Untitled

Kundalini
Tantra Yoga
in Practice
by
Phillip Hurley & Leigh Hurley
Maithuna Publications
2016
Kundalini:
Tantra Yoga in Practice
Copyright ©2016 by Leigh Hurley and Phillip Hurley
Illustrations ©2016 by Leigh Hurley
Series: The Sadhaka’s Guide, Volume 3
Notice of Rights
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in
any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or
otherwise without prior written permission of the publisher. To request permis-
sion to use any parts of this book, please contact Good Idea Creative Services,
permission@goodideacreative.com.
Maithuna Publications is an imprint of:

Good Idea Creative Services
324 Minister Hill Road
Wheelock VT 05851 USA
ISBN: 978-0-9837847-9-1
Library of Congress Control Number: 2016900829
Library of Congress subject headings:

Tantrism--Handbooks, manuals, etc.
Tantrism--Psychology
Yoga--Tantrism
Kundalini
Kundalini--Handbooks, manuals, etc.
Authors’ website:
www.tantrayoga.us
We are currently living in the age called Kali Yuga. The
Vishnu Purana describes the Kali Yuga as an age “...where
property confers rank, wealth is a virtue, falsehood is the
source of success, and outer trappings are confused with
inner religion.”
This book is an initiation - may it help to answer for you

the great question from the Mundaka Upanishad -
“What is that by the knowing of which all this becomes
known?”
The Guru is within you
A
Note to the reader
This book includes a lot of Sanskrit terms. We have
tried to be as explanatory as possible without over-burden-
ing the text.
While not strictly necessary, it is a very worthwhile en-
deavor for the sadhaka, the Tantric practitioner, to learn
some of these terms. Sanskrit is a very sophisticated lan-
guage in the realm of the exploration of human conscious-
ness and the practice of yoga, and many words for impor-
tant concepts have no real equivalents in English.
Indra’s Net
It has been said that Indra, who lives at the summit of
Mt. Meru (the center of the universe), cast his net out-
ward into infinity and created the whole of the universe
in all its dimensions. At each knot in the net is a jewel of
many facets. The number of jewels is infinite, and each
reflects and contains the image from every other jewel in
the net.
The net and the jewels represent, among other things,
maya or illusion.
The threads of the net are vectors of energy. Each
knot/jewel is a point where different energy vectors come
together. Each is a unique combination of lines of force,
and a unique location in space-time.
The Sanskrit word for both Indra’s net, and magic and
illusion, is indrajala; and, the word indriya (literally “belong-
ing to Indra”) is Sanskrit for the five senses. We are part of
Indra’s net, and as sentient creatures we are aware of our
movement within it by indriya. But, as part of Indra’s net,
we ourselves and our senses are also illusions, so it is diffi-
cult for us to perceive beyond the edge of the net.
For instance, even though we are composed of atoms
and subatomic particles, when we use our sense of vision
to look at our hands, we do not see whirling atoms spin-
ning like dervishes before our eyes. Instead we see what
we consider to be very solid appendages. Our physical
Kundalini: Tantra Yoga in Practice
senses give us no direct awareness of the reality behind

the illusion we see before us.
Circumstances, objects and creatures - the physical
forms we sense - are each simply a convergence of differ-
ent vectors of energy. And, any particular form does not
exist in and of itself - it only exists in relation to other
energy flows, including us. All relate to and affect each
other as plays of energy - interacting waveforms, so to
speak. Each movement anywhere in the net changes ev-
erything else. Everything is rooted in reciprocity. Objects
(forms) are not distinctive entities as we suppose, but are
simply relative appearances.
We are intimately linked to all that surrounds us in
this vast web of energy. Just as each jewel in Indra’s net
reflects and is connected to every other point in space-
time, we are connected to what we consider the world
outside of our bodies in mysterious ways. In a sense we are
literally walking around within our own minds in a holo-
graphic universe.
As we move and change our location in Indra’s net,
our perspective and attitude changes; and the objects and
circumstances that surround us change as our relation to
them changes. Attitude is everything. Our perspective
changes our experience of what we consider reality.
Indra's Net
Story-telling and the illusion

Perspective is the foundation of story telling. Stories
can shape our consciousness profoundly. They are forms
to mold reality, to teach great lessons, and wisdom; and
transmit culture.
For thousands of years the art of story-telling using pic-
tures and shadow puppets has been practiced throughout
southern Asia. In shadow plays, stories are acted out for an
audience as they observe the shadows cast by puppets upon
a cloth or paper screen. The actual cause of the shadows
- the puppets and the puppeteers who create and manipu-
late them - are not visible to the audience. When master-
fully performed, the audience is so caught up in the story,
they are completely unaware of what’s going on behind the
screen. For a time, the story becomes a whole world in the
consciousness of the audience; a world defined by the limits
of the screen as viewed from the particular area where the
audience is seated.
Yet, if a member of the audience was to step a few me-
ters off to the side and lift a curtain, they could see the
puppeteers, lamps and puppets on sticks and strings, all be-
hind the screen. They would be conscious of the causes op-
erative in the world presented to the audience, the illusion
created by the puppeteers. From this observer’s perspective,
the shadow play becomes a play within a larger play.
Movies are our modern version of the shadow play. A
movie, even more easily than the shadow play, when well
done, magically draws our consciousness into another
space-time context and holds it there, enchanting us. It
is interesting that one of many Sanskrit words for actor is
saubhika, which also means conjuror, wizard, enchanter,

magician, picture showman or shadow player.
Paramahansa Yogananda loved movies and wrote that
the universe was very much like a movie: a cosmic en-
tertainment in which the observers are both actors and
audience.
“…the motion-picture images appear to be real, but
are only combinations of light and shade…” and so is
all of life, which is nothing but “a cosmic motion pic-
ture, temporarily true to five sense perceptions as the
scenes are cast on the screen of man's consciousness by
the infinite creative beam.”
As one moves one’s attention, the perspective changes

and the drama before us, once engrossing, recedes into a
larger context:
“A cinema audience can look up and see that all
screen images are appearing through the instrumental-
ity of one imageless beam of light. The colorful univer-
sal drama is similarly issuing from the single white light
of a cosmic source.”
During World War I, Yogananda watched some news-

reel footage of the terrible carnage that was going on in
the battlefields of Europe. He was deeply disturbed, and
went home from the theater to meditate upon the ap-
palling scenes of human suffering. In his meditation, his
consciousness was transported to the trenches, and, “The
horror of the struggle, filled with the dead and dying, far
surpassed in ferocity any representation of the newsreel.”
Indra's Net
Yet, this intense experience was immediately followed

by the realization that “the tragedy of death is unreal;
those who shudder at it are like an ignorant actor who
dies of fright on the stage when nothing more is fired at
him than a blank cartridge.”
“All the world's a stage,

And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts.”
William Shakespeare, As You Like It
The illusion that is the universe must include shadow

and light, time and movement, the obscured and the re-
vealed. Otherwise there is no story to be told.
Even mainstream science now presents a similar view of
the nature of the universe. In The Nature Of The Physical
World (1928), astrophysicist Sir Arthur Eddington wrote:
“The external world of physics has thus become a
world of shadows. In removing our illusions we have
removed the substance, for indeed we have seen that
substance is one of the greatest of our illusions. Later
perhaps we may inquire whether in our zeal to cut out
all that is unreal we may not have used the knife too
ruthlessly. Perhaps, indeed, reality is a child which can-
not survive without its nurse illusion. But if so, that
is of little concern to the scientist, who has good and
sufficient reasons for pursuing his investigations in the
world of shadows and is content to leave to the philoso-
pher the determination of its exact status in regard to

reality. In the world of physics we watch a shadowgraph
performance of the drama of familiar life. The shadow
of my elbow rests on the shadow table as the shadow
ink flows over the shadow paper. It is all symbolic, and
as a symbol the physicist leaves it.”
So, contemporary physics carries on, as matter at the

subatomic level, for instance, is found to be increasingly
mysterious, not conforming to very basic aspects of reality
as we commonly perceive it, with our “normal” experi-
ence of time, space, and causality. The cosmos is not at
all what it seems to be. But thousands of years ago yogis
knew this. They called it maya and magic - indrajala.
Indra dwells at the summit of Mt. Meru. Mt. Meru
upholds Indra’s net. At the center, the vertical axis, of
Mt. Meru is the merudanda, (danda means “stick”), the
axis mundi, the center of the universe. Merudanda is also
the human spinal column, and the summit of Mt. Meru is
sahasrara, the thousand petalled lotus just above the top
of the head.
The illusion of Indra’s net is real to us because we live
within the illusion. We have our parts to play out, con-
nected to Indra’s net and everything in it through our in-
driyas or five physical senses.
The five senses are related to our five lower chakras.
When our awareness is withdrawn from the physical sens-
es, our consciousness can move upward through meru-
danda, our spinal system, to the summit of Mt. Meru. As
Indra's Net
we ascend, our perspective of the illusion changes and the

illusion is transformed. We begin to see beyond the veil of
Indra’s net.
Raising consciousness up the center of merudanda to
the top of Mt. Meru is raising your kundalini. From the
perspective of the summit (your sahasrara), you can then
observe the truth of how the play is created.
What Is Kundalini?
According to Tantra shastra (Tantra’s knowledge
texts), kundalini is a mysterious energy within us, often
referred to as the serpent fire. It is stated that kundalini
resides and lies dormant in the muladhara chakra, which
is situated at the base of the spine at the coccyx. It is also
stated that, when awakened and directed upward to sa-
hasrara through the innermost channel of sushumna (the
very center of the spine) through specific Tantric prac-
tice, it will bring us to moksha (liberation). What moksha
and its processes are, you will begin to know intimately
and in detail through your practice.
Many people make the mistake of thinking that kund-
alini is not active in the average person since 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 world you perceive around you. It
is your personality, your talents, your activities and ev-
erything you desire and wish to obtain. It is you and your
here-now situation.
Kundalini resides in every form, is every form and is
the energy of every action.
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. The real mean-
ing of awakening or raising kundalini is that we begin to
achieve awareness and mastery of this energy. So, it is not
really kundalini that is awakened, but the sadhaka who is
awakened.
No matter what you have or know, it is nothing com-
pared 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.
It is interesting 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 prop-
er techniques, raising kundalini is a gradual process that
does not interfere drastically with your space-time con-
text. You will have profound experiences, changes and
What Is Kundalini?
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.
To explain kundalini taxes our limited perception
and expository tools. To achieve a full understanding or
knowledge of kundalini requires the engagement and per-
ception and synthesis of all five senses; and synthesis of
the observer and the observed.
The human brain is simply a switchboard. Although
today there is a tendency to relate all unusual experiences
of consciousness to brain activity, in fact the brain is sim-
ply a bridge between the physical body and the etheric
or prana body (pranamayakosha). The pranamayakosha is
connected to a myriad of other bodies in different lokas
(dimensions of time and space).
It is the purpose of Tantra to awaken kundalini in the
muladhara chakra and move it up through the sushumna
channel of the chakra system and connect with the sahas-
rara. This process can occur in a myriad of ways, inten-
tionally or unintentionally.
It can be aroused by accident through physical, mental,
or emotional stress or shock; or intentionally by medita-
tion, chanting and ritual action. It can also be aroused, as is
more often the case, through a serendipitous convergence
of events such as smelling a sweet flower while at just that
moment a gentle breeze sweeps across our body and the
sun shines just so on everything around us. Kundalini can

be awakened by the inspiring words or actions of others, or
just being in the presence of someone or some place.
There is no one set of practices or circumstances that
awaken kundalini. It can happen anywhere and at anytime.
Kundalini reveals itself to us as intuition, insight, vi-
sions, feelings, out-of-body experiences and much more.
It transforms our outlook and actions, and thus, our goals.
Most of the time this occurs in small but profound ways.
In fact, kundalini is always at work refining our senses
and our responses to the environment we live in. When
you look at, feel, communicate with another person,
creature or object, you are releasing energy, awakening
kundalini.
The simple act of two forms coming together stimu-
lates energy. The resultant energy is typically used to re-
spond horizontally to the stimulus.
A horizontal response is when our consciousness is
dominated by what is manifest physically, emotionally,
mentally; in other words, the lower levels of maya. When
this is the case, we are directing our kundalini horizon-
tally and feeding maya. To the same degree that the part
of maya we are feeding is not nurturing us in a way that
promotes our growth from avidya (ignorance) towards
vidya (knowledge); that much of our kundalini is blocked
from rising. It is the nature of kundalini to rise, just as
heat rises, but the horizontal pull, the gravity of maya, is
very strong.
What Is Kundalini?
Kundalini is on a return path to sahasrara naturally

and by design. The gravity of maya slows it down, sub-
jecting kundalini to the constraints of time and space.
This is neither a good nor bad thing: it is simply what
is. We are involved in a process of maturation, and pro-
cesses require time.
All events, creatures and objects exist in a state of
continual transformation in time and space. Everything is
involved in an alchemical process. Your enlightenment is
constantly occurring, but if you are not consciously rais-
ing your kundalini, it occurs at a slower pace.
Raising Kundalini
Kundalini can be intentionally awakened by internal or

external means. Some of the systems of internal approach
include Kundalini, Karma, Jnana, Bhakti, and Raja Yo-
gas. External ritual activities are variously called yajna,
havana, homa, agni hotra, Hatha Yoga etc., depending on
the specific purpose.
Kunda - Sacred Fire
The word kundalini comes from the verb-root kund
which means “to burn.” Kunda also refers to a fire pit or
vessel in which fire sacrifice (yajna) is performed. The
kunda is a physical representation of the inward kunda.
The kunda is the muladhara chakra.
Vedic culture has at its center the ritual of fire sac-
rifice. This is reflected in that Agni (the god of fire) is
the first word of the first hymn of the Rig Veda. By the
outward actions of lighting a fire in the pit and making
sacrifice, kundalini is raised internally within those who
partake in and perform the sacrifice.
In Zoroastrianism, sacred fires are maintained wherein
oblations are made. One particular fire, the Atash Beh-
ram (fire of victory), is lit from sixteen different sources,
one of which is lightning.
Lightning (electrical fire) is also one of the Vedic deva

Agni’s three major aspects. (The other two are solar fire
and friction fire.) Agni’s brother Indra is the main deity of
the Vedas, and Indra’s weapon is the vajra, the thunder-
bolt, electrical fire. The vajra is often related to kundalini.
For general ritual purposes, the yajna fire is lit by fric-
tion, a method of obtaining fire from the element earth.
Wood, a solid material substance (earth) is rubbed against
wood to create heat and thus, fire. The important concept
here is that heat and light are being produced from matter
by its interaction with matter. The heat and light rises up
and puts us in communication with a higher realm. Agni
is the messenger. When the message is received, what is
requested is sent back to us, and is often called soma (nec-
tar of the gods).
In yajna this soma is provided to us internally, but also
externally through ashes (vibhuti, bhasma). The ashes from
the yajna are kept and used on a daily basis, usually applied
to the ajna chakra area, the vishuddha chakra area on the
back of the neck, and at the sternum where the rib cage
separates at the soft spot (related somewhat to the anahata
chakra). Vibhuti can also be applied over the entire body,
or specific areas, for healing and other purposes.
The ash from the kunda is an alchemical substance in
that it has been transformed by the consciousness (the
Philosophers Stone) into a substance that, when applied,
will raise the vibration of all that it touches.
Raising Kundalini
Yajna is also a reminder of the theme of the Bhagavad

Gita, 3:
The world is in the bonds of action,

unless the action is consecration.
Bhagavad Gita 3:9
According to the Gita, all life is action or movement in

time and space. Action cannot be avoided. However, if in
our action we sacrifice, or dedicate our action to the cen-
ter, the bindu, akasha, sushumna and thus to moksha, we
will be free. Thus dedicated, our actions become “just to
the purpose.” We become free of karma and dharma with
a small “d” and begin to truly understand our place in the
world: true Dharma with a big “D,” or what is understood
as Sanatana Dharma.
Matter as the Luciferan principle
Matter interacting with matter creates heat and light
(through the coming together of form) via the friction of
movement. This is true at all levels, including subtle psy-
chological or social events, as well as biological and other
physical events. Matter has inherent vibration, move-
ment, whether at the level of sub-atomic particles or gal-
axies, thus it is the nature of matter to give off the heat
and light of Agni.
In the Western esoteric traditions, Satan or matter is
represented by the planet Saturn. Saturn is the planet of
the muladhara chakra where kundalini resides coiled up
three and one half times. Satan is also the serpent of the
Genesis creation story and is “He who comes down,” as in

