ShaktiMama

Speaking as RN with about 20 years of experience in hospitals and with holistic care I would have to say I have seen some amazing results for IBS with acupuncture, even to the total relieving of symptoms. My acupuncturist is a PhD in chinese medicine who was a Professor of Chinese Medicine at University in China. I have seen him do work on IBS that from a western medical standpoint looks miraculous. But it is not. Acupuncture brings the body into harmony especially when combined with herbs and prescribed diet so it can begin to heal itself. I would suggest you give that a try befor you have anything removed. Either ask around for recommendations or find a local acupuncture school and try there. You could be treated for a lower price by students under the supervision of an instructor or find an instructor who has a private practice. blessings, Susan

I can only speak from my own experience. I was not trained in any one system. I learned by personal observation of watching the kundalini move through me and observing what happened to others who were around me. I am a kinesthetic empath so that is my base for learning. I was my own experiment, my own vessel of alchemy to observe. So I often have no control over what happens. I can be with someone and it just starts flowing out of me. People who demand or expect me to perform, that usually won't happen because it is not up to me. Having said that what that means to me is that it takes two people for shaktipat to start. The conduit and the receiver. Shaktipat works best for people who have a yearning, an authentic desire, to receive. Trying to force or manipulate shaktipat will result in not giving shaktipat. You might get a chi blast instead. Based on years of observing and learning some terminology since then I can tell you about channels of flow but only for me and what happens to me. The Tai ji pole or sushumna must be wide and clear. There must be a connection between heaven and earth, an unobstructed flow of energy, with the body as the nexus point. That energy could be chi, it could be shakti, it could be a mixture. The earth and sky has its own shakti. What differentiates chi and shakti for me is clearly this one thing mostly: Shakti is divine intelligence. It has a will of its own. Chi can be directed by the mind. Shakti can not. A Xingyi master and I were experimenting with energy flow over the phone a few years back. As Shakti flowed from me to him he tried to influence and manipulate that flow. He could not. He called up Dr. Glenn Morris, one of his best friends and said to him, " I tried so hard and I could not move it." Morris laughed and said, "that's because it is Shakti." I know this: Shakti likes to be shared. It likes to jump from person to person.It is viral in that sense. It also seeks itself out so that is why Kundalites tend to recognize each other even if they are the only two people in a room full of 100. So my process for Shaktipat is to relax, deeply relax, and the energy begins to flow and I start entering into an altered state of consciousness which is filled with bliss. If i don't keep a state of microtension in my musculature at all times the bliss flow can be overwhelming. Energy does not move through tension generally. But the caveat is if Shakti wants something she will get it. In other words, a person can be a tense ball of knots and the Shakti will flow and start to hit up against those knots and blocks. If the person doesn't learn how to relax in the presence of Shakti flow that can be very painful. The tension is not just physical in character but can also be mental, emotional, and spiritual. Kundalini works on all those levels. Shakti is everywhere present. There is no place it is not for it is Cosmic Energy. One can just relax and Shakti will begin to flow but that happens rarely. 99.99% of people need to be taught. When the energy is flowing within me I can see it gather in my heart and then flow down my arms and out my hands. It also escapes from every surface of my skin. I learned skin and bone breathing by observing the flow. I would have to say skin and bone breathing is going on when Shaktipat is happening, but it is not chi flow. Shakti and bliss has permeated the marrow of my bones. It is a constant companion and with just a little microattention on my marrow the bliss can be amplified to an unbearable state. For me, this whole energy transference/transmission is a whole body affair. When I hug someone, Shakti jumps from me to them without my intention. I know this because people will tell me. I can feel it like a wave moving through the fluid of my body. Sometimes energy flow will be more concentrated out of different parts of my body/chakra/dantien based on what's happening. I have found Shakti does move from a place of higher concentration to lower concentration. Overall, I would have to say my heart is involved 100% of the time. It opens to the point it feels like it is turning inside out. I often feel snakelike or sinusoid movement in my lower dantien and pelvic region when shaktipat is being given. Sometimes that can be so strong my pelvis will noticeably begin to rock and sway with the waves. Also my breathing slows down to almost nothing and the strongest waves are produced when my breath has stopped. This is by no means a detailed account but it gives you an idea. There is no time, space, distance in Consciousness so Shaktipat happens regardless of those constraints. Hope that helps some. s

