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Kundalini

  
  

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trouser the trouserian
07:42 / 20.01.04
Chesed
Some questions for you.
Why the distinction between Physical Reality (Malkuth) and the schema?
Can you explain, for example, your reasoning underlying the attributions connecting Path 32, Muladhara, and the two VMemes?
What are the aims of making these correspondences? How do Spiral Dynamics, for example, help in utilising either the Qabalah, or a Chakra schema (or both) magically?

I'm not being deliberately obtuse here. It's been at least a decade since I did any serious Qabalah and my knowledge of Spiral Dynamics is sparse, to say the least.
 
 
Unconditional Love
13:41 / 20.01.04
i work with a serpent image.
recently i have found this useful when performing chi kung, i visualise a serpent energy creeping up from the earth in the form of thousands of tiny snakes entering my veins and bones,up my legs and continueing through out the rest of my body, i have been filled recently by a luminous white serpent and felt the most serene peace yet also an energetic rush.
the serpent image is used because of the movement of the serpent and the genetic fear that most human beings carry of snakes, the serpent was and still is used by initiates of many mystical systems as a way for the adept to learn to become aware of this feeling and also to study the movement of the serpent as the feeling of this movement is very similar to the experience of kundalini/chi. chi is symbolised as a serpent within the chinese system.
an identification with the serpent seems to help in this process, learning bagua an internal chinese art may also help, most of the movements in this system are based on the twisting of the spine and its principles are based on the movements of a serpent.
for me the serpent approached in a shamanic fashion can work just as well for raising chi/kundalini as any traditional mapping system which sometimes may restrain experience through expectation rather than premote growth, saying that, those systems still make valuable reference tools.
my visualisations have passed over into my dreams where i kept hearing a word repeated 'urago' i researched it along with the word serpent and found it was the snake sutta from buddhism, a guide for monastic living, i am fond of the monk archetype, and wanted to be one when i left school.
perhaps that is why i find the kung fu and chi kung easier to approach than the tantric system presented by dadaji and others, yet i also find elements of these attractive as well, particularly the practices of the kapalikas and the aghori who are a very different kind of sayasin.
i spent sometime with the london tantra discussion group which i found enlightening and helpful to help me on my way, i dont think it was really for me, but for anybody else in the uk who is intrested in tantra they are a good bunch of people to get involved with to explore tantric philosophy and ideas of practice.
 
 
Aertho
17:44 / 20.01.04
I'm by no means a full throttle Thelemite or expert on integral psychology or chakras, but I DO see patterns in the twisting middle pillar and caduceus.

I first imagined this chakra/vMeme structure after I read a critique of Ken Wilbur's work in which someone tried to make the position that although they were rather actualized and Yellow people, they in no way acknowledged the Global Community Worldview of the Green Meme. One of Spiral Dyanmics' major themes is that in order to ascend in growth, you have to touch each layer in some way. The critic proposed that Orange and Green were both avenues toward Yellow, thereby dismissing inherent enveloping idea.

Wilbur tried to integrate their view as well as dismiss it by saying each vMeme had an agent "I" part and a communal "we" part. He then pulled in the caduceus and chakra imagery to help his point. The critic came back and said the initial Spiral Dynamics model drawn by Clare Graves was very distinctive in that odd numbered VMemes were inherentally and already "I"s, and likewise —evens were "we"s.

I think the comparison and analogies can still work —if you acknowledge that every two VMemes are only "I" and "we" parts to a single Chakra self-sense type. Thus you get the fact that Beige and Purple are basic Muladhara drives and needs, and that Anahata has both a sense of the true soul as well as the awareness of community amongst other growing souls.

Now, onto adding the Kabbalah. I was introduced to the Kabbalah through Promethea, and learned singificant amount more and even restructured some of the things in order for me to flatten out the understanding. From my reasoning, I see the Kaballah as another structuring of enveloping spheres. Similarly to greater encompassing self-senses, as one ascends the middle pillar from Malkuth to Kether, more of the human psychological condition is defined and separated out from more and more achetypal "powers".

Using the patterns gleaned from my earlier understanding of Wilbur and the rudimentary understanding I had of Chakras, I split the schema into thirds. One end is the Ultimate Multiplicity/Ultimate "We" of Malkuth, and the other is the Ultimate "I" of God or Ultimate Point of Unity.