Christian mythology, he was cast out of heaven and down
to the earth. Satan is the story of pure energy coming to
rest as form in the muladhara chakra. Matter (form) man-
ifests from light.
Lucifer (literally, “the bearer of light”) is the aspect
of Satan (matter) which is light and heat bound within
matter. The heat and light of matter reveals the spiritual
origin of matter and its processes. Lucifer is the natural
redeemer of matter and is what exposes its true nature.
Lucifer is the bringer of enlightenment and, as such,
it is interesting to note that Madame H. P. Blavatsky,
founder of the Theosophical Society, in a tongue-in-cheek
manner, titled her early Theosophical Society newsletter
Lucifer.
In the form of Tantra called Shri Vidya, the goddesses
known as the Ten Great Wisdoms embody aspects of maya
and are the equivalent of Lucifer-Satan. Form, matter, Sa-
tan, Saturn, illusion - maya is not only the giver of boons
but also the enlightening factor, the giver of wisdom.
Unlike exoteric Christian tradition which presents Sa-
tan solely as an antagonist, and Eve, the feminine principle,
as a temptress responsible for “original sin” (which accord-
ing to Christianity causes all human life to be inherently
corrupt); Shri Vidya sees maya (matter-form-goddesses) as
a nurturer, and the serpent as kundalini. Together maya
and the serpent show us a way to moksha.
It is necessary to move within the Tantric or some simi-
lar system to realize and benefit from the wisdom of maya.
Raising Kundalini
Without an orientation to moksha, maya will devour you

and your path. Kali the great goddess eats her children
just as in Western mythology Saturn eats his children.
The negative side of Saturn-Satan-Kali looms large if
you give all your kundalini to maya, and none to the as-
cent beyond maya. The great ceremonial tea master Rikyu
once said, “Though many people drink tea, if you do not
know the way of tea, tea will drink you up.”
Kali is known as the goddess of time and Saturn-Kro-
nos is called Father Time. The myths surrounding these
figures are statements about the nature of time and its
power to change and ultimately end all things.
In moving towards moksha, or being on the path,
time becomes a servant rather than a taskmaster. But,
for this to happen, one must cultivate certain attitudes
and practices.
Matter by its very nature is destined to redeem itself
and us; or to put it another way, to understand its source
or essence. We can see this happening in a most crude
way in that we are creatures made up of electrons, pro-
tons, neutrons and all sorts of other imaginary particles;
and, we can look at, understand and discover what con-
stitutes ourselves. We can look upon ourselves. We are
a creation that observes itself to reveal itself. What an
interesting story there is right in front of us.
Matter is patterned energy (form). Matter can be con-
verted to energy and energy to matter, which is what Ein-
stein’s formula E=mC2 is about. If you doubt the nature of
matter as energy, simply understand that if two relatively
small pieces of plutonium are put together to weigh out at

what is called critical mass, you get an intense transforma-
tion of matter to energy. The combined bits of plutonium
initiate a fission process which gives off light and heat (a
Luciferan process). It is the power of atomic bombs and
nuclear reactors. Nuclear energy is one extreme example
of kundalini manifest on the physical plane.
Matter, condensed pure energy, carries within it the
seeds and sustenance of its own enlightenment or redemp-
tion. Thus, the idea of enlightenment is often represented
as a beautiful lotus flower arising from pond muck. The
thousand petalled lotus is the zenith of evolution-matter,
and the pond muck is its nadir.
Matter, because of its nature, must reveal its essence
by the liberation of light (enlightenment, energy) from
the interaction of matter with matter.
Enlightenment arises as matter moves, comes together
and creates friction, for instance, in the happenstance of ev-
eryday life; just as the arani (pair of fire sticks) is used to cre-
ate heat and fire, and thus light (enlightenment) in the ritual
kunda. As one piece of wood rubs against another, much
like lovers in passionate copulation, a heat and energy is pro-
duced which bursts forth as light and flame as the passion
of matter or kama (desire) to know itself begins to reveal its
very inner nature. This is sometimes referred to as tandava,
the dance of Shiva Nataraja in his lila (play) with Shakti.
The form of Shakti beckons to Shiva to perform and
move ecstatically until release, after which rest or bindu
is attained, and the world of maya collapses into the bliss
of moksha.
Raising Kundalini
It is that form-maya, the body of Shakti, which entices

and incites, and causes energy to move towards liberation.
Thus, form is that which releases form from the bondage
of form.
Kundalini in its descent is form and plays the role of
concealer and deceiver - mayin; but by its very nature,
form causes the process of enlightenment. Upon its as-
cent, kundalini is the revealer - anukhyatr.
So how can we tell if we have reached that critical
mass wherein kundalini will reveal itself to us? Very sim-
ply, if you are aware that there is such a thing as kundalini
and you believe that it is so, then your kundalini has be-
gun to rise.
Plays Within Plays,
Dreams Within Dreams
Zhuangzi, a Chinese philosopher of the 4th century

BCE, dreamt he was a butterfly, flitting and fluttering
around, happy with himself and doing as he pleased. In
the dream he had no knowledge of the human Zhuangzi.
Then, suddenly he woke up, and there he was, solid and
unmistakable, Zhuangzi. But, he was no longer sure if he
was Zhuangzi who had dreamt he was a butterfly, or a but-
terfly dreaming he was Zhuangzi.
As you endeavor to raise your kundalini, you will real-
ize that what you once considered to be the “real world”
is just as much a dream as the dreams that you have while
sleeping. You will experience the existence of more lev-
els of being than “meet the eye.” The existence of worlds
beyond and within the physical plane will no longer be
conjecture or merely a philosophical concept for you, but
a true and hard fact. You will then see the universe in a
much different way. You will become psychic. Waking up
to a broader perspective within the dream we call physical
plane reality is called enlightenment, and is the purpose
of raising kundalini.
Indra the Pig

Indra, ruler of Mt. Meru and king of the devas, was
with some friends one day, observing earth life from their
heavenly abode. They saw wild pigs, rooting and wallow-
ing in muck and mire, and Indra said, “How disgusting!
What a horrible, limited existence! I must enlighten and
liberate these pathetic creatures! But, in order to do that,
I’ll have to take on the form of a pig, otherwise, they won’t
be able to understand me and I won’t be able to release
them from their ignorance.”
So, Indra incarnated as a wild boar, king of the wild
pigs. He had a beautiful sow wife and many piglets. He
loved them all passionately, and was just as happy as can
be, rooting and wallowing in the muck and mire with his
pig family.
Meanwhile, his extended absence from Mt. Meru was
creating havoc and disorder. His deva friends went to find
him and remind him of his kingly duty.
“Indra! Indra! You’ve got to come back now!!”
“What? What’s Indra? Can’t you see I’m a boar, king
of the wild pigs!”
“No, no, you’re Indra, king of the devas! You’ve got to
wake up and come back to Mt. Meru, now!”
“Even if I were Indra, why on earth would I want to go
to Mt. Meru? I’m a wild boar and this is the most fabulous
wallow with all manner of delicious things to be found,
and my sow and piglets are so beautiful… I couldn’t pos-
sibly leave all this behind!!”
Plays Within Plays, Dreams Within Dreams
Indra’s deva friends tried to reason with him, but it was

to no avail. The boar had not even a glimmer of remem-
bering who he really was. So, reluctantly, they discussed
what would have to be done to wake him up.
They killed his piglets. Indra wailed and mourned
them. But, he consoled himself that he and his sow wife
could have more piglets. Still he could think only of him-
self as a wild boar.
Since losing the piglets didn’t wake Indra up, the devas
killed his sow wife. Indra squealed and went into the furi-
ous rage of a wild boar, and still gave no sign of waking up.
Because all else failed, the devas killed the boar. Indra,
freed from the body of the boar, emerged, finally remem-
bering that he was indeed Indra deva. Recovering from the
shock, he laughed as he thought about his life as a pig, dust-
ed himself off, and thanked his friends for rescuing him.
The Gravity of Maya
From a distance - the heights of Mt. Meru, for in-
stance - a broad panorama stretches out before you. Your
“normal” life, viewed from that perspective, might look
like vague activity in a tiny ant farm. But, down in the
thick of the play, it is not so easy to recall the larger con-
texts of our lives. It is not so easy to realize that we are not
what we are dreaming we are. We want to bury ourselves
in the immediate illusion, the play at hand; thus, we resist
enlightenment. Maya is very seductive and wants to claim
all our attention, all our consciousness. Illusion though
it is, it has gravity. We are part of the illusion and exist
within that gravity.
Our guru, Goswami Kriyananda, had a great story

about the nature of maya. He was once teaching a class
and expounding that everything around us is a total illu-
sion and not real. During the lecture a member of the au-
dience got up, walked up to him and socked him, knock-
ing him over, which of course really hurt. It was a very
grounding experience and from a humorous perspective
taught him two things: be careful what you say and be
careful to whom you say it. Do not underestimate the
roller coaster ride your indriyas (senses) can take you on
as you move through your practice. Be sensible about your
physical plane dream.
The process of raising kundalini begins with achiev-
ing a wider, more detached perspective of your life. This
means developing the ability to step back mentally, physi-
cally, and most importantly, emotionally from the world’s
activity, and your part in it; and to quietly observe the
play from a distance. The role you are playing is not the
real you or your total self.
How do you identify yourself, how have you been cast
in this role? Son, daughter, husband, wife, parent, male,
female? Banker, baker, soldier, nurse? Student, teacher?
Republican, Democrat, liberal, conservative? As a resi-
dent of your town, state, country, continent? As a mem-
ber of a clan, ethnic group, gang, religion, charitable or-
ganization? As member of the human species, inhabitant
of planet Earth? Happy person, sad person, good person,
bad person? Person who did all those things years ago?
Person who reads books about kundalini? Who are you,
really? How do you think of and present yourself? What
does your life revolve around? Who is writing your script

and directing your activity?
Our process of awakening and discovery of the greater
cosmos involves living out scenarios or plays (our incar-
nations), each embedded with clues to show us how to
proceed to unravel the mystery.
For most of us, consciousness is locked into specific lo-
cales on the physical plane, mental plane, and emotional
plane. This complex of locales is a maze we have created
for ourselves. To see beyond the confines of the maze,
we need to get the view from above, so to speak; then we
have the opportunity to see how to get to where we want
to go instead of fumbling about ignorantly.
In other words, you must withdraw your conscious
awareness from the time space pattern it is in, and put it
somewhere else. Remove yourself from yourself, and from
your attachment to your historical context, and move
gently to the center of the circle point mandala, the cos-
mic bindu point.
We dance around in a ring and suppose,

but the Secret sits in the middle and knows.
Robert Frost The Secret Sits
Fire
Air Earth
Akasha
Water
Three versions of the circle point mandala
The circle point mandala is the most fundamental of all

symbols of the cosmos. Mandala in Sanskrit means circle.
The center of the circle is bindu, that point where object
and perceiver of the object become one; where the past,
present, and future become one. The outer ring of the
circle is maya, spinning in continuous cycles, constantly
in motion. For the Tantric, just as all symbols are simul-
taneously macrocosmic and microcosmic, the circle point
mandala is both cosmic and personal.
On the personal level, the outer ring is our personal-
ity, our karma, our samskaras, our historical context. The
center is our balanced still-point, the bindu where we are
connected with the greater cosmos. The center is the peak
of Mt. Meru, the axis mundi.
The Tantric moves with consciousness of that bindu
as their axis of movement, their ultimate source.
By identifying with the still center of the circle, bin-

du, instead of the spinning outer ring of the circle, maya,
a broader, detached perspective of ourselves can be
achieved. As much as we center our identity on some as-
pect of maya (sex, race, social-economic status, national-
ity, species, etc.) we will be proportionately unable to per-
ceive the rest of the spinning circle and where it will likely
take us. But, from the center there is a 360 degree view.
There are many ways to gain a more centered perspec-
tive. But, no matter what type of esoteric techniques you
employ, it is necessary to withdraw your energy from your
current karmic patterns (samskaras), the outer spinning
circle, as much as possible. This is called pratyahara.
Pratyahara is classically considered the withdrawal of
the senses from external objects, however it is much more
than that. It is also withdrawal from the psychology and
emotions of our attachment to form; a withdrawal from our
patterns of behavior: mental, emotional and physical.
Our mental and emotional patterns materialize many
events in our lives. The world as you now know it is a
projection of your samskaras, your patterns of karma and
behavior. Your samskaras are templates through which
your kundalini flows.
Your kundalini is like the light flowing through a movie
projector, playing the movie that is your life, a movie that
is mainly being directed by your samskaras, the set pat-
terns from your past, which are repeated over and over.
In order to raise kundalini and become the director of
your movie, you must withdraw your energy, your kun-
dalini, from your samskaras. Then, your kundalini can

rise up, taking your consciousness to a place where you
will have a more detached perspective of yourself and the
world. When you only perceive your patterns from inside
of them, it is very difficult to change them - they control
you, they write your script.
Go into the projection room (meditate), stop the film
(solvé), and you will then be able rewrite your movie ac-
cording to a broader perception of where your movements
and desires will take you (coagula).
It is not that samskaras are inherently bad; indeed,
they can be most beneficial. However, the Tantric does
not allow them to be in charge without oversight. Sam-
skaras are potential tools that need refinement, skill and
intention to be used well.
To be able to change our samskaras into tools for our
enlightenment, we need to move our center away from
them, toward a more universal bindu point, a more uni-
versal axis of being - the center of the circle point man-
dala. Then, with a larger view, we can rewrite the script
of our lives, and new horizons and experiences open up
to us.
Our understanding of past experiences (not the past
experiences themselves), defines us, and creates our ac-
tions in and reactions to the world around us. Our concept
of current reality is simply a product of energy from the
past crystallizing in what we call the present. If we lack a
detached understanding of ourselves and our past, our ac-
tions and reactions are limited to the form our karma and
samskaras give them, and those patterns will repeat over

and over. It is not desirable to permit a limited awareness
and limited understanding of the past define the future.
The past must be released in order to refine and redefine
ourselves in each new moment.
Time and movement are products of desire (kama) in
space. Desire takes form from our samskaras and karma
(the past); and impels us forward. Whatever we desire most
in the present determines our karmic scenarios and trajec-
tories (the future), and is another definer of who we are.
The tendency of kama-desire is to lock us into the grav-
ity fields of maya. For the Tantric, desires, like samskaras,
are not inherently bad; but they also should not be followed
blindly. By raising kundalini we get a better understanding
of how our desires shape our lives. We become more aware
of the trajectories of our desires, in other words, the conse-
quences, direct and collateral, immediate and long-term,
of allowing a particular desire to become our motive for
action; meaning action of thought and emotion, as well as
physical action. The Tantric can feel the various potential
futures in the present moment, and that knowledge and
experience is often quite enough to remove the motive
power of kama in any given moment.
The Tantric gradually shifts kama directed at the ob-
jects of maya, (the perimeter of the circle point mandala)
towards the bindu point. In other words, desire for the
specific is shifted to the more universal. This weakens the
gravity field of maya and allows kundalini to rise.
As our kundalini is elevated, we achieve a greater

awareness of our movement in time and space in our emo-
tional, mental and physical spheres. We become more psy-
chic. With this awareness we can discriminate and move
more wisely through the cosmos.
The Subtle Anatomy
of Kundalini
Chakras and nadis are subtle etheric-astral energy cen-
ters that have counterparts within the framework of the
annamaya kosha (physical body - literally, “food sheath”).
Chakras are not actually physical. They are components
of the subtler koshas. The diagram below shows how the
five koshas relate to the triune body (physical, astral,
causal) and three lokas (bhur, bhuvar, and svar). These
distinctions are not hard and fast, but presented here as a
rough guide.
Chakras and nadis are linked to the physical body
through nerve plexuses of the physical cerebro-spinal sys-
tem. The brain itself is merely a switchboard used in the
The triune body and the five sheaths
Anandamayakosha (bliss)
Causal
Svar Karana sharira
Vijnanamayakosha (wisdom)
Manomayakosha (mind) Bhuvar

Astral
Sukshma sharira
Pranamayakosha (etheric, aura)
Bhur Physical
Sthula sharira
Annamayakosha (food)
translation of energy from one di-

mension (or loka) to another. The
× Ö
chakras act as step-up and step-
down transformers and distributors
of pranic energy. They literally con-
vert energy to matter and matter to
energy.
As you go about your daily ac-
tivities, there is a downward move-
ment of energy. Normally this ener-
gy (your consciousness) is reduced
to a slower vibratory rate by the
chakras. When you raise kundalini
using the techniques in this book,
you reverse the flow of this ener-
gy and increase the vibratory rate
of your consciousness. It is an al-
× Ö chemical (rasavidyica) process; it is
transformation and transmutation.
Rasashastra (the science of al-
chemy) is based upon the under-
standing of rasa (mercury). Mercury
is not only the metal “quicksilver,”
it is also the via or way, the path of
kundalini.
Top - the caduceus of Hermes.

Bottom - the caduceus as ida, lunar;
and pingala, solar; and sushumna nadis.
The Subtle Anatomy of Kundalini
In the western traditions, Mercury-Hermes is the mes-

senger of the gods, and he holds a caduceus, which is the
pathway through the different realms or lokas. The vedic
counterpart of Mercury-Hermes is Agni, the messenger,
and god of fire.
The caduceus is the cerebral spinal chakra system, con-
sisting of the central staff, sushumna nadi (often called the
fire path, but should be understood as akasha) with two
serpents coiled round it. The two serpents are ida nadi
(the pathway of lunar energy) and pingala nadi (pathway
of solar energy). The serpents also are kundalini as Shiva-
Shakti, and the interplay of polarities (lila) that creates the
phenomena of all lokas, in other words, maya.
The caduceus is a three dimensional version of the
circle point mandala. Ida and pingala can be expressed
as two coiling sine curves sharing a vertical axis (sushum-
na). The reciprocating polarity of ida and pingala creates
the outer ring of the two dimensional mandala, and the
two coiling curves are that two dimensional outer ring ex-
tended into three dimensions. The shared axis of the two
curves is the bindu, sushumna, which is the extension of
the center-point of the two dimensional mandala.
In the drawing of the caduceus, at each point where
the two serpents cross each other on the sushumna chan-
nel they create a chakra.
Laya Yoga and Alchemy

As kundalini moves up through sushumna, it is with-
drawn from the phenomenal world; hence kundalini yoga
is also called Laya Yoga. Laya in Sanskrit means dissolu-
tion or extinction.
In this process kundalini ascends from the muladhara
chakra (Saturn chakra) to the ajna (Sun) chakra. In jyo-
tish (astrology) Saturn rules the metal lead and the Sun
rules the metal gold. The transmutation of the base metal
lead into gold is, in the popular mind in both the East and
West, the epitome of the science of alchemy, rasashastra.
There is, of course, much more to the discipline than that.
The deeper meaning of the ascent from lead to gold, from
Saturn to the Sun, from muladhara to ajna, is the process
of raising kundalini. The goal of the process is to become
rasasiddha, literally, brought to perfection by means of
quicksilver, and skilled in alchemy.
Quicksilver in this case is akasha, and the akashic
pathway called sushumna. It is also known as the royal
road, the pathway that allows one to enter other lokas
and converse with the devas.
The dissolution of Laya Yoga is the first part of the
alchemical formula solvé et coagula. Energy is withdrawn
in each of the lower four chakras, and the building blocks
of our forms, complexes, and attachments dissolve into
their respective elements. Earth, water, fire and air are
transmuted into akasha, the fifth element.
The solvé process of transformation is acted out ritu-
ally in the Tibetan Tantric practice of sand painting in
The Subtle Anatomy of Kundalini
which intricate mandalas are created and then destroyed

upon completion. This destruction of form is a clearing
process that makes way for a more refined expression of
kundalini via the four elements; in other words, the field
is cleared so that one’s life energies can be reformed with
fewer obstructions.
The reforming, the coagula of alchemy, occurs as
kundalini energy is naturally drawn down into the lower
chakras during the everyday processes of life. That down-
ward moving kundalini expresses the four elements to
create a new mandala; but this time the mandala (which
is maya) is in accord with a broader and more harmoni-
ous perspective of the universe. Each new mandala will
also be destroyed and replaced in the process of kund-
alini rising in an ongoing cycle, until moksha, liberation,
is achieved.
Each chakra is related to a planet as well as an element.
The elements and the planets are specific complexes of
energy which ebb and flow, and color the quality of time
and space. The ebb and flow of these particular energies is
cyclic, the cycles range infinitely, cycles within cycles re-
vealing a fractal patterning of time. On the human scale,
we are normally tuned in to a limited bandwidth of cy-
cles, measured in seconds, minutes, hours, days, months,
and years. The formal study of these cyclic energy flows
and their influence on us in day-to-day life is Swara Yoga
(cycles and modes of breathing) and astrology (jyotish).
However, as you attain a more enlightened perspective
from any yoga practices, you will be able to readily discern
these cycles and the type of energy involved simply by ob-

