OM! The Divine Mother -Shakti and the awakening of kundalini

The Divine Mother -Shakti  \ The active aspect of Brahman

and the awakening of kundalini

Brahman (Shiva or Atman or God, or Spirit etc.) and Shakti are not two. They are the static and the dynamic aspects of one and the same principle.

"The power or active aspect of the immanent God is Shakti. Shiva (Brahman, God etc.) is the unchanging consciousness. Shakti is His changing Power which appears as mind and matter. She runs this world-show. She maintains the sportive play or Lila of the Lord. She is the supporter of the vast universe. She is the supreme Power by which the world is upheld. She is the Universal Mother (the Divine Mother)."

~ Swami Sivananda

"It is this cosmic energy, this Para Shakti, that manifests as the incredible energy of the sun, the energy of the planets and, the incredible speed at which they whirl in their own orbits. It is this cosmic energy which manifests as the power of gravity, as the power of the sun’s radiance, as the power of all these great planets and heavenly bodies, as the power of the wind and other elements. Shakti controls the entire manifestation, just as electricity allows all appliances to work."

~ Swami Chitananda

"The Divine Mother is everywhere triple. She is endowed with the three Gunas, viz., Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. She manifests Herself as Will (Ichha Shakti), Action (Kriya Shakti) and Knowledge (Jnana Sakti). She is Brahma-Shakti (Sarasvati) in conjunction with Brahma, Vishnu-Shakti (Lakshmi) in conjunction with Vishnu and Shhiva-Sakti (Gauri) in conjunction with Shiva. Hence She is called Tripurasundari. The Chaitanya (consciousness) that is associated with the Sattva Guna is Vishnu. The Chaitanya that is associated with Rajoguna is Brahma and the Chaitanya associated with Tamoguna is Siva. 

The one Ishvara (Chaitanya associated with Shakti or Maya; the reflection of Brahman in Maya is Ishvara.) has become three according to the functions of creations, preservation and destruction. The Chaitanya (consciousness) is the same."

~ Swami Sivananda

The Shakti is neither female nor male. She is everything, male, female and neutral and beyond these aspects also. Shakti is considered as female in relation with Brahman which of course is not neither male nor female; Brahman or the absolute Truth is beyond any description.

"Any power that we see in this universe is the power of this great cosmic force and it is this same power that animates all living beings, trees, plants, insects, birds, bees, reptiles, fish and animals. It is the power of the lion, it is the power of the elephant and it is the power of the brilliant intellect or genius of a Faraday, a Raman or an Einstein.

"This self-same power abides in us and animates our entire body mechanism. Our lives depend entirely upon Shakti, which grants us vitality, feeling and consciousness or awareness, through which we operate on all levels and can set in motion both our outer actions and inner sadhana (spiritual practice). 

"The body is Shakti. The mind is Shakti. The needs of the body are the needs of Shakti. The shakti is the power that digests our food, that makes our heart pump blood, that makes our lungs breathe, that makes our muscles and joints work, that makes our tongue talk and ear hear. 

~ Swami Chitananda

"The Shakti rules over the processes of birth and death and the unfoldment karma. She provides our souls with the bodies and minds and the worlds in which to experience life. All that we eat, breathe, perceive, feel or know consists of some portion of her energy and an aspect of Her dynamic processes that surround us on every side. All that we seek to acquire for sustenance, happiness, knowledge or growth is part of Her and comes from Her."

 ~ David Frawley

The sexual aspect of Shakti

The sexual energy is the most fundamental expression of cosmic energy, because through it the entire universe is born and exists.

In our bodies its main functions is the reproduction of the species and the experience of pleasure, but it is even more important in spiritual development.

Sexual energy is the deepest reservoir of our energy. In the sexual fluids (semen and vaginal fluids) are stored the more subtle and fine energies (Tejas and Ojas) which are very important for maintaining good health, mental and emotional balance and harmony and achieve a high level of consiousness .

Sexual energy has also a higher potential which causes the awakening of Shakti-kundalini which in its turn awake the superior capabilities of the seven chakras and mind (clairvoyance, clairaudience, cosmic consciousness etc.).