The distance between the Ult We and Ult I is covered by all thinking creatures. The first chakra(step on the ladder) is Muladhara, Beige and Purple. Here, there is no real distinction between thought and reality, and the influences of the imagination define our interaction with the world.

Second chakra is similar, only completely defined by the imagination. Here, the only thing that matters is our individual interaction with the world, be it in terms of egocentricity or ethnocentricity. Emotions and Reason are present, but only as influences on an a swirling mass of input received from the world.

Third chakra defines itslef by the awareness of separation of emotion and reason. Those who exhibit Manipura thinking are aware of Imaginartion as an interface with reality, but continue to operate according to their personal logic and individual passions. "Personality" reigns.

Anahata relinquishes the Id completely in Tiphereth. Here, Emotions and Reason become tools, or hands... as opposed to the "personality sides" they could be seen as in Manipura. The distinct soul can be percieved, as well as feeling the influences of both Sagacity and Magnanimity on both the individual and the community.

Vishuddha is often thoguht of as being in Da'ath, but I see its "voice" attributions as being indicative of the influence of the "memetic" self. At Vishuddha, you aren't an "I" at all in the sense that can be captured andd examined by an individual. For instance, my memetic self is the "idea of me" that exists in the minds of my family and friends. What I do to maintain the integrity and meaning of that self in others' minds is what I think of as living at Coral. Coral is often thought as the point where the we and I begin to blur completely. Here, the individual soul isn't a concern, but the ways and means of the collective are. The principles of pure Sagacity and Magnanimity push and pull at thought, regardless of how Emotion and Reason might condence in the individual mind.

The next step is Da'ath, or Ajna, or Third Eye, or Knowledge. Obviously I don't know much about this step or the next for that matter. Transpersonal awareness and thought begins to manifest as alterred states.

The last step, where a lot of people want to put right smack dab in Kether, is Sahasrana. I put it on the
Empress road between Understanding and Inspiration.

Did this help at all?
 
 
Aertho
13:48 / 22.01.04
Did we lose everything? What happened to Barbelith? Does anybody else think the noosphere had a Crazy-quake? I know I fell a few rungs off my ladder.
 
 
Unconditional Love
04:06 / 24.01.04
intresting wasnt it.
 
 
Unconditional Love
04:11 / 24.01.04
intresting wasnt it.
 
 
trouser the trouserian
06:32 / 26.01.04
Wolfangel
in fact id suggest the tantra of india has alot of its roots in chinese culture and was imported back from its mother culture in later centuries and reintegrated...

That's an interesting perspective, to say the least. Joseph Needham in Science and Civilisation in Ancient China points out that India and China were exchanging religious/magical ideas as well as goods (beginning around 110 BC), and other historians have noted that as India exported Buddhism to China, China probably gave India alchemy which later became incorporated into the Nath Siddha traditions. Similarly, Needham also takes the view that when Buddhist monks introduced Tantric ideas to China around the 8th century, a certain number of its techniques were "returning" to their country of origin.

Having said that, I do feel that it's overly simplistic to make the assertion that the entirety of the chakra/kundalini formulation came 'straight from' China, particularly as it seems to me that there are aspects of the formulation which predate the development of the association of chakras (for example) with subtle body homologies or even sexual-alchemical practices: such as, the body-internalisation of external sites relating to early goddess/yogini 'cults' and the relationship between kundalini-shakti in serpent form to Naga myths (& other representations of snakes). Also, authors such as John Mumford have also pointed to the influence of Ayurvedic medicine and others have found some 'proto-tantric' concepts present in the Artha Veda (thought to have been compiled around 1000 B.C).

Part of the problem of looking for 'definitive' origins is that it's difficult to know where to 'stop'. For example, Thomas McEvilley presents a compelling hypothesis that Indian ideas about the relationship between the spinal channel, the brain, and semen may have originated in Greece around the time of Plato, and thence 'diffused' into India and China. He also posits a possible Sumerian influence, and ends by speculating that these ideas may have emerged "from the darkest depths of human prehistory".

It's always worth bearing that Tantra, as a discrete phenomenon, isn't that ancient, and has drawn from a wide variety of sources.