serving the patterns in your everyday life.
Prana enters the body through the chandra chakra. It is
distributed to various parts of the body through the other
chakras and nadis. In the chakras, the prana is shaped in
accord with our samskaras. Thus, pure pranic energy is trans-
formed and transfigured by our mental, physical and emo-
tional patterns into the aura (energy field) which surrounds
our bodies, with its particular patterns of color and feel.
Each of us has unique patterns of energy flow that form
our aura, our distinct personality, which in turn shapes
our actions and reactions in time and space to other en-
ergy flows, objects and people. It is easy to see these pat-
terns in your astrological birth chart.
Our aura is what others react to either consciously or
unconsciously when they come into contact with us.
The aura also reveals our energy connections, our re-
lationships, to various ideals and ideas, and organizations
and people - everything including family ties, work situa-
tions, friends, lovers, religions and other affiliations. This
is due to a give-and-take pranic energy flow between the
parties involved in the relationship. Some relationships
take more energy from you than they give you; some give
more back to you than you give, while others are a more
balanced give and take.
Svatantrya - Owning Oneself
Svatantrya is a state of psychological independence. It

is commonly defined as self reliance, following one’s will,
etc.; but, it is not following the willfulness which is a prod-
uct of our ego-selves. Svatantrya is based in cosmic con-
sciousness, our higher selves. This state is fully achieved
when we are firm enough in feeling and knowing our deep
connection to cosmic consciousness, that we do not re-
quire any sort of validation from any part of maya. It is
questionable whether an incarnated human can ever fully
achieve and sustain this; but, svatantrya, owning oneself,
is an ideal the Tantric always moves toward.
The independence of action of svatantrya is tempered
with full responsibility for one’s own actions, and the re-
percussions of those actions. We take part in the world
with eyes wide open. We enter into relationships with
other individuals and groups, but do not “sell our souls”
to any of them in the process; that is, we give our pranic
energy, our kundalini, to them in a conscious, measured
way. One does not allow oneself to be victimized.
Egregores
In order to consciously raise kundalini you need to under-
stand how and why pranic energy flows through your chakras.
Ask yourself the question, “Who owns my kundalini?”
Each and every group we identify with, are a part of, or

belong to has an egregore.
This includes, as mentioned before, family ties, work
situations, friends, lovers, religions and other affiliations.
An egregore is a group thought-form, which is a psychic
entity. These entities have their own auras, and they sur-
vive by drawing energy from their members.
Although an egregore or group thought form can be
beneficial for the individual and may meet immediate
physical survival needs, they unfortunately tend to de-
volve rapidly into gang consciousness in which truth is
trampled upon. If the egregore is formed around some
sort of path for individual enlightenment as its ultimate
purpose, it can be helpful and uplifting for its members.
If not, the egregore can be a strong force for keeping its
members’ kundalini down and locked into maya.
Egregores take on lives of their own, and too often
their priorities become self-perpetuation, or the aggran-
dizement of a few members at the expense of other mem-
bers or nonmembers, even when the ostensible original
purpose of the group may have been a “noble cause.”
An egregore builds up a reservoir of energy taken from
the chakras of all the people associated with it. They
have their symbols: temples, corporate headquarters,
civic buildings, private homes, etc.; leaders and priests,
gestures, salutes, national anthems and favorite songs, sa-
cred texts, pledges of allegiance, flags, rituals (formal and
informal), all of which are magical talismans. All of these
symbols and symbolic actions feed the egregore’s reservoir

of pranic energy with kundalini taken from the members
of that group.
God clubs, otherwise known as religions, are obvious
examples of egregores. Most god clubs are uplifting to their
members, to a point, but ultimately fall far short of the
effort and philosophy needed to get beyond the bare ba-
sics. Generally, they include claims of ultimate authority,
ownership of “Truth,” and do not nurture humans on the
path to moksha beyond their limited frameworks. Still, for
most people, every little bit helps if it does not come with
severe limitations, prejudice and inquisitions.
The Tantric is dedicated to the discovery of truth, and
knows that truth rarely manifests in the day to day admin-
istration of organized religion or governments, nor in the
results of their activities. Egregores, just like individual
humans, have karmic patterns that shape the world-view
they present; and, as is the unfortunate tendency for indi-
vidual humans, they generally prefer to wipe out anything
that threatens that world-view, rather than broaden their
horizons. As Mark Twain wrote, “Only dead men can tell
the truth in this world.”
And to be fully honest, we must admit that we often
cannot even speak the truth to ourselves about ourselves.
Truth in all cases is simply a matter of letting go of your lim-
ited dream pattern for something far richer and fuller than
anything you can presently imagine; however, for some rea-
son we all tend to be convinced, as was Indra, that the lim-
ited life and perspective of a pig is the be-all and end-all.
If you want to see the light of day, you have to rise up

above your historical context, tribal and gang symbols and
loyalties. You need to withdraw your energy from them.
Each mundane commitment or karma dharma we have
draws a certain amount of energy away from us. These
connections pull energy horizontally from our chakras,
channeling our kundalini into maya according to our
samskaras.
Much of our karma tends to lock our consciousness
into the gravity of maya, in the physical plane, bhurloka.
To counteract this tendency and free up kundalini, dedi-
cated, conscious physical, mental and emotional activity
is needed; ritual, in other words. The Tantric understands
that all movement in time and space is ritual. The key
words here are “dedicated” and “conscious.” By con-
sciously dedicating any action, any movement of ours to
becoming more enlightened, we change maya to hasten
our enlightenment.
What you value above all else in life and give ultimate
authority to is your relevant source. Your kundalini flows
to your relevant source, whatever your relevant source
may be - a god-form, money, relationship, power, insti-
tution, idea, quest, etc. If your relevant source is any-
thing less than cosmic consciousness, the bindu, you are
creating a ceiling beyond which your kundalini will not
rise. Your kundalini will continue to hold your conscious-
ness within the gravity of maya at the level your relevant
source is manifest; in other words, your kundalini will be
discharging horizontally at that level, feeding the illusion

of maya, limiting your perceptions and understanding.
The relevant source for the Tantric is bindu, sushum-
na, cosmic consciousness, the center of the circle-point
mandala. By locating the relevant source at the center,
instead of anywhere else in the mandala, kundalini is freed
to rise instead of being dissipated horizontally, locking us
into maya.
Through conscious dedication to bindu, to the discov-
ery of what is creating maya, the Tantric can use any part
of maya to amplify and feed back kundalini, which then
moves vertically, up sushumna toward sahasrara. This is
how ritual works. Our journey to the center becomes the
purpose of our activity. By being conscious of this pur-
pose, kundalini that would have been discharged horizon-
tally into maya by our activity, is instead reflected by maya
back to our relevant source at the center-point, enliven-
ing the sushumna nadi, where its natural tendency is to
rise up through the chakras and lokas.
Physical ritual can therefore be a powerful way to
direct our kundalini back toward bindu. Making physi-
cal our journey toward the center supports a more full
involvement of our consciousness in transcending maya,
even though such activity is itself of maya.
In essence, recognizing any activity as ritual dedicated
to raising kundalini is the performance of a sort of ju jitsu
of the consciousness. The power maya has to affect our
consciousness is redirected in such a way that maya is, to
a certain extent, thrown by its own strength.
By engaging in activity consciously dedicated to bindu,

the Tantric develops viveka, the power of discernment and
discrimination. This strengthens the aura and makes it eas-
ier to avoid entanglement with thought forms, egregores,
paths and endeavors that do not support transcendence,
and that keep your consciousness locked in to maya.
Karma and Maya
What you see around you, your experience of maya,
is your solidified karma. Your solidified karma is coiled
kundalini, represented by the outer ring of the circle-
point mandala.
We have each given ourselves a range of probable
movement within limits we have imposed so that we focus
on what we want to learn in this incarnation. This karmic
limitation, the experience of maya, can be regarded as an
obstacle to our enlightenment; or, as the vehicle of our
enlightenment.
We are encapsulated within our own karma and, to
raise kundalini, we must study our karma and learn how
to get out of our own way. One way to understand your
karma is to look into the detail of how you and others
define yourself. What are your social, psychological, bio-
logical and historical limitations? What are your talents,
your passions?
A good study of astrology, and meditation upon one’s
own natal chart can be immensely helpful to answer many
of these questions and gain insight. Your birth chart is a
circle-point mandala, a map of karmic forces spinning on
the axis of the bindu point at the center.
What you make yourself relevant to and where you
put your energies, are the great secret keys to moksha or
liberation from time-space limitations, and thus, freedom
from the karma of birth and rebirth in what yogis call

bhurloka and Buddhists call smad (the physical world).
To proceed toward this goal, we must first take the
stance of an observer of our thoughts, emotions and gen-
eral psychic energy; and ask ourselves, “Where am I put-
ting my consciousness?”
The Tantric knows that wherever you put your con-
sciousness is where you are. If you imagine that you are at
the center of the Milky Way, then, in fact, a part of your
consciousness is there. This understanding is based upon
the axiom:
What is here is there,

What is not here is nowhere.
Visvasara Tantra
This is the beginning of the true meaning of Zen koans,

and suggests an answer to some of the current puzzles of
quantum physics. It is also a rule of operation for such sid-
dhis as remote viewing and the mantic arts.
Time and space are a bit different for the Tantric, so
it is a good idea to try to prepare for a new perspective.
Time-space is the province of Kali, in other words, maya,
the forces of nature.
Karma and Maya
All actions take place in time by the interweaving of

the forces of nature;
but the man lost in selfish delusion thinks that he
himself is the actor.
But the man who knows the relation between the
forces of nature and actions,
sees how some forces of nature work upon other forces
of nature, and becomes not their slave.
Those who are under the delusion of the forces of
nature bind themselves to the work of these forces.
The Bhagavad Gita 3:27-29
translated by Juan Mascaro
Observe and study. The maya that you see before you
consists of objects and events that are really dream sym-
bols. What we perceive as past, present or future is only a
matter of perspective, our angle of observation. Through
the practice of raising kundalini one becomes the knower
of past, present and future, a time lord or trikala jnani.
The Tantric works with the eternal now (akasha, bin-
du, sushumna), which is at the very center of past and
future. In bindu, your past no longer defines your future,
and your future does not define your present. Past, pres-
ent and future are all occurring at the same time. You
can refine and redefine yourself in each new moment.
The energy patterns from the past that want to manifest
can be reabsorbed, and no strong desire (kama) for future

engagement is projected. Even the desire for moksha is
eventually dissolved.
When diksha occurs, (the moment of initiation and
dedication), sometimes a glimpse of enlightenment opens
to us. It may happen at once, or it may happen over a
period of time, depending on our nature and karma. You
will realize that everything before you is a dream and that
all you see are simply symbols guiding you to the center
of the cosmic yantra. Attach your mountaineering rope
firmly to bindu, then, no matter how far you swing in any
dream direction, you will always be connected to the cen-
ter, your ultimate goal.
Techniques
Preparatory Practices
We include in this chapter a variety of preparatory tech-

niques in hope that you will find some appropriate and suit-
able for your practice. These exercises are not necessary for
raising kundalini; but, they will enhance your efforts.
Eye stillness
Relaxing your eyes to stillness is a gentle way to release
tensions and move into a deeper state of awareness. Eye
movement is directly connected to mental activity, emo-
tional states and breathing patterns. Relaxing the eyes to
stillness calms an agitated mind and emotions, and ex-
pands your consciousness.
As the movement in your eyes slows down, so will your
thoughts until they completely cease. At that point, your
consciousness can turn inward and upward to more subtle
states of awareness.
Preparation for eye stillness
These eye movement exercises will ready the eyes
to relax.
Lie down or sit in a comfortable position with your
eyes open.
Proceed as follows:
`` Move your eyes to the left to the edge of the eye
sockets and rotate them clockwise several times;
then, reverse the motion and move them counter-
clockwise several times.
`` Move your eyes as far up and as far down as you
can several times
`` Move your eyes diagonally from top right to bot-
tom left several times; then, from top left to bot-
tom right several times
`` Move your eyes to the far left and then to the far
right several times.
Practice: Eye stillness meditation

Lie down or sit in a comfortable position with your
eyes closed
Put your consciousness into your eyes and eye muscles
and mentally say, “Relax.” Keep repeating the word “re-
lax” in your mind. Talk to your eyes and the muscles that
control them and ask them to relax to stillness.
You can continue with this as long as you like, the lon-
ger the better. Do not force your eyes to stillness. Relax
them to stillness naturally, slowly and smoothly. This is a
relaxation exercise, not a concentration exercise.
After a bit of practice, you will feel that your eyes are
no longer moving. Be assured that you are being mislead.
Although you eyes may feel totally still, in fact there are
micro-tremors at work and you still have a long way to go.
Just keep practicing on a daily basis.
Relaxation
Most of us have a hard time relaxing. If you are an ex-
ceptionally active and fidgety person who cannot sit down
or lie down and relax, you may have difficulty practicing
the kundalini techniques given in this book. In this case
it may help if you engage in relaxation or other physical
exercises of some sort before you lie or sit down to prac-
tice kundalini techniques. Hatha Yoga asanas, and other
exercise routines are very good for this purpose.
Physical flexibility
Keeping the physical body flexible helps to balance us,
and helps us to be comfortable in our meditation positions.
Physical flexibility allows prana/chi to move more
readily through the body, which in turn balances the gu-
nas, doshas, and elements. This establishes equipoise or
balance at the physical level, which creates a solid foun-
dation for equipoise at the emotional and mental levels.
If your life-style is fairly sedentary, then you may want
to incorporate a moderate exercise routine if you have not
already done so. Remember, the key is not so much to de-
velop strength, but flexibility, in order to be able to bend
and stretch, and maintain a comfortable meditation posi-
tion. Hatha Yoga, Tai Chi, Qigong and other disciplines
that incorporate physical movement with breathing and
meditation are all very suitable for this purpose.
Following are two simple exercises to stretch and relax
the body.
Practice: Rag doll
From a standing position stretch your
arms upward as far as you can reach.
Take a deep breath, and as you exhale,
drop the upper part of your body gently
forward and down toward the ground like
a limp rag doll. Simply hang there for a
half a minute or so; then slowly resume
your standing position with arms at your sides. Repeat as
you wish.
Practice: Neck exercises

The neck region retains a great deal of tension from
every day activities, and is, along with the shoulders, one
of the more tense parts of the body. Neck exercises are
helpful to relieve the tension stored there on a daily basis.
Before beginning the exercises you may wish to self mas-
sage the back and sides of your neck and the upper part of
your shoulders near the neck region.
Sitting or standing, let your head drop forward toward
your chest.
Slowly and gently roll your head counterclockwise,
moving in as wide a circle as possible without straining.
Complete the circle, then repeat, reversing the direction.
Let your head drop forward and backward.
Turn your head as far to the left as you can, then as far
to the right.
Practice: Spinal roll

Also known as pavana muktasana
(wind-relieving pose), this simple
asana stimulates all the chakras.
While lying on your back, pull your
knees up to your chin and rock gently
side to side, then rock back and forth
along the length of your spine.
The meditation seat

It is very important to develop comfortable meditation
positions for your kundalini practice. These need not be
yoga asanas. Sitting in a chair or lying on a bed are fine, as is
standing, for some exercises. The key is for your body to be
relaxed and balanced or supported in such a manner that
you can maintain your position without tension and with-
out thinking about your body - in other words, you should
be physically very comfortable. It is ideal for the spine to be
straight, and the shoulders open. Your breathing should be
unconstricted. Don’t be shy about using furniture, cush-
ions, or back supports if this is what you need.
Classic yoga asanas for meditation
There is plenty of easily available information about
Hatha Yoga asanas, so we will not go into the details.
Here are some that are suitable for meditation.
Shavasana (corpse pose)
Sukhasana (easy pose)

Siddhasana (adept’s pose)
Vajrasana (thunderbolt pose)
Padmasana (lotus pose)
Mudras
Mudras are gestures, a ritual sign language. They cre-
ate a circuit for energy, and direct the energy as it becomes
earthed. Thus, they affect the physical and prana body,
and the etheric body (aura) strongly, and help establish a
firm spiritual foundation for kundalini practice. The two
following mudras are widely used.
Anjali mudra
Palms of the hands held together
and pointing upward (as in prayer) bal-
ances ida and pingala, which puts you
into sushumna. This can be done be-
fore and after each practice, for open-
ing and closing.
In its most common form, the
hands are held at the level of the ana-
hata chakra.
A more elaborate variation is to put the palms of the
hands together above the head at the sahasrara, lower
the hands and pause at the forehead (in front of the ajna
chakra), lower the hands and pause at the throat (in
front of the vishuddha chakra), then lower the hands to
the level of the anahata chakra. The fingers point upward
throughout this movement.
Chin mudra
This mudra also balances ida
and pingala in each chakra and
creates an unobstructed path
through sushumna for kundalini to rise. It is often prac-
tised while sitting or lying down for meditation.
Put the index finger and thumb together on both
hands, with the palms facing upward.
Chin mudra closes off the aura, which is useful to keep
negative and distracting influences out of your aura as you
meditate, and also as you go about your daily activities.
Lifestyle Suggestions to
Support Your Kundalini Practice
We are bombarded throughout our waking hours with
physical plane phenomena that want to hold our atten-
tion. Most of us are by default, in our waking conscious-
ness, entrained by the physical plane. For this reason, it
is very helpful to have a physical environment populated
with things and people that remind us to look beyond,
and to tune in to other states of consciousness. Surround
yourself with physical objects, and participate in activi-
ties, that promote expansion of consciousness.
For instance, putting up photo posters of outer space
on the walls of your home helps to carry your conscious-
ness away from everyday concerns and puts you into a
state of mind that promotes an expansion of conscious-
ness. Ritual objects such as paintings, statues, jewelry,
yantras, etc. also will help to constantly remind you of
other realms and the awakening of kundalini.
Read as many books about kundalini as you can. Read-
ing about kundalini will sensitize your aura and create a
vibration that will move you closer to your goal.
In this way you build up in your consciousness an
awareness and acceptance of different dimensions of time
and space.
Music and sound

Soothing music can be used as an adjunct to relaxation.
Certain types of music and other sounds have a powerful
effect on our etheric and lower astral vehicles, and pro-
mote vibrations supportive for raising your consciousness.
Sounds shape the etheric atmosphere. When the vibra-
tions from a relaxing piece of music form the atmosphere
surrounding you, it becomes difficult for antagonistic vi-
brations to enter and interfere with your psyche.
Meditative music is beneficial when your conscious-
ness is primarily in the physical plane; however, do not
listen to music while you are actually doing any kundalini
technique or other meditation. Serene, tranquil, pleasant
music can be an aid for relaxation, but as your conscious-
ness starts moving away from the physical plane, any mu-
sic becomes a hindrance.
Physical sounds are dense and of a relatively low vi-
bratory rate. They tend to keep your consciousness at-
tached to the physical plane. Music and sound can be
used as tools to clear the psychic atmosphere of your im-
mediate environment, and quiet your etheric and lower
astral streams of consciousness (your lower vehicles). The
physical body will respond to this harmony, but then you
want to go beyond and not be locked into the matrix of
the physical sound. Physical music can be a springboard
for further work to be done, but only that.
Also, as you fine tune your sensitivities, you may hear
sounds and music from the astral sphere which you could
easily miss if physical sounds obscure them.
Lifestyle Suggestions
Cultivating a serene attitude