"It is this very power that is also present as the sex energy in us. Therefore, the sex energy is nothing but the presence of the Divine Mother in all human beings."

"So, the sexual energy is part of the one indivisible great cosmic power present in the human individual. In its gross biological aspect, it is called the sexual energy. In its subtler aspect, it is the energy of discrimination, the power of the intellect to analyze and enquire and ratiocinate. In a still subtler aspect, in its psychic aspect, it is the power of the Shakti Kundalini. And in its supreme aspect, it is nothing but Atma-Shakti. Because Brahman and Shakti are not two. They are the static and the dynamic aspects of one and the same principle."

~ Swami Chitananda

Shakti and spirituality

"Even to seek Brahman, to seek what is beyond Shakti (Shiva, Brahman etc.), we must work with Shakti. Shakti provides us the power of meditation and the discriminating insight through which we can transcend time and space. This means that the best means for both spiritual realization and for gaining all the other goals of life is to worship Shakti, to work with and for the Goddess (Divine Mother). There is no other way as effective, if there is any other way at all. If the Brahman is the goal, the Shakti is both the path and the power to traverse it. We can awaken and follow her current to Brahman, or remain asleep and get caught in her outside streams that move in different directions."

 ~ David Frawley

The worship and devotion of Divine Mother can be included in all spiritual paths and can be a part of the sadhana of everyone who wants to realize the Truth.  But there are paths like Shaktaism that are dedicated in the worship of the Divine Mother and have spesific practices for the awakening of Shakti-kundalini.  

Worship and devotion can be done by rituals, prayers, singing praises and kirtan, reading sacred texts about the Divine mother, repetion of mantras, by the sexual Maithuna and finally by recognising every person and action as a manifestation of the Shakti, by seeing  the Divine Mother in everything.

Shakti-Kundalini yoga sadhana

Shaktaism is an ancient path of India in which the devotees adore the Divine Mother and with specific practices aim to the unfolding and awakening of Shakti-Kundalini. 

"Shaktaism helps the aspirant to arouse the Kundalini and unite Her with Lord Shiva (pure Consciousness) and to enjoy the supreme bliss or Nirvikalpa Samadhi. A Shakta (devotee of Shakti) does Sadhana which helps the union of Shiva and Shakti through the awakening of the forces within the body. He becomes a Siddha (perfect) in the Sadhana when he is able to awaken Kundalini and pierce the six Chakras. The mode of Sadhana depends upon the tendencies and capacities of the Sadhaka. One should become perfectly desireless and should be full of Vairagya before he attempts to awaken Kundalini.

"In this path the aspirant adores the Shakti and practices, Dhyana, Bhava, Japa, pranayamas and Shakti-Mantra in order to awaken the Shakti-kundalini. Devotion, celibacy, renunciation, dispassion and purity of mind are necessary for the awakening of kundalini."

~ Swami Sivananda

There are other paths like the Tao and the Gnosis movement of Samael Aun Weor which although they give practices for celibates  for the transformation of sexual energy they suggest the sexual Maithuna as the main practice for the awakening of kundalini. However, in these paths are also essential the purity of mind, the dispassion, concentration and meditation for the awakening of kundalini. 

Sexual Maithuna is the adoration of Shakti through the sexual union of male and female without orgasm in order to transform the sexual energy and awaken the Kundalini. Shakti kundalini is the serpent power, that has 3 coils with face downwards, in the Muladhara Chakra, at the base of the spine.  By concentration, imagination, pranayama, bandhas and mantras the aspirants lead the sexual energy through the spine (the subtle nadis of ida, pigala and susumna). When kundalini awakens, awaken also the latent superior powers of the six chakras and the yogi aquires siddhis (clairvoyance, clairaudience, cosmic consciousness etc.).

However  Maithuna is not easy to practice in this age and paths like Advaita suggest celibacy. 

Swami Sivananda used to say: “Brahmacharya is the basis of immortality.”