Chesed
Yes, it does help. Explanations of correlations are much more informative than lists. I think it might also be helpful for me to go away and read some Ken Wilber.
 
 
cusm
17:24 / 26.01.04
I've been viewing the chackras as a 3 point repeating pattern. That is: Being, Communicating, Understanding (which in itself is an expression of the physical/mental/spiritual triad). Its probably clearest if I just lay out the chackras with this in mind:

Starting at the root:

The first three are operating on the physical level. So, are the triad applied to the physical.

1 - physical: body, root, the substance of the body itself. vital energies related to the function of the body. Malchuth.

2 - emotional: emotions are senses of the state of the physical. So, this chackra is sensing and communicating emotion, or communicating on the physical level, both in the self and others. Hence, sex as a primary element of this level. Yesod.

3 - Mental: understanding on the physical level. Mental process, thought. Processing of the input of the prev level, and ability to draw new conclusions. Hod/Netzach

With the heart chackra, we make the setp up to the next triad, not operating on the spiritual rather than physical level. So, the same triad is applied again, but to the spiritual (or subtle, if you prefer) level this time.

4 - being: love. Love is the simple being of spirit, the body of spirit, as it were. Its foundation. It is again at this level we experience the bliss of simply being, but it is the body of spirit which is at work now. Tipharet.

5 - communication: now in the more cognitive sense that we usually understand communication by than the physical level of the second chackra. The throat is not just speech, but all communication and connection taking place on this level of awareness. Though language is the most prominent application. Gebura/Chesed

6 - understanding: third eye. Understanding on the spiritual level, rather than the intellectual. Intellect is goverened by the third chackra. Here, understanding is cosmic, psychic, and magickal. Insight into all that is below, all that can be communicated with the 5th chackra and experienced with the 4th, allowing mastery of it. As understanding of the physical level allows control over it, so too is the same here with spirit. Binah/Chockmah.

But wait, you ask! There are 7 chackras. The two triads only cover 6. That is because we only normally include the first of the next triad:

7 - being: transcendence - being again, but on the next level above that of spirit: the divine, the transcendental. 7th chackra is experiencing the body of divinity, something completey outside our physical reality. Hence, outside out own body on the chackra system, save for the very crown where we can touch it. Kether.

But since there's a system, one can project further. an 8th and 9th chackra can be imagines, existing outside ourselves in our spiritual body, governing the communication with and between divine powers and the understanding and mastery of it. The 9th chackra then, should it be accessed, offers magick in the form of real divine might, and may be something we tap into through heavy invocation, holy guardian angel work, and the like. Reaching into the Ain Soph with that.

This comes inspired, incidently, by both throwaway comments in the Invisibles about King Mob accessing his 13th chackra, and a friend of mine who was in communication with some sort of entity through a homemade Ouigi board who was telling things about higher chackras that man will gain access to as he evolves further. I don't tend to put a lot of trust into channeled advice, but it got me thinking about how chackras beyond the trad 7 might function within a system to define them. This is what came out. Enjoy
 
 
Aertho
18:26 / 26.01.04
Cusm overlaps and reinforces me, I think. Good job, dude. Makes sense to me.
 
 
cusm
18:35 / 26.01.04
Aye Chesed, we're drawing on the same tree mappings, which I included mostly just for reference since you already went into that part.
 
 
FinderWolf
14:19 / 27.01.04
This website is a cool, non-cultish, not-too-new Age-y site about a certain style of Kundalini meditation. I'm just catching up with this thread now and want to read it all very carefully - I've done some of the Sahaja Yoga meditation this site describes and gone to some of their meditation meetings in NYC (all of which are free) and it's pretty cool stuff.

http://www.sahajayoga.org

Oh, and Cat Yronwyde's page does indeed rock - nice to see another Barbelither mentioning it.
 
 
trouser the trouserian
09:39 / 28.01.04
Illmatic was asking earlier about texts detailing the symbolism of the chakras, so I thought I'd post the following, which is an attempt to examine the dense tangle of symbols & concepts associated with the Muladhara chakra. I'm mainly working from the verses in the Satcakranirupana ("The Serpent Power").

Muladhara chakra is sometimes described in the following way. A Lotus of four red petals within which is the square dhara-mandala surrounded by 8 spears; within it and in the lower part is the Dhara-Bija (Lam) who has four arms and is seated upon the Elephant-King, Airavata. He is of yellow colour, and holds the thunderbolt (Vajra) in his hands. Inside the bindu of the Dhara-Bija is the Child-Brahma, who is red in colour and has four hands with which he holds the staff, the gourd, the rudraksa rosary, and makes the gesture which dispells fear. He has four faces.