It is important to try to reduce the amount of inharmo-
nious interaction between yourself and others throughout
your daily life. As you interact with other people, connect-
ing psychic threads are created between you and them. If
the interactions are charged with emotional content, the
psychic threads will tend to linger through the day and
into your dream life on the lower astral when you sleep.
Rather than reacting as usual to disturbing situations, step
back from your emotions and usual thoughts, and diffuse
the energy pattern that wants to form. Let it go. Practic-
ing this consistently will free up mental and emotional
clutter that clogs the chakras.
The more intensely you react to a situation or event,
the more you lock into it, revolve around it and feed en-
ergy to it. This pulls your energy out horizontally, and
strengthens samskaric patterns which will take more ef-
fort for you to transmute later.
Standing back
Try to generally stand back in your own mind from
yourself and your own thoughts. Try to see yourself and
your activities from the viewpoint of an impartial ob-
server. If you cultivate this perspective it will help to de-
centralize your ego, which in turn will foster expansion
of your consciousness. If you have a good sense of humor
about yourself, you will be better able to stand back from
your own emotions and ideas. The keyword here is non-
attachment.
Non-attachment, however, should not be confused

with doing nothing. Life is action, and we have to oper-
ate in it with our personalities, for better or worse. Non-
attachment means disengaging yourself from your ego ac-
tivities while you are engaged in them, in other words,
become an observer of your own thoughts and actions,
observe your personality. The more you are able to stand
back and cultivate some degree of objectivity towards
yourself, the more you will know your larger self and be
able to move beyond your current limitations.
Notice that, as you practice these kundalini tech-
niques over time, various thought and emotional patterns
as well as memories arise, seemingly out of nowhere. The
obscure nature of some of them can be quite surprising.
While they may not seem to have much significance, for
some reason they have tied up your energy; and, in that
sense, they are indeed significant. This is the beginning of
the release of energy complexes that are keeping you from
ascending. Your kundalini practice has begun to dissolve
these complexes into pure elemental energy.
Above yourself meditation
The above yourself meditation decentralizes the ego
and develops an appropriate vibration to build a matrix
for further esoteric practice.
Choose a good comfortable place to lie down, perhaps
your bedroom. Make sure that you will not be disturbed
for the duration of the exercise, which should be about
half an hour.
Lie down, close your eyes and relax your body and mind
for a minute or two. Then, imagine yourself floating above
yourself on the ceiling of your bedroom. This is an exercise
of the imagination, so do not be overly concerned about
the quality of your visualization in the process - just do
the best you can.
Now look down on your physical body and the sur-
rounding environment of the room you are in. For in-
stance, imagine that you are looking at yourself lying on
the bed and that you can see your dresser and the items
on it.
Visualize from the perspective of the ceiling what you
and your room look like. You might notice your socks on
the floor by the bed and your hairbrush or change on the
dresser. Try to get a good picture in your mind’s eye of
your body and your surroundings. Don’t worry about the
quality of your visualization. At first it will probably be
pretty poor, but just do it and don’t be concerned.
Once you feel that you have the best visual image pos-
sible of your body and your surrounds, imagine floating
through the ceiling to the top of your home, and a little
above the roof, so that you can look down on it. Pause
there and imagine what it looks like from this perspective.
Then, rise up a little further into the air and visualize look-
ing down on your yard or block. From there, keep moving
upward in stages and stop for a few moments at each point
to visualize in as much detail as you can: your town or city,
your county, your state, your country. Keep going until you
are above the Earth and can look down upon our rotating
sphere and all of the land masses and bodies of water that
make up the surface features of our Earth.
Next place yourself on the Moon, and view the Earth
from that perspective. Then, move toward the outer parts
of our solar system, stopping at a planet to look inward
towards the center at our Sun. Proceed outward into the
galaxy among other planetary star systems and look back
towards our solar system. Go beyond our galaxy and move
out into deep space to look back at it, now just one out of
millions upon millions of other galaxies. If you wish you
can go further and further. Whenever you feel you have
had enough of this exercise, return back to your body.
At each stopping point in the technique, you get a
bird’s eye view of your life, and the objects and people
that surround you and intimately affect you for good or
ill. For instance, a good look at the items that surround
you in your bedroom can tell you a lot about yourself. As
you proceed further, you will feel how you are connected
to those in your immediate neighborhood, town, state,
country, and planet, and how the goings-on at each level
affect you personally, socially, politically and otherwise.
The intent of the exercise is to decentralize the ego
and to begin to identify yourself on a more cosmic level.
There is an old occult axiom that wherever you put
your consciousness is where you are, and where you put
you attention is where you can expect to go in the future.
If our attention is not at least somewhat aimed above and
beyond ourselves, we can never expect to experience any-
thing above and beyond our physical selves. Our egos are
intertwined with what we give our attention to.
We perceive, act and function greatly limited by our
perception of ourselves as our physical bodies; and, by
our perception of our environment as what immediately
surrounds us, what we can perceive through our physical
senses. We are caught in the web of the gravity of this
limited perception of our selves and our surroundings.
We have many roles to play in life. Each has its energy
tension pulling on us even when we are not functioning
in these roles. The electromagnetic fields that make up
matter, people, ideas and places, have a powerful draw on
us. Every thing or thought that we give attention to has a
certain amount of power over us, and our attention feeds
it. People, thoughts, ideas and events compete for our at-
tention and at times try to dominate and manipulate us.
But, we are much more than the limited roles we play
out on this planet. To realize this, we need to be able
to step out of our web of circumstances and develop a
perspective free of the tyranny of obligations, mass me-
dia, jobs, schools, national and international politics and
whatever else we are locked into.
Our mind and our consciousness are not limited by the
physical environment that surrounds us. As you decen-
tralize your ego and move toward your more universal self,
you will be progressively freed from the constraints of your
web of circumstances and your physical body; and you will
ease into an expanded awareness.
Yoga Nidra
In Tantric terminology there are three channels of

consciousness: ida, pingala and sushumna nadi. Ida and
pingala are really two dream states. Ida is lunar, or what
we usually consider the dream state when our physical
bodies sleep. Pingala is solar, or what most people con-
sider the “awake” state of the physical plane. Sushumna is
the state of balance between ida and pingala.
There is a constant interplay between ida, pingala and
sushumna. Among other things, they represent past, fu-
ture and present times, respectively. Due to our karma,
most of our consciousness is rather stuck in one side of the
cosmos, in the pingala nadi.
Pingala is our waking consciousness, the physical world.
Ida is what most people call the unconscious and subcon-
scious realms, the astral and dream states, the more subtle
lokas. As we fluctuate between waking and sleeping, any
point where neither ida or pingala dominate, (where the
sine wave crosses the horizontal line in the illustration be-
low), is sushumna, and also called called the hypnogogic
Ö Ö
× ×
state. These sushumna points are each a bindu or door-

way between the worlds of ida and pingala. In order to
enter the more subtle lokas consciously, it is necessary to
keep awake during this crossing.
Dream life mainly occurs on the etheric and lower as-
tral planes. Everybody, whether they remember it or not,
dreams nightly. These dreams inform us of events on the
subtle planes, and also give us information to resolve con-
flicts on the physical plane. Most of us carry our everyday
thoughts and feelings into our dreams during our sleep
time; then, within our dreams, we try to work out answers
to the problems we are dealing with. There is a wealth of
knowledge that attempts to come through to us from the
astral, but few people pay attention to this generous out-
pouring of wisdom, experience and information.
As we become more “awake” on the subtler planes,
we can work consciously in our dreams to further ex-
pand our consciousness. We can meditate and practice
kundalini techniques on the astral, just as we do on the
physical plane.
Yoga Nidra, literally “sleep” yoga, as popularly concep-
tualized, refers to the whole range of experiences related
to our normal sleep state, and to using that state as a tool
to move toward cosmic consciousness. For the Tantric,
Yoga Nidra involves developing the ability to maintain
complete awareness throughout all the stages of sleep and
dreaming.
Yoga Nidra
There are basically there are four states of being:

`` jagrat - waking state
`` svapna - dream
`` susupti - sleep or dreamless state
`` turya - a synthesis or knowing of all states at
once. Consciousness is continuous.
From the Tantric perspective, jagrat is jagrat svapna
and just as much a dream as is svapna.
In general, humans are asleep and basically need to
wake up and discover their true selves. Tantric yoga nidra
first and foremost consists of looking out at the everyday
world and saying, “This is svapna, a dream.” The Tantric
attempts to hold their consciousness in this light continu-
ously in every moment and movement. When drinking a
glass of water, for instance, one would say, “I am drinking
dream water from a dream glass in my dream house.”
You have to feel that your “waking” world and life are
a dream, just as if as if you were dreaming while asleep.
Tantrics call this pratyabhijna, regaining knowledge or
recognition of your true self, recovering consciousness,
coming to one’s self.
It is like waking up in a night dream. When this hap-
pens when you are sleeping, you sometimes simply wake
up to jagrat as you realized you were dreaming; but, you
might also continue to dream with the awareness that you
are dreaming, waking up within the dream.
When you practice Yoga Nidra in jagrat svapna it

means you have awakened in the dream and this will open
you to a different reality similarly to wakening yourself
from a nightly dream.
Keeping a dream journal is one of the best ways to
integrate your awareness in the subtle realms with your
physical plane awareness. Make paying attention to your
dreams, your experiences in the astral, a routine part of
your life. Write them down, study them. The more you
pay attention to the higher vibratory activity of the other
planes, the more you will be able to transfer yourself to
them consciously.
As we develop a continuity of awareness from so-called
waking and to so-called dreaming states, we realize that
we are actually living in a dream on the physical plane.
And, when we become aware on the astral that we are
dreaming, and suddenly wake up within the dream, it is
called astral projection.
In fact both the physical and the astral planes are pro-
jections of awareness from the bindu or causal source. To-
gether they represent the ida (astral) and pingala (physi-
cal) channels that need to be balanced for us to enter
sushumna, the state of balance which permits kundalini
to rise and approach bindu.
When you achieve some continuity of awareness be-
tween the astral and the physical, it is much easier to balance
the ida and pingala currents. This will synchronize both of
your dream lives to keep you moving toward bindu.
Tribindu Pranayama
The Talking Wind
We call this exercise tribindu pranayama because it
consists of three cycles of breath. The three cycles in-
crease progressively in number of breaths: three breaths,
five breaths, then seven breaths. Each cycle culminates
in antar kumbhaka, a holding of the breath between the
last inhalation and last exhalation of each cycle. When
neither inhalation nor exhalation is taking place, ida and
pingala balance each other and a bindu state is created.
The pause point in the three cycles is called bindu.
Bindu is your center, the center of the universe, and the
portal to begin to touch god consciousness or universal
consciousness or spirit (however you wish to express it).
The tribindu practice helps to dissolve obstacles that arise
in your spiritual practice, and thus in your everyday life.
This ritual pranayama and mantra synthesizes all spheres
and elements on all three planes (lokas), and transmutes
disharmony or imbalance into harmony and balance.
The number three relates to ida, pingala, and sushum-
na, and the three worlds (lokas) bhur, bhuvar, svar (com-
monly understood as the physical, astral and mental/spiri-
tual planes).
Five is for the five tattwas or elements: akasha, vayu

(air), tejas (fire), apas (water), prithivi (earth). These ele-
ments are the building blocks of our personality, and re-
side within our chakras. Much of the work of the Tantric
has to do with the balance of the five elements in the
mental, the emotional, and the physical body to enhance
their harmonious expression.
Seven is for the seven planetary spheres: Surya/Sun,
Chandra/Moon, Budha/Mercury, Sukra/Venus, Kuja/Mars,
Brhaspati/Jupiter and Sani/Saturn. These planetary ener-
gies reside in the chakras. The chakras are the symbolic
points of manifestation of the planetary principles in your
body, expressed mentally, emotionally and physically.
Tribindu pranayama balances the chakras, operating
with the five elements in the three lokas and seven plan-
etary spheres. It combines the energies of your total self
and attunes you mentally, emotionally and physically to
the flow of the cosmos, the AUM.
If you put your consciousness into the muladhara,
anahata or ajna chakra and breath one cycle of tribindu
in each of these chakras, you will automatically break
through the granthis (knots) located in these chakras that
keep you from ascending through sushumna to the thou-
sand petalled lotus.
Practice
Tribindu pranayama involves mouth breathing exclu-
sively. The lips should be slightly parted and completely
relaxed. Inhalation creates a soft "a" sound (as in "father"),
which is the Sanskrit vowel ä or Aa. Exhalation creates an
Tribindu Pranayama
"ee" sound (as in "seem"), which is the Sanskrit vowel é or

$. These two mantras of the breath are made with a slight
movement of the back of the tongue only. The vocal cords
and lips do not move at all. When performed correctly,
the breath sounds like the wind blowing through a cave.
For this pranayama, use a comfortable seated position,
for instance a meditation asana such as padmasana, sid-
dhasana, or swastikasana; or sit in chair. What is most
important is that your spine is straight and you are totally
comfortable and can hold your position with no effort.
Don't be shy about using cushions or pillows to achieve
this if necessary.
Ideally, face east during the day, or face the transiting
sun. Face north from sunset to sunrise.
Quiet is important - do not have music playing dur-
ing this meditation, and do what you can to minimize dis-
tracting noises.
Place your hands on your legs with palms upward and
hold the tips of the forefinger and thumb together on each
hand. This hand mudra balances the energies in your
physical-prana aura.
To begin, inhale, turn your head to the left and expel
your breath through your mouth vigorously.
Turn your head to the front for the rest of the pranaya-
ma, and perform the rest of the breathing in a relaxed
manner, starting with your natural breath rhythm. Let
your breathing slow down as you go through the breath
cycles. This will tend to happen of its own accord.
Inhale through the mouth making the "aa" sound.

Exhale through the mouth while intoning the long
"ee" sound.
Repeat the inhalation and exhalation two more times.
After the third inhalation, gently hold the breath for as
long as is comfortable.
aaaaaeeeee aaaaaeeeee aaaaa pause eeeee
Exhale, then begin a cycle of five breaths, holding the

breath after the fifth inhalation.
aaaaaeeeee aaaaaeeeee aaaaeeeee aaaaaeeeee
aaaaaeeeee aaaaa pause eeeee
Exhale, then begin a cycle of seven breaths, holding

the breath after the seventh inhalation.
aaaaaeeeee aaaaaeeee aaaaaeeeee aaaaaeeeee
aaaaaeeeee aaaaaeeeee aaaaa pause eeeee
Do not strain any of the breathing, or the breath hold-

ing. The breaths should be easy and relaxed.
This is a gentle pranayama, so you can do as many
cycles as you like per sitting, and as many sittings a day as
you like, but you should do it at least once daily. Begin-
ning your day with the tribindu exercise helps to deflect
negative energy and karma throughout the rest of the day,
and it is excellent before retiring.
For the tribindu pranayama, a special mala (string of
beads) is recommended. Because this exercise will tend to
still your mental activity, when you are doing it correctly
you will find it difficult to keep count of the breathing.
Tribindu Pranayama
The mala helps you to be

aware of when to hold
your breath without hav-
ing to think much about
it. You will probably have
to make such a tribindu
mala for yourself.
The tribindu mala Tribindu mala
should have two types of beads that feel significantly dif-
ferent, breath beads and marker beads (12 breath beads
and 3 markers). The string should be: 2 breath beads,
1 marker bead, 4 breath beads, 1 marker bead, 6 breath
beads, 1 marker bead (see illustration).
The breath pause after the last inhalation in each of
the three cycles is a bindu point. When you are in this
bindu state you will tend to not think of anything, and
will wish to simply feel or experience the bindu. After
practicing tribindu pranayama on a regular basis, your
breathing will naturally slow down, and you will be able
to maintain a bindu state for longer and longer periods
of time without discomfort. Such voluntary temporary
breath suspension in pranayama is called sahit kumbhaka.
The tribindu pranayama is a safe and gradual method for
practicing sahit kumbhaka.
This pranayama should not be underestimated. Its ef-
fects are subtle but powerful. It should be performed at
least once daily, but you can practice it as much as you
want - the more you do, the greater the benefit you will
reap. Tribindu is an important preparation for raising
kundalini because it quickly stills the mind, the emotions,
and the physical body processes to bring you to the bindu

point. It is also good preparation for the practice of any
mantra, Hatha Yoga or ritual havana.
One of the most important benefits of this pranayama
is that it immediately connects the physical body (an-
namaya kosha), prana body (pranamaya kosha) and bliss
body (anandamaya kosha) and begins to form a pathway
for the flow of balanced energy. This energy flow will ame-
liorate many physical, mental and emotional problems
and develop balance that will be maintained if tribindu is
practiced on a daily basis.
It is recommended to perform tribindu in the morn-
ing, upon awakening, and at night before going to sleep.
Performed twice daily, it will strengthen the prana body.
This strengthens the aura, so that you can go about your
life's activities more easily, with less interference from in-
harmonious vibrations.
As you develop your practice of this pranayama, you
will notice it becomes easier in meditation to keep close
to bindu and not have your consciousness stray so much.
For followers of Ayurveda, the tribindu pranayama is a
universal remedy to initiate balance of the gunas, doshas,
and elements.
It is said that tribindu pranayama produces soma, and
the practice smooths out any problems that might arise
when working with kundalini.
For the martial arts practitoner who understands their
discipline as a spiritual path, this pranayama will open up
the secrets of using prana/chi.
Tribindu Pranayama
If you practice jyotish/astrology, or Swara Yoga, you

will find that tribindu is a remedy for any difficult plan-
etary transits, periods, tattwas or lunar cycles (tithis).
If you work or live in a high stress environment, trib-
indu will provide a smoother glide through the rough
jagged vibrations, and guide you to a way to improve
your situation.
If you are a Hatha Yoga teacher and wish to intro-
duce spiritual concepts and a pathway to enlightenment
to your students, but do not want to wend your way
through the many psychological mazes erected in people's
minds by themselves and society in general, then this
pranayama may be quite appropriate. It will dissolve the
tension created by forces antagonistic to the development
of the soul. It can be simply introduced as a pranayama/
breathing technique that relieves stress and establishes
equipoise, which it is. It requires no mention, acceptance
or understanding of Eastern philosophy or practice. You
will notice after a short time that your students will move
quickly to develop and open up spiritually. This not only
benefits them, but also the teacher, as you can then begin
to teach the real essence of yoga, which as a yoga teacher,
you have wanted to do all along.
Tribindu will light the lamp to guide your sadhana. It
will connect you with whatever you need, be it books and
materials, or the guidance of a guru/teacher on the inner
or outer planes.
Working with the Chakras
Fundamental to the Tantric meditation practices for