Sri Swami Sivananda

Sri Swami Sivananda who himself followed celibacy, suggests celibacy, and considers as more important requisites or qualifications for the awakening of Kundalini, as well as for self-realization, the purity of mind (a mind free from desire, anger, greed, fear, jealousy and rajas and tamas gunas), the devotion, the discrimination, the dispassion, the absence of Iness and mineness, the faith and concentration. He claims that Kundalini can be awakened by various ways :

 "Kundalini can be awakened by various methods such as Japa, devotion, Vichara (enquiry of “Who am I”), Asana, Kumbhaka, Bandhas, Mudras, and above all by the Grace of the Guru."

Sivananda, Paramahansa Ramakrishna and Amritanadamayi (Amma) are great sages that demostrate that Kundalini can be awakened by celibacy despite the fact that devotees of Tantra and Samael Aun Weor (the founder of Gnosis) insist that the sexual Maithuna is necessary for the awakening of kundalini.

"When Kundalini is awakened, reaches the top of the head after piercing one Chakra after another and finally unites with Lord Shiva and enjoys the Highest Bliss. Now the Yogi attains super conscious state and becomes a full-blown Jnani. He drinks the Nectar of Immortality. Illustration shows the ascent of the Kundalini to the top of the head and its union with Lord Siva.

"When Kundalini sleeps, man is awake to the world. He has objective consciousness. When She awakes, he sleeps. He loses all consciousness of the world and becomes one with the Lord. In Samadhi, the body is maintained by the nectar which flows from the union of Shiva and Shakti in the Sahasrara. 

"Mother Kundalini-Shakti unites with Lord Shiva in the Sahasrara during Nirvikalpa Samadhi. This is real Maithuna or blissful union. This is due to Divya-Bhava (divine disposition).ª

"No one can free himself from the thralldom of mind and matter without Mother’s grace. The fetters of Maya are too hard to break. If you worship Her as the great Mother, you can very easily go beyond Prakriti through Her benign grace and blessings. She will remove all obstacles in the path, lead you safely into the illimitable domain of eternal bliss, and make you absolutely free."
~ Swami Sivananda

OM! The essence of Advaita Vedanta ~ Atman NItyananda

The essence of Advaita Vedanta

  

There is only one absolute non-dual reality (without parts, form, time, space and cause). There nothing else beside That nondual reality. This nondual dual principal it is called Brahman and in relation with the individual Atman.

That nondual reality is what we really Are.

The identity of the apparently individual Consciousness (called Atman) with the absolute or Universal Consciousness (called Brahman) is clearly affirmed by the great sentences -Mahavakyas of Upanishads):

‘Aham Brahmasmi’ (‘Brahman I am’), ‘Tat Tvam Asi’ (‘That you Are’), ‘Ayam Atma Brahma’ (‘Atman is Brahman’).

We are That reality doesn't mean that we as an ego entity We are That nondual reality, but that We, as the apparently individual Consciousness We are the absolute nondual Consciousness (the nondual reality).

This non-dual reality, is self-existent, self-luminous (awareness itself and aware of itself), indestructible, changeless, immovable, without beginning and end, ever present, peaceful, blissful, free and complete. It is called also as Sat-Chit-Ananda (absolute Existence, absolute Consciousness and absolute Bliss).

  

The innate power of this nondual reality called Maya creates this multiple universe of innumerable forms and the Jivas (embodied souls, human beings). Sattva, rajas and tamas are the fundamental substances (qualities or gunas in Sanskrit) by which Maya creates the universe and all forms. The nature of Maya and the nature of the nondual reality are incomprehensible, beyond description and mental concepts.

The universe created by Maya is a superimposition on That nondual reality which is unperceived by the senses, but fully experienced in a pure awaken sattvic mind. 

We are in essence this nondual reality. The apparently individual Consciousness We are, is identical with universal or absolute non-dual Consciousness.

  

The factor that creates the illusion of separation and duality is the ego and the rajas and tamas qualities that operate through the ego and the mind.

The lower rajasotamasic ego veils the non-dual reality and makes us identify with the instruments (body, prana, mind, intellect) and regard as our self the physical body and what there is in the body (vital energy, mind, intellect / prana, manas, buddhi).

The lower rajasotamasic ego causes a mutual identification between the nondual reality or Consciousness and the instruments.