In the pericarp there is a Red Lotus on which is the presiding Divinity of the Chakra, Sakti Dakini. In the pericarp is also the lightning-like triangle inside which are Kama-Vayu and Kama-Bija, both of which are red. Above this is the Svayambhu-Linga, and above and around this Linga is Sakti-Kundalini coiled three and a half times.

There is quite a lot of interesting symbolism here, some of which I shall attempt to unpack.

The 4 Petals
------------
The Sanskrit letters Va, Cha, Sa, Sha.
the 4 directions/4 gates (i.e. earth)
the 4 Vedas
the 4 States (Jaagrat "the waking state"; Swapna "the dream state"; Sushubdi "the deep sleep state"; Turiya "the sleepless sleep") The first 3 states cover our day-to-day experience; the fourth state is only accessed when the mind is at rest.

The attribution of the four letters to the four petals is somewhat obtuse. In general, the Sanskrit letters are sometimes referred to as matrikas (mothers), reflecting the view that Shakti creates the Universe through the pulsation (Spanda) of sacred sound, which in its densest form, manifests as speech. Avalon, in Shakti & Shakta notes that the attribution of letters to chakras can be viewed as reflecting the practice of Nyasa (imposition) whereby matrika-shakti's are placed on the body of the practitioner using mantras.

The Square mandala
------------------
The (Yellow) square is identified with Earth. This is the region of Privithi (Nature). The Tattva (form) of Earth also has the following correspondences:
Sense impression - Scent; Sense activity - smelling; Action - Excretion (which can include thoughts).

The 8 spears can represent:
The 8 directions
The 8 Shaktis (personifications of the 8 siddhas)
The 8 Lokopalas (world-protectors)

Dhara-Bija can be translated as "root-seed" - this is a reference to the root-mantra of the chakra which is LAM - here personified with four arms, bearing a thunderbolt. So why is 'he' mounted on an Elephant. There is a wealth of symbolism relating to Elephants in India. They are praised for their strength, wisdom, loyalty, gentleness, immovability - and they also represent royalty. In Satcakranirupana LAM is identified with Indra.

Bindu means 'a point'. In Tantric symbolism. the Bindu can denote the 'point' where embodied consciousness identifies with the Absolute.

Again the symbolic relationships serve to bring to mind that the Muladhara relates to our experience of the phenomenal Universe. This relationship is dialectical in that just as the interplay of forces within the Muladhara keep us embodied and able to experience the Universe, it is our (outward) actions in-the-world that affect the activity of the forces of the chakra.

The Child-Brahma and Sakti Dakini.
----------------------------------
The attributions of various Devas to the chakras are not absolutes by any means. Some texts (such as the Ganesha Upanishad situate Ganesha as the presiding deity of the chakra. Others (such as the Thousand Names of Lalita) give Lalita as the presiding deity. Some commentators choose to 'read' the child-Brahma as representing an 'immaturity of consciousness' associated with Muladhara. However, it could equally represent Siva in one of his more playful aspects, creating the Universe out of his Lila - play. Similarly, the attributions of the presiding Shakti of the chakra are various. For example, the description of Dakini given in the Satcakranirupana is very similar to descriptions of Bhairavi, so I for one see no problem with meditating on Bhairavi as the Shakti of Muladhara.

The Triangle
------------
The Triangle outwardly represents the Yoni (vagina). Esoterically, it can represent various triadic powers, ie: the 3 shaktis (jnana-kriya-iccha) or the three modes of knowing (the knower; the known; the process of knowing, etc). The Triangle in muladhara is sometimes called kamarupa i.e. the form of desire - that which causes desire or love to be experienced; and is identified with Tripura (i.e. Tripurasundari - the goddess of the three cities - sun, moon & fire). Kama-bija is the "seed of desire" and Kama-Vayu the "breath of desire".
The triangle may also represent the Omkara - "A-U-M" - the cry of the living Universe.

Svayambhu-Linga - Lit: "self-originated sign". This represents the activity of Shiva (as the creator) in Muladhara.

