for the many facets of the Divine.

Practitioners of Voudon pay homage to Damballah, a Loa who is considered to be a serpent god. One of Damballha’s symbols, aside from the snake, is the thunderbolt, and his color are white and silver, colors that are commonly associated with the Divine and spiritual attainment. Damballah is additionally a protector of “cosmic knowledge” and is seen as “the embodiment of prehistoric power”. Dambala is sometimes paired with the snake goddess Ayida, who is seen as “the guardian of the cosmic treasure at the end of the rainbow.” Thus, Ayida is a heavenly snake while Damballah is the earthly snake, and the union of the two symbolizes union between the heavens and earth.

While the snake represents wisdom, it also represents an element of danger to the unwary, and as it sits coiled it presents a very real threat of injury to any who approach it without a respectful amount of caution. The snake is sometimes misunderstood as being simply a dangerous and unpredictable creature, but it rarely strikes without any cause or warning. One of the lessons of the snake is that wisdom always comes at a cost, be it the time invested to learn or even personal injury in some instances, but by treating the path that the serpent shows us with due respect and caution, we may avoid unnecessary pain and discomfort.

References:

“Kundalini Energy.” Crystal, Elle. http://www.crystalinks.com/kundalini.html March 20, 2006. (Retrieved 20 March 2006.)

Owusu, Heike. Voodoo Rituals: A User’s Guide. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc., 2002.

Zell-Ravenheart, Oberon. Grimore for the Apprentice Wizard. New Jersey: New Page Books, 2004.