Due to this mutual identification, the qualities of the body, prana, mind and intellect are superimposed on the nondual reality and the 'qualities' of the non-dual reality are superimposed on the instruments.

So, when the body is hungry, we feel that We are hungry, when the body is tired, we feel that We are tired. Οn the contrary, although we as a body we are going to die, we feel that this body will never die because the deathlessness of our essential nature (the non-dual reality) is superimposed on the body.

Similarly, the states of the mind are superimposed onto our essential non-dual nature and the opposite. Due to this superimposition, we take the states of the mind as our states, thus we think, I am clever or stupid, I am miserable or happy and in the contrary we take the awareness, the bliss and the love of the Consciousness that belong to the mind (and the body as well), so we feel as a body mind entity, I am aware, I love, I am blissful.

Self-realization or liberation is the disidentification from the instruments, the realization that the nondual reality is our identity (what We really are) and the cessation of the illusory perception that we are different and separate from the nondual reality, created by the ego (i.e. the cessation of duality). 

Liberation or Self-realization happens by the complete dissolution of the egoic mind and the ego itself and the equality of buddhi with the Consiousness due to continuous identification of the mind with That (by meditation or Self-enquiry /Vichara). 

In the state of liberation, it is experienced, in all places and all circumstances, effortlessly and without a break the peace, bliss, plenitude and freedom eternal of oue essential nature.

Om! A pure mind is Brahman itself ¬ Swami Sivananda

A pure mind is Brahman itself

¬ Swami Sivananda

A pure mind is Brahman itself. Just as camphor in the presence of fire is turned into fire and absorbed in fire when burnt, so also a mind when purified becomes of the nature of Brahman. Just as water in the presence of salt, when a lump is placed in a basin of water, becomes saltish, so also mind in the presence of Brahman, when purified, becomes of the nature of Brahman..

Comment

Brahman is Absolute Consciousness. Brahman is Satchitananda (Absolute Existence, absolute Consciousness, absolute Bliss)

Vid: The essence of Non-duality (Advaita Vedanta)

The essence of Non-duality (Advaita Vedanta)
by Atman Nityananda

There is only one absolute non-dual reality (without parts, form, time, space and cause). There nothing else beside That nondual reality. This nondual dual principal it is called Brahman and in relation with the human beings it is called Atman.

This Atman or Brahman is pure Being, pure light of Consciousness and pure Bliss. This nondual reality is what we really Are.

The identity of the apparently individual Consciousness (called Atman) with the absolute or Universal Consciousness (called Brahman) is clearly affirmed by the great sentences -Mahavakyas of Upanishads):‘Aham Brahmasmi’ (‘Brahman I am’), ‘Tat Tvam Asi’ (‘That you Are’), ‘Ayam Atma Brahma’ (‘Atman is Brahman’).

Read all the essay

The essence of Non-duality

Om! I Am Brahman - Ribhu Gita

 

I Am Brahman

43. I am Brahman. I am pure. I am always pure, ever. I am without qualities. I am without desires. This is the best mantra of all.

45. I myself shine by myself, by myself alone, and not by anything else. I abide in myself. This is the best mantra of all. I myself enjoy myself. I myself revel in myself. I myself am my own Light. I myself revel in myself.

46. I myself revel in my own Self. I see only my own Self. I am happy in my own Self. This mantra, thus, is the best: I remain in my own Consciousness. I revel in joy in the realm of my Self. I am seated on the throne of my own Self. This is, thus, the best mantra.

47. Ever seeing the mantra of one's Self, ever exercising the Knowledge of one's Self, the mantra "l-am-Brahman-l am" will destroy all sins relating to one's Self.

48. The mantra "l-am-Brahman-l-am" will destroy the defect of duality. "l-am-Brahman-l-am" will destroy the sorrow of differentiation.

49. The mantra "l-am-Brahman-l-am" will destroy the disease of thought. The mantra "l-am-Brahman-l-am" will destroy the disease of intellect.

50. The mantra "l-am-Brahman-l-am" will destroy the disease of mental agony. The mantra "l-am-Brahman-l-am" will destroy all the worlds.