And finally, we make it to Kundalini-shakti.
--------------------------------------------
quoting the Satcakranirupana:

"Over it [Svayambhu-Linga] shines the sleeping Kundalini, fine as the fibre of the lotus-stalk. She is the world-bewilderer, gently covering the mouth of Brahma-dvara by Her own. Like the spiral of the conch-shell, Her shining snake-like form goes three and a half times round Siva, and Her lustre is as that of a strong flash of young strong lightning. Her sweet murmur is like the indistinct hum of swarms of love-mad bees. She produces melodious poetry and Bandha and all other compositions in prose or verse in sequence or otherwise in Samskrta, Prakrta and other languages. It is She who maintains all the beings of the world by means of inspiration and expiration, and shines in the cavity of the root (Mula) Lotus like a chain of brilliant lights."

"She is the world-bewilderer"
I have touched on the meaning of this phrase in an earlier post, so I won't repeat myself.

"gently covering the mouth of Brahma-dvara"
Brahma-dvara refers to the "door of Brahman" - the opening to the Nadi - subtle channel - within the Susumna.

"Her shining snake-like form goes three and a half times round Siva"
This I read as an indication that Siva is acting with Kundalini-Shakti in directing consciousness towards Earth, as it were. Also, a reminder that knowledge and the body evolve together. Moreover, this sentence also recalls that Siva is often depicted as wearing a snake as a sacred thread. It also brings to mind the idea that Kundalini-Shakti is sometimes referred to as Siva's Maya-shakti - the power by which he creates, maintains and destroys the Universe. Here, maya is not the illusory obstacle to the Absolute of the Buddhists and Vedantins, but maya as the bewitching power (or skill) of Siva. In the Satcakranirupana v9, it is attested that [Siva] "resides happily here as in Kasi" (Kasi being his favourite abode).

"Her sweet murmur is like the indistinct hum of swarms of love-mad bees"
This line is sometimes taken as a reference to an actual 'inner sound' produced by the activity of Kundalini-Shakti. However, there is a rich set of symbolic associations concerning Bees in Indian religion that may be worthy of reflection and meditation. For example, the Siddha who has achieved "freedom from thought" is sometimes likened to a bee in a garden of flowers.

"She produces melodious poetry and Bandha"
Bhanda is a type of literary composition. Again, this reminds us of the relationship between Shakti & speech.

"She who maintains all the beings of the world by means of inspiration and expiration"
I take this to mean that Kundalini-Shakti regulates the process of breathing, though there is more to it than that.

"Within it [Svayambhu-Linga, round which Kundalini is coiled] reigns dominant Para, the Sri-Paramesvari, the Awakener of eternal knowledge. She is the Omnipotent Kala who is wonderfully skilful to create, and is subtler than the subtlest. She is the receptacle of that continuous stream of ambrosia which flows from the Eternal Bliss. By Her radiance it is that the whole of this Universe and this Cauldron is illumined."

Sri Paramesvari - I think this means "supreme goddess".

"By meditating thus on Her who shines within the Mula-Cakra, with the lustre of ten million Suns, a man becomes Lord of speech and King among men, and an Adept in all kinds of learning. He becomes ever free from all diseases, and his inmost Spirit becomes full of great gladness. Pure of disposition by his deep and musical words, he serves the foremost of the Devas."

This latter verse indicates the benefits of meditating on Shakti in her forms within the Muladhara. Again, note the emphasis on speech.
As to how these relationships can be explored in terms of practice I'll leave for another post.
 
 
illmatic
10:31 / 30.01.04
I thought it might be interesting/useful to add a bit to this one, on the more practical side of things. For instance, the 4 petals of the lotus can be seen as the 4 directions as well as the 4 "twilights" of the day - dawn, midday, dusk and midnight. They could then be worked with as part of a ritual - offering up an acknowledgement of whatever it is you'll be doing at that part of the day as a part of the meditation, or recalling the ritual at the appropriate time of the day, using it as a reminder to wake up and PAY ATTENTION to whatever is going on. Tantra - as I understand it - is very much about using one's day to day experience as the subject of meditation and the fuel of your magick. Similarly with the idea of the three states - creation, maintenance and destruction - one might apply this as an active meditation to apply to what's going on around you and see where in the cycle these events fit. It's the kind of mnemoic that can be applied to every area of one's life - from processes like birth and death, down to starting/finishing new enterprises, even on the biological level of ingestion of food and air. I'm conscious that this might sound too esoteric, but like a lot of magical symbolism it only makes sense when it "goes live" and you start to apply it.
 
