There is an experience called the Kundalini that occurs when you reach a higher level of spiritual discipline, although, sometimes it occurs spontaneously. It’s an awakening of the energy that lies at the base of the spine and means snake in Sanskrit. Those that experience this awakening find the phenomena indescribable and sometimes a bit unpleasant if they aren’t adequately prepared for the experience.

The Kundalini has existed for thousands of years by other names, in other societies. In the Bible, the Kundalini is the “solar principal in man”. The Chinese, Egyptians, Tibetans, Native Americans and Greeks wrote of the experience but called it by a different name. In famous works like those of Plato, the Rosicrucian Order, the Kabala and the Masonic writings it appears but under different names.

In every individual, there is an innate ability for greatness, the ability to create supernatural phenomena. The term supernatural is a misnomer since the acts themselves are quite natural. Since few people tap into the power that they already possess, most of society views it as the extraordinary. Tapping into the power, however, is not without its dangers. For the uninitiated or those without a guide, it can create problems that affect both the physical and psychological.

The first step is to understand what the Kundalini is and how it occurs. There is a reservoir of energy coiled at the root charka at the base of the spine, much like a serpent. It is a female energy. When it releases upward, it travels to the crown charka where the Shiva, the male energy, exists and unites. Taken in smaller steps, the advanced yoga attempts to bring it down again to a lower charka but not one below the heart or it inflates the ego. He then raises and lowers the energy repeatedly to develop the area so it can remain there. This is much like bodybuilding. Since the energy creates new pathways for the nervous system, a sudden surge of the energy might create an overload and burnout. This is much like the advanced bodybuilder or weight lifter working up to a heavy lift so their muscles are prepared.

The experience of the awakening can be sudden and quite jolting or occur in smaller steps. Some describe it as a heat that forms at the base of the spine and travels upward. It also has such phenomena as pain, bright lights, intense lucidity, increased physical power, ecstasy, clairaudience, shuddering, uncontrolled movement, visions and a transcendence of ones self. Sometimes the experience is unexpected and people believe they are going mad.

The Kundalini is not without danger for the unaccompanied. Most practitioners of yoga and qigong learn to control it with guidance and practice. Uncontrolled unleashing of the power can result in many things, which include insanity and death. Using the weightlifter as an example, without training to exercise and build the muscles, lifting extreme amounts of weight can shred the muscles to a point of uselessness. The surge of power from Kundalini in an uncontrolled manner has the ability to shred the nervous system because it’s not developed enough for the increased load. The novice must beware of the snake that sits at the base of the tree of knowledge. While it’s as natural as lifting heavy weight, it requires training and guidance for success.