51. The mantra "l-am-Brahman-l-am" will destroy the defect of desire. The mantra "l-am-Brahman-l-am" will destroy the defect of anger.

52. The mantra "l-am-Brahman-l-am" will destroy the defect of conceptualizing. The mantra "l-am-Brahman-l-am" will also destroy sankalpa.

53. The mantra "l-am-Brahman-l-am" will destroy the sorrow pertaining to all this. The mantra "l-am-Brahman-l am" will burn up the blemish of lack of discrimination.

54. The mantra "l-am-Brahman-l-am" will utterly destroy ignorance. The mantra "l-am-Brahman-l-am" will destroy millions of defects.

55. The mantra "l-am-Brahman-l-am" will do away with all rituals. The mantra "l-am-Brahman-l-am" will destroy mistaken notions of the body.

56. The mantra "l-am-Brahman-l-am" will efface (the distinction of) the seen and the unseen. The mantra "I-am-Brahman-I-am" will reveal the Knowledge of the Self.

57. The mantra "l-am-Brahman-l-am" bestows success in the realm of the Self. The mantra "l-am-Brahman-l-am" will destroy the unreality.

58. The mantra "I-am-Brahman-I-·am" will destroy all else. The mantra "I-am-Brahman-I-am" will confer indescribable joy. '

59. The mantra "l-am-Brahman-l-am" will remove the idea of non-Self. The mantra "l-am-Brahman-l-am" confers the Bliss of Knowledge.

62. That mind is fit for the supreme Liberation that is aware that He alone is the One who is the ever-blissful, the source of supreme joy, the permanent, from whom there is nothing apart, from whom have been born all the worlds, who cannot be comprehended by words or mind or the assemblage of senses or the body.

From the Chapter VI of Ribhu Gita ‘’ THE  CHAPTER OF THE DETERMINATION OF ''I AM BRAHMAN''

Relation between ourselves and God - Atman Nityananda

Relation between ourselves and God

To help your understanding of the relation between the individual Self or individual Consciousness and God, i.e., the Universal Consciousness, I will use the well-known example of the ocean and the waves. The wave is a part and an expression of the totality called the ocean. However, the essential nature of the wave and the ocean is water (H2O). Although the ocean is immense and the wave is a very small part of the ocean, both share the same nature, i.e., they are both water (H2O).

Similarly, each human being as a body-mind entity is an infinitesimal part and expression of the universe. However, its essential nature and that of the whole universe is the same, Consciousness. Consciousness concerning the whole Cosmos is called God (Brahman, Spirit, Tao, etc.) and concerning each person is called true Self (Atman, essence, Soul, etc.). That is, the universal Consciousness (God, Brahman) when expressed through man is called individual Consciousness or the true Self (Atman in Sanskrit). Moreover, Consciousness, unlike water, is formless and spaceless, that is why there is no difference in quality and quantity, i.e., there is no such thing as a big or small, superior or inferior Consciousness. 

The Consciousness in us is God Himself but due to the limitations of the mind it appears as the seemingly individual Consciousness. However, when our mind is freed from all limitations we realize that we are God Himself.

What Is Brahman? Swami Sivananda

What Is Brahman?
by Swami Sivananda

Brahman or the Supreme Self is beyond time and space, causation. He is limitless. He is tranquil. He shines with equal effulgence in all bodies. He cannot be any particular thing. He is Chaitanya or pure consciousness. Atman or Brahman or the Supreme Self is the hidden treasure. It is the jewel of jewels. It is gem of gems. It is the imperishable, inexhaustible supreme wealth, which no dacoit can rob. It is Chintamani of Chintamanis that will give man whatever he wishes.

Brahman is known also by the names Atman or Purusha. Purusha is so-called because of His lying in the body, or because He is full in Himself, or because all that we see is pervaded by Him.

Brahman is the soul or Atman of man. He is the soul of the Universe. Brahman alone is the Infinite.

Look within. Within is the fountain of bliss. That is the real life. What is the real 'I'. That is soul. That is Atman. That is Brahman. That is pure consciousness.