no worries... we are only human after all and it still hurts so we talk about it in public. It goes with our philosophy of no secrets. I can guarantee you that in my conversations with those who people think would not feel or exhibit defensiveness or hurt do in the privacy of their own quarters. It's a pedestal that people put teachers like this on. Spiritual leaders pitch hissy fits alot but their followers put a righteous spin on it and then that gets institutionalized as mythos with a spiritual right bent. It's really a passive aggressive move and can make it OK for a teacher to abuse their students. It reminds me of a saying which to me typifies a lot of what happens out in the teacher/student world: "For an alcoholic he sure doesn't hit me a lot." Also writing on a board or in email is a inept way to gain understanding for nuances like tone of voice and quality of interpersonal relationship is lost. It's hard to put an ironic tone into written word. Sometimes it sounds whiny. Even Ramana said that it was his followers that caused his death. He died of liver cancer, I think, and it was due to processing his followers karma. He needed to be schooled in energetic hygiene. Maybe if he expressed a little more of emotion or upset in public that might have not happened. Santiago and I process karma intensely in seminars. I used to sleep for days afterwards when I started teaching but now we just feel a little tired afterwards. Karma flows up hill, hits the teachers to be processed. If anything, people who see we can be prickly or unhappy just like everyone else, makes what we do approachable. One doesn't have to do years of austerities or plaster permagrins on their faces. We get up like everyone else, we love, we bleed, we go to the toilet. We make mistakes. One doesnt have to be perfect in appearance or in behavior to gain a deep understanding in relationship with That Which Is. There is a big component of Grace in all this. We do appreciate feedback in a kind spirit. Kundalini process is life long. It doesn't end till you really die. A person could search me on the internet, going back to the mid 90s when K was first awakening and you will see a real aggressive overly sensitive ass. Kundalini makes character traits stand out...both positive and negative. It is so we can work on transforming and changing those behaviors. It also makes a person who is loving more loving. It is a two edged sword and it takes real discernment to navigate the path. If Santi and I waited until we were perfect to share our gifts so much would be lost. So a good teacher, IMO, is transparent, no hidden agendas, clear motives and what you see is what you get. Truth be told Santi is far more compassionate and patient than I am when he interacts with students whether on line or in a seminar. Those who come to see us at seminars and on line will tell you that is the same person in front of the room that you will see in the privacy of their living room or sharing a lunch. We are who we are as all should be. No masks. I hope this response did not come off as justifying behavior and more of a explanation of how k can affect people in their daily life. So if people expect to become Super Sadhu or the next Mother Theresa by taking KAP that wont happen. It's more about becoming (emphasis on becoming) the best human being you can be, a good citizen of this planet. There is an integration of the body mind spirit matrix which results in a person becoming more in a spontaneous relationship rather than a reactionary one with All That Is...whether one calls that Source, Tao, Nature, God/dess. This is not about spiritual elitism or putting a perfect face on. Those of us who have been running in these circles for years, even the most inner ones, know that all idols, including spiritual ones, have feet of clay. That's one of the reasons you will rarely see them post on boards. Hope that helps create understanding why Santi and I arent afraid to show our "warts" to all. s

The easiest way to learn and actually send chi. Takes about 15 minutes or even less. This is how I learned in the 80s. I learned from a book. This is how I learned chi sensitivity. "You don't stop at your skin." Dolores Krieger, Nursing Professor Emeritus. New York University, who developed and popularized the healing technique, based on energy transference, Therapeutic Touch. http://www.amazon.com/Therapeutic-Touch-Practical-Janet-Macrae/dp/039475588X/ref=pd_sim_b_4 Used copies can be bought for 1-5 cents! yes, pennies. If I can do that anybody can. This will be the best book of basics. Easy to learn without any kind of need for precision or learning particular terminology that other systems call for. I have taught small children and husbands of pregnant women to feel wei chi fields (auras) and send energy. good luck and enjoy, s

thats pretty funny. we will put that on the training schedule!

