I guess this topic is adequat for this question. Has anyone here by any chance any knowledge of what spiritualists call kundalini energies or kriyas? Richard mentions somewhere that he felt energy surges through his body and sometimes spasms/jerks etc. I wonder what the scientific explanation for that phenomenon is.
I encountered these surges through the spine while I was practicing meditation back in the days. Spiritualists make a great deal out of it, but Richard said it amounts to nothing in the end (so it’s not of particular importance). I still wonder what this is all about. Does anyone have any knowledge about it?
I didn’t have any visions or anything like that like others claim. For me it was just a strong current running up the spine into the back of the head and sometimes from the back to the front of the head. Occasionally it was so strong that it locked my head into a certain position. I also noticed that my left shoulder was jerking (rare) while the charge was running upwards. I looked for clues on the internet just to find spiritual explanations. Awakening kundalini, kriyas, energy centers, unblocking, cleansing, etc. The only scientific papers I found were about epilepsy, dysesthesia and different kind of shocks as a medical condition, but they didn’t really relate to that experiance. What I experianced was quite different. A sometimes very strong and potent electrical charge moving around the body for whatever reason. In hindsight I never gained anything from it, but I always wondered why the body shifts into that mode. In general it could feel quite pleasant, but sometimes it was painful and somewhat scary/weird. It would only happen in a very relaxed and deep meditative state. When I quit meditation after stumbling over actualism it never returned.
I’ve experienced kundalini before, but it was drug-induced and certainly not what I wanted to happen. It felt like a blistering electric sensation that went upwards along my spine at a certain “frequency”. I’ve also experienced the kriyas which actually stayed for weeks after the experience of the full blown kundalini. I would describe it now as a hallucination. At the time I touched my back as it felt so real but did not feel anything there. It’s no different than hallucinating other things in my opinion. There are certain common things in the psyche that all feeling beings are able to experience. For some it is easier to experience than others. I could see why Richard calls enlightenment an institutionalized insanity.
Yes, and have not occurred under the effect of drugs or meditation but during long ASCs (mostly PCEs). The strongest manifestation lasted one or two days, with an incredible energy in the whole body (“waves/surges of electricity” -that’s how I characterized them at the time-; like a very strong tingling/tickling), especially in both arms and the head. So much so that I consulted with a friend who was in his best moment of his practice in a spiritual discipline, believing that it happened to everyone: although he acknowledged feeling “energized”, he had never felt anything like it, so it didn’t help me much.
But I see them as an effect and not as a cause so I don’t consider them important either, other than as Richard characterizes them here:
what is important that one takes them as a sign that a process is underway… and to rev up the process with one’s active consent. Mailing List 'A' Respondent No. 8
Yes I thought the same, then of course I read the rest of correspondence which quickly devolved into the correspondent asking Richard why he doesn’t eat children and defecate on carpets
I really misinterpreted a lot of the weird stuff that came up about that stuff. I remember it caused a lot of confusion and doubt but Richard answered several of the questions that were raised openly at least.
I think something changed for me when I had my own experience of a mass hysteria event whilst working in central London. Somebody heard a loud bang and everyone thought it was a terrorist attack. The extreme running, people falling over and screaming and crying. Fake stories were immediately circulating on WhatsApp there were shooters and they were shooting at office windows. We had to be locked down in our office by the police. And there was nothing, two people had a fight and broke something and this whole massive chain of events happened out of nothing but pure panic and mass hysteria. That for me made me acknowledge the power of vibes over people.
It unclogged doubts for me and sincere practice kicked off again. This is 2018, which was a turning point for my depression too, I had CBT and it had really helped too. It was interesting to see it unfold and realise how much it had frightened me. How quickly the fake news and stories spread is weird too.
I also made the decision that I didn’t want to work in the city anymore. I decided to get my first job in the sticks. It was such a change of pace no longing being squashed in the big city commute. No longer being exposed to as many people’s vibes, like micro aggressions. When you have more space on your commute and time, it was eye opening as well.
There is this collective stress to the city commute. Everyone stepping on each others toes.