Om Shanti 

ATMA VICHARA ~ Swami Sivananda

Haidakhan Babaji meditating

ATMA VICHARA

The effort to keep the mind always concentrated on Atman or Brahman is what is called Atma-Vichara.

Till the blissful Jnana dawns on you, you should do constant and intense Sadhana.

You must not stop thinking of Brahman (Brahma-Chintana) even for half a second, even for the time taken for one winking. 

You must become Nididhyasana-Parayana (one whose sole refuge is meditation on OM with feeling and meaning). Then only Brahma-Jnana (direct knowledge of Brahman) is possible.

~ Swami Sivananda

THE ULTIMATE REALITY - THE LIGHT OF CONSCIOUSNESS ~ Nisargadatta / I AM THAT

THE ULTIMATE REALITY - THE LIGHT OF CONSCIOUSNESS

Questioner: What is the source of consciousness?

Nisargadatta : Consciousness itself is the source of everything.

Questioner: Can there be life without consciousness?

Nisargadatta : No, nor consciousness without life. They are both one. But in reality only the Ultimate is. The rest is a matter of name and form. And as long as you cling to the idea that only what has name and shape exists, the Supreme will appear to you nonexisting.

When you understand that names and shapes are hollow shells without any content whatsoever, and what is real is nameless and formless, pure energy of life and light of consciousness, you will be at peace -- immersed in the deep silence of reality.

extract from the book "I Am That.pdf " ~ Nisargadatta Maharaj Chapter 13. The Supreme, the Mind and the Body

THE BLISS IS ATTAINED BY A PURE MIND UNITED WITH BRAHMAN ~ Bhagavad Gita Ch. VI

THE BLISS IS ATTAINED BY A PURE MIND UNITED WITH BRAHMAN

 18. "When the perfectly controlled mind rests in the Self only, free from longing for the objects of desire, then it is said: “He is united, (Yogi)”

21. "When he (the Yogi) feels that infinite bliss which can be grasped by the (pure) intellect (Buddhi) and which transcends the senses, and, established wherein he never moves from the Reality. (Brahman)."

27. "Supreme bliss verily comes to this Yogi whose mind is quite peaceful, whose passion is quieted, who has become Brahman, and who is free from sin."

Bhagavad Gita Ch. VI

The Divine Mother -Shakti \ The active aspect of Brahman and the awakening of kundalini ~ Atman Nityananda

The Divine Mother -Shakti  \ The active aspect of Brahman

and the awakening of kundalini

Brahman (Shiva or Atman or God, or Spirit etc.) and Shakti are not two. They are the static and the dynamic aspects of one and the same principle.

"The power or active aspect of the immanent God is Shakti. Shiva (Brahman, God etc.) is the unchanging consciousness. Shakti is His changing Power which appears as mind and matter. She runs this world-show. She maintains the sportive play or Lila of the Lord. She is the supporter of the vast universe. She is the supreme Power by which the world is upheld. She is the Universal Mother (the Divine Mother)."

~ Swami Sivananda

"It is this cosmic energy, this Para Shakti, that manifests as the incredible energy of the sun, the energy of the planets and, the incredible speed at which they whirl in their own orbits. It is this cosmic energy which manifests as the power of gravity, as the power of the sun’s radiance, as the power of all these great planets and heavenly bodies, as the power of the wind and other elements. Shakti controls the entire manifestation, just as electricity allows all appliances to work."

~ Swami Chitananda

"The Divine Mother is everywhere triple. She is endowed with the three Gunas, viz., Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. She manifests Herself as Will (Ichha Shakti), Action (Kriya Shakti) and Knowledge (Jnana Sakti). She is Brahma-Shakti (Sarasvati) in conjunction with Brahma, Vishnu-Shakti (Lakshmi) in conjunction with Vishnu and Shhiva-Sakti (Gauri) in conjunction with Shiva. Hence She is called Tripurasundari. The Chaitanya (consciousness) that is associated with the Sattva Guna is Vishnu. The Chaitanya that is associated with Rajoguna is Brahma and the Chaitanya associated with Tamoguna is Siva. 

The one Ishvara (Chaitanya associated with Shakti or Maya; the reflection of Brahman in Maya is Ishvara.) has become three according to the functions of creations, preservation and destruction. The Chaitanya (consciousness) is the same."