It seems that is how it goes, Santiago. This isnt the first time we are judged and it certainly won't be the last but I do get weary of saying the same things over and over again. Even if we walked on water and had video confirmed by credible eye witness accounts we would still be attacked or judged. It's a pleasure to engage in honest and respectful inquiry. I love to share but otherwise... http://www.kundaliniawakening.com/who-we-are.html

Since yanqui has left the building I will try to answer what he wrote. I would like to thank him for sharing his story. I didnt ask to satisfy my curiousity. I generally wanted to know about him. So I will answer like I am still having a nice chat with him. The first is why charge for shaktipat? We don't charge for shaktipat. We charge for our time. Many, many times we don't charge for our time. My time is valueable and scheduled. If people want a half an hour or so of my uninterrupted time and personal attention, to receive the benefit of my knowledge and expertise, there is a charge. There is an exchange of energy whether it is money, devotion to the guru and giving that guru offerings of your time and other things. Keeps the karma clean. If people don't want to participate that's OK with me. Personally, I would rather pay than have a lifetime arrangement of being a servant/student to a guru. It is a personal choice which is not better or less than someone else's personal choice.I have paid for time in the past and I will continue to pay whether it is in money or giri (which often times includes an exchange of money.) I can't ask anybody to do what I haven't done myself. I find that many people who don't want to pay or don't like to pay, especially those under western civilization influence have deep issues in their lower chakras that giving them shaktipat would just mess them up even further. Just speaking from my own experiences of working with Westerners and in that paradigm. I have hundreds of hours of training which I paid for, many initiations of which I paid for, and thousands of hours of my life studying and becoming aligned with Shakti of which I paid for with my life. Money is just energy. Shakti is perfectly happy when I get paid for my time. The more I am blessed the more I can give back to this world in service and donate to charities. I have never once mentioned about enlightenment (what is that really?) or talked about being a guru. Because I don't work out of the traditional Hindu paragdigm I explain things in experiences. My audience is the world not one specific population. Words and terminologies, except for the most basic, are really not important to me or are they to the beginner. There is a saying in the Christian ministry, "why preach to the choir?" Christianity teaches to become like the people you serve to reach them not make them become just like you. Telling people I wont play or help them until they learn the specifics of my belief system and my terminology is, in my experience, cruel and shortsighted. Love is not restricted by one specific culture or language. People at their most basic just want to be loved and know they are loved. Kundalini awakening will bring that to their understanding. The process of having their kundalini awakened will not only teach them and bring them to the realization of their own Divine Self but they will be able to recognize that in others. When I see with my heart as I look at other people I see the Divine Self there. When I connect with people that way tears come to my eyes and I am filled with such love and gratitude. If kundalini awakening can do that for everyone what a great place this world will be. This is not about talk-lies and the truth- it is about seeing people for who they really are. The true Self. This transcends language and expectations. It is just what Is. This universe is all Shining Consciousness. Matter and Anti-matter, material and immaterial, sacred and profane. It is all Shining Consciousness. Everything else is Maya. But we live in duality so we have to respect duality's rules. The reason I had/have those visions is because Shakti thought it best to do so. I did not seek them. Shakti would grab ahold of me and throw me in a meditative state and the visions would come. I suppose I could have fought them but why? They were induced by Kundalini. Who am I to argue with Shakti? Shakti put me into a meditative state and meditated me. There was no efforting on my part. She made me do spontaneous asanas, kriyas, mudras, pranayamas, and other things. My personal opinion is I would rather let her put me in positions than listen to a person tell me what to do. Let Shakti lead even if it contradicts yogic dogma. Shaktimama was a name given to me by people who love me. They also call me sri mataji, sai, Mother Durga, and other names. My name is Susan but they want to call me by those names. I used to say, Shhhh..no...that is not right but it keeps happening so I gave up and accepted it. These particular names are given to me by people who are well educated in Hindu Scriptures, tantric and yogic experts, and have a deep understanding of kundalini and of realization. I think Shaktimama is a cute nickname and no disrespect is meant by it. Do I have strong qi? I don't know. It is not for me to say but those who are around me. Some will say to me, "turn it off! You are burning me!" I say, "I can't." Some will say to me, "when you walk by your energy pushes against me." I will say, "that's cool. " Chi transmission and Shaktipat are NOT the same thing. Santiago and I would never say it is. Do we give Shaktipat? People will testify that we do. Check the testimonial link on our web page below. People can say they give shaktipat all they want but it is really in the results, isn't it? I have sat with people who say they give shaktipat and to me it feels like they are just peeing in the ocean. When I say flashes of lightening I was just wondering if the beauty of nature gives you chills of pleasure and excitement. It doesnt have to be just lightening. You say you have a problem with what we do. Yes, it is your problem and feel free to warn people how awful we are. People can make up there own minds. KAP isnt for everybody nor does it try to be. It doesnt work well for people who are dependent on gurus or outside authorities on how to live. It does work well for people who are leaders not followers, people who are comfortable becoming explorers of this world and of the hidden ones. KAP doesn't work well for people who need to be fathered and mothered for their whole life on their spiritual path. People walk the path they are most comfortable with. Some people are comfortable with the guru path and some aren't. Some are comfortable with the guru path and then grow out of it. Some are not comfortable with the guru path but then decide at a later date they want to learn from a guru. None of these decisions or thought processes are wrong. The smile, the orbit, and all that other stuff helps prepare the ground for Kundalini Awakening. Makes the process smoother, cleaner, more efficient. It isn't Kundalini Awakening at all...it is what helps take you there. Life is like a cafeteria. Take what you need and don't spit on the rest. s