 
trouser the trouserian
13:23 / 30.01.04
My apologies to all if the above discussion appears to be incomprehensible! I'm very conscious that none of it will make much sense if the reader has no experience/knowledge of Indian-based religious perspectives and magical work. For anyone who's interested, I have started on a glossary of tantric terms at Sourceryforge. However, whilst mindful of this, I also felt it was useful to try and articulate the richness and depth of relationships found in tantric material.

Tantra - as I understand it - is very much about using one's day to day experience as the subject of meditation and the fuel of your magick.

Thanks for clarifying that point, Illmatic, as IMO it is very pertinent to my 'analysis' of Muladhara above. Tantric symbolism does tend to be very dense - and often appears inpenetrable to the 'outsider' - which is deliberate ploy on the part of the compilers of these works. The way I've tended to view chakras over the last few years is that they can be approached in a similar manner to a yantra or mandala - as a dense array of engagements through which a practitioner can explore and interiorise a variety of complex relationships. I often find that the 'symbolism' one finds in tantric texts describing chakras is either dismissed as irrelevant or merely arbitary. The view I take is that it is neither - it has a meaning, if one cares to discover it and work with it. Which can be a long drawn-out process - I started reflecting along these lines in the mid-90's and only now are my ideas coming together, as my practice has informed my understanding of Indian concepts and vice versa.

As I understand it, Muladhara chakra is the 'centre' that relates to our everyday experience - thus Muladhara 'roots and supports' our conscious activity in the phenomenal Universe. So 'working' on Muladhara, in the broad sense, can involve any type of practice that affects the way we experience the Universe, be it through our body, our emotions, our perceptions, etc. The 'ultimate aim' here is to simplify the manner in which one perceives existence, seeking equipoise with Nature and the living universe. Personally, I feel that's enough to keep me going for the rest of my life.

Any of the symbolic interelationships given above can become a focus for practical meditation, self-analysis, or ritual - and the chakra can also be used as a yantra, either internally or externally.

Some other points to bear in mind:

My problem with viewing the chakras as a 'ladder' (representing different states of consciousness for example) is that it's very difficult to 'stay on the bottom rung' as it were and very tempting for me to think "oh, I've got to the Anahata state" for example. Over the years, I've become very aware of these ego-identifications with having 'attained' a particular state, so I've come to avoid them by focusing on the 'bottom rung' and being mindful that as the majority of my experience relates to the world, then that's where the focus of my practice lies - remaining in samsara.

Many of the 'forces' in the chakra are personified - treated as gods or goddesses, rather than treated as abstractions. Again, there's a good reason for this - when we personify a quality, it's easier to interact with it, and as Layne Little points out, we "listen with more care and understanding." This also for me reinforces the tantric idea that there is no real seperation between ourselves and the divine. In Tantra, everything is divine - Shakti is everywhere - the 'gap' between the Divine and the manifest Universe that one finds in Neoplatonic conceptions of the universe just isn't there.
 
 
illmatic
13:40 / 30.01.04
Fascinating stuff. A question - as the muladhadra chakra seems to encompass so much, enough for the rest of your life as you say, what then is the point of the other chakras? I mean, in the systems/source texts you are drawing on. I understand what you say about chakras being a yantra, a network of relationships, how then do the chakras inter-relate to each other in these systems? If indeed they do at all. What is the purpose/point of difference of the other chakras?

Can relate to the point about hiearchies as well. I think you saw a lot of this in the GD qabalsitic related grades.
 
 
Unconditional Love
18:22 / 30.01.04
yes i think i did over simplify, you are right there has been alot of mutual exchange between china and india as there was between harappa and sumeria, that aside i have found something of intrest relating to the chakras and there relationships.

it details the lower seven chakras with the muladhara being the uppermost and also the 7 higher chakras starting with the eight located just above the crown.

Those who receive Siva’s grace are liberated from the ego-binding impurity called anava. Transcending the states of bindu–light and nada–sound, they become as Pranava Aum and merge in pure Siva. Verily, this is the pristine state.