raising kundalini described in the pages that follow is a
conscious awareness of the chakras and their location.
A template of consciousness for working with kund-
alini is formed by learning the name of each chakra and
its bija mantra, so that the name, the bija, the location
of the chakra, and the feel of the chakra become one
memorized unit.
One needs to be able to think, for instance, muladhara

or la, and know and feel the location of that chakra as
easily as one thinks, "right thumb," and knows and feels
one's right thumb.
To begin, it is not necessary to have any particular sen-
sation of these energy centers. Simply use your imagination
to associate the name and bija of each chakra with the lo-
cation relative to your physical body as described here.
Location of the chakras
There are many variations of the
chakra system according to different
philosophies and theologies. Place-
ment even can vary according to
the task at hand, for indeed you can
move your chakras within your body
as shown at left with placement for
a standing meditation position; and
you can even place them outside of
your body. The idea of varying place-
ment may be disconcerting for those
who have studied other chakra sys-
tems. The key here is the phrase from
the Visvasara Tantra, “What is here is
there, what is not here is nowhere.”
Bear in mind that the chakras
are subtle energy centers. They are
not physical, nor are they dependent
upon any part of the physical body.
The chakras do have direct counter-
parts in the physical body that operate
sahasrara as links from the physical body to the

actual chakras in the subtler koshas.
ajna
The chakras themselves exist in
chandra a dimension other than the three di-
vishuddha mensions of the material world, and
are not subject to the spatial con-
straints of the physical plane. They
do, however, have positions relative
anahata to each other.
For learning purposes, a set and
simple chakra system should be mas-
manipura tered before becoming too concerned
with the complexities aforementioned.
svadhisthana
The chakras involved in the prac-
muladhara tices discussed in this book corre-
spond in location to specific parts of
the cerebrospinal system, as follows:
`` Muladhara - coccyx, the bottom of the spine
`` Svadhisthana - mid-sacrum, where the spine
connects with the pelvis
`` Manipura - on the spine at the level of the navel
`` Anahata - on the spine at the level of the bottom of
the sternum
`` Vishuddha - on the spine at the level of the
Adam's apple
`` Chandra - the soft spot at the base of the skull
`` Ajna - at the center of the forehead, just above
the eyebrows
`` Sahasrara - an energy center (not a chakra) located just
above the top of the crown of the skull.
The chakras are connected to each other and sahasra-

ra by three channels of energy, nadis, running the length
of the cerebrospinal system. These are ida (left); the lunar
channel, pingala (right), the solar channel; and sushumna,
the center channel. To perform any kundalini technique,
you place your consciousness in the sushumna channel of
the muladhara to begin your upward journey. Sushumna
is pervaded by the element akasha and is frictionless from
a karmic point of view, thus it provides a smooth, obstacle
free path to sahasrara.
Practice
Assume a comfortable meditation position, as dis-
cussed previously (see page 56).
First, practice placing your full awareness in each
chakra, one at a time, beginning with muladhara:
Feel the location of muladhara in your body, the coc-
cyx at the base of your spine. Imagine that your whole
being is within the muladhara chakra. As you inhale, feel
the breath and prana entering directly into the mulad-
hara, and feel that you are breathing from muladhara.
Exhale through the chakra, but do not exhale the prana.
Save the prana in the chakra.
This will awaken the chakra, and storing the prana
will energize the chakra so that it can be used for a specific
purpose, such as raising kundalini.
Take as much time as you wish
Repeat this process for each chakra, going up the spine
in sequence.
If you wish, you can engage in a deeper study and med-

itation for each chakra, for instance using its yantra as a
visual aid (see pages 105-111 for the yantras and more
details about the elemental chakras). The crucial thing
is to learn and feel the location of each chakra so that it
becomes second nature to you.
oà Once you have learned the chakra
locations, you should memorize the
oà bija mantra (as shown at left ) for each
cha chakra. In this system, these particu-
lar bijas are the keys which unlock the
ha
chakras and allow the transmutation
of energy up and down through the su-
shumna nadi. With knowledge of the
ya chakra location and its bija, you will
have a powerful template for working
with kundalini.
ra Preparing for the ascent
va To enliven the the chakras for the ris-
ing of kundalini, also known as the "as-
la
cent of Mt. Meru", it is necessary to "set
up base camp" in the muladhara chakra.
Inhale, and draw all your energy
and awareness in the muladhara chakra. Exhale, but save
the collected energy in muladhara. Repeat this pranayama
about 10 times.
Then, keep your consciousness in muladhara, and
intone the bija la. Feel that your breathing takes place
through and within the muladhara chakra.
From base camp in muladhara, inhale, and as you in-

hale, feel your energy rise to svadhisthana, intoning the
svadhisthana bija va. For the purpose of setting in the
template, you can repeat the ascent from muladhara to
svadhisthana several times if you wish.
From svadhisthana, inhale and feel your energy rise to
manipura, intoning the manipura bija ra. Again, you can re-
peat the ascent from svadhisthana to manipura as you wish.
Continue up the spine, repeating this process to rise
from manipura to anahata, ya; and from anahata to vi-
shuddha, ha; and from vishuddha to sahasrara, om.
Note that this exercise does not involve the ajna and
chandra chakras.
Granthis in the chakras

There are granthis (knots) in three of the chakras that
can impede the flow of kundalini up the spine to sahas-
rara. In the muladhara chakra, the granthi is known as
the knot of Brahma; in the the anahata chakra, the knot
of Vishnu. The third is at the ajna chakra and known as
the knot of Shiva.
The granthis are mental, emotional and physical ties
to maya and must be untied or cut through for kundalini
to rise up the sushumna nadi. At these centers, kundalini
tends to leak out horizontally, which side-tracks us from
rising to sahasrara.
Muladhara is the seat of physical

ajna attachments; anahata the seat of emo-
tional attachments; and ajna the seat
of mental-ego-personality attachments.
These attachments are not bad per se,
but they will block the ascent of kund-
alini unless they are balanced so that we
anahata
do not revolve around them. Instead,
we learn to make our attachments re-
volve around our quest to discover the
universe, and they become tools.
Practice
There are two mantras that you can
muladhara
use to break up any resistance in these
three chakras.
om kam svaha, or om krim svaha,
Location of the
granthis or in combination,
om kam krim svaha.
You can chant these mantras in each
of the granthi chakras; or in one particular chakra if you
are doing concentrated work on a specific granthi; or all
of the chakras if you like as well.
Akasha mantra technique

Before doing any of the techniques that follow, it will
be helpful to chant the akasha mantra in each chakra
from muladhara to sahasrara.
The akasha bija mantra ha evokes akasha to balance
the ida and pingala channels (the lunar and solar forces
respectively) on each side of each chakra. This is impor-
tant because kundalini does not rise until the chakra is
balanced in bindu; in other words, when the sushumna
channel is open in the chakra, kundalini can pass upward
through the chakra.
Here the bija ha ends with the bindu
haà nasal sound (anusvara) followed by a la-
bial m, which gives the bija a magnetic,
haà haà
stabilizing quality: ham.
For this technique, the sequence of
haà chakras begins at muladhara and as-
cends to sahasrara, including both the
chandra and ajna chakras, as shown at
left. Put your consciousness into each
haà chakra, one at a time, and chant ham
- aloud, whispering, or silently; or all
three in sequence. As you proceed
haà
to the next chakra, do not draw the
haà energy upward between the chakras;
haà
just place your consciousness into the
next chakra.
Vajra Vidyut
Solve of the Five Elements
Once you are conversant with the placement of the
bija mantras in your body, your first work with the chakra
bijas should be Vajra Vidyut, the most basic exercise for
raising kundalini. Vajra Vidyut is a very powerful practice
- if you could have only one technique in your repertoire,
this should be it.
Vajra Vidyut, also known as bhutta shuddhi, tattwa shud-
dhi, (both meaning “refining the five elements”) or chakra
bheda (chakra piercing), is a Tantric technique for the pro-
cess of pratyahara, the withdrawal of the senses from exter-
nal objects, events, and identifications. This stills the mind,
breath and body, and allows kundalini to rise. Pratyahara
dissolves the world as we know it, maya, so that the energy
that created our maya can be re-absorbed.
In the normal waking mode of consciousness, in each
chakra, the gravity of maya pulls our kundalini to express
itself through the samskaras of the chakra. All our kund-
alini is dissipated in this way, until we learn some degree
of pratyahara. Whatever kundalini we withdraw from ma-
ya’s gravity field can be directed upward; and when kund-
alini is thus withdrawn from the samskaras to any degree,
the patterns soften and dissolve accordingly.
All perceptions and the objects of

those perceptions are the result of the
action of the five elements - fire, air,
earth, water, and akasha - which re-
side in the five lower chakras. Indra’s
weapon, the vajra, is a three dimen-
sional representation of the five ele- The four prongs of
ments. Vidyut is the lightning bolt, the tips of the vajra
kundalini itself. represent the four
Many traditions include this prac- elements with akasha
in the center
tice in some form, though it tends
to be presented as an aside. It is fre-
quently described as a “purification” technique, which it
is, but purification should be understood here to have no
moral connotations. It has to do with clearing in a very
technical sense, just as dross is removed from molten ore
to refine metal.
Vajra Vidyut is the withdrawal of kundalini from the
elements in their current expression. That expression was
formed by the energy of your kundalini as shaped by the
template of your current habits and the events driven by
your past karma (your samskaras). That expression is the
shadow play you are currently projecting.
The practice of Vajra Vidyut dissolves samskaras and
karmic energy patterns. The kundalini energy released by
this dissolution is consciously drawn upward to the sahas-
rara, just above the crown of the head, where it is refined.
Although some schools of practice then consciously draw
the kundalini down from sahasrara to the lower chakras
to complete a circuit of ascent and descent, this is not
Vajra Vidyut
really necessary. The gravity of maya is normally quite

sufficient to automatically draw the kundalini back down
into the lower chakras. The descending kundalini is re-
absorbed, refining the chakras with each cycle of ascent
and descent.
Your kundalini is directed so that you can redefine and
refine yourself at each new moment. Then, your past no
longer defines your future, and the future will not define
your present.
oà
Practice
First, inhale and draw your conscious-
ness into the muladhara chakra.
Then, transfer your consciousness to
each of the chakras in sequence, begin-
ha
ning with the muladhara (la) at the base
of the spine. In each chakra, intone the
bija mantra once for the chakra, then
ya rise up to the next:
la va ra ya ha om
After you complete the cycle with om
ra in the sahasrara, return to la in the mu-
va ladhara chakra and begin another cycle.
Repeat as many times as you can, and
la
practice this routine on a daily basis.
You can use any breathing technique
that is comfortable for you - at first you
my want to go slowly, for instance, one
breath per chakra, and rise to the next chakra on the next
inhalation. Or, you can rise up all the way from mulad-
hara to vishuddha on one inhalation, then exhale as you

rise to sahasrara from vishuddha:
inhale - la va ra ya ha; exhale - om.
You can also go straight to om (sahasrara) on the in-
breath, but do not intone om mentally until your out-
breath, thus releasing the collected energy into sahasrara
on the outbreath.
Inhalation pulls your energy upward, and coupling the
mantra with the breath helps to keep your mind focussed
and the energy flowing straight up the spine. After enough
repetition, you will associate your inhalation with kund-
alini ascent, even when you are not meditating.
Once you have ascended to sahasrara, drop back
down to the muladhara, la, and repeat the ascent:
la va ra ya ha om.
To close the exercise, descend once from sahasrara, in
sequence through the chakras down the spine:
om ha ya ra va la,
then from muladhara back up to svadhisthana, va; then
down to muladhara, la; up to svadhisthana, va; again; and
finally down to muladhara la.
So, the last ascent and closure would be:
la va ra ya ha om (ascent), then
om ha ya ra va la va la va la (descent and closure).
The descent and closure earths your energy, which can
be helpful. Depending on your astrological chart and your
experience with meditation, you may find this exercise a
Vajra Vidyut
little "heady". The earthing will bring your consciousness

more gently back to the physical plane.
If you do not particularly feel a need to earth your con-
sciousness, you can omit the descent formula. Whether
or not you need earthing depends on your sensitivity, and
how much and what you want to be aware of, as this pro-
cess will make you very psychic.
Increasing your psychic awareness, you extra sensory
perception, is a natural result of raising kundalini and is
called a siddhi. This siddhi is a gift given to you by work-
ing with this technique so that you can move through life
with skill and deeper awareness.
Variations and
Similar Techniques
Variations on Vajra Vidyut

Vajra Vidyut is a core practice with many possible
variations according to the task at hand, and the needs of
the practitioner. Generally, these variants are not substi-
tuted for Vajra Vidyut as presented in the previous chap-
ter. The variants can be used as additional practices, or in
some cases, as prime practice.
Although you do not need a teach-
oà er to make progress, a good teacher
who has worked extensively with these
techniques can discern which variants
ha would be appropriate for you, and of-
fer helpful feedback.
Ajna Vajra Vidyut
ya The first variation, as shown at left,
is the same as Vajra Vidyut except that
instead of going from vishuddi, ha, to
ra om in the sahasrara, the energy goes
from vishuddi, ha, to om, through and
va
out the ajna:
la
la va ra ya ha om (ajna)
The difference between going to om in the sahasrara

and going out the ajna with om is that, with om in the sa-
hasrara, you are placing your consciousness beyond maya.
By going out the ajna, you are going beyond the physical
and into astral regions, but you are still subject to maya
and thus the energy fields of karma.
Ajna Vajra Vidyut is useful for astral projection, ac-
cessing the realms of the devas, and general spiritual de-
velopment and discovery.
Panchikarana Tattwa Shuddhi

The process of manifestation is a result of the five ele-
ments (tattwas) interacting with each other. They are the
qualities of space, locomotion, expansion, contraction,
and cohesion. As the tattwas interact, a fivefold multi-
plication takes place which results in twenty-five tattwa
combinations (see the yantras on the next page). This
process is called panchikarana.
These tattwa combinations are
used as a base set to describe the com- Akasha
ing into being of all forms in all lokas,

Air
and they provide a more detailed pic-
ture of our mental, emotional, and
Fire
physical makeup.
Panchikarana Tattwa Shuddhi is Water
a potent and powerful technique that
addresses this greater level of detail. Earth
The practice creates immediate and
Tattwas
Variations and Similar Techniques
Panchikarana, the 25 tattwa combinations

of the elemental chakras, the five lower chakras.
demonstrable changes in the psyche. Its effect is similar to

being in possession of the most perfect one mukhi rudrak-
sha. It sets up your physical body, prana body, mental body
and emotional body to immediately produce soma, and
the realization that comes with it.
Practice
la va ra ya ha om
Place your conscious-
la va ra ya ha om ness in the sushumna of
your muladhara chakra.
la va ra ya ha om
Breath in and out 10 times.
la va ra ya ha om As you breath in, store the
prana in the muladhara.
Then, breathe in and
la va ra ya ha om hold you consciousness in
muladhara, and on the out-
breath intone aloud
la va ra ya ha om la va ra ya ha om.
la va ra ya ha om
On the in-breath, rise
up sushumna to swadhista-
la va ra ya ha om na, and on the out-breath
intone aloud
la va ra ya ha om.
Repeat this process from chakra to chakra, going up
the sushumna channel to sahasrara. The sequence is mu-
ladhara, swadisthana, manipura, anahata, vishuddha,
chandra, ajna, sahasrara (as shown at left).
From sahasrara, return to the muladhara and begin an-
other cycle up through sushumna. Repeat the cycle about
twenty times.
Although chanting out loud affects all of your koshas, it
has very strong and more specific effects on the annamaya
and pranamaya koshas (physical and etheric vehicles).
Next, repeat the same cycle, but chant in a whisper,
twenty times.
Then, repeat the cycle, but chant only mentally, twenty

times. The whispered chanting and mental (silent) chant-
ing affect your subtler koshas.
Note that, in this practice, the mantra is performed
in the chandra, ajna and sahasrara as an addition to the
basic 25 tattwas of the elemental chakras. In the chandra
chakra this specifically transforms received karma from
the past; and in the ajna chakra it transforms the karmic
matrix being projected into the future.
Dharma Laya
The Dharma Laya mantra is one of the vairocana man-
tras of the Tibetan Tantric Vajrayana school, and is used
to raise kundalini.
The term dharma is understood in many different ways,
at many different levels; but the ultimate Dharma is an
alchemical process, the first part of which is the dissolu-
tion (laya) of the elements, the building blocks of matter,
maya. This Dharma laya (dissolution) makes way for the
second part of the process, the reconstitution of matter,
chakra dhyani-buddha element bija
muladhara Ratnasambhava earth a

swadisthana Aksobhya water va
manipura Amitabha fire ra
anahata Amoghasiddhi air ha
vishuddhi Vairocana akasha kha
sahasrara om
maya, in a more harmonious expression

oà
of the elements.
When realized, this ultimate Dhar-
ma is understood as the only dharma.
Indeed, all concepts and octaves of un-
kha
derstanding of dharma laya, from natu-
ral evolution to mundane daily duties,
are based on the same elemental pro-
ha cess as this mantra and the others pre-
sented here.
Each of the five lower chakras is re-
ra lated to one of the Dhyani-Buddhas,
which represent the elements and their
va
spiritual qualities or wisdom.
a
Practice
The mantra is:
a va ra ha kha om
This mantra directs our awareness away from the world
of sense objects, and toward the source. It is performed in
the same manner as the previous elemental mantras, ris-
ing up through the chakras, beginning in the muladhara
with a, proceeding upward with va in swadisthana, ra in
manipura, ha in anahata, kha in vishuddhi; then to om in
the sahasrara, as shown at left.
Vishnu/Krishna mantra
Another practice for raising kundalini is the monosyl-
labic monotone version of the Vishnu-Krishna mantra
Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya, rendered as:
om na mo bha ga ba te ba su de ba ya
Begin in the muladhara, and gather energy there for
the duration of ten in-breaths.
On the eleventh in-breath, chant the
ya following, all in one breath:
ba
de om in the muladhara,
su na in the swadhistana,
ba
te mo in the manipura,
ba
bha in the anahata,
ga in the vishuddhi,
ba in the sahasrara.
ga On the outbreath, rise above sahas-
rara and continue moving upward with
te ba su de ba ya,
bha one above the other, as far as you can
go from yourself. After ya, come back
to muladhara, repeat the ascension and
mo continue as many times as you care to.
na
oà
Upavestana
Strengthening the aura
The word upavestana literally means wrapping up or
swathing the body, similar to the way ancient Egyptians
wrapped mummies. In Tantra, Upavestana is a practice
for building up the aura surrounding our physical body.
It is sometimes referred to as kosha (casing or covering)
wrap or mummy wrap.
There are many ways to apply Upavestana for differ-
ent effects. Here we present the most fundamental form,
which will balance, earth, and impart strength to the pra-
na body, the etheric aura.
The aura is an energy field that is one of our most im-
portant interfaces with the environment, especially as we
become more conscious through our kundalini practice.
It is a transformer of energies that come to us from out-
side; and is developed by the Tantric to act as a kavaca
(shield, armor, shell). A strong aura keeps out influences
that affect us mentally, emotionally and physically in ways
that we do not want.
On a daily basis our aura is colored by the thoughts,
emotions and physical actions of others as we interact
with them. Some of this influence is intentionally aimed
at us; and some occurs simply because our auras are in-
teracting with someone’s relatively stronger auric field.
Places also have energy fields which influence us and can
be beneficial or harmful.
The complexion and quality of time and space, which