I have heard lots of reports of visions from many k people. I can't prove it but it seems to be a community standard. You might have been having a precognitive vision. Kundalini visions often mirror archetypal hero duties of mythology and spiritual traditions. A couple of personal examples: In my early years any kundalini activity was preceded by dreams and visions of snakes. Not just one or two but rooms and rooms of snakes. Snakes that bit my body, every inch of my skin covered and then they would burrow into my body settling into my muscles and bones and organs. Another archetypal vision was I went underground for three days. (has anyone ever figured out why it's always three days and nights in these archetypes? Please tell me your ideas if you know.) I saw and experienced during my waking hours of being in an underground cave while a grayish sewage like substance flowed from and through me and out of the world. It was gross. while in this underground vision my animal companion, a lioness, died from being cut off from the sun. (She originally came to me from the sun.) Before she died she birthed a cub, another lioness. I have had many, many visions in my k process. The majority of them took place in the early development years. Most were easy to figure out. Some, even now, are a perplexing mystery to me. I don't get visions anywhere near the frequency I used to. Now they only happen if something is very important to be noticed. Some people do retain the vision ability and never really lose it. Its a type of siddi (power) that kundalites develop. blessings, Susan

What I asked, dear Yanqui, was how has your practice changed you. I didnt ask you what your practice was or what you were doing. I just wanted to know what is different because of it. Do you love deeper, more spontaneously than you used to do? Do you see life with amusement and not take things too seriously? Has your heart grown softer? More peaceful? What is your seva? What gives you joy? what brings your happiness? How do you share this with others? Does the flashing of lightening and the song of a bird make your quiver with happiness? Does it bring tears to your eyes because of the beauty that one can now see whereas before we were blind? when you look into the hearts of your brothers and sisters on this planet do you see and feel the Divine Self staring back at you? Do you feel safe and alive and blessed knowing the dance of Shiva and Shakti goes on forever? That is what I was asking about. Blessings on your path and may you find peace and ever new joy. Susan

It is nice you feel the need to defend and talk about your Guru and his credentials. But what about you, Yanqui? How is your life different since meeting your Guru? How have you changed? Meeting Kundalini Shakti is a life altering experience. You are a walking testimonial to your guru's skill. Tell us how we would know you are a good chela. Gurus are expected to be cool but what have you become since studying with your guru other than being able to tell others they are probably not doing it right. LOL Peace, Susan

