During meditation I experienced a very pleasant & blissful cold stream entering in the crown & moving down the base of my spine. In another situation, I experienced a very intense pull on my crown which feels as if my whole body was lifting up and sometimes it also feels like a force is pulling out something that stuck internally to my body. These two experiences keep happening alternately. I thought it might be due to the kundalini energy but I want to know more about it.
—Monu, India
Dear Monu,
You are blessed to have these experiences. It is generally recommended to remain calm and centered during such times and to invoke the presence of God, Christ, or one of the avatars or gurus for guidance and possible safety.
Kundalini is not limited to the powerful force spoken of so often rising from the base of the spine in an upward journey towards enlightenment. This description, dramatic and promising as it is, can also be described as Paramhansa Yogananda did when he said, “Every time you have a kind thought, kundalini stirs and shoots out rays of light upward.” He also said the opposite – that kundalini tightens her coils whenever we have a selfish or sense indulgent thought.
Swami Kriyananda describes kundalini in his classic text, The Art and Science of Raja Yoga, as “the entrenched vitality of our mortal delusion.” Hence, whenever we feel during meditation especially, uplifted energy rising, expanding or even withdrawing inwardly, this is the same prana of which the world and kundalini herself are made and thus it can be said that kundalini is stirring or awakening.
In any case, what I have found is that it is of little value to analyze meditation experiences. Just as it is better to meditate than to talk about meditation, so it is better to go deep into meditation experiences rather than to mentally sit back and take notes. So long as one feels safe and so long as one invokes or feels the divine presence (in whatever form you hold dear), the appearance of astral or pranic phenomenon can be related to with devotion, self-offering, or a sense of entering into (or entered into) the experience.
It is true that rare saints like Patanjali or Lahiri Mahasaya (and Paramhansa Yogananda) chronicled some of their experiences for the edification or reassurance of others but for the most part we are counseled not to speak of such things too broadly: “throwing pearls (of inspiration and sacredness) before swine (of indifference or scorn).” So, treasure the spiritual gifts you have received but do not let your ego claim credit or imagine itself to be more spiritual than others to whom no such experiences seem to have come.
The veriest wallah (humble worker) may be in silent communion with Divine Mother as she goes about sweeping the floors. For some, God comes at the end of life ushering the soul into the Light having worked out much karma. As the Zen saying suggests: “Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.”
Be humble, be receptive to God’s presence, and share the light through the vibration of that light shining forth through you.
Nayaswami Hriman
Seattle USA
www.Hrimananda.org