forms our environment and directly affects our aura,
changes constantly. Various tides of planetary and ele-
mental forces ebb and flow throughout the day and night.
The Tantric seeks to achieve some independence from the
vagaries of these cosmic weather patterns, and block out
the detrimental influences which
bombard us from time to time.
oà
Thus, practices and techniques
have been developed to uplift,
balance and energize the aura so haà
that unwanted influences are de-
flected. This helps to keep us on
the path and not be mesmerized
yaà
and pressed into service by other
persons’ or groups’ agendas; nor
be overwhelmed by the cosmic
weather. raà
In addition to the following

technique, lifestyle considerations
vaà
are important for building a strong
aura. These include satsang (good
company), healthy diet, men-
tal and emotional discipline, and
physical exercise and movement
to keep the body healthy.
The practice of Upavestana
will help to make and keep you
firm within the context of an ever laà
changing flow of energies.
Upavestana
Practice
Upavestana is best performed in a standing position.
1. To begin, put your consciousness in your feet, and
feel a ball of energy radiating from the centers of your feet.
Intone, first silently, then in a whisper, and then in full
voice the bija
lam,
then draw the energy and your consciousness up to your
loins and intone (again - silent, whisper, aloud) the bija
vam.
Proceed upward in the same manner as shown in the
diagram at left on the facing page.
* 2. When you reach om in the sahasrara, ex-

hale, drawing a band of energy down, centered
in front of you (imagine a long white cloth or
white light) from above your head down to
just below your feet. Inhale, drawing the band
upward from below your feet to
above your head, centered be-
hind you.
*
3. Exhale, drawing the band out to your

right side and down below your feet. Inhale,
drawing the band upward out to your left side
from below your feet to above your head.
*
4. Exhale, drawing the band down from
above your head out to your right front and
down to below your feet. Inhale, drawing the
band upward from below your feet, behind you
to your left and up to above your head.
5. Exhale, drawing the band down from

above your head out to your left front and
down to below your feet. Inhale, drawing the
band upward from below your feet, behind
you to your right and up to above your head.
6. Then, draw the band down below

your feet and swirl it upward around your
body clockwise, wrapping yourself like a
mummy, ending above your head.
Note - it is not necessary to whisper

* or speak aloud the bija mantras if it is in-
convenient; but if you can do so, it is quite
powerful.
Details of the
Elemental Chakras
Following is material for more in-depth work with each
of the elemental chakras. This may be helpful to prepare
for "the ascent of Mt. Meru," in other words, enlivening
your chakras for the practice of vajra vidyut and other
techniques for raising kundalini.
One way to use this material is to transfer your con-
sciousness into the yantra of the chakra you are working
on and chant its elemental bija mantra. While chanting
Chandra
ÖAjna (solar)
(lunar) ×
Mercury Akasha - Vishuddi
Ø
Venus Air - Anahata
Ù
Mars Fire - Manipura
Ú
Jupiter Water - Svadisthana
Û
Saturn Earth - Muladhara
Ü
the bija, visualize the color of the element and imagine

the sensation that goes with it, such as heat for the fire
element and coolness for water, and so forth.
Included is a simple asana to stimulate each particu-
lar chakra. There are of course, many more asanas that
can serve the same purpose, but since information about
Hatha Yoga is widely available, we leave it to you if you
wish to use alternative asanas.
Details of the Elemental Chakras
Muladhara
Bija - l - La Prthivi / Earth
Ü Saturn
The earth element limits consciousness to
form but also gives us the ability to use objects
and form to transcend our limitations, as in the
use of ritual objects. The qualities of earth are
gravity, weight, density, and cohesion. It is yin,
magnetic and in-drawing. The color of earth var-
ies from one region to another, so for visualiza-
tion, imagine whatever color of soil you are famil-
iar with, and a feeling of heaviness and gravity.
You can transfer your consciousness to the deep-
est caverns of the earth and become one with the
earth element.
Asana to stimulate muladhara:
tadasana (mountain pose).
Svadhisthana
Bija - v - Va Apas / Water
Û Jupiter
The water element rules emotions and feeling. It is yin,
magnetic, receptive, in-drawing and attractive. Visualize the
color blue-green and feel the coolness of the element in your
imagination. You can transfer your consciousness into a lake,
pond, river or ocean and immerse
yourself. You can also meditate
upon the power of great waterfalls
like Niagara, or the Moon and the
tides.
Asana to stimulate svadhisthana:
trikonasana (triangle pose)
Manipura
Bija - r - Ra Tejas / Fire
Ú Mars
The fire element is yang, electric in nature and outgoing. It
is action and energy; light and vision; color and visualization.
Imagine the color red and the brightness of the light given off by
fire. Feel heat and expansion; or transfer your consciousness to
the center of the sun, or to any fire such as a candle flame, and
become one with it.
Asana to stimulate manipura:

viparita karan (reverse pose).
Anahata
Bija - y - Ya Vayu / Air
Ù Venus
The air element is yang, electric in nature and outgoing; re-
lated to the divine quality of omniscience and wisdom. Visualize
a light sky-blue color, and imagine your body becoming very
light. One form of air meditation is to look up at the sky, close
your eyes and rise up into the sky and become one with it. Feel
the breeze, the wind, the hurricane, the tornado. Feel light as
air and imagine there is no gravity.
Asana to stimulate anahata:

balasana (child's pose).
¥ ¤
Vishuddha
Bija - h - Ha Akasha / Ether
Ø Mercury
Akasha is timeless and spaceless, and called the fifth pow-
er. Its active symbol is the five-pointed star or pentagram, and
its meditation symbol is the bindu or point. It
is the element from which the other four are
derived, and the essence of everything which is
nothing, and which contains all. The Tantric
phrase, “What is here is there, what is not here
is not there,” is the foundation of understanding
akasha. Visualize the color violet or ultraviolet
and imagine that you are the center of, and con-
nected to every point in infinite space.
Asana to stimulate vishuddha:

sarvangasana (shoulder stand).
Kundalini Upanishad
With some reluctance, we shall speak here of the Kun-
dalini Upanishad. This text is considered a minor Upani-
shad and is of little importance except that it is respon-
sible for much misunderstanding. It is generally thought
to be of 16th century origin, and is basically a laundry list
of Hatha Yoga techniques, compiled by someone without
much understanding or experience. It cannot be said of-
ten enough that just because a text is old does not mean
that the person(s) who wrote, translated, or edited it
knew their subject well. Having the ability to write things
down is one thing; having knowledge and experience in
any given field is something else.
That said, there are some interesting and possibly help-
ful techniques in this Upanishad. By and large, the tech-
niques are ones that will throw the consciousness into the
ida (lunar) nadi. This is a reasonable approach to the extent
that most humans are dominated by pingala (solar) con-
sciousness. When that is the case, a focus on developing
ida nadi awareness will tend to balance out pingala nadi.
However, this type of one-sided approach is quite limited,
and the Kundalini Upanishad also includes the use of harsh
methods that are not at all necessary (or wise) for raising
kundalini. The techniques offered elsewhere in this book
are balanced techniques, safe and suitable for everybody,
and they will take you further. We do not recommend the
Kundalini Upanishad techniques for serious work.
An analogy for the Kundalini Upanishad methods would

be to imagine you are on the ground floor of a seven story
building, and instead of simply walking up the stairs or
taking the elevator to the seventh floor, you go out, gath-
er rock climbing accoutrements, scale the outside of the
building and climb in through a seventh floor window. All
three methods can get you to the same place, but the rock
climbing approach lacks elegance and energy efficiency,
and has far greater risks of bodily harm, damage to the
building, and failure to achieve the goal.
Kechari mudra
As presented in the Kundalini Upanishad, and as it is
popularly understood, kechari mudra is reaching the tip of
the tongue back past the soft palate and ideally up into the
nasal cavity. This leads us to the most egregiously stupid
technique included in the Kundalini Upanishad: the cut-
ting of the frenulum linguae, underneath the tongue, to
better perform kechari mudra. This is totally unnecessary
and dangerous - do not do it. Such surgical intervention
is totally antithetical to the spirit of the practice of yoga. If
you actually believe you should resort to such measures to
become enlightened, you are very much missing the point.
Kechari literally means space-walker or akasha-walker;
and thus implies the magical power of flying, the siddhi
of astral projection. The purpose of the positioning of the
tongue in kechari mudra is to stimulate the chandra (lu-
nar) chakra, located in the soft spot above the back of
the neck where the spine meets the skull. The tip of the
tongue directs prana toward the chandra chakra, which
Kundalini Upanishad
creates a bridge between waking consciousness (pingala)

and etheric-astral consciousness (ida). This promotes the
ability to “be awake” in the astral realms.
However, the real kechari mudra is not the tongue posi-
tioning, it is the placing of your consciousness in the chan-
dra chakra. This can be achieved in meditation without
any physical contortions at all, simply by moving your point
of perspective back away from the front of your head to the
chandra chakra at the back of your head. Feel that you are
observing everything from the chandra chakra.
Yajna
At the heart of Vedic ritual practice is yajna, in which
offerings such as grain are burned in a ritual fire with spe-
cific mantras.
Yajna can also be used to raise kundalini.
In the grain offered to the fire, we sacrifice the parts
of ourselves that are hindering moksha. Agni, the fire, is
the messenger who carries the offering to the higher lokas.
As each offering is cast into the fire, its respective element
within your sphere of sensation, and the chakra in which
the element resides, are transformed or purified, inwardly
(ida) and outwardly (pingala).
It is a process of transmutation. Thus, we have the eas-
ing of difficult karma, the clearing of samskaras related to
each tattwa (element); and renewal and regeneration of
the self. This clearing and transmutation allows kundalini
to rise up the spine through each chakra to sahasrara. That
is why it is said that yajna brings you to brahma loka (sahas-
rara).
The ritual is best performed in the waning of the moon,
from Full Moon (Purnima) to New Moon (Amavasya); and
when the akasha tattwa is flowing, which is at sunrise and
sunset. Other times are acceptable, but akasha times are
best if your schedule permits.
The specific ideal time for yajna is New Moon, either

at sunrise or sunset, but preferably at sunset. Sunrise and
sunset times are available for your specific latitude and
longitude in almanacs, and also on-line. Many astrological
programs also provide this information.
Full Moon represents maya (illusion), sirguna Brahman
(Brahman with attributes), form, and occurs when the
moon is exactly opposite the sun.
The New Moon represents moksha (liberation) and oc-
curs when the moon is exactly conjunct the sun. The Sun
and Moon coming together represents akasha, sushumna,
bindu, and the balance, synthesis and coming together of
the electric and magnetic, the yin and yang. The New Moon
represents nirguna Brahman (Brahman without attributes),
formlessness. It is also maithuna, the coming together of
Shiva-Sun and Shakti-Moon, which creates moksha.
To perform yajna to raise kundalini, you will need a ves-
sel to hold the fire (kunda), dried cow dung (gobar), clari-
fied butter (ghee), a spoon for casting the offerings into the
fire, and matches or arani (fire stick). Yajna (also known
as agni hotra) supplies can be purchased on line, or you can
improvise or make your own.
For the offering, you will need rice grains, or some oth-
er type of grain or other seeds, if you wish. Five offerings
are cast into the fire, one for each element. Each offering
should be about five to ten grains. You can simply use one
type of grain, rice for instance, for all five elements; or, you
Yajna
element/
chakra mantra color offering
tattwa
muladhara earth/prithivi om lam svaha browns to barley,

ochre caraway seed
swadisthana water/apas om vam svaha blue green oats
manipura fire/tejas om ram svaha red peppercorns,
mustard seed
anahata air/vayu om yam svaha light blue peas,
rosebuds
vishudda akasha om ham svaha violet or rice
transparent
can divide up the grain and dye it in five different colors;

or, you can use five different kinds of grain or seeds, one for
each element. The table above lists some suggestions for
readily available grains and seeds and appropriate colors for
each element.
Practice
To prepare for the ritual, spread a small amount of ghee
on a few pieces of gobar, and stack the gobar in the kunda.
Gather the grains for the offering and place them in a
dish with a spoon beside the kunda. If you are using dyed
or various types of grains, keep them separated according
to their element.
Seat your self before the kunda and pronounce the man-
tra loom 108 times aloud.
When akasha tattwa is in progress, light the ghee-cov-
ered gobar.
Pronounce this mantra aloud:
om bhu bhuva svaha maha jana tapa satya.
Then, scoop up the prithivi tattwa grains and fling the

offering into the fire. As you do this, chant
om lam svaha
out loud once, then whisper it once, and then pronounce
it mentally once.
Perform the same process for each chakra-tattwa with
the appropriate mantra and offering for each chakra. From
the muladhara chakra, proceed upward to the next chakra,
svadhisthana, and so on, in the order given in the table on
the previous page, up to vishuddha. The ritual ends with
the clearing of vishuddha, which allows kundalini to rise to
sahasrara.
Stay with the fire until it burns down completely to ashes.
The ash in the kunda contains the soma, nectar of the
gods, brought back to earth (muladhara) from the sahas-
rara through the chandra chakra. These ashes are known
as vibhuti and are traditionally smeared on the third eye,
the ajna chakra. Rubbed on the ajna, they are auspicious
and conducive to success in everything you do.
Siddhis, Astrology
and Kundalini
During the course of your practice of raising kund-
alini, you will notice that certain capabilities often con-
sidered paranormal, psychic, and of a magical nature be-
come a part of your experience.
These abilities are called siddhis and should be taken
in stride. This is easier said than done at first; however,
over a short period of time, siddhis will become as com-
monplace to you as sitting down and eating dinner.
Techniques for raising kundalini and developing sid-
dhis are many millennia old. The practice of these tech-
niques was an everyday part of life in many different cul-
tures and is expressed in their stories and symbols.
Each culture has its magicians, the keepers of magi-
cal formulas. For thousands of years such formulas have
been handed down by word of mouth in secret initiatory
traditions. In modern times, few people are aware that
this has been and is going on, as most people’s conscious-
ness is dominated by day to day pursuits they feel are
more worthy; and, modern culture reinforces such a de-
valuation of the pursuit of “inner” development.
Among others, India and Tibet are regions where there
are traditions still near enough to the surface to provide
obvious links to past esoteric practices, and many western-

ers look to that part of the world and its richness of cultures
with strong inner traditions. In Foundations of Tibetan Mys-
ticism, author Lama Anagarika Govinda (a westerner and
well known teacher of Tibetan Buddhism) states,
“The mystery-cults of Egypt, Mesopotamia and
Greece, of Incas and Mayas, have perished with the
destruction of their civilizations and are forever lost to
our knowledge except for some scanty fragments.”
For the most part Govinda is correct, but there are current
lineages that carry and pass on the secret living traditions.
Our guru’s guru Shellji (Shelly Trimmer) was a direct
disciple of Paramahansa Yogananda, but Shellji also grew
up in a subculture that carried on hereditary Western
and Native American occult traditions, in which he was
trained. He quite often stated, “I am a Magician!”
Goswami Kriyananda (our guru) and Shellji taught
techniques from the esoteric systems of both the East and
the West; and both often stated that techniques for work-
ing with kundalini currents have come down to us not
only from India, but also ancient Egypt, and other cul-
tures (such as Hopi) as well.
The occult keys to the secrets of the Egyptian hiero-
glyphs are not readily apparent to most people (includ-
ing Egyptologists), however Jean Houston in The Passion
of Isis and Osiris has mentioned that even certain schol-
ars such as Joseph Campbell “..believed that the ancient
Egyptians may have known and worked with a system
Siddhis, Astrology and Kundalini
of chakras, perhaps even a kind of kundalini yoga.” Of

course they did, and it is interesting that, finally, even the
scholarly mythologists have begun to perceive the occult
connections of certain symbols. More people are becom-
ing attuned to the broader, multi-dimensional universe
we inhabit, and this is a good thing.
The snake is a fairly universal symbol of kundalini, ser-
pent power. In Hindu Tantric systems, kundalini is de-
picted as a snake coiled around a lingam three and a half
times within a triangle in the muladhara chakra. In ancient
Egypt, it has been represented
by the uraeus, a serpent issuing
forth from the third eye, the ajna
chakra. On a humorous note,
Egyptian magicians were called
“snake straighteners,” which is a
reference to their ability to make
kundalini rise straight upward
along the spine.
Astrologically, serpents are related to the sign of Scor-
pio and the planet Pluto. Scorpio and Pluto represent the
alchemical process of transmutation that occurs when
kundalini rises up through the chakras. As the serpent
rises in the chakras, it is transformed into the eagle, which
is another symbol of the zodiacal sign Scorpio. The eagle
represents the flight of consciousness above the confines
of form.
The Indian myths of Garuda (who has the form of a
large bird, and is the mount of Vishnu) relate to this pro-
cess of transformation. Some kundas (ritual fire pits) are

shaped like a bird with outstretched wings to denote this
flight, which is the transmutation of consciousness. When
yajna (fire sacrifice) is performed, in the fire pit of mu-
ladhara (Saturn, the earth element and physical matter),
the fire of manipura (Mars and desire) releases kundalini.
The serpent rises from muladhara and is transformed into
the soaring bird, the eagle.
Raising the djed, the opening of the way.
The Egyptian symbol for the spine is the djed (some-
times called a tet). It is a column with four rings and a
knob or sphere on top. The style of the top varies depend-
ing on the specific function represented. The four rings
represent the four lower chakras and the elements earth,
fire, water, and air; and the knob or sphere represents
the fifth element, akasha. Sometimes a shuti (two feather
adornment) appears at the top of the djed and represents
ida and pingala nadi, the lunar and solar currents.
The process, and the understanding of the process, of
passing up and through the djed is represented by the hi-
eroglyph of a ladder, a symbol of energy rising up the spine
common to many cultures. For instance, in the Bible,
Genesis 28:10-19, Jacob’s dream of a ladder is a ladder to
the other world. The hieroglyphs of both the ladder and
the djed are commonly used in talismans for the raising of
kundalini.
In astrology, this ladder is referred to as the ladder of
the planets, or the ladder of lights. Each rung of the ladder
Raising the djed
is a planet, a chakra, and two zodiacal signs (see diagrams,

next page). It is beyond the scope of this book to go into
this system in detail, but some correspondences should be
noted. There is a relationship between planetary and zo-
diacal energies and the chakra system, which is expressed
in the Tantric formula, “What is here is there. What is not
here is nowhere.” (Visvasara Tantra), which is the same as
õ ö
ô ×Ö ÷
Ø
ó ø
Ù
þ Ú ù
Û
ý Ü ú
ü û
Circle-point mandala version of the ladder of the planets
the axiom of Hermes Trismegistus, “What is above is the

same as that which is below.” (Hermes Trismegistus has
roots in the Egyptian god Toth.)
As the planets move through the zodiacal signs, cor-
responding currents flow through the chakras. The rela-
tionship between the zodiacal signs, planetary movements,
spinal currents and chakras is presented in the chapter
"The science of kriya yoga" in Paramahamsa Yogananda’s