Cow Tao, what you are describing about me is one of the ways to discern between the wannabes and the true kundalite. There is an immediacy and reality conveyed in their experience. It's a clear first hand witness account and will often contradict spiritual dogma. True k people are hesitant to share explicitly about their experiences because people will turn around and shred them for a variety of reasons. It's just easier and healthier in the instance of self preservation to "dumb down" what happens with us. When presented with spiritual dogma k people will insist on holding on to that which contradicts that dogma. These aren't trances or hallucinations. I am awake and inside while experiencing every day "normal" life. I have choice and make decisions which have consequences. Lucid is a good term. I remember one vision where I was being directed to follow a path in some type of pyramid structure. I came to a door and was explicitly told not to go in there. My first thought was "Screw that" and forced my way in seeing a bunch of people in egyptian style dress, mainly females. They looked at me and my vision went totally black and I could no longer see anything no matter how much I looked. Most of these visions happened during the day. I dont and never use drugs of any sort including plant hallucinogens or allies. I knew I wasnt crazy at all. I knew this was an unfolding of extraordinary events. I was not afraid because I had a deep secure feeling this was suppose to be happening and I would be OK no matter what happened. As a nurse, I knew not to share what was happening with me with anyone or the consequences would be unsettling. I will tell people, students that one of the best things a practitioner can have is a sense of wonder about all this. Also, it helps to be of high intelligence although that is not necessary. It also helps to be easily amused and have a sense of one's own personal non importance in the Universe. In the interest of full disclosure, although being raised as a Christian Fundamentalist and going to a Fundamentalist Bible School I was on the way out by slowly and painfully deprogramming myself but I still had some very deep seated fears about Hell and damnation which I knew were irrational but could not shake. Meeting Shiva and interacting with him in a setting of deep bliss and acceptance totally erased, no... annihilated the last of those irrational fears. I am no longer afraid of dying and have lost others sets of fears and judgments as well. Dr. Morris always advised students to by a good encyclopedia of mythology because one never knew what or who was going to show up in your dreams and visions. He related to me a story about a student who kept having dreams about a woman who was part bird. Soon, for a reason unknown to me, he was put in jail. He later found out he had been dreaming of Harpies who are harbingers of punishment. Dr. Morris relates in his first book how he kept seeing this many armed blue woman whom he dismissed in his visions. Later he discovered it was a manifestation of Shiva. Kali was a Goddess who held deep personal meaning for Morris and she was a constant companion of his. I had seen her a few times with him and would come across her when I did body work on him. Morris was the son of a Methodist minister. I really don't think my experience is all that exceptional. All of us KAP teachers have some very cool stories as do many of our students. What seems rare to others becomes common place with kundalites. Shared mass delusion? No, I dont think so because it happens all over the world with other students who are practicing along the k path. KAP is really much more of a shamanic process than tied to one particular tradition. It uses what works. It is based on the martial arts perspective if what you know got you killed in combat then it is useless. If you lived to fight another day and "to go home back to Mama," as Morris would say...then it was included in the system. Thanks for the great questions and inquiry. Susan

Hi Kate, I will go check out your blog. When Dr. Morris and I used to travel and teach together we ended going up to a Greek Festival in Denver. We walked into their church and he began pointing out the symbology and mudras which were painted all over the ceiling and matched Eastern Traditions so I know of what you are talking about. Also once you have been in the energy for awhile these symbols become easier to spot because they cause a resonance with the kundalini, i.e. a specific mudra when viewed will cause a specific response within you. There is an inherent trap in asking for proof. The only proof will be the proof one can generate themselves. Shakti works on her own schedule but exercises and practices can certainly make the ground more fertile for growth and it does. Less work for Shakti to do before the process starts. The responsibility for the "proof" ultimately lays between the practitioner and Shakti. When Dr. Morris and I worked together we have seen people have kundalini awaken in the lower chakras in the three to 6 months period in a solo practice. These were extremely dedicated practitioners who practiced two or three times a day. Most will not put in that effort and then complain the process doesn't work. The process works and has worked for 100s. If it doesn't work its not because of the process. I would say operator error and it is incumbent upon the practitioner to talk with the instructor for some private time so we can assess and give assistance. Instant awakenings through the crown and back down do happen but they are rare but when they do happen you can be sure they are worked as good PR marketing for whatever organization they happen in. Kundalini awakening can happen in 30 years of practice under guru guidance or it can happen in much less time. Several master teachers have both told me that it generally takes about three years. KAP makes it even shorter. It doesn't mean one is better or less than the other. I would have NEVER thought to undertake something that takes 30 years let alone 3. I don't have the patience or the temperament. Privately among us kundalini teachers we call the 30 year period the guru retirement program. Better than a 401K for the guru if you have a lot of students. It is also not unusual at the end of the 30 year program to receive no awakening instruction because the teacher never really knew how. Tragic that is. Susan