~ Swami Sivananda

The Shakti is neither female nor male. She is everything, male, female and neutral and beyond these aspects also. Shakti is considered as female in relation with Brahman which of course is not neither male nor female; Brahman or the absolute Truth is beyond any description.

"Any power that we see in this universe is the power of this great cosmic force and it is this same power that animates all living beings, trees, plants, insects, birds, bees, reptiles, fish and animals. It is the power of the lion, it is the power of the elephant and it is the power of the brilliant intellect or genius of a Faraday, a Raman or an Einstein.

"This self-same power abides in us and animates our entire body mechanism. Our lives depend entirely upon Shakti, which grants us vitality, feeling and consciousness or awareness, through which we operate on all levels and can set in motion both our outer actions and inner sadhana (spiritual practice). 

"The body is Shakti. The mind is Shakti. The needs of the body are the needs of Shakti. The shakti is the power that digests our food, that makes our heart pump blood, that makes our lungs breathe, that makes our muscles and joints work, that makes our tongue talk and ear hear. 

~ Swami Chitananda

"The Shakti rules over the processes of birth and death and the unfoldment karma. She provides our souls with the bodies and minds and the worlds in which to experience life. All that we eat, breathe, perceive, feel or know consists of some portion of her energy and an aspect of Her dynamic processes that surround us on every side. All that we seek to acquire for sustenance, happiness, knowledge or growth is part of Her and comes from Her."

 ~ David Frawley

The sexual aspect of Shakti

The sexual energy is the most fundamental expression of cosmic energy, because through it the entire universe is born and exists.

In our bodies its main functions is the reproduction of the species and the experience of pleasure, but it is even more important in spiritual development.

Sexual energy is the deepest reservoir of our energy. In the sexual fluids (semen and vaginal fluids) are stored the more subtle and fine energies (Tejas and Ojas) which are very important for maintaining good health, mental and emotional balance and harmony and achieve a high level of consiousness .

Sexual energy has also a higher potential which causes the awakening of Shakti-kundalini which in its turn awake the superior capabilities of the seven chakras and mind (clairvoyance, clairaudience, cosmic consciousness etc.).

"It is this very power that is also present as the sex energy in us. Therefore, the sex energy is nothing but the presence of the Divine Mother in all human beings."

"So, the sexual energy is part of the one indivisible great cosmic power present in the human individual. In its gross biological aspect, it is called the sexual energy. In its subtler aspect, it is the energy of discrimination, the power of the intellect to analyze and enquire and ratiocinate. In a still subtler aspect, in its psychic aspect, it is the power of the Shakti Kundalini. And in its supreme aspect, it is nothing but Atma-Shakti. Because Brahman and Shakti are not two. They are the static and the dynamic aspects of one and the same principle."

~ Swami Chitananda

Shakti and spirituality

"Even to seek Brahman, to seek what is beyond Shakti (Shiva, Brahman etc.), we must work with Shakti. Shakti provides us the power of meditation and the discriminating insight through which we can transcend time and space. This means that the best means for both spiritual realization and for gaining all the other goals of life is to worship Shakti, to work with and for the Goddess (Divine Mother). There is no other way as effective, if there is any other way at all. If the Brahman is the goal, the Shakti is both the path and the power to traverse it. We can awaken and follow her current to Brahman, or remain asleep and get caught in her outside streams that move in different directions."

 ~ David Frawley

The worship and devotion of Divine Mother can be included in all spiritual paths and can be a part of the sadhana of everyone who wants to realize the Truth.  But there are paths like Shaktaism that are dedicated in the worship of the Divine Mother and have spesific practices for the awakening of Shakti-kundalini.  

Worship and devotion can be done by rituals, prayers, singing praises and kirtan, reading sacred texts about the Divine mother, repetion of mantras, by the sexual Maithuna and finally by recognising every person and action as a manifestation of the Shakti, by seeing  the Divine Mother in everything.

 

Shakti-Kundalini yoga sadhana

Shaktaism is an ancient path of India in which the devotees adore the Divine Mother and with specific practices aim to the unfolding and awakening of Shakti-Kundalini. 

