A
potentially negative aspect of kundalini awakening is that sometimes even a
profoundly positive experience can be so markedly different from the individual’s
usual worldview that they have trouble incorporating the experience into their
prevailing belief system. For example,
an individual who had been raised Christian and was a practicing Christian up
to the time of the spiritual awakening might feel great guilt, anxiety, and
depression if their experience cannot be easily accepted into the Christian
paradigm. Individuals may even feel
reluctant to discuss their problems with members of their family or clergy
because they fear they may be labeled as crazy or heretical.
Andrew Newberg, M.D. – Article from
book Kundalini Rising
One of the hallmarks that I
experienced from kundalini rising experience was the major renovation to the
area of the mental sheath called ahankara, where the ego resides. The function of this area of the “subtle body”
is one of self-definition and self-concepts.
The boundaries of the personality, attachments, aversions, and ingrained habits that create our sense of I-ness can be found here. These are the life time of constructs that
give the illusionary ego the appearance of concreteness and permanence, and
they are guarded by the ego because its very existence is based on their
survival. The divine physician uses
kundalini to dismantle these illusionary constructs so that the “True Self” may
become the captain of the ship.
The dismantling of many of the
constructs of the ahankara during kundalini rising left me with two problems:
First, my worldview that existed
prior to kundalini collapsed, and what was now present was something
far more spacious, undefined and boundless. This collapse included the constructs that
previously existed in respect of my Christian Religion. So the first problem was the confusion that
resulted as to how to integrate this new way of seeing into activity that
was done previously under an old and different world view.
The second problem, and perhaps the more
difficult to resolve was how to handle the outright rejection of this spiritual
experience by those who would see this change as falling outside of the boundaries of their Christian
faith.
The first problem I've dealt with
somewhat in the previous posting.
The
second problem has been resolved in my own mind from the use of
Christian scriptures of which I am more familiar, but I’m sure it is contained
in the scriptures of other religions as well.
In Romans, a dispute has arisen among
believers as to whether it is proper to eat meat that had been offered in
sacrifice. Some thought it was all
right, others did not. Paul’s advice:
1. Accept others, for God accepts them
Romans
14: 1-3
Accept
those whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. One person’s faith allows them to eat
everything, but another person, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The one who eats everything must not treat
with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything
must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted that person.
2.
Focus on serving, not judging
Romans
14: 4
Who
are we to judge someone else’s servant?
To their own master they stand or fall.
And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.
3.
Focus on God
Romans
14: 5-9
Some
consider one day more sacred than another; others consider every day
alike. Everyone should be fully
convinced in their own mind. Those who
regard one day as special do so to the Lord.
Those who eat meat do so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and
those who abstain do so to the Lord and give thanks to God: For we do not live to ourselves along and we
do not die to ourselves along. If we
live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So whether we
live or die, we belong to the Lord.
4.
We are all accountable only to God
Romans
14: 10-13
Why
then do you judge your brother or sister?
Or why do you treat your brother or sister with contempt? Let us stop passing judgement on one
another. Instead, make up your mind not
to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister.
Kundalini is a spiritually
transforming experience that can draw us into greater relatedness with
God. It does not all fit in the
Christian paradigm, and neither is there a good archetypal symbol in Christian
literature to explain it. It does not
need to be explained or justified to those who cannot believe or accept it for
whatever reason. For those who have
received it, you are blessed, and I share a special affiliation with you.
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