In the 20 years I have been on the kundalini path I have heard many different stories of awakening as the energy arises. I have heard stories told or read personal accounts of Christians having distinctly Christian personages and symbology (baptism and gifts of the Holy Spirit are a representation of Kundalini awakening and the siddis) and Christians who had Celtic, Norse, Old world symbology (thor, some particularly goddesses, etc.) and some, like me and some of my students, have intimate relationships with the Hindu personages. I have spoke with Hindu students whose central figure was Jesus the Christ in their experiences. Some see Native American. I had an incredible life like death experience being torn apart by Grandmother Bear which purified the quality and expression of the kundalini energy in my body. I have also had some Egyptian type visions and some that feel like they come out of South America. I have also come across Pan as he attended to the world. I only shared some highlights out of my process so there will be gaps. Another explanation given to me by practitioners who come out of the Hindu tradition is that my ease and skill with k awakening and the path is because I have many accumulated lifetimes of having lived in India. During a vision in the earliest years, a block was pierced and released and I saw thousands and thousands of past lives go before my eyes in rapid succession. I was not shown their lives but just their faces. Interestingly, most looked Asian as in SE Asian or Indian and they were male. I have heard it said the energy speaks to us in the way that we will trust and teach us to our best benefit. I would have never chosen the hindu path because of my Christian background. They were a scary bunch to my uneducated mind. I think it is safer to say that there is great variety in who and what appears. One of the great benefits of having another traditions spiritual authorities and god/desses appear to one is it teaches respect for all paths. It also shows that at the higher levels of practice its all pretty familiar and similiar. Death by disemberment and destruction is a common K rising experience as one example is my being torn apart by Grandmother Bear. If it doesn't happen spontaneously in the early years for me it casts doubt on the authenticity of the rising. Once could put this under a definition of CHOD, a tibetan tantric ritual which I think is normal for the seeker to go through. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%B6d Chod type experiences, I have found, share similarities across spiritual traditions. We teach Chod practice to our students so they can prepare. I have a goodly number of Latter Day Saints (Mormons) as students. They do speak to me of Shiva and Shakti appearing to them as well as Jesus and God the Father. Some of them are also quite intimate with animal totems and shamanism that begins to develop in their awakening process. I have also a goodly number of friends and students who are Sufi, Hindu, Pagan etc. whose Kundalini is active. They also speak of meeting other personages that are foreign to their native traditions. Since the energy is Universal and Cosmic this is not at all suprising to me or Santiago and it wasn't to Dr. Glenn Morris. It could also be dangerous to yell Hail Krsna in Christian environment. It has been taught in some kundalini traditions like Dr. Morris's to not speak of what happens so that one can keep from being hunted and persecuted (which, yes does happen) or else thought crazy and sent in for mental health observation and to be medicated. (yes, that has happened too). I have heard plenty of stories from Christians who are scared to death to share their non traditional experiences with other church members. I once counseled a Christian pastor about his non traditional experiences. The man was a wreck because of it. I told him it was perfectly normal in this process to have such experiences and OK not to share them. We learn to keep and play close to the vest. Kundalini energy is attractive to the non awake. General public most call a person who does have it charming and magnetic because one of the side effects of K awakening is to make one into an Alpha or leader. There can be a difference of being exposed to kundalini and then to have kundalini rocket up your back like a nuclear fireball.