"Shaktaism helps the aspirant to arouse the Kundalini and unite Her with Lord Shiva (pure Consciousness) and to enjoy the supreme bliss or Nirvikalpa Samadhi. A Shakta (devotee of Shakti) does Sadhana which helps the union of Shiva and Shakti through the awakening of the forces within the body. He becomes a Siddha (perfect) in the Sadhana when he is able to awaken Kundalini and pierce the six Chakras. The mode of Sadhana depends upon the tendencies and capacities of the Sadhaka. One should become perfectly desireless and should be full of Vairagya before he attempts to awaken Kundalini.

"In this path the aspirant adores the Shakti and practices, Dhyana, Bhava, Japa, pranayamas and Shakti-Mantra in order to awaken the Shakti-kundalini. Devotion, celibacy, renunciation, dispassion and purity of mind are necessary for the awakening of kundalini."

~ Swami Sivananda

There are other paths like the Tao and the Gnosis movement of Samael Aun Weor which although they give practices for celibates  for the transformation of sexual energy they suggest the sexual Maithuna as the main practice for the awakening of kundalini. However, in these paths are also essential the purity of mind, the dispassion, concentration and meditation for the awakening of kundalini. 

Sexual Maithuna is the adoration of Shakti through the sexual union of male and female without orgasm in order to transform the sexual energy and awaken the Kundalini. Shakti kundalini is the serpent power, that has 3 coils with face downwards, in the Muladhara Chakra, at the base of the spine.  By concentration, imagination, pranayama, bandhas and mantras the aspirants lead the sexual energy through the spine (the subtle nadis of ida, pigala and susumna). When kundalini awakens, awaken also the latent superior powers of the six chakras and the yogi aquires siddhis (clairvoyance, clairaudience, cosmic consciousness etc.).

However  Maithuna is not easy to practice in this age and paths like Advaita suggest celibacy. 

Swami Sivananda used to say: “Brahmacharya is the basis of immortality.”
 

Swami Sivananda

Sri Swami Sivananda who himself followed celibacy, suggests celibacy, and considers as more important requisites or qualifications for the awakening of Kundalini, as well as for self-realization, the purity of mind (a mind free from desire, anger, greed, fear, jealousy and rajas and tamas gunas), the devotion, the discrimination, the dispassion, the absence of Iness and mineness, the faith and concentration. He claims that Kundalini can be awakened by various ways :

 "Kundalini can be awakened by various methods such as Japa, devotion, Vichara (enquiry of “Who am I”), Asana, Kumbhaka, Bandhas, Mudras, and above all by the Grace of the Guru."

Sivananda, Paramahansa Ramakrishna and Amritanadamayi (Amma) are great sages that demostrate that Kundalini can be awakened by celibacy despite the fact that devotees of Tantra and Samael Aun Weor (the founder of Gnosis) insist that the sexual Maithuna is necessary for the awakening of kundalini.

"When Kundalini is awakened, reaches the top of the head after piercing one Chakra after another and finally unites with Lord Shiva and enjoys the Highest Bliss. Now the Yogi attains super conscious state and becomes a full-blown Jnani. He drinks the Nectar of Immortality. Illustration shows the ascent of the Kundalini to the top of the head and its union with Lord Siva.

"When Kundalini sleeps, man is awake to the world. He has objective consciousness. When She awakes, he sleeps. He loses all consciousness of the world and becomes one with the Lord. In Samadhi, the body is maintained by the nectar which flows from the union of Shiva and Shakti in the Sahasrara. 

"Mother Kundalini-Shakti unites with Lord Shiva in the Sahasrara during Nirvikalpa Samadhi. This is real Maithuna or blissful union. This is due to Divya-Bhava (divine disposition).ª

"No one can free himself from the thralldom of mind and matter without Mother’s grace. The fetters of Maya are too hard to break. If you worship Her as the great Mother, you can very easily go beyond Prakriti through Her benign grace and blessings. She will remove all obstacles in the path, lead you safely into the illimitable domain of eternal bliss, and make you absolutely free."

~ Swami Sivananda