Autobiography of a Yogi.
Some details of the astrology of the muladhara chakra
are of particular interest for raising kundalini. At Winter
Solstice the solar currents are in the muladhara on the ida
side, which is the sign of Capricorn, as shown in the ladder
of planets. Then, as the Sun moves into Aquarius, the solar
current shifts to the pingala side of the muladhara, shown at
the bottom right of the illustration below. Capricorn (ruled
by Saturn) perpetually binds energy into form. Aquarius
(ruled by Uranus) releases energy from form. That is the
mystical significance of the Capricorn-Aquarius polarity of
the muladhara chakra.
Sun in Capricorn is also called
×Ö the grave, or lowest point of the
õ ö
sun, from which the sun slowly be-
÷ Ø ô gins to rise higher in the sky. Each
winter solstice, ancient Egyptians
ó Ù ø performed the ritual raising of the
djed, the pillar of Osiris. This was a
ù Ú þ mystery play about raising kundalini
up through the spine. The djed was
ý Û ú the spine of Osiris, and the raising
of the djed is related to the resur-
û Ü ü rection of Osiris (the raising of the
Ladder of the kundalini).
planets as chakras
Goswami Kriyananda used to instruct his students to

begin their practice of techniques to raise kundalini on
the Winter Solstice in order to take advantage of the solar
tide rising up through the chakras. There are also other
cycles, planetary, monthly and daily which are related and
can be used in the same way. It is not necessary to start
the practice at any particular time, but working with the
cycles does add momentum your efforts. It is like the add-
ed boost a pilot gets when flying in the jet stream.
This is why, for instance, India’s great pilgrimage, the
Kumbha Mela, occurs according to the 12 year Jupiter
cycle, and the solar and lunar cycles occurring within it.
This combination of timing and location is considered to
be so auspicious that the act of bathing in the river at one
of these points in space-time can release multiple lifetimes’
worth of karmic dross. Kumbha is the Sanskrit name for
the sign Aquarius, and mela means festival. Haridwar, on
the Ganges River, is generally considered to be the origi-
nal site of this massive gathering, based on the fact that
it is host to a “full” Kumbha Mela when Jupiter enters
Aquarius (Kumbha).
In terms of the astrology of the muladhara chakra, at
this point in the Jupiter cycle, the expansive forces of Ju-
piter have moved out of the ida side of the muladhara
(which is Capricorn, Saturn-ruled, and characterized by
limitation and the constriction of form); and into the pin-
gala side, which is Aquarius, Uranus-ruled and character-
ized by the release of energy from form, liberation.
Siddhis
Much ado has been made of siddhis, but after the first
blush, as with many things in life, siddhis become part
of the usual state of affairs for us. Some siddhis will be
intermittent, some will come just once and never be ex-
perienced again, and others will remain with you for the
rest of your present incarnation. Expect your horizons to
be widened and your experiences to be above the norm,
that is, supernormal.
Raising kundalini always comes with advanced psychic
perceptions and capabilities that are, to the average per-
son’s understanding, nothing short of miraculous. To the
Tantric they are not miracles, but simply skills to be used
on the path to enlightenment. Every human being has
these capabilities, but they usually lie dormant, as repre-
sented by the coiled kundalini serpent in the muladhara
chakra. When you practice the techniques given in this
book, you will discover that your latent abilities are awak-
ened; and you should prepare for them psychologically.
You will need to understand them and put them in their
proper place in the scheme of things.
As a reader of this text, you are aware that kundalini as
a phenomenon exists, and that as you work with it, events
of a supernatural nature will occur as a matter of course.
Some people, however, have experienced kundalini with-
out any kind of a framework within which to understand
the experience. A case in point:
Years ago in one of our favorite esoteric book stores we

happened to meet a woman there who asked if we knew
anything about kundalini. She then related to us what she
called "a most interesting experience."
One night she awoke to find herself in her bedroom
walking around. She had no recollection of getting out of
bed, but there she was, totally awake and walking around.
She thought at first that she had awakened from a sleep-
walking episode, though that had never happened to her
before. Puzzled, she walked back toward the bed to lie
down again. As she approached the bed, she gasped in
fright as she saw herself lying on the bed, not moving,
her complexion pale and her body lifeless. She thought,
“I must be dead!” On thinking that, she immediately was
drawn back into her body and opened her physical eyes.
She was totally conscious during this whole experience.
This was the first of many out-of-the-body experiences
that she had night after night. Sometimes she would leave
her body immediately upon lying down and find herself in
other very different worlds, all of which were delightful,
but frightening to her, in that she was totally conscious
and did not have a clue as to where she was and what
was happening. The experiences were as real to her as
any other part of daily life; and she began to believe that
she was going off the deep end and needed psychiatric
or medical intervention. She thought she would lose her
sanity totally if she did not get immediate help.
She saw her doctor, who referred her to a psychiatrist
and other medical professionals to diagnose and recom-
mend a treatment strategy. While they conferred over

a period of weeks about the possibilities of either shock
therapy or drugs or a combination of both, she happened
to meet an old friend that she had not seen in many years
on a bus ride home. This friend happened to be carrying
a book she was reading about kundalini, and she began
talking enthusiastically about the phenomenon. As the
woman listened she realized quite quickly that what her
friend was describing was exactly the type of experiences
she was having. The next day she bought herself a copy
and read the whole book in one sitting.
She said that a powerful wave of relief swept over her
as she realized that her experiences were a great gift to be
enjoyed and not to be feared. She considered herself to
be very lucky as she was very close to having treatment
that might very well have left her electro-shocked or a
drugged-out automaton.
As she spoke, we could feel the power of her relief and
happiness as she described her discovery of the nature of
these mysterious events in her life. This had occurred over
a year in the past, and since then, whenever she had the
opportunity, she would visit the bookstore to see if there
were any new books on kundalini and astral projection to
add to her already sizable library. She also was able to con-
nect with groups of people who have had similar experienc-
es world-wide. She was a happy person in telling her story
and her aura as well as her physical demeanor showed that
she was now a very content and enthusiastic adventurer,
full of life and energy.
This particular person was very fortunate that circum-

stances put reading material into her hands that exactly
mirrored her experience and saved her from a horrible fate
in the clutches of the mental health and medical commu-
nity. This is not to say that health care providers don’t
have a place in the scheme of things, but at times they do
not know their place in the scheme of things. There is a
need for intervention in true cases of mental breakdown,
but the western medical tradition is not yet mature enough
to understand that there is a difference between halluci-
nations they might see in cases of maladjusted psyches,
and the beneficial real space-time shifts in consciousness
that occur as kundalini awakens.
As you practice raising kundalini, you will find many
people, including professional advisors and close friends,
not knowledgeable about, or understanding enough of
these new experiences in your life. It is unfortunate that
modern culture, especially western, does not easily give
validity to any experience except what is considered ma-
terial or physical. Your new perspective will change the
people you relate to and the things you do. You have to
walk your own path, but also gather around you people
who can give you support and are capable of understand-
ing you and your experiences. In Sanskrit this is called
satsang, which means “keeping company with the wise.”
Although many ancient texts mention siddhis, they
are usually presented in such an archaic manner that they
seem far off and unattainable. This is why a good teacher
can be very helpful by providing a contemporary perspec-
tive of the varied phenomenon you may encounter.
Personal experiences
X-ray vision
Many years ago, when I first learned to work with kun-
dalini, I had an interesting experience with what I call
x-ray vision.
It was a very sunny and pleasant day, and I was feel-
ing particularly good. I was extremely eager to work with
a newly learned kundalini technique as I lay down in bed
to meditate. A few minutes after I had closed my eyes, an
image began to form. I was seeing a series of thin boards in
front of me within the ceiling. Between the slats was mold,
and I presumed that since I was living in a top floor apart-
ment, that the moisture from the flat roof had seeped in
and created the moldy condition around the wood plaster
slats. After a while I was satisfied that I had seen enough
of moldy slats and decided to open my eyes and see if the
x-ray vision would linger. I opened my eyes quickly and
found the ceiling as usual, a very smooth plaster and no
slats were visible.
I lay there for a while wondering if indeed there were
plaster slats in the ceiling. How could I find out, short
of tearing the ceiling down? As I gazed upward, I soon
noticed dust lines running across the ceiling at the same
distance as the slats. Here, in faint outline, was proof that
I actually did see the moldy slats.
For the next few days I was quite entranced by this
experience of x-ray vision. What was happening was that
I was seeing with my etheric eyes at just the wavelength
where I could see through the dense plaster completely.
I found out in later experiments that I could more or less

control the degree that I could see through an object. Our
normal eyesight is limited to quite a narrow band of per-
ception, and it is interesting that by raising my conscious-
ness to a higher vibration I could see right through denser
slower vibration material objects.
Materialization
Materializations are more common than generally sup-
posed. Sooner or later, you will have a brush with such
phenomenon: scent, sound, image, or physical matter.
A simple example:
A goddess visits
One night I had been reading about various gods and
goddesses in the Hindu pantheon and I decided to try va-
jra vidyut to the ajna chakra and see if I could catch a
glimpse of one of these deities. I chose the goddess Kali. I
practiced the technique for about half an hour, but could
not see anything. As I opened my eyes at the end of my
attempt, I suddenly saw before me, a shimmering image of
a very beautiful woman. The image at first was wavy and
undulating and then slowly became solid, stable and in full
color. I knew instinctively that this was the goddess I had
sought. The image was sustained before me for about fif-
teen seconds and then dissolved in the same fashion that
it had appeared. Apparently my actions had precipitated a
very unusual materialization, by a renowned visitor. I felt
most honored.
Siddhis include other phenomena such as psychokine-

sis, levitation, precognitive experiences and projection of
the consciousness (often called etheric or astral projec-
tion) as well as time travel into past and future probability
events. It is typical to have a mix of phenomena, such as
precognitive and projection experience at the same time,
as in this story.
Remote viewing
One night while sleeping, I awoke in my etheric body.
I found myself in a dimly lit part of the etheric standing
over a bin. Inside this bin were many hats. They were the
type of hats that uniformed people wear, with shiny leath-
er bills on the front. The odd thing was that all the bills
were cut off the caps. As I stared into the bin, I could not
help but think that this was really stupid. I tried to figure
out why the bills would be cut off and was very perplexed
and amused. I came back to my body, opened my eyes,
laughed, shook my head and went to sleep.
During the next few weeks I thought often about the
bin with the silly-looking caps. This projection was par-
ticularly interesting to me because I intuitively knew that
it was a physical plane projection at a certain wavelength
where everything would more or less be seen as it is with
the physical eyes, but I could not understand how or why
the bills would be cut off the caps. This part of the etheric
is a region that relates closely to physical plane actualities,
and where symbolism is uncharacteristic.
I forgot about the incident until several months later

when I got a part-time job with a clothing manufacturer.
My first day there, I walked through the tailor room to the
uniform department in the back. As I was looking around,
I put my hands on a bin on the floor, about three feet
high. I bent over to see what was in it and got the shock
of my life. There, in the bin were the very same caps with
the bills cut off.
Although you see many things on the etheric that you
do not see on the physical, somehow I knew that the caps
were not symbolic, but actual physical things. Still, I could
not work out why someone would cut the bills off the caps
and throw them in a bin. I found out that the caps were
being reprocessed and it was common to put new bills on
old hats.
In a sense this was a minor incident, but it really was
a major step in gaining the ability to discriminate in the
etheric, and it was powerful because of the very specific
physical plane confirmation that I got later. In analyzing
this experience, one could say that two siddhis occurred
at the same time: precognition, which told me where I was
going to be and what I would see in a matter of months
(sort of time travel, if you will); and astral projection (out-
of-body experience), proof that our consciousness is not
locked into the body.
Tantra and siddhis

Many texts and teachers say that siddhis should be
avoided, and that they are only signposts on the way to
an ultimate goal. That they are signposts is true to some
degree, but as to avoiding them, one might as well say that
humans also should avoid using fire.
There is a problematic tendency to interpret siddhis as
an indication that one has “arrived,” that one has achieved
some sort of spiritual merit. “Signposts on the way” should
be emphasized - siddhis may be providing feedback that
you are making progress, but there is little doubt that the
road still stretches far beyond you.
Bear in mind also that siddhis do not only come into
being for people practicing some sort of yogic discipline.
Just as with talents of any sort, different humans are born
with different levels of natural abilities, and this includes
the various siddhis. A person’s astrological natal chart is
a good indicator of what siddhis that person may already
have, or could easily develop.
The Tantric does not avoid siddhis, but instead inte-
grates them into daily life. Siddhis teach us about ourselves
and the cosmos, and how it works and is constructed. As
a child matures into an adult, a wider arena of experience
opens up for them. The expansion of consciousness is our
cosmic maturation. It is up to us to use these additional
skills in a positive, knowledgeable, and wise manner.
We agree with Sri Aurobindo that it seems that it is
the karma of humans to expand our consciousness. In the
future these miraculous-seeming capabilities will become
a part of everyone’s skill set, and will be applied on a daily

basis without a second thought.
Perhaps the most important siddhi is the intuition
which guides us through our daily life to the best positive
outcomes for us and others around us. In that light, we
offer this daily mantra:
Let everyone be happy, healthy, and see the good things.
Let no pain or sorrow come to anyone.
This is a tall order, and no doubt seems, to our adult

minds, laughable and naive. The intent, however, is not
to fool ourselves about the nature of the reality around us,
but to elevate ourselves and others out of the fray. This
does not mean that you will never again have to fight an
arch enemy in the future, but, as Krishna taught Arjuna
in the Bhagavad Gita, when you must, you can do so with-
out rancor.
The above mantra will protect you from yourself, and
any part of the dissonance surrounding you which is the
result of your own doing. Repeat the mantra daily and you
will eventually grow into it, and become that vibration. It
sets up a positive framework which can be filled in as you
move along through life, and will help you avoid compli-
cations and disharmony.
Life can be a very tough proposition, and although
many times you will not feel the words of this mantra, and
you may indeed be numb to its essential meaning; stick
with it and repeat it daily. It will have an effect. This man-
tra is not an autosuggestion device, but is a statement of
what you want to see; despite yourself, the people around

you, and the conditions that surround you. It is not nec-
essary to put feeling into this mantra, as it will eventually
put the feeling into you when you need it.
Displaying siddhis
Enjoy the capabilities you have, but be cautious about
exposing them to others. People crave unusual experienc-
es, but they usually do not want to put in the work to de-
velop these abilities themselves. At times people will ask
you to do this trick or that trick to satisfy their curiosity
and entertain them. Don’t do it! If you do, you will simply
become a circus act, a trained animal jumping through
hoops to amuse a silly crowd.
This is an attitude born of many experiences. Here is
one such story.
A close friend of mine was accustomed to the phe-
nomenon that surrounds me at times. One of my newly
found skills was the ability to materialize scents, which
is a siddhi often experienced by those just beginning to
practice.
My friend told her brother about the materializations
I had performed. One day we were visiting him, and he
asked if I would materialize a scent for him. He said he was
skeptical, but that he had an open mind, especially after
hearing what his sister told him, as he knew her to be a very
practical person, and not given to strange imaginings.
I sat in a padmasana position on the floor and I asked
him to join me by sitting on the floor in front of me, facing
me. After he settled in, I asked him to tell me what scent

he would like to have materialized. He said rose incense.
In a few seconds we were surrounded by the strong scent
of rose incense.
He looked at me in utter astonishment and was speech-
less for a few seconds and then blurted out, “You are a re-
ally good hypnotist!”
A sort of a smile formed on my face, as I thought to
myself, “I’m sorry that you didn’t get it and couldn’t over-
come your own analytic overlay, but that’s life I guess.”
I satisfied his curiosity, but he could not at that mo-
ment in his life accept the fact that materialization had
just occurred right in front of his face. Such a thing was
outside his comfort zone and violated the safe, sane and
orderly world that formed his version of reality. Material-
ization was not part of his schema.
This experience and numerous others like it has as-
sured us quite firmly that no matter what you do, other
people will inevitably subject their interpretation of the
phenomenon to their own mental and emotional twists
and turns.
Never let anyone put you in a position where you must
prove anything to them. It is not your job to do so unless
you really want to. The best answer to give to phenomena
seekers is to tell them to practice the techniques and find
out for themselves.
Stay away from the idea of becoming perfect, a saint or
a wise person who ejects wisdom like a Pez dispenser for
the misguided masses. Do not try to be humble - humility
has to be learned like anything else and in time will take

you over of its own accord. And once again, don’t for one
second think that having siddhis means you have arrived.
From a larger perspective they are of no consequence and
are simply another play in the game.
Glossary
Agama Texts of Tantric tradition.
Agni Hotra Fire ritual.
Agni Fire element.
Ajna Sun chakra, "third eye."
Akasha The fifth element, ether, which is the source of the
other four elements air, fire, water and earth.
Alchemy The art of transmutation and transformation.
Amavasya New Moon.
Anahata Venus chakra, air element.
Annamayakosha
Food sheath.
Antar Kumbhaka
Holding the breath between the last inhalation and
last exhalation of each cycle.
Anukhyatr Revealer.
Apas Water element.
Arani A pair of wooden sticks used to start fire by friction,
usually operated by two people.
Arjuna Main character in the Bhagavad Gita, who is con-
versing with the avatar Krishna.
Asana Usually a physical posture in Hatha Yoga, but can
also be mental and emotional posture.
Astral plane A dimension of time and space, more subtle than
the physical plane.
Aura Pranic energy body surrounding our physical bodies.
Avidya Ignorance.
Glossary
Axis Mundi Center of the world or cosmos as you conceive it.

