Key Texts & Resources

There is a LOT of buzz about "kundalini" these days. I will limit my commentary on the majority of it except to say that, to me most of it seems pretty shallow and disingenuous. Click bait.

When this all started for me, I went deep on the topic, trying to understand what was happening to me. It was frightening to see so many assertions that Kundalini is dangerous and that I had better find a "guru" "or else"...

It is dangerous. That's not a lie, but I was already in deep and it is even more dangerous to try to bottle the genie or ignore her once she's active...she can wreck you. There's a reason you see the Divine Mother (K) depicted as Kali...

Kali stands on top of a surrendered Shiva

I did not find a guru, though I did look around. This is a problematic space with a strong tendency towards cultishness. Instead, I found a few texts and groups that became lifelines. The most impactful of these are listed below with a bit of context on how they have influenced this intuitive & embodied research into my kriya experiences.

For the record I'm not saying this was the best way, but it's the way that was available to me. And I've made it this far!

Key Texts:

  • Radha, Swami Sivananda. 1993. Kundalini Yoga For The West. Timeless Books. 
    • Unfortunately this book is tricky to find in print. And perhaps ironically, the author is discouraging westerners from pursuing Kundalini activation, yet her book has been of profound and ever deepening value to me as I navigate my own. She gives exercises and reflections on many aspects of the body's perceptual and energetic systems. Many of these have been incorporated into Kriya experiences to great effect, especially when a specific chakra system is especially activated.
  • Harrington, Joan Shivarpita. 2006. Kundalini Vidya the Science of Spiritual Transformation. Patanjali Kundalini Yoga Care.
    • This book provides a number of maps showing the "paths" of common rising. It took me a while to map the static representations to lightening storms in my body, but after a while it sort of clicked. I especially appreciate their warnings against trying to "force" energy into channels that are not ready. I hear good things about the organization that provides this book, though I have not engaged with them myself.
  • Sannella, Lee. 1992. The Kundalini Experience: Psychosis or Transcendence? 6. print. Lower Lake, Calif: Integral Publ.
    • This one was a comfort at the beginning, when I really was afraid I was loosing my mind. None of the stories are exactly the same, and that was helpful to see.

Additional resources:

During the early, frightening phase of the activation, the When Lightening Strikes community was a huge help. I got to meet and speak with other folks going through similar, yet always different, experiences. It is based in the US so the meeting times are ideal for me. The Kundalini Collective also seems solid, though I have not attended their meetings as they tend to be UK focused.