However, special exercises are not necessary and direct stimulation is not wise. The kundalini-energy awakens when the spiritual aspirant is ready. When there is a genuine interest in growing towards God, and a willingness to give up the personal self. And if some degree of purity has already been achieved at the level of body, thinking and doing.

The Yoga philosophy, with all its precepts and emphasis on meditation, is focused on this preparatory phase. Patanjali, the first one in the 2nd century BC. to put the ideas of the Yoga tradition in writing in 196 sutras, does not mention the kundalini. Undoubtedly from the standpoint that this knowledge can have disastrous consequences in the wrong hands.

Psychologically, the ego is stripped of all its “impurities,” injuries and unnecessary ballast, built up from childhood. While some traditions promote destruction of the ego to realize the divine, it would be better to speak of pursuing a transparent ego. A personal self that has been purified to the extent that, like a clean window, it allows all (divine) light to pass through unhindered.

This is a process of years that results in a state of detachment, accompanied by great inner peace and joy. This process of purification and emptying out is a necessary condition for the next step: reunification with God.

A lot can be said about the Kundalini. And many things to put right, because the intangible, transcendent nature of the phenomenon has also caused many misunderstandings. In this article I would like to show you that kundalini is not just something for yogis, monks and ascetics, but that we are all called to pursue this path, sooner or later, and that almost all world religions are founded on a kundalini awakening of their prophets.

The ida nadi and pingala nadi are two important energy channels, at the left and right side of our spine. They are, as it were, the energetic blueprint of the duality in our body. They represent the polarities, similar to yin and yang from Taoism.

Where ida nadi is connected to the feminine, dark, cold, passivity, the moon, and feeling, pingala nadi is connected to the masculine, light, heat, activity, the sun, and thinking. Note: these are archetypal contrasts that are not related to the sex of an individual! Every person has an ida and pingala nadi, and therefore a masculine and feminine side.

When the kundalini awakens and ascends through the sushumna – the energy channel that runs through the spine – to the crown chakra, all other chakras along the spine are purified and activated.

At the sixth chakra, the ida and pingala nadi merge, and the so-called “third eye” on the forehead of the spiritual aspirant, is opened. This union of the inner masculine and feminine also leads to the opening of the crown chakra: the mystical marriage of man and his Creator takes place.

The serpent is a universal metaphor for this divine energy. The Sanskrit word kundalini comes from the Yoga tradition and means ‘curled up’, referring to a serpent lying curled up when sleeping. The image of a serpent, with its ability to renew itself by shedding its skin, also reflects the transformative and healing aspect of the kundalini.

The official teachings of the Buddha do not refer to the kundalini. But also not to chakras, nadis or any other energetic principle. The original Buddhism is mainly a philosophy with doctrines about a correct mindset.

The Buddha lived in the religious environment of Hinduism and its worship of gods. He saw that man was not happy and has formulated a doctrine with which to overcome suffering. The core of its message is that the ego is an illusion that must be seen through to be delivered from suffering and to realize nirvana.

He thereby placed nirvana as a possibility in the here and now and not after death somewhere in another dimension. To achieve this it is necessary that man let go of his attachment to all kinds of rituals, (energy) systems and gods, which tend to maintain the ego.

The Buddha has neither confirmed nor denied the existence of a God or gods. He brought learning principles that were necessary for man at that time and in that culture to transcend the personal, and experience the underlying oneness of creation. However, we may assume that he himself experienced a kundalini awakening. Indications for this can be found in buddhist myth and iconography.

The legend about the serpent Mucalinda for example. After his enlightenment, meditating under the Bodhi tree, the Buddha is said to have been protected from a violent storm by the cobra Mucalinda, who rose from the roots of the tree behind him and spread his hood above him.

It is not difficult to filter out kundalini symbolism from this story. The tree represents the spine of the Buddha himself, and the cobra is the “serpent energy” that flows up through the sushumna channel.

On some images we see a seven-headed cobra rising behind the Buddha. These seven serpent heads represent the seven main chakras that are located along the spine. In the Yoga tradition, the number of serpent heads refers to the spiritual level of a yogi: the number of purified and opened chakras. Seven represents a completed process.

The ego has become feather light and transparent. It is therefore easy to step out of the ego and perceive the emotions that remain from a witness position. Letting them rise and ebb, just like the thoughts. So enlightenment does not mean that one no  longer has emotions. The above story is clear on this: Mucalinda does not temper the storm, he protects the Buddha from the storm!

So far as we can now ascertain, the Buddha has not explicitly taught about the kundalini, but he has – most likely drawing from his own experience – left behind a doctrine that provides the basic purity and mindset necessary to awaken the divine cobra in our pelvis from her sleep.

The Eightfold Path of Buddhism contains clear and effective guidelines to dismantle and transcend the ego. Whoever follows this path sincerely and steadily will one day also receive this divine gift.

The heart of Judaism is the Torah. In the broadest sense it encompasses all of Jewish laws and teachings. In a more limited sense, it refers to the first five books of Moses: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. In Christianity, these books are included in the Old Testament, a name that the Jews – of course – do not use.

In the books of Moses the term kundalini is not explicitly mentioned, but many stories are metaphors for aspects of the process of kundalini awakening. Skeptics point out that you can project anything you want on symbolism. In a way, this is true. It is above all the repetition of certain themes, the recurring metaphors, and the correspondence with sacred writings of other religions that convince.

There are several passages in the book of Exodus that indicate that Moses, the most important prophet of Judaism, experienced a kundalini awakening. For example, the moment when Moses receives the command from God to take the Hebrews (Jews) out of Egypt and to bring them to the promised land:

This burning bush from which the voice of God echoes is not outside Moses, but in him. Mentioning the word in the middle of this short text twice is one of the hints that there is a deeper meaning in it. This is the center of Moses: his spine “on fire” with the non-digesting kundalini fire. His awareness that has been expanded through this allows him to receive messages from God.

Islam forbids depicting the prophet. In the sparse paintings that exist, he is often depicted with fire flames around his head or body.

The alchemists knew that Jesus had gone through a process of kundalini awakening. They translated this into alchemical metaphors. (Ars Magna lucis et umbrae, Athanasius Kircher, 1646)

An alchemical illustration with Mary as Sophia (personification of the divine kundalini energy), under the cross of her son. A reference to the kundalini process of Jesus. (Buch der saints Dreifaltigkeit, 15th century)