Kundalini Awakening and the Importance of Community

We cannot go the whole way alone. The Kundalini Shakti awakening process is far too demanding on the system to be carried out without some form of support.

After the major energetic explosion up my spine, I was left in a complete daze. My mind was blown. So was my nervous system. I was buzzing and wobbly like a spiritual bobblehead. I didn’t know what happened to me or why. I also didn’t know what to expect next.

Eventually, I came to learn about Kundalini awakening. I put the pieces together and understood that’s what I was dealing with. But I didn’t know anyone else that had experienced it.

When I searched online, I found confusing information in foreign languages. The English material was either overly cautionary and frightening, or promising of ecstasy and powers.

I became emotional about my lack of understanding about the experience itself. This was on top of the emotional upheaval and purging that was starting to brew. I was a wreck. Things were not looking good.

Through a series of synchronicities, flow, and grace, I found myself in the office of an energy healer. I dropped a sick friend off for a treatment with her.

I thought, Maybe she could help me? Her clinic does have a bunch of weird spiritual things, mantra music playing softly in the background, and she’s doing some nutty energy healing stuff. After their appointment, I asked for a minute of her time.

“I think I’ve had a Kundalini awakening. It was this sexual explosion up my spine and out of my head. Ever since, I have been completely raw, sensitive, confused, and afraid. Have you heard of this Kundalini?”

She looked at me deeply in the eyes, and put her hand on my shoulder.

“Oh yes, this happened to me about fifteen years ago.” I began to weep, for a few reasons.

Firstly, I took a shot in the dark by asking her about this rare thing called Kundalini. She was the most hippy person I knew of, but still, the experience I had was so far out that I wasn’t optimistic that she would know anything about it. I wept because her affirmative response was like a winning lottery ticket.

Secondly, from the moment she looked in my eyes, I knew I was in the right place. Somehow, by grace, without even trying, I found myself in the clinic of someone who also had this very rare experience. I wept because I knew I was being ushered ahead on this path and that something was guiding me along. I felt deeply cared for.

Thirdly, I wept because I felt safe to let my raw emotions come out in her presence. I knew that if she really went through this, then she would understand the emotional turbulence I was going through. And she did.

This was my first experience of being in the company of a fellow Kundalini-awakened individual.

Throughout this process, there are periods of solitude that should be honored and experienced fully. But overall, in my experience, a healthy amount of sharing space and energy with others is key to a smooth unfolding, for a few reasons: 1) Others validate us and our experience.

We might interpret the idea of seeking validation from others as something icky and of the ego, fueled by deep-seated insecurities. But with Kundalini, the idea of seeking validation takes on a new dimension. We’re exploring uncharted territory here. Of course we need some validation now and then.

By receiving nods and relating with others about some of our far out experiences, we can calibrate ourselves and continue ahead with confidence. If we go through this process in a vacuum, alone, the question, ‘Am I crazy?’ would likely become too overwhelming.

However, when we find ourselves in the company of others, from different walks of life, ages, religious backgrounds, and interests, and we’re all sharing similar experiences, the idea of being a crazy person begins to fall away. From there, we can move ahead with confidence, knowing this is a genuine evolutionary process and we’re not alone in it.

2) Others keep us grounded and humble.

Kundalini awakening is rare. It can amplify any of the experiences or qualities within our system, including arrogance.

I remember being considered a smart kid. I was at the top of my class throughout elementary school. It got to my head. I became arrogant. When I enrolled in an advanced program in high school, I found myself surrounded by a class full of people more nerdy than I. I was at the bottom of the class now. A humbling experience.

Admittedly, I couldn’t handle it. Instead of learning from my peers, I rebelled and rejected their company. I look back and wonder what I could have gained from their support.

Being around others that are also having this incredible Kundalini awakening process will prevent us from going rogue, allowing our head to grow too big, and falling on our faces. The feedback and insights from a trusted community, when given tactfully and empathetically, can be humbling, invaluable, and empowering.

3) We can all support each other.

In my view, no individual, tradition, or lineage has a complete grasp of the Kundalini awakening process. It’s mysterious. Every individual’s experience is unique, though there are overarching universal themes which we all share to varying degrees.

What I may have experienced and share may inform you and vice versa. We compare notes and compile a larger dataset that others can review and benefit from.

In the past, the guru-disciple model was effective, in some cases. It was a triangle, with one person, usually a man, at the top, and a community beneath him.

Today, I feel the most effective shape is a circle. We meet as equals, sharing, learning, and growing together, all experiencing the same universal process in our own unique ways.

4) We can express ourselves safely without fear.

We are expressive, creative beings. Often, our urge to express is inspired by our deepest and most visceral experiences. Kundalini awakening is likely to invoke a powerful urge to express oneself, to be heard and understood.

Kundalini awakening is a polarizing topic, however. It challenges many other paradigms and can be troubling for others to hear about, especially if they haven't had direct experience themselves. Unfortunately, because it’s so wacky, our friends and family, whom we may want to share with, may not understand. It can feel very lonely.

But still, the urge to express and be heard remains. Being in the company of fellow travelers of the Kundalini path gives us space to let it all out without fear. It also relieves our grounded friends and family from having to listen to our spiritual babble.

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These are a few reasons for why community is important on this path. With all this said, my message isn’t about joining a closed community and parking yourself there for eternity. The best communities, in my view, have an open door for all to come and go as they would like and need to.

At times, we must travel alone, to find peace in our own company, to process and integrate. At other times, we must exchange with others, and then move ahead on our journey elsewhere.

Whatever the case may be, there is great value in coming together from time to time. We cannot go the whole way alone.