Welcome to my website!
I live in The Netherlands, where I guide silence retreats, and write books and articles on kundalini awakening. Symbolism referring to the divine energy in our pelvis can be found everywhere: In sacred scriptures, myths, fairy tales, and even in the 15th century tarot. Read more on this website, enjoy your visit! 🙂 Anne-Marie
Kundalini Awakening in the Bible
Many stories, one truth
Within all of us exists the potential for growth that enables us to make the next step in our evolution. This power source is of divine origin and spiritual traditions shared the knowledge of it only with a small group of initiated. The Yoga tradition knows this power source by the name kundalini shakti.
This book introduces the reader to the universal kundalini symbolism that appears in all world religions, and discusses the mysterious source of energy that also provides the central theme of both the Old and the New Testaments. With many examples, Anne-Marie demonstrates that the entire Bible – from Adam and Eve up to the Book of Revelation – is essentially about a kundalini awakening.
Mary Magdalene,
the disciple whom Jesus loved
The only thing the Bible says about Mary Magdalene is that she was one of the women who followed Jesus on his tour through Judea, and that she was freed from seven demons. At closer scrutiny, however, there appears to be a treasure trove of information enclosed in the few words about this mysterious lady.
This book reviews the Bible’s source texts and the symbolic language of its stories and guides the reader step by step on a journey of exiting discoveries and new insights.
The image of Mary Magdalene that emerges was for centuries kept a secret by a small group of initiated and free spirits. This book examines dozens of paintings, frescos and sculptures of famous artists who were in the know, and who in their works hinted at the spiritual status of Mary Magdalene and the crucial role she played in the early days of Christianity.
John the Baptist who became Jesus the Christ
For two thousand years, John the Baptist has been seen as the one who first predicted the coming of the Messiah and subsequently recognized Jesus as “the Lamb of God” at his baptism in the Jordan River.
John the Baptist, however, was not merely the herald of Jesus. He was Jesus. He became a Christos, an anointed one, after his process of God-realization, symbolized by his baptism in the Jordan.
This book shows how this explosive fact is cryptically woven into the gospel stories: for “those who have ears and want to hear.” And while unraveling this great secret, several other inexplicable Biblical puzzle pieces fall into place.
Excellent Book!
Niels Brummelman, Chief Editor Paravisie
Kundalini Symbols
Symbols and metaphors can be used to make clear something that is difficult to explain in words, but also to communicate something that is forbidden in a veiled way.
In most traditions, references to the kundalini energy, the mysterious source of energy in our pelvis, can only be found in the form of symbols and metaphors. Sometimes because the message was intended for the initiated and had to be hidden from the general public, and sometimes because the established religious institutions did not allow the communication of esoteric knowledge..
Click below for kundalini symbols from various traditions, and examples of their use in art, iconographies and illustrations.
Kundalini symbolism in the bible
In the pelvis of every human being, at the level of the sacrum, slumbers an energetic power source, called kundalini-shakti in eastern traditions. One of the universal metaphors of this transcendental energy source is the serpent. The Sanskrit word kundalini means “coiled,” which refers to the fact that with most people this “serpent” remains coiled up asleep (i.e. not active).
The image of the serpent, with its ability to renew itself by shedding its skin, represents the transforming aspect of the kundalini. Once active, the kundalini initiates a process of purification and healing, which results in a state of detachment, great inner peace, silence, and joy. This healing and self-emptying is a required condition for the next step in the process: the unification with God.
The kundalini can become active through deliberate spiritual exercise (meditation and prayer and such) but can also awaken spontaneously. Special exercises aren’t really necessary and direct stimulation is not recommended. The kundalini becomes active when the spiritual aspirant is ready; when there is a genuine interest in growing toward God, a willingness to renounce the personal self, and when some level of purity has already been achieved at the level of the body, thought and action.
Staffs and trees
When the kundalini energy awakens, she rises through the spinal column to the crown of the head.
A physical symbol which appears frequently in the Bible is the scepter, rod or staff, which possesses magic or miraculous powers. This physical attribute, often in the possession of a Biblical hero, refers to the spinal column through which kundalini-energy freely flows. The prophet Moses, for instance, had such a staff, and with it he was able to perform miracles. He was able to transform it into a serpent (Ex 4:3). When he raised it, the Red Sea parted (Ex 14:21), and when he hit a rock with it, water poured forth (Ex 17:6).
Another much used metaphor of awakened kundalini-energy in the spinal column is a tree or shrub. The book of Genesis tells of the Garden of Eden with at its center the Tree of Life whose fruits give eternal life. In the New Testament we read in the parables of Jesus of trees that bear fruit, or that should if they don’t. Even the very Kingdom of God, Jesus said, is like a mustard seed that grows into a large tree (Matt 13:31-32).
The sacred marriage
When the kundalini arrives at the crown the unification of man and his Creator takes place. This is referred to as the “sacred marriage.” Following this internal marriage, the Divine child – the Christ child – is born in our soul.
Also at the psychological level a transformation takes place: the ego is definitely renounced; the old man “dies.” The purified, new man experiences an expanded consciousness and subsequently a living connection with God. In Christian terms this is called being born again.
