Above Artwork by artist Andrew Gonzalez
As we roll into 2018 I'm happy to see that there are numerous helpful books and resources emerging about kundalini.
Most importantly, more and more scientists, researchers and authors are giving attention to how to manage a kundalini awakening and it's symptoms or side effects.
Back when I had my kundalini awakening in 2009 there was very little in the way of useful information online and virtually zero books. Through the years I got very good at identifying ancient texts that might shed light on my situation.
Yet I craved modern information that could help me balance a very intense spiritual process that affected my nervous system, emotional balance, physical body and sense of sanity.
After nearly a decade since my initial awakening experience I've decided to put together a collection of the resources I found that helped me make sense of it all. Some helped more than others, but as we are all different and our awakenings will all be unique, I provide most everything I found in case you find it useful!
Modern Books & Resources on Kundalini Awakening
Kundalini Rising: Exploring the Energy of Awakening
This is the first book that truly helped me. I appreciated that most of the essays were from scientists and doctors and gave insight in how to manage an awakening once it's begun, rather than how to trigger one. Also includes personal stories of awakening which I felt helpful for feeling less alone and misunderstood.
Awakening Kundalini: The Path to Radical Freedom
This audio program helped me understand that most of my challenging symptoms were due to having never created a container for balancing the awakening energies. Dr. Edwards provides specific meditations, chants and rituals that help balance the energy and strengthen the mind and body for its transmission.
If you'd rather have the text version, here's a link to the book based on this audio program.
Although the author of this book is not a scientist, her personal experience with kundalini, direct receipt of teachings from her guru, and her visionary knowledge she received from the White Tara pair powerfully with her direct handling of the many symptoms, side effects and challenges that can come with a kundalini activation.
Kundalini, Evolution and Enlightenment
Similar to the first listed resource, Kundalini Rising, this book is a compilation of essays and papers on Kundalini broken into the following categories: What is Kundalini, Personal Accounts, Kundalini Research, Kundalini and the Occult, Sage Advice to the Seeker.
Though there are some modern essays included by Ken Wilber and Itzach Bentov, the book was first published in 1979 and updated in 1990 so scientifically you'll find better information in more recent publications. However this book has many classical texts such as from Gopi Krishna that are great for those new to kundalini.
Kundalini: Divine Energy, Divine Life
Another great one, I highly recommend this as a basic guidebook for the many aspects of a kundalini awakening, such as specific advice for women, men, and kundalini among couples. The author also discusses tips for how to integrate kundalini and spiritual awakening into daily life.
The Biology of Kundalini by Jana Dixon
While some of the science here is tough to wade through, and not always well cited, nonetheless I found her information very useful in the beginning. She explains the phases we tend to experience, symptoms, why it's happening and what to do and how to eat or supplement to minimize symptoms and support your body through the process.
Classic Books on Kundalini
Kundalini: The Evolutionary Energy in Man by Gopi Krishna
This is the definitive (and one of the first) treatise on Kundalini for the common person and includes Gopi Krishna's own experience with a spontaneous kundalini awakening and its subsequent unfolding. This is a classic and a must-read for anyone interested in Kundalini.
You can also check out his many other books here.
The Serpent Power: The Secrets of Tantric and Shaktic Yoga
Not for the faint of heart, this is a deeply esoteric text. However it is one of the first western treatises on kundalini and dives deep into the esoteric anatomy of awakening as well as the mythological and philosophical origins of "shaktic thought."
Kundalini Tantra/2012 Re-print/ 2013 Golden Jubilee edition
I found this particular text in a used bookstore. You can get it still on Amazon, but have to buy it used. Still, if you like the more classical treatments on Kundalini which, while harder to understand, are often less whitewashed or "simplified" for the western mind. Digs deep into the chakras and how to unlock kundalini.
Additional Books on Kundalini From Other Traditions
The following books are ones I've found delightfully useful and wonderful to read ~ yet they are not your traditional books on "how to awaken kundalini." Rather, kundalini, you will find, is the underlying purpose or core of many traditions including alchemy, shamanism, druidism and witchcraft. And so there are many books off the beaten path that I found helped me expand and round out my understanding of kundalini.
The Kundalini Book of Living and Dying: Gateways to Higher Consciousness
This book dives mostly into the astral plane and the authors' views of the higher planes above our own that we traverse and integrate on our way to Source. Kundalini is our vehicle. The paths of yoga are our gateways. It's a different kind of read! But one I greatly enjoyed. As always, just because someone published it doesn't make it the ultimate truth. All these texts shed light on various arenas. They are maps. Not the territory.
Entering the Castle: An Inner Path to God and Your Soul
By renowned mystic and medical intuitive Carolyn Myss, this book breaks down for the modern reader the mystical teachings and visions of Saint Teresa of Avila. Kundalini is the same divine force as the Holy Spirit and, as they say, all paths lead to Rome. You don't have to shift your beliefs or journey outside your own religion to awaken kundalini. Paths exist in every religion and every spiritual practice.
Heart Yoga: The Sacred Marriage of Yoga and Mysticism
Andrew Harvey doesn't teach directly about kundalini however his works and words are always a favorite among scholars and experiencers of kundalini alike. He also provides wondrous and passionate explorations of Rumi's ecstatic poetry which also points often to kundalini and where its energies carry us.
In this book, he gives practical guidance for one of the most vital ways we must manage kundalni rising: unification of the physical body with the mystical heart.
Another favorite of mine that Harvey has written is a book on walking the Direct Path to the Divine, which helps awakening seekers find their way and their innate power.
Don Juan and the Art of Sexual Energy: The Rainbow Serpent of the Toltecs
This book addresses sacred sexual energy and the awakening of kundalini from a shamanic perspective within the Toltec tradition ~ in a similar vein to Carlos Castaneda's books.
Although only cursorily about kundalini, this book connects two traditions largely designed around awakening and utilizing kundalini energy: Tantra and Alchemy.
Books & Resources on Chakras & Energy Mechanics
Kundalini energy moves through your entire body and energy field and through multiple dimensions of your being once it is active. However its primary channel and centers are your chakra system. I still reference these resources regularly in my energy work and personal journey...
Wheels of Life: A User's Guide to the Chakra System
Anodea Judith is the premiere expert on chakras and in my opinion, pretty much the best. This book is a MUST HAVE for anyone interested in energy work or in understanding the energy anatomy kundalini will inevitably move through and affect.
Advanced Energy Anatomy: The Science of Co-Creation and Your Power of Choice
This audio program helped me really get a handle on my own energy system and to understand how I manifest and create my reality through my chakras. When kundalini moves through a system still full of trauma, negative influences and low vibrational energies, it can become challenging and this program helped me begin to cleanse and manage my energy system until I entered into professional clairvoyant healers' training. Highly recommended.
Other Resources
Kundalini Splendor: Ecstatic Mystic Poetry, Advice and Musings on Kundalini by Dorothy Walters, PhD
In my early days researching kundalini Dorothy became an invaluable resource and a kind heart. We corresponded personally through email and she always answered my questions with love, sweetness and honesty. Her blog, extensive resource links, and physical poetry books are a gift to us all. Her poetry is reminiscent of Rumi or Hafiz and when I could not put words to what I was feeling I would often find solace in Dorothy's poetry.
The Institute of Consciousness Research: Raising Awareness Around Kundalini
