(Posted on: May 1, 2013 by David McMillin)
[NOTE: While serving as mentor for an online version of "A Search For God" study group a participant asked about references to "kundalini" in the Judeo-Christian bible. In part the question was a follow-on to a previous reply that you can read here. Kundalini is the lifeforce energy addressed by various yogic practices and also described in numerous Cayce readings, most often in relation to meditation and psychic experiences. – David McMillin]
John Van Auken has pointed out that Jesus' talk with Nicodemus is a description of raising the kundalini through the seven centers (John 3:14). Here is a quote from one of John's books:
"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up." Here Jesus is referring to the time when Moses left the kingdom of Pharoah (so symbolic of the outer ego - power and worldly possessions) to search for his true self and God in the desert. In his search he comes upon a deep well around which seven virgins are attempting to water their flocks. Seven virgins in the desert; is there some deeper meaning here? Of course there is. These seven virgins, daughters of a high priest, are symbolic of the seven spiritual centers, the seven chakras, and the seven lotuses within each being. Moses waters them and their flocks, ultimately marrying the eldest one. Afterwards he meets God in a burning bush and for the first time is instructed how to transform his staff into a serpent and raise the serpent up again into a staff." (Exodus 2, 3, and 4)
Keep in mind that the kundalini is most often represented as a serpent (cobra) coiled at the base of the spine, which when awakened moves along the spine to the head. John Van Auken has done a lot of work with this form of meditation based on the Cayce readings and you can look into this further if you feel this may be appropriate in your Search For God. Otherwise, you may want to stick with the simple meditation he provides that I have linked to previously (The Magic Silence).
The other major parallel between kundalini and the Christian bible is [the apostle] John's Revelation, the last book of the bible. Essentially, all the images and symbols pertaining to the number seven refer to the seven spiritual centers in the body and the awakening of the energy through these centers. Remember, when John has this mystical vision he is in his cave in deep meditation on the island of Pathmos. Based on the Cayce readings, it is pretty clear that he is having a kundalini awakening. Edgar Cayce gave many readings for the Glad Helpers Prayer group about the Revelation explaining all this so they could work with the energy in their healing work. The Rivers of Light project that I did documents my personal experience working with this approach to the Revelation. You can find it on my website if you are interested. There are some videos there that you can watch in the free section.
Interestingly, the first Cayce reading about the Revelation was given for a young woman suffering from mania (the opposite of depression). One of the readings for her suggested that the osteopathic physician read the book of Revelation so that he would know how to treat her. Keeping the spine healthy is one of the recommendations that is often made for people seeking to pursue deep meditation and work with this high energy. Also, Edgar Cayce gave his first psychic reading as a teenager when he was hit on the end of the spine by a baseball during recess at school. He went into a manic episode from which he diagnosed his problem and prescribed a treatment. So your Buddhist friend has a point with regard to kundalini meditation … it is powerful and needs to be done properly, or can lead to imbalances (sometimes called kundalini crisis). This is why the last reading quote that I provided [in the previous reply] ended with the caution:
Beware, unless ye are well-balanced in purposes ..." (5399-2)
Keeping the body (and especially the spine) healthy and being centered in a spiritual ideal (so that the energy does not get distorted by selfishness) are two of the major recommendations for working with the kundalini energy based on the Cayce readings.
This online study group consists of individuals with widely varying backgrounds and experience. So this information will be more relevant to some than others. If you are not sure or are apprehensive about any of this, that is perfectly O.K. Each person is a unique individual and that is where you are at this point in your journey. So just keep it simple with your meditation and be sure to apply what you know in your daily life, and you will be fine. – Dave
NOTE: As a postscript to my reply above, consider this excerpt from John VanAuken’s Spiritual Breakthough text from the section titled "Raising the Serpent – The Kundalini and Eternal Life":
As we have seen, the readings interweave Judeo-Christian teachings found throughout the Old and New Testaments, but particularly in the book of the Revelation, with concepts and practices from ancient Hinduism and Yoga. The fundamental concepts are these. The kundalini is metaphorically seen as the great serpent power fallen from its original place of honor. As Adam and Eve fell from grace in the garden, so did the serpent. But as Moses raised the serpent in the desert and Jesus raised it to life everlasting (John 3:14-15), so each of us must raise our serpent power to its rightful, original place of honor. Kundalini meditation is intended to do just that. (p. 65)