What is the difference between a Spiritual Awakening and a Kundalini Awakening?
Caveat: Everything I am sharing in this post is based on my own personal experience of a spontaneous ‘Kundalini Awakening’. I am not a Kundalini teacher.
What is ‘Kundalini’?
Kundalini is first referenced in the Upanishads, Sanskrit texts that are the most recent addition to the Vedas (the scriptures of Hinduism). We see that Kundalini is later described within Yogic systems (such as Tantra and Hatha yoga) and is now a term more commonly used across various traditions.
‘Kundalini’ can loosely be translated from the Sanskrit to ‘coiled snake’ and is used to refer to a form of the internal divine feminine energy, our Shakti. Everyone, regardless of gender, has this primary energy source but in most individuals it lies dormant.
Where is the Kundalini located?
Traditions do not agree on ‘where’ the Kundalini is located. In some traditions, you will see reference being made to the Kundalini being located near the base of the spine in the etheric body (i.e. in the Root Chakra). In other traditions, you will see reference to the Kundalini being located at the Crown Chakra and that the Root Chakra is merely a switch to ‘turn it on’. In other systems, the teaching is that the location of the Kundalini in the etheric body is dependent upon the level of awakening that the Soul is in when it comes into the incarnation.
What is a ‘Kundalini Awakening?’
According to the traditional definitions, ‘Kundalini Awakening is the awakening of this internal divine feminine energy, this ‘Shakti’, and its movement up through the ‘Shushumna’ (the central channel of the spine). According to the Yogic traditions, as it ascends it moves through the seven primary chakras either individually, or all at once.
Why did people want to awaken their Kundalini?
In traditional Yogic systems, the aim behind working with Kundalini was to bring higher consciousness down into the physical plane of Earth, for the benefit of all. It was never about individualism or that individual gaining ‘superpowers.’ It was about being able to act as a clear bridge between the higher realms and the realm that we currently inhabit.
It is important that if you are looking to activate your own Kundalini energy, you self-reflect upon what your intentions are in doing so. Are your intentions ego or Soul led?
Now we understand what Kundalini is, its history and why people wanted to work with it, let’s take a look at the difference between the two types of awakening you may experience.
What is the difference between a Kundalini Awakening and a Spiritual Awakening?
The terms ‘Kundalini Awakening’ and ‘Spiritual Awakening’ are often used interchangeably, which is technically incorrect. A good way to think about this is that everybody who has a ‘Kundalini Awakening’, (whether it is spontaneous or it is something that they have worked towards) is going to experience a Spiritual Awakening as it awakens a new level of consciousness. However, not everybody who has a Spiritual Awakening is going to experience a Kundalini Awakening.
The main difference between the two is that awakening of the Kundalini is an extremely physical process. Because of the intensity of the energy that has awoken and the movement of this energy through that central channel, it essentially ‘blasts out’ all of the energetic stagnation that is connected to the primary chakras.
This process can bring up a lot of repressed emotions, destabilise the mental programmes that are running and dysregulate the nervous system entirely. People often experience internal heat, tingling throughout the body and involuntary muscle movement during a Kundalini Awakening.
The individual may experience hallucinations, overstimulation from previously dormant clair senses coming online and overall increased sensitivity to energy.
It is essential that if you are experiencing a Kundalini Awakening to take care of your Root Chakra. You may find this blog post useful.
Whilst you can of course experience physical disturbances during a Spiritual Awakening (commonly referred to as ‘Ascension Symptoms’) the main difference is the intensity and level of physicality where Kundalini is involved.
Can someone activate your Kundalini for you?
Traditionally there are nine different methods of awakening the Kundalini taught by Yogis. One of these nine methods is known as ‘Shaktipat.’ This is a transmission of spiritual energy from a teacher to you. It is important to note that prior to an individual receiving Shaktipat, they would spend a significant period of time preparing to receive it. They would also spend time after receiving support from the teacher to support the integration of the newly awakened energy.
The Kundalini can be awakened by someone who has achieved the level of being able to transmit Shaktipat. However, if you are looking for someone to do this for you, I would highly recommend ensuring that the pre and post activation periods are also worked upon with the support of the teacher.
If you have experienced a spontaneous Kundalini awakening (which is something your Soul agrees to prior to the incarnation) and therefore were unable to prepare yourself for the experience, it can still be helpful to gain support for the period afterwards for integration.
Things to consider before working with Kundalini
Everyone has Kundalini energy and the level to which you choose to work with it is personal preference combined with the work you have done with it in previous incarnations. There are a couple of things I recommend you think about:
Be really clear on why you want to work with this energy. Do you want to enhance your spiritual evolution for the benefit of the collective? Or do you want fame and fortune?
Educate yourself on Kundalini through the study of traditional Yogic texts.
If you are going to work with a teacher for this, spend time with them prior to working on anything to do with Kundalini. You have to be 100% confident of their ability to activate AND support you prior to and post the activation. Discernment is key.
Take time to prepare the physical form and work with nervous system regulation throughout the process.
Understand that activation of the Kundalini energy is not a ‘fix-all’ for your spiritual development.
In conclusion
Everyone has Kundalini energy and everyone has the ability to work on the unfoldment of their own Kundalini energy within. In doing so, you may experience numerous ‘awakenings’ of this energy, as the Shakti gently moves through your Light Grid. If you find this happening to you, be sure to be gentle with yourself and seek support if you need to. It can be an intense experience!
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