Sri Yukteswar: "God is ever new joy. " That is the singular quote I remember from "Autobiography of a Yogi". I never realized this until after I received Shaktipat. I wonder if it would have ever been possible if I hadn't received Shaktipat. Shaktipat is another one of the cultural specific terms that has been co-opted by western society. It's a nice starting point for understanding. Some don't go further in their understanding and have been left with a luke warm, bleh taste in their mouth of what should be an extraordinary event. If I had a quarter for every person I met who calls themselves a kundalini master or shaktipat master.. but are truly just shooting blanks. I think it is not a good thing to call oneself a master of anything. Mastery is a life long pursuit. Walking the path of kundalini development is no different. Let other people say who you are....remain silent and let the results speak for themselves. I have a former student who attended a couple of seminars that Dr. Glenn Morris and I taught and now sticks Master in front of his name and advertises himself as such. Obviously he didnt listen too closely to what I was talking about over the years. Nor does he recognize the contribution of the lineage table he ate from for a few months and uses some of that info in his writings but with no attribution to Dr. Morris. They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Nah...imitate all you want but be professional and give credit to where you get your info. This is at least a professional courtesy. Over the years I have given Shaktipat to and taught more than a few. Some of those students from the mid 90s have become dear friends and have learned how to give Shaktipat and watch over the development of their students as well. There are always those and there always will be those where shaktipat and the teaching doesn't "take". That really used to bug me for my ego was tied up in that, being a "good, powerful" transmitter, and then I had to let it go. I can only be a conduit for the energy not the director. Shakti does what She wants. I remember clearly the first time I received Shaktipat.I think it might have been Halloween night but in the year 1991. In that moment I realized why I had been born: to give Shaktipat. I didn't even know what was happening to me then. I didnt know the language. I didn't know what kundalini or even the term Shaktipat what they meant. I eventually discovered the weird or unusual thing was no one knew how to teach me or they would not show me for whatever reason. But, I was so sure from deep in my bones that this was my life purpose. So, with Shakti's guidance I learned. I would have to say all I learned about Shaktipat and taking care of the students I learned from listening to Shakti's voice in my heart. Then people like Dr. Morris and Santiago come along into my life about 15 years later and added refinements. So how did I learn? By adopting an attitude of deep surrender and gratitude towards the energy charging up my spine like a bullet train on fire. By not fighting what was happening, by listening to what Shakti told me my education began. Life was full of visions. I was being showed things I did not understand, words I did not recognize, personages that were exotic to me. I remember in one vision i saw this huge glowing geometric object. It filled up my field of vision. I thought to myself, "what is that???!" The answer came, "the Sri Yantra." Uh, what's that? I did some research and then found out exactly what the Sri Yantra was. Exotic personages appeared to this former Christian fundamentalist and I was told their names.... Kali, Shiva, and Ganesh. Kali I saw early in my development. I was having one of these WTF moments as I saw this personage appear to me as my body chilled to arctic temperatures and the palms of my hands dripped with icy moisture as I shivered in the blackness of the vision. She had so many arms undulating! I did not know who She was and I was told her name. Same with Shiva and Ganesh. I have also seen other gods/goddesses, demigods, demons, angels, monsters, and all kinds of bizarre etheric critters. I could see the kundalini moving through my body, having tremendous visions that was like being more alive than real life as each of the energy centers were pierced as Shakti moved through my body. I learned to remain in the witness state and watch everything that was unfolding. And I remembered. My own body was a crucible for the Kundalini process. The bliss of Shakti filling up my cells and even the spaces between my cells in every organ and bone was so piercingly exquisite in feeling and pleasure it bordered on pain. Over the time I learned to give shaktipat by touch, by mantra, by giving someone an object, by distance, by intent. How do I do it? I relax my body, feeling every energy center, every molecule, every atom of my being becoming soft, vulnerable, and open. The sushumna/tai ji pole widens so the circumference is larger than my body, sometimes much, much larger. Then the energy flows between Heaven and Earth with my body as a nexus point. Like turning on a switch or a faucet Shakti Kundalini pours out of my body, my hands, my heart. As I give Shaktipat, I receive Shaktipat. So that is the extreme, condensed version of over almost 20 years of living daily with Shakti and Shiva. There is so much more. I am forever, eternally grateful to Shakti Kundalini for bringing such a deep blessing to my life. I have eternal giri to Dr. Larry Jensen for first giving me Shaktipat. I also have eternal giri to Dr. Glenn Morris and Santiago Dobles for helping me to continually sharpen and refine my practice. Susan

I would like to offer that Shaktipat is not the province of only the mother land of India to whom we owe a great debt. Shaktipat and Kundalini are Sanskrit words that decribe a process that is a cross cultural world wide phenomenon and appears in most major spiritual traditions for many millenia. No one culture has a lock or ownership on this cosmic, universal energy that has many names including Kundalini Shakti. Each culture has its own lens to view and experience this energy. Each particular lens manifests both benefits and blindspots germaine to the culture that created the lens. From looking through that lens a system of beliefs and practices grows around the energy. It is still one facet of the energy. Some have a clearer or less distorted lens than other cultures. Some cultures have a tiny pinpoint partial view but the window is still there. We can benefit and learn from other different traditions. For different reasons we may be attracted to one system over another. The system we are most comfortable with is the one...well, we are most comfortable with...so we tend to think that is the best, mother approved way. That is only a natural human response. I recommend this book to give insight on what other cultures and experiences of this universal energy have found and practice. http://www.amazon.com/Bushman-Shaman-Awakening-through-Ecstatic/dp/0892816988 blessings, s

yep..that's my experience. stop the talking, the discussing and do. To me it's like gravity. How many people think of gravity at all in their daily lives. It is just a part of their lives. That's what chi and all it's manifestations, transmissions, etc. is like to me because its been a part of my life for years and years. When people want to know about it I am like, "wha?" Isn't it self evident?