Tirumantiram 2233




HREE CHARTS ARE GIVEN IN THIS RESOURCE. THE FIRST SHOWS HINDU COSMOLOGY, CORRELATING THE VARIOUS DIVISIONS AND CATEGORIES OF MANIFESTATION, AS WELL AS THE BODIES, SHEATHS,CHAKRAS AND STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS OF THE soul. It is organized with the highest consciousness, or subtlest level of manifestation, at the top, and the lowest, or grossest, at the bottom. In studying the chart, it is important to remember that each level includes within itself all the levels above it. Thus, the element earth, the grossest or outermost aspect of manifestation, contains all the tattvas above it on the chart. They are its inner structure. Similarly, the soul encased in a physical body also has all the sheaths named above -- pranic, instinctive-intellectual, cognitive and causal. Here, now, is a brief description of the major parts of the cosmology chart, which is available as a PDF by clicking here: Cosmology Chart. This will open in a new window (if you have the Acrobat plug-in for your browser) or it will download a PDF to your hard drive which you can open in Adobe Acrobat.
lokas (3 worlds & 14 planes): These are the classical divisions of consciousness, traditionally numbering 14, as listed. A simpler breakdown shows in column one the three lokas: causal, subtle and gross. The 14 planes correspond directly to the chakras, psychic force centers within the inner bodies of the soul, also listed in column two. The 14 chakras are "doorways" within man to each of the 14 planes.

kala (5 spheres): The center of the chart lists the five kalas -- vast divisions of consciousness or "dimensions" of the mind. Note that the five states of mind -- superconscious, subsuperconscious, conscious, subconscious and subsubconscious -- are also listed in this column.

tattva (36 evolutes): The 36 tattvas, listed to the right of the kalas, are the basic "building blocks" of the universe, successively grosser evolutes of consciousness. These are in three groups, as shown.

kosha & sharira (3 bodies & 5 sheaths): The sheaths or bodies of the soul are given in the two right-hand columns. Note the correlation of these and the worlds by reading across the chart to the left to the two columns named "three worlds," and "14 planes."

On the second chart, the 14 chakras and their attributes are listed, and on the third, a complete list of all 36 tattvas is given. For more insights on the subjects in the chart, please refer to the Glossary.

The Chakra Chart is available as a PDF by clicking here: Chakra Chart.

The Tattva Chart is available as a separate HTML by clicking here: Tattva Chart.

The chakras are nerve plexuses or centers of force and consciousness located within the inner bodies of man. In the physical body there are corresponding nerve plexuses, ganglia and glands. The seven principal chakras can be seen psychically as colorful, multi-petalled wheels or lotuses situated along the spinal cord. The seven lower chakras, barely visible, exist below the spine.







7 - Sahasrara
6 - Ajna


5 - Visuddha

4 - Anahata

3 - Manipura

2 - Svadhishtara

1 - Muladhara



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1 - Atala

2 - Vitala

3 Sutala

4 Talatala

5 Rasatala
6 Mahatala

7 Patala

Seven Chakras above the Muladhara

Seven Chakras Above: The most subtle of the chakras lie above and within the crown chakra at the top of the head. Buddhist literature cites thirty-two chakras above. Agamic Hindu tradition delineates seven levels of the rarified dimensions of paranada, the first tattva and the highest stratum of sound. They are: vyapini, vyomanga, ananta, anatha, anashrita, samana and unmana. The higher chakras have been experienced by a rare few as a conglomerate of nadis, spiritual nerve currents, which when stimulated and developed by many samadhi experiences, slowly descend into the mental and astral bodies, effecting a permanent transformation of the entire being.

7. Sahasrara - Illumination, Godliness. The spiritual mountaintop, pinnacle of light, energy and consciousness. Aham Brahmasmi, "I am That," is unveiled. Here liberated ones abide in communion with the Self. Meaning: "thousand-petaled." Location: top of the cranium. Deity: Siva. Shakti: Nirvanashakti. Color: gold. Petals: 1,008. Plexus: pituitary. Plane: Satyaloka.

6. Ajna - Divine sight. Sensitives and clairvoyants reside in the pastel petals of this refined realm, with access to many levels of superconsciousness and inner worlds of light. Meaning: "command." Location: between the brows. Deity: Ardhanarishvara. Shakti: Hakini. Color: lavender. Vehicle: swan. Petals: two. Plexus: cavernous. Plane: Tapoloka.