Amrita
This process also has an important physical component. Our human brain contains regions called the epiphysis (or pineal gland), the hypophysis and the hypothalamus whose job it is to excrete hormones and endogenous opiates. When the kundalini arrives at the crown, these areas of the brain are stimulated into producing chemicals that contribute both to the experience of God and an overall vitalization of the body. Eastern traditions call these excreted substances amrita, which means “immortality”. The Bible speaks of an “anointing” by the Holy Spirit.
Jesus the Christ
The deeper meaning of ancient anointing rituals is the transformation of brain fluids into amrita. The pouring of oil on the heads of kings and priests symbolizes the internal, spiritual process by which a person becomes an anointed one. This ritual is a remnant from the time that kings, priests, and prophets were assumed to be connected to the Divine.
The word Messiah stems from the Hebrew Mashiah and means “Anointed [one]”; someone who underwent an anointing ritual. The Greek word for this is Christos. This title is of course most obviously connected to Jesus the Christ of Nazareth but certainly not limited to him. In fact, every human has the ability to share in the anointing (1 John 2:27), that means to become a Messiah, an Anointed one, a Christ!
Our lower and higher nature
Humans have basically two natures: an animal nature that connects us to our biological origin, and a Divine nature that connect us to our potential destiny. Our actions are partly directed by our animal instincts (our lower nature), and partly by the longing for Divine union, which is the birthright of all humans (2 Peter 1:4).
This duality yields a continuous internal tension, whether we realize this or not. The impulses of our animal instincts, which are rooted in our body (2 Peter 2:12), are often posed perpendicular to the desires of our soul, which is connected to the Divine (Psalm 42).
Animals are capable of immense cruelty. Weaker individuals are cast out, rivals wounded, imperfect offspring killed. But their behavior is instinctual and serves to preserve the species. It is not the result of a freedom of choice. Humans on the other hand have the additional ability to discern between good and evil and to empathize with others.
This may tempt us to see ourselves as far above the primitive animal realm, but much of our behavior can be clearly derived from our animal heritage. Arbitrarily open up a magazine and you’ll see that mankind is predominantly occupied with appearance (reminiscent of the flaunting and grooming of animals), sex and food. Watch sports games and you’ll see sublimated battles for territory and rivalry. Also qualities such as greed, aggression, jealousy and egoism are bestial tendencies. And let’s not forget our herd mentality. Whoever isn’t guilty of that may cast the first stone!
And through the chaos of our bestial tendencies, the gentle voice of our higher nature, seated in our hearts, calls us to compassion, servitude, justice and sharing with others.
When Adam and Eve were forced to leave Paradise, God clothed them in animal skins (Gen 3:21). This symbolizes what happens when we incarnate on earth. Man loses contact with his higher nature (Paradise, God) and receives in return a body with animal instincts. Virtually all Biblical stories about wars, tyrannical kings, cruel invaders and dashing heroes are descriptions of the universal battle within every human being: the clash between the hypnotic forces of his lower, animal nature, and the call of his higher, Divine nature.
The spiritual mission that every person is charged with is to conquer the bestial in order to realize the Divine potential. The key word here is “conquer”. Our mission is not to suppress or deny – a seductive pitfall on our path – but to master. These very primal forces – though purified and sublimated – can help us to accomplish the higher, and the kundalini is a God-given instrument to achieve this.
We don’t need to go this tough and long road alone; we do this together with our Creator. The kundalini is a holy fire that consumes everything that stands between us and the Divine.
Legends, myths and fairy tales
In spiritual traditions, the direct knowledge of the divine energy in our pelvis was shared only with a select group of initiated. The rest of humanity had to work their way through the veil of metaphor and symbolism in legends, myths, fairy tales and other folk stories, to obtain this information.
Not many people realize that the classic fairy tales we know so well, often refer to our potential for spiritual rebirth. Snow White, Cinderella, the Sleeping Beauty and Rapunzel; all those timeless stories are metaphors for the process of kundalini awakening. The poor orphan with the evil stepmother, the prince and princess without kingdom, the lost child in the dark forest; that’s us. And all these stories want to teach us about the way back to our actual home, to God
By clicking on the following fairy tales you will find an analysis of the story by Anne-Marie:
The Tarot
Anne-Marie has writen a series of articles on the Tarot for a Dutch spiritual magazine.
Originally a card game designed for recreational purposes, over the centuries the tarot became became a medium for divination and a vehicle for esoteric knowledge.
Under the influence of occultists, the illustrations on the cards have undergone a true evolution. They are enriched with spiritual themes and symbolism from alchemy, the Bible, Judaism, the kabbalah, astrology, and the myths of ancient Egypt and the ancient Greeks.
By clicking on the links below you will find an in-depth analysis of all cards from the Major Arcana. What origin and meaning do the images and symbols used by the designers have?
In addition to well-known decks such as the Tarot of Marseille, Rider-Waite-Smith, Oswald Wirth, and the Thoth Tarot, a very special version of the tarot is also discussed. In the chapel of the enchanting castle Château des Avenières in France, the walls are covered with life-size images of the Major Arcana in mosaic. A beautiful work of art with partly traditional, partly unique, symbolism. A true treasure for the tarot enthusiast and the spiritual seeker!