I agree. If you want to learn more about the basics of qigong I would look up a local qigong society or an acupuncture school and see if they offer training. You might get lucky and find a native teacher. I have had several master qigong teachers tell me it really takes about three years of practice before one can really start teaching qigong with any skill or understanding. If you feel comfortable enough you don't need a certification at all. Many people who are certified don't know much about what they are doing and wouldn't recognize chi or chi development if it came up and kissed them in the face. Learn a basic qigong set and Just get some people in the park and do some basic qigong once a week. Start small. A great tai chi teacher I know volunteers at a nursing home once a week. Learning qigong is a lifelong path. It transforms you over time on the qi, jing, and shen levels. So much becomes revealed in the practice. s

what he said

yep...we do it yep I trained, traveled, and taught with glenn Hatsumi is a chi beast. Chi is good for you. If you are filled with chi you will have an effect on your students without even trying. Glenn received a chi transmission from Hatsumi. s

we do it students feel it and tell us it is beneficial we teach others how to do it

just tell us how you really feel, bob. lol I am not really a fan of death metal, I prefer more of the jazz type metal of Vajrasattva, but I might make an exception for this one. They call this Vedic Metal. The story of Krishna and Arjuna ... devotion comes in many forms. If that is too intense how about a reggae version of Om Nama Shivaya? s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1O8oE5RHinA this is classic....Tool s

Personally, I find metal can be quite helpful when working with kundalini. The good stuff can really clean and clear out the emotional bodies. Our own Vajrasattva, Santiago, is the lead guitarist for a metal band, Aghora. They are getting ready to release their third CD. He sent me a couple of the new tracks to review. They are awesome. Santi is a tantric yogi and he does place empowerments and transmissions in the music. Santi is the one with the real long hair. Santi is also a session musician/producer. When my kundalini was starting to rise I liked the Lords of Acid. Works well with the opening of the lower chakras. s

My thoughts exactly. One attracts another based on the quality of their Inner Masculine or their Inner Feminine. If a person attracts the same kind of person over and over again, there is just a new name attached to the type, then this means there is some type of subconscious archetype in play. We project our needs and illusions of the perfect mate on each other. It's only when our inner archetypes of Masculine and Feminine are fully developed, mature adults that is when we are more successful in our relationships. I have an excellent book on these archetypes but now I can't find it and it is out of print. There are different archetypes that we unconsciously act out all the time if we are unbalanced in our subconscious. These are roles like judge, critic, martyr, victim, but they get more specialized when we talk about the masculine and feminine. It would be instructional to get a book of good mythology on different gods and goddesses because those are representations of parts of the archetypes that we manifest in our relationships. There are also archetypal characters from fiction that we see, like Peter Pan. If a woman's inner masculine has developed into a Peter Pan then the men she will attract will mirror that Peter Pan archetype in her life. The only way she can break that cycle is to embrace a healthy, grown up male archetype so then that is what she will attract into her life. Usually therapy helps with this, especially something this is called Transpersonal Psychology that works with Parts therapy. S PS I received advanced training in Alchemical Hypnotherapy with David Quigley. I learned Parts Therapy from him. He wrote a great intro article about finding love and how we project our ideal mate on each other. http://www.alchemyinstitute.com/loving.htm

I have seen it happen with both genders. Generally, younger men aren't as set in their ways and are more adventurous. As I said this is just a generalization. There some really old farts who are 30 years of age. And there are men who are older who remain fresh and surprising. An ignorance and stupidity and lack of courtesy knows no age limitations. Speaking from personal experience younger men tend to be way less cynical and pessimistic about life. An older woman is usually very confident and self assured compared to a younger woman. It's an alpha female vibe. Younger men tell me they never have to second guess what I want because I am all about laying out the cards on the table face up. No game playing. The only time i find a disparity because of the age difference is because of cultural references. I think, "I was graduating from high school and you were in diapers." It's more of an issue with others than with me. I don't care if the person I am with doesn't care. Women who have consistent cultivation practice all their lives radiate a great, feminine energy/presence. You can see, feel it. They will look younger than other women their age because of this cultivation and be healthier. I think it depends on what type of woman you want regardless of age. There is an attraction that transcends age. Be open to that. Age is truly just a number. What do men and women want in each other? I can only speak from my own experiences and observations. s