5. Vishuddha - Divine love. Here, limitless love wells up, a vision of all souls as brothers and sisters and all things as sacred. Selfless souls, exceptional artists and mystical poets reside here. Meaning: "purity." Location: throat. Deity: Sadashiva. Shakti: Shakini. Color: smokey purple-blue. Vehicle: peacock. Petals: sixteen. Plexus: pharyngeal. Element: ether. Plane: Janaloka.

4. Anahata - Direct cognition. Those who reach this realm, with their delicate, penetrating insight into many fields of activity and knowing, are mankind's guides, counselors, mentors and problem solvers. Meaning: "unsullied." Location: heart. Deity: Ishvara. Shakti: Kakini. Color: smokey green. Vehicle: deer. Petals: twelve. Plexus: cardiac. Element: air. Plane: Maharloka.

3. Manipura - Willpower. This is the hub of willpower. Accomplished men and women perform at high levels mentally and physically when living in this center of energy, discipline and endurance. Meaning: "Jewelled city." Location: solar plexus. Deity: Maharudra Siva. Shakti: Lakini. Color: yellow-amber. Vehicle: ram. Petals: ten. Plexus: epigastric or solar. Element: fire. Plane: Maharloka-Svarloka.

2. Svadhishthana - Reason. Home of intellect. Educated people work through this center of logic and analysis. Great minds have mastered it. It is the pandit's dwelling place and the pragmatist's refuge. Meaning: "one's own place." Location: lower abdomen. Deity: Vishnu. Shakti: Shakini. Color: reddish orange. Vehicle: crocodile. Petals: six. Plexus: prostatic. Element: Water. Plane: Bhuvarloka.

1. Muladhara - Memory-time-space. The abode of memory, the foundation of all human knowledge, this center is also the seat of our basic instincts of survival, sexuality and others. Meaning: "foundation." Location: base of spine. Deity: Ganesha and Brahma. Shakti: Dakini. Color: red. Vehicle: elephant. Petals: four. Plexus: sacral or pelvic. Element: Earth. Plane: Bhuloka.

Seven Chakras below the Muladhara

1. Atala - Fear and lust. As awareness slips below the muladhara into fear, indecision stymies ambition and a licentious lifestyle dulls the pranic sheath. Meaning: "without bottom." Plane: Put.
2. Vitala - Raging anger. Dark red-black streaks emblazen the aura when awareness enters this furnace of instinctive fire and then injures others. Meaning: "region of the lost." Plane: Avichi.

3. Sutala - Retaliatory jealousy. Wanting what others have and preoccupation with what one is not gnaws at the mind, instilling ill-will. Meaning: "great lower region." Plane: Samhata.

4. Talatala - Prolonged confusion. Perversions replace natural joys. Negative karmas compound and stiffen the flow of awareness. Reason warps. Meaning: "under the bottom level." Plane: Tamisra.

5. Rasatala - Selfishness. An imprisoning veil of "me" and "mine" blinds the natural instinct to care for others. Every action is for personal gain. Meaning: "lower region of moisture." Plane: Rijisha.

6. Mahatala - Consciencelessness. Blindness to higher impulses prevails. Guilt, compunction, even fear, are foreign. Criminality is life. Meaning: "greatest lower region." Plane: Kudmala.

7. Patala - Malice and murder. A virtual hell of hate, hurting, killing for its own sake without remorse. Reason rarely reaches this region. Meaning: "lower region of wickedness." Plane: Kakola.

i suggest visiting the link for a more detailed account also the pdf charts help put things in a better perspective.

http://www.himalayanacademy.com/books/mws/mws_resource-03.html

regards.

may i also recommend chakras the seven centers by bill laswell and friends with william defoe as hanuman a good musical guide.
 
 
trouser the trouserian
14:59 / 04.02.04
Illmatic
Those are good questions. However, to quote that bloke in Bladerunner - "I don't have answers". Maybe in a few years time when I've had more practical experience with those systems. I'll get back to you
 
 
Unconditional Love
20:34 / 29.10.04
an article describing the kundalini experience as a series of postgenital puberties
 
 
David Roel
17:46 / 04.07.06
Just found this site, and I think it's good: biologyofkundalini.com
 
  

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