Ayurveda Art and science of well-being and healing with his-
torical roots in the Artharvaveda. It shares elements
with other healing systems such as Unani, Siddha,
Sa Rigpa, and Rasashastra.
Bhagavad Gita Extracted portion of the Mahabharata. An impor-
tant text, being a guide to the art of living in time
and space
Bhakti Yoga Practice of devotion as a path to moksha
Bhasma Ash or calcined ash, depending on context
Bhurloka Physical plane, the tangible physical universe
Bhutta Shuddhi see Vajra Vidyut.
Bhuvarloka Astral plane, a dimension of time and space beyond
the physical.
Bija Seed, essence.
Bindu Point or dot. The center of everything which is
everywhere, the akasha doorway.
Brahma The creator within you.
Brhaspati The planet Jupiter Û.
Budha The planet Mercury Ø.
Caduceus A symbol of the cerebro-spinal system showing the
relationships of ida, pingala, and sushumna.
Causal Plane Another dimension of time and space.
Chakra Literally, wheel. A step-up and step-down trans-
former of energy. Subtle energy center. The major
chakras are located along the spine, and are mulad-
hara, svadhisthana, manipura, anahata, vishuddha,
ajna, and chandra.
Chakra Bheda Chakra piercing.
Chandra The Moon ×, and the chakra.
Chi Also known as prana or etheric energy.
Circle-Point Mandala
A meditation tool, and mandala of an entire phi-
losophy.
Coagula Coagulation, formation, form, condensation.
Devas Celestial beings. Entities that exist in another di-
mension of time and space.
Dharma Laya Technique to raise kundalini.
Dharma What you think you should be doing according to
your lights.
Dhyani Buddhas
Five aspects of Buddha in time and space; or ac-
cording to Buddhist doctrine, what Buddha does to
purify the five aggregates.
Diksha Initiation
Djed (Tet) Ancient Egyptian symbol of the cerebro-spinal sys-
tem representing the 5 elements and the elemental
chakras.
Ego Our composite sense of self on all levels.
Egregores Group thought-forms that feed on your energy, cre-
ated and fueled by groups of people, intentionally
or not. They are entities with definite personalities.
Elements Specific movements of energy often called fire, air,
earth, and water.
Etheric Plane Another dimension of time and space directly above
the physical. It is the matrix for physical form.
Garuda Mythical bird similar to the phoenix which arises
out of ashes reborn and renewed.
Ghee Clarified butter.
Gobar Cow dung used as fuel for ritual fires.
Granthis Knots, or blockages in the chakras, where kundalini
is diverted horizontally.
Guru Inner or outer, a teacher of what is.
Glossary
Hatha Yoga Physical discipline used to balance the physical body

and attune it to higher vibratory rates.
Havan Fire offering
Hermes Toth, Mercury, Saraswati. The concept of wisdom
and knowledge
Ida Spinal current of subtle energy that starts on the left
side, and is magnetic, receptive, yin, related to the
Moon and water.
Indra Main god of the Vedas, deva of thunderstorms
Indrajala Magic
Indriya Faculties of sense, the five senses.
Jagrat Waking state
Jnana Higher knowledge, wisdom
Jnana Yoga The study of higher knowledge through various
means.
Jupiter ÛPlanetary ruler of svadhisthana chakra.
Jyotish Astrology
Kali Devi - time and space, maya.
Kali Yuga Age of Kali
Kama Desire
Karma A situational play, the particular combination of
forces we have put into action.
Karma Yoga Dedicating your play to enlightenment
Kechari Mudra Putting your consciousness into the chandra chakra
Koshas Sheaths, layers of the inter-dimensional anatomy of
humans.
Krishna Deva - Arjuna's chariot driver in the Mahabarata
and Bhagavad Gita; avatar, and source of spiritual
guidance.
Kuja The planet MarsÚ
Kumbha Mela Aquarian (Kumbha is the sign of Aquarius) festival

related to the outpouring of celestial waters and
divine grace derived therefrom. The symbol of the
sign of Aquarius is a man pouring water out of pots
onto the earth.
Kunda Fire pit.
Kundalini Spinal energy current. Represented as a serpent,
which normally lies dormant, coiled around a
lingam within the triangle of manifestation.
Laya Dissolution
Lila Play of the cosmos, or cosmic play.
Lokas Dimensions of the universe: bhur - physical,
bhuvar - astral, svar - causal.
Lucifer The enlightenment contained within matter. Luci-
fer means "light bearer."
Maithuna Union.
Mala String of beads used for counting the repetition of
mantras.
Mandala Circle or ring, a device for meditation.
Manipura Mars chakra, fire element.
Mantic Relating to divination and prophecy.
Mantra Tool of the mind, magic word.
Mars ÚPlanetary ruler of manipura chakra.
Maya Time and space and what transpires in time and
space on all planes and dimensions. Illusion.
Mayin Deceiver
Mental Plane A dimension of time and space
Mercury ØPlanetary ruler of the vishuddha chakra; a con-
cept of via or way, a metal, a god form and much
more.
Meru The mountain at the center of the universe.
Glossary
Merudanda The axis of the universe, the spine, sushumna. The

summit of Mt. Meru is the sahasrara chakra.
Moksha Liberation.
Mudra Gesture, usually of the hands, but can take other
forms.
Mukhi One face or side. Used to describe rudraksha beads
often used in malas.
Muladhara Saturn chakra, earth element
Mundaka Upanishad
One of the 108 classic Upanishads, part of the
Artharvaveda.
Nadi Energy channel or pathway.
Nirguna Brahman
Brahman without attributes.
Panchikarana Tattwa Shuddhi
A technique for raising kundalini. Panchikarana
means division into five; tattwa shuddhi is the
refinement of the elements.
Physical Plane What you see around you.
Pingala Spinal current of subtle energy that starts on the
right side of spine, and is electric, active, yang, and
related to the Sun and fire.
Prana Energy, chi, etheric energy, vital energy.
Pranamayakosha
Vital energy sheath, the layer of prana.
Pranayama Commonly understood as breathing techniques,
but the real meaning is to stop the breath in balance
between the out-going and the in-going breath.
Pratyabhijna Regaining knowledge or recognition of your true
self, recovering consciousness, coming to one’s self.
Pratyahara Withdrawal of senses from external objects in the
mental, emotional and physical realms.
Prithivi Earth element.
Purnima Full Moon.

Qigong A Chinese esoteric practice of work with chi or
prana.
Raja Yoga The method of meditation featured in the writing
of Patanjali.
Rasa Quicksilver, the metal mercury.
Rasasastra The study of alchemy.
Rasasiddha Brought to perfection.
Rasavidyica The process of alchemy.
Rig Veda One of the four ancient Vedas.
Rudraksha Seed of Elaeocarpus ganitrus. Used in malas and
considered to have various magical properties de-
pending on the number of faces the bead has.
Sadhaka One who practices, magician.
Sadhana The practice, path.
Sahasrara The thousand petaled lotus.
Sahit Kumbhaka
Voluntary breath suspension in pranayama.
Samskaras Tendencies from the past - prior lifetimes and this
lifetime - that may interfere with moksha in your
present life.
Sanatana Dharma
Eternal order.
Satan The planet Saturn, physical matter and its psychol-
ogy, maya, illusion.
Satsang Keeping company with the wise.
Saturn Ü Planetary ruler of muladhara. Saturn's rings-
pass-not represent the barriers to cosmic conscious-
ness. It is also the door to cosmic consciousness
through discipline (see Satan)
Saubhik Magician.
Glossary
Shakti Devi - Female principle.

Shani The planet Saturn Ü, see also satan.
Shastra Spiritual text.
Shiva Deva - Male principle.
Shiva Nataraja Dancing Shiva, the play of the universe
Shri Vidya A form of Tantra popular in Southern India
Shukra The planet Venus Ù.
Shuti Ancient Egyptian two feather adornment on djed
representing ida and pingala.
Siddhi Magical power or capability.
Sirguna Brahman
Brahman with attributes.
Smad The physical world.
Solvé Dissolve.
Soma Divine nectar.
Sun Ö The center of our solar system, related to ajna
chakra.
Surya Sun Ö.
Sushumna The royal road, the akasha pathway to and through
the chakras, and the balanced state of sun and
moon which reveals akasha.
Sushupti Sleep or dreamless state.
Svadhisthana Jupiter chakra, water element.
Svatantrya Owning oneself.
Swapna Dreaming state.
Swar A loka, a dimension of time and space.
Swara Yoga The art and science of nostril breathing in relation
to ida and pingala energies; and the study of how to
work with these currents and tattwa flows for auspi-
cious outcomes for spiritual and mundane events.
Tai Chi Painting with prana, or specific movements in time

and space, however you want to look at it.
Tantra To weave, to understand and create the fabric of the
universe
Tattwa Element.
Tattwa Shuddhi see Vajra Vidyut
Tea Ceremony Japanese meditation ritual.
Tejas Fire element.
Tithi Lunar day, a twelve degree division of the relation-
ship of the Sun to the Moon.
Tribindu Pranayama
Meditation practice.
Trikala Jnani Time lord.
Turya A synthesis or knowing of all states at once. Con-
sciousness is continuous.
Upanishad Texts that contain concepts and practices of Sana-
tana Dharma.
Upavestana Tantric technique to strengthen the aura.
Uraeus Ancient Egyptian symbol of kundalini in the third
eye or ajna chakra.
Vajra Indra's magic wand.
Vajra Vidyut Purification of the elements, kundalini technique
Vayu Element of air
Venus ÙPlanetary ruler of the anahata chakra.
Vibhuti Sacred ashes
Vidya Knowledge, wisdom
Vishnu Deva - the preserver
Vishnu Purana One of the eighteen Mahapuranas
Vishuddha Mercury chakra, akasha element.
Glossary
Visvasara Tantra
Tantric Agama.
Yajna Fire sacrifice.
Yantra Diagram representing a cosmic force or principle to
be meditated upon. Literally means instrument or
machine that holds a concept (force/form) within it.
Yoga Nidra Dream yoga.
Yoga Union, a practice which leads to liberation, moksha.
Zen Koan An utterance to become one with and to see its con-
text in relation to everything else as well as the fact
that it is also everything else. Why do you ask?
Recommended Reading
Leigh Hurley, Phillip Hurley. Tantra Yoga Of Ecstasy: The
Sadhaka’s Guide to Kundalini and the Left-Hand Path.
Maithuna Publications, Wheelock VT, USA, 2012.
Phillip Hurley, Leigh Hurley. Namarupa: The Magic of Tan-
tra Mantra. Maithuna Publications, Wheelock VT,
USA, 2012.
Phillip Hurley, Leigh Hurley. Just to the Purpose: the Yoga of
Ethics. c.1996.
http://www.tantrayoga.us/JTP.html
The Bhagavad Gita. Translated and introduction by Juan
Mascaro. Penguin Books, Baltimore MD, 1962.
Swami Lakshmanjoo. Kashmir Shaivism: The Secret
Supreme. Universal Shaiva Fellowship, Culver City CA,
USA, 1985.
Tantrasara of Abhinavagupta. Translated and introduc-
tion by H.N. Chakravarty; edited by Boris Marjanovic.
Rudra Press, Portland OR, 2012.
Swami Satyasangananda Saraswati. Sri Vijnana Bhairava
Tantra: the Ascent. Yoga Publications Trust, Munger, Bi-
har, India, 2003.
Swami Satyasangananda Saraswati. Tattwa Shuddhi. Yoga
Publications Trust, Munger, Bihar India, 1984.
Glossary
Goswami Kriyananda. The Spiritual Science Of Kriya Yoga. The

Temple of Kriya Yoga, Chicago, 1976.
Sannyasi Gyanshruti, Sannyasi Srividyananda. Yajna: A
Comprehensive Survey. Yogi Publications Trust, Munger,
Bihar, India 2006.
Shyam Sundar Goswami. Laya Yoga: The Definitive Guide To
The Chakras And Kundalini. Inner Traditions, Rochester
VT USA, 1999.
Swami Narayanananda. The Primal Power in Man or The
Kundalini Shakti. Narayanananda Universal Yoga Trust,
Rishikesh India, 1970.
Frances Sakoian, Louis Acker. Ladder of the Planets. New
England School Of Astrology, Arlington MA USA,
1974.
Arthur Avalon (Sir John Woodroffe). The Serpent Power.
Dover Publications Inc., New York 1974.
Sir John Woodroffe. Introduction To Tantra Sastra. Ga-
nesh and Co. Madras India, 2010.
Judith Tyberg. The Language of the Gods: Sanskrit Keys to
India's Wisdom. East-West Cultural Center, Los Angeles
CA, 1970.
Sylvia Cranston. H.P.B.: the Extraordinary Life and Influence of
Helena Blavatsky, Founder of the Modern Theosophical Move-
ment. G.P. Putnam’s Sons, New York, 1993.
Paramahansa Yogananda. Autobiography Of A Yogi. Crystal
Clarity Publishers, Nevada City CA, USA, 1946.
Tantra, Yoga of Ecstasy:
the Sadhaka's Guide to Kundalini
and the Left-Hand Path
by Leigh Hurley & Phillip Hurley
Tantra is an ancient discipline with deep cosmic roots Every

movement in time and space is ritual for the Tantric sadhaka,
and every moment is a moment of transmutation, of alchemy.
Shiva and Shakti bring us back to first
principles in a feeling way that engages
all of our senses, and all levels of our
being. The Tantric sadhaka is enlight-
ened by the manifestation of these first
principles in their life - physically, psy-
chologically, sociologically, and spiritually.
Tantra, Yoga of Ecstasy details ritual, prac-

tice, meditation and psychology for the
serious student of Tantra.
Topics discussed include:
`` Meaning and intent of classical Tantric rituals
`` Tantric philosophy
`` How to raise kundalini
`` Shiva-Shakti meditation and Tantric initiation
`` Tantra, art and creativity
`` Alchemy of personal transmutation
`` Deciphering the puzzle of Tantric morality
`` Tantric use of astrology
www.tantrayoga.us
"Herbal Alchemy integrates magical practices
with laboratory work."
The Complete Golden Dawn System of Magic by Israel Regardie
Herbal Alchemy
by Phillip Hurley
When originally published in 1977, Herbal Alchemy broke
new ground as the first straight-forward written presentation of
Alchemy in a complete, practical form - as science, art, tech-
nique, philosophy, magic and spiritual practice. In this revised
and updated edition, Phillip Hurley provides detailed informa-

tion about the preparation of alchemical elixirs from plants,
the application of astrology to herbalism, and reveals secrets of
occult ritual practice in the Tantric, Hermetic, and Quabbalistic
alchemical traditions.
www.herbal-alchemy.com
Namarupa:
the Magic of Tantra Mantra
by Phillip Hurley & Leigh Hurley
Namarupa is an initiation into mantra yoga, complete with

detailed Sanskrit pronunciation, alphabet and calligraphy guides.
All mantras are presented in Devanagari script with English
transliteration for easy reference. Written from the perspective
of the tantric sadhaka (practitioner), Namarupa presents the
esoteric meanings and uses of the mantras and alphabet; and dis-
cusses mantra sadhana both as classically practiced and updated
for modern life. Of special interest are detailed Tantric mantra
techniques for raising kundalini, previously available only to initi-
ates.
Namarupa: the Magic of Tantra Mantra includes:
`` Sanskrit letter portraits
`` Sanskrit quick reference tables & pronunciation guide
`` How to initiate a mantra
`` Japa, pranayama, and modes of chanting
`` Detailed discussion of bija mantras
`` Timing & rectification of mantras
`` Deity, planetary, directional & general mantras
`` Mantra cycles for working with the five elements and
raising kundalini
`` Likhita japa and calligraphy guides
www.tantrayoga.us
Once Upon a Yogi Time:
Tales of the Siddhis
by Phillip Hurley
What happens when an average

person takes up the practice of yoga
and begins to experience the sid-
dhis - the paranormal abilities of yogi
legend?
These are true stories of a modern
western yogi’s light-hearted personal
journey into the realms of magic and
mysticism. The path to cosmic con-
sciousness sometimes winds through
a maze of extraordinary phenomena:
mischievous ghosts, astral projection, devas and geniis,
materialization, psychokinesis, astrology and remote view-
ing, to name a few. Guided by a recalcitrant guru and driven
by his own insatiable curiosity, adjusting to living with siddhis
results in some eye-opening and often humorous moments.
www.tantrayoga.us

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Kundalini

Phillip Hurley & Leigh Hurley

Illustrations ©2016 by Leigh Hurley

Series: The Sadhaka’s Guide, Volume 3

Maithuna Publications is an imprint of:

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016900829

Library of Congress subject headings:

This book is an initiation - may it help to answer for you

senses give us no direct awareness of the reality behind

Story-telling and the illusion

saubhika, which also means conjuror, wizard, enchanter,

As one moves one’s attention, the perspective changes

During World War I, Yogananda watched some news-

Yet, this intense experience was immediately followed

“All the world's a stage,

The illusion that is the universe must include shadow

pher the determination of its exact status in regard to

So, contemporary physics carries on, as matter at the

we ascend, our perspective of the illusion changes and the

Kundalini only seems to us to be sleeping because it is not

challenges, but never a harmful disorientation event. If

sun shines just so on everything around us. Kundalini can

Kundalini is on a return path to sahasrara naturally

Kundalini can be intentionally awakened by internal or

Lightning (electrical fire) is also one of the Vedic deva

Yajna is also a reminder of the theme of the Bhagavad

The world is in the bonds of action,

According to the Gita, all life is action or movement in

Genesis creation story and is “He who comes down,” as in

Without an orientation to moksha, maya will devour you

small pieces of plutonium are put together to weigh out at

It is that form-maya, the body of Shakti, which entices

Zhuangzi, a Chinese philosopher of the 4th century

Indra the Pig

Indra’s deva friends tried to reason with him, but it was

Our guru, Goswami Kriyananda, had a great story

does your life revolve around? Who is writing your script

We dance around in a ring and suppose,

Three versions of the circle point mandala

The circle point mandala is the most fundamental of all

By identifying with the still center of the circle, bin-

dalini, from your samskaras. Then, your kundalini can

samskaras give them, and those patterns will repeat over

As our kundalini is elevated, we achieve a greater

The triune body and the five sheaths

Manomayakosha (mind) Bhuvar

Pranamayakosha (etheric, aura)

translation of energy from one di-

Top - the caduceus of Hermes.

In the western traditions, Mercury-Hermes is the mes-

Laya Yoga and Alchemy

which intricate mandalas are created and then destroyed

these cycles and the type of energy involved simply by ob-

Svatantrya is a state of psychological independence. It

Each and every group we identify with, are a part of, or

symbols and symbolic actions feed the egregore’s reservoir

If you want to see the light of day, you have to rise up

discharging horizontally at that level, feeding the illusion

By engaging in activity consciously dedicated to bindu,

from the karma of birth and rebirth in what yogis call