Chapter 23 Kundalini and Worldviews 3

The most important consideration in managing a process of spiritual development is the individual’s humble acceptance and ready cooperation with the holy process that is taking place. The ego cannot solve the dilemma of being cornered by the Divine, but the soul knows what to do if the ego will let it. Through sincerity, persistence, patience, and openness to the Divine will, the individual will attain the strength and wisdom to prevail through the process of spiritual transformation until the goal is reached. 

Joan Harrigan – Kundalini Vidya: The Science of Spiritual Transformation

One of the best books I’ve read which describes the experience of Kundalini rising using a scientific platform is one written by Joan Harrigan called “Kundalini Vidya: The Science of Spiritual transformation”. Although, from her writings, it is very apparent that she falls squarely into the worldview of “New Age”, her descriptions, explanations, exhibits and guidance provides the best and a most accurate picture of my kundalini experience, despite being seen through the eyes of one with a Theism worldview. (See previous postings for description of Theism and New Age worldviews)

What I have discovered from this is that we have a lot to learn from each other, despite our worldview. The humility that Joan speaks about in the opening paragraph above must include an openness to receive from those who may see the world different from ourselves. 

Whether our worldview is Naturalism, Theism, or New Age,

our anatomy has been created in a way that each of us can participate in the miracle of creating new life through the union of the male sperm with the female egg.  One with the worldview of Theism sees this built-in biological process of child birth as a manifestation of God entering our history and creating us in a manner that makes this possible. 

In the same way, I can’t help but be awe-struck at the possibility that this same creative energy that leads to the miracle of childbirth has the potential to give us rebirth through an 

evolutionary process called kundalini rising. This miracle of design for creating a spiritual rebirth (all be it in a different way) is also built into our anatomy. However, most people are either unaware of it, or intimidated by it, because it seriously conflicts with their restricted worldview. So now I would like to move to the questions that I asked myself at the beginning of these postings on worldviews: 

Is there an ideal worldview? What is our worldview? What determines our worldview? How can we change it?

To answer the above questions, let me offer this as my humble observations based on what I have experienced so far in life. 

My life time has been an experience of an expanding worldview. It is continually expanding outwards. I like the parable in the Gospels where Jesus says: “The Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed, the smallest of all seeds, but when planted, becomes the largest of all shrubs, where the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”

This speaks about expansion and the fruits that flow from expansion. You become a place of security, comfort; a place where others find “home”.

So an ideal worldview, for me, must be one that is expanding and growing. 

What is our worldview?

If it is expanding and growing now as it has in the past, then we may be able to know what it is at this moment, but that does not mean it will be that way tomorrow. The river that we are seeing at this moment is not the same river that is present one minute, one hour, one day from now. The waters have moved on, and something new has replaced it. So it is with our worldviews.

What determines our worldview? 

In the past, and therefor in the future, what determined our

worldview is our willingness to be open too and embrace each experience of life as it comes our way. This required that we be open to all experiences, all people who interacted with us, all work of the Divine in and around us. Our worldview is shaped mostly by what has been given to us from those sources in our life's journey. There would be very little expansion of our worldviews if we only focus on the constructs of the ego that we create in order to see ourselves as static, fixed and permanent.

How can we change it? 

Through the humility of being open to all that life is offering by way of gift and grace, the expansion of our worldviews will happen. I do not know where this might lead.  No one really knows: But it might be described with words such as: reaching our fullest potential, being at one with God, enlightenment, etc. etc.




The Road Ahead

My Lord God
I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for certain where it will end.
Nor do I really know myself,
and the fact that I think that I am following your will
does not mean that I am actually doing so.
But I believe that the desire to please you
does in fact please you.
And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing.
I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.
And I know that if I do this,
you will lead me by the right road
though I may know nothing about it.
Therefore will I trust you always
though I may seem to be lost and in the
shadows of death.
I will not fear, for you are ever with me,
and you will never leave me to face my perils along
Prayer of Thomas Merton (1915-1968)