Helpful integration practices for the process of kundalini awakening and spiritual emergence
As seekers of truth and warriors of healing, life will continue to present us with different ways to expand our consciousness and awareness. There are infinite ways to expand the mind and open the heart. From meditation, breath work, vision quests, trance and dance, to psychedelic experiences and medicine ceremonies, it seems the modern seeker has many choices when it comes to expansion. Whichever you are drawn to, be sure that you are safe and in the company of Love and Integrity.
When you are ready to lay your ego aside and connect with your true authentic self, there is no better way than through non-ordinary states of consciousness. However, I know many people who have had amazing and expansive experiences but have been unable to integrate them or bring the revelations forward into their every day lives. I see the importance of bridging these experiences in a conscious and healing way that continues the self work and world-healing work even when the non-ordinary becomes the ordinary. It is important to live expansively even within constriction. In your breathing practice, and in life, remember to Breath out. The out breath is just as important as the in breath especially when we are taking so much in; so much information, knowledge and experience. Breath out. Slow down. Observe the process. Breath in the experience and breath out your visions, and dreams bringing healing to this moment and to your future reality.
There is so much we bring to the table just by showing up here on Earth in this life. The healing could really begin on our first day of life. We are born of parents who need healing, with genetics that need healing and into a society and a world that needs healing. It is not an easy job to be human, and to be an authentically activated human takes an incredible amount of tender, loving care. We are like a garden. The moment it becomes it already needs tending. There are rocks that need to be removed from the soil and other things that need to be added. There are weeds and pests. And eventually with care and commitment there are flowers and there are fruits to be harvested. And still there are the weeds always making their way through. They eventually stop taking over and can be removed as soon as they appear. In the same way, life is a continual healing process and the more we tend to our healing the less grasp the trauma will have and our harvest will be more plentiful.
Here is a letter to those of you who are going through the awakening process on a deeper level. It includes practices to help with the process of kundalini awakening and spiritual emergence.
Dear beloved courageous warriors of healing,
Kundalini awakening and spiritual emergence is not just a spiritual but also an emotional and physical process that requires you to stay present with the process and listen to your body as well as your heart and spirit. During the process of spiritual emergence things that are false will continue falling away requiring you to be ever present and consistent in the devotion to your healing and emergence. This is not something that is quickly fixed or healed, instead it is a learning or remembering of how to be in your physical body in a new awakened way, a reintegration and transfiguration, allowing your body systems to align with the light of your spirit.
Most importantly you want to stay rooted and grounded. For this reason, you may want to cut back on any meditation or prayer time that moves you out of your body and into any overly expanded awareness. Instead, stay consistent with your prayers that keep you well rooted to self and connected with nature. Making beautiful Earth Shrines is a perfect practice and meditation that allows you to pray and connect to Spirit while staying very grounded. Anything that keeps you connected while grounding into Mama Earth is beneficial. Going for walks and gardening would be very beneficial as well. Even if you have trouble sleeping and you wake in the middle of the night it can be helpful to take walks and to ground rather than meditating and expanding your energy and awareness.
Also, it’s important to eat earthy nurturing foods. Root vegetables and porridges can be very grounding. If you’re a meat eater, eating more meat can help and if you’re not, consider eating good and well raised meat during this time to be more grounded and connected with Earth. Listen to your body. Chamomile throughout the day and other nervines, warm milk and ghee can be helpful. Ghee especially can be very soothing for the body. If anything comes up externally as a reaction to sleeplessness or anxiety like hot spots or hives, ghee can be calming to that as well. For vegetarians and vegans, eat steamed root veggies and squash as well as proteins like beans and nuts or nut milks.
My teacher Jyoti suggests that it can be very helpful to read about kundalini and other people’s experiences as you move through this process. She recommends any writing, books or videos from Stanislov Grof who is a friend of hers and someone she used to work with closely. Read about experiences like the gopi Krishna’s, or the more recent experience of Muktananda. Other books are Daughter of Fire: A Diary of a Spiritual Training with a Sufi Master by Irina Tweedie and Energies of Transformation: A Guide to the Kundalini Process by Bonnie Greenwell.
During times of spiritual emergence it is important to have a practice of setting sacred space and protecting your energy body as well as where you sleep and your home. You can cover your heart with rose water or silk or protective stones. Hot baths with sea salt will purify your energy. You can also use white sage tea as a body rinse and you can drink small amounts to internally purify as well. You can place saints around your bed like st. Miguel and others who you work well with. Repeat mantras like “this is MY sacred space” with tobacco offerings.
Here is a powerful protection and clearing you can do for your space:
-Crack open a window or several windows and sage all rooms in the house and every doorway and window.
-Offer sandalwood incense or something similar to each room to invite high vibrations.
-Add a handful of sea salt which is a magnet for negative energies to an old pan with a handle and pour a small amount of rubbing alcohol into the pan. Carefully ignite the salt and alcohol and walk again into each room. The burning salt will grab stuck psychic material and quickly burn it away. Have a lid handy to extinguish the flames.
-Seal each room by pointing your hand directly like a laser toward the edge of the ceiling and the wall. Turn counter clockwise while pointing and sealing and saying “Protect this space in the name of Sugmad” (a sacred name for god). Use your hand like a laser of light and do this 4 times. Spiral at the end and cork.
-Go outside the house and pray and ask for protection. Start in the East and offer tobacco to each direction and plant it on the ground
-Go to the river and find two Stone Guardians for each of your doorways. Ask the stones for permission to come with you and offer tobacco. Place both Stone People with gratitude as guardians for each door leading into your house.
I hope some of these daily practices will help with a sense of grounding and comfort. It can also be extremely beneficial to create a sense of rhythm to your day and your prayers and practices.
The Spiritual Emergence Network http://spiritualemergence.info/a-brief-history-of-sen/ which is part of the Grof Foundation can be a valuable resource.. It’s great if you can have a team of people that are able to help support you through these times. I’m happy to help coach you and work with ThetaHealing and gentle Energy Medicine.
Sending you Unconditional Love and Healing,
Colbee