I have not written because I have wanted readers to read the last comment posted by Harry especially his account of what I understand to be a spontaneous spiritual emergency where powerful energy rose from the base of his spine to his head and shattered the consciousness. This fragmentation of the consciousness gives rise to the experience of cosmic unity and one-ness.
I was particularly interested to read that this experience followed closely a shaktipat initiation. I too received a shaktipat initiation when I travelled around India for 4 months in 1997. However the results of it only manifested on a 7 day silent meditation retreat in Devon in 1998. I have written about this experience in detail in my book. I didn't immediately associate the experience of rising energy on this meditation retreat with what this man in India had given to me until I had exhausted every other possibility of a rational explanation. I consider myself to be a spiritual scientist. I am not afraid of finding a rational explanation to account for the kind of experience a spontaneous spiritual emergency is. When I couldn't find one to explain my experience I like Harry believe that it was as a result of a shaktipat initiation. I very much identified with the sense of bewilderment that he felt like 'why me'.
However, for this energy to rise safety and naturally the body and mind must be prepared. This is the tragedy for many of those that experience this kind of experience. The lack of preparedness of the body and mind for this kind of experience fragments the consciousness so afterwards it is hard to integrate it and the experience back into normal everyday life. This is why I do not promote the raising of the kundalini without many years of physical and mental preparation. When I was studying and practicing Mahayana Buddhism there was never a mention of energy that was lying dormant at the base of the spine. The whole philosophy is based on understanding and practicing the 4 noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Pathway. What I see now is that by concentrating on these and being authentic in my desire to understand these that my body and mind were being prepared, so that when this experience came to me in Devon my brain and consciousness could withstand the force that was applied to it. Then by always having the Witness present I have been able to integrate my consciousness back into normal everyday life and find my peace, joy, and calm in the middle of this uncertain turbulent world and not in the lonely life of the mystic.
I see the experience that Harry recounts as being stage 3 in the 3 stages of spiritual development I have written about in blog posts some time ago. The 1st stage is that of 'knowing yourself' which is why I constantly harp on about the identity and separating ourselves from our thoughts and feelings as these being who we are. The 2nd stage is that of 'knowing The SELF' - this is experiencing that which is not our thoughts and feelings, experiencing the unity and connection that underlies the appearance of separation and the final stage is to 'know THE ONE' - I will admit to never having touched this stage in the way that is reported by those who experience similar experiences to Harry. I know that this is where my consciousness is travelling to and I trust that when I am ready both physically and mentally that I will have this kind of experience but for now I am happy to travel gradually through these stages.
In spontaneous spiritual emergency where the body and mind is unprepared for the fire that is unleashed the consciousness goes from stage 1 - stage 3 and then reverts again to stage 1 (I'm sure that this is not the case in every circumstance). This is tragic because having tasted this stage once the consciousness then has to start again from the beginning and this can be very disheartening and demoralising but to Harry and all the other Harry's who have had a similar experience I say don't get demoralized or disheartened, what you have experienced is very special is ultimately the end point that we all as human beings are going to experience at one point or another. Keep the vision of this in mind, be grateful for having had the experience and have faith that it will happen when the consciousness is expanded enough for it to rise and be long-lasting.
The experience I had with this rising energy was not as profound as Harry's but it has resulted in a level of peace, calm, ease and freedom with life that was not there before.... I see this energy as the transformative evolutionary energy that shifts the consciousness from human to spiritual....
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2 comments:
Hello Margaret
Than you for your blog posting about my experience of Shaktipat.
I can say for certain that this experience was worthwhile for me. I do not know why I received such a powerful connection with this energy, I have never met
anyone else who has experienced this in this way. I think Shaktipat is different for each person & differs in intensity according to the needs of the
initiate. No one else at that ashram appeared to have received such a powerful initiation. I can only assume it must have been my destiny & that perhaps I
had some 'past life' connection to this lineage of 'Siddha's'. Or perhaps it was simply my own impatience or personality that caused it to happen all in one
go instead of unfolding gradually. At the end of the day I just don't know. Whatever happens is right for that person. My experience does not make me better
or worse or special 'just me' & whatever happens in each persons case is appropriate for them.
Although, this experience didn't last long it has changed me forever. No one can continue life in the same way after something like this. I am a very 'sane'
& 'down to earth' type of person but the difficulty it has caused me is knowing what to do with my life after this. Somehow, the idea of working in most
traditional employment avenues ceased to be of much interest to me & yet I live in the world, not a cave. I have wanted to help others experience their own
true nature in some way. I thought The Life Training held some possibilities for me in that I could work with peoples own transformations.
I think you are correct in your 1,2,3 stages evaluation. This is how it feels to me going from 0 to 1-3 in one go & back to 1 again. A bit like 'snakes &
ladders', I am very grateful for the experience though, because I know with certainty that life is magical, that god exists within all of us & that in effect
is who we really are. We are all loved & looked after by something more powerful than we can imagine. The universe is perfection & although it does not
always feel like it everything is perfect. Not one person is forgotten or lost.
Have you ever read 'The Chasm of Fire' by Irena Tweedie? I used to know Mrs.Tweedie & visit her at her flat in North London. She used to hold meditation
groups on Friday evenings for a while. If you haven't already read the book it is basically her diary & the story of her spiritual quest with a Sufi saint.
She didn't meet this guru until she was 60 & went on to become his successor in terms of his lineage & I believe she became a true saint or guru herself. The
unabridged version of this book is 'Daughter of Fire', it is a large volume that contains her complete diary of events that took place for her on her
spiritual journey. I think you would enjoy either book if you haven't already read them. Probably 'Chasm of Fire' contains the most important & interesting
parts of her journey, it just depends how much time you have to read. I have checked Amazon & both books are available.
The following url contains an interview with Mrs.Tweedie:
http://www.goldensufi.org/A-ChasmofFireInterview.html
I will post my story of my experience at the Life Training 'Opening the Heart' workshop later if thats ok with you Margaret. It's again one of those things I
don't understand & don't understand why again I had such a powerful experience.
Best Wishes
Harry
Absolutely Harry, you MUST share your experience. What is important is to SHARE it, not teach it, not understand it, just to share it. And the combination of you sharing together with the kind of sensitive and authentic person you are will inspire people to look at the spiritual journey anew.
I have read Daughter of Fire by Irina Tweedie and what I am trying to do with the training I do is similar to what the Guru did for Irina. This is to make the identity such that it is 'less then the dust on the street'. In one blog I spoke about 'getting into a street fight with myself'. This is an ongoing process.
Thank you for the link to the interview. I read it with great interest. And also the fact that you have met with her. She showed tremendous courage for the spiritual path and endured more than I think I could.
I like you don't understand either why I have the insights and realizations that I do. The why is not important. What is more important is the how and what. What can I contribute to people from this experience and How can I be an instrument for this power to move through me to inspire everyone that I meet.
At a certain point the spiritual journey shifts from being about you and me to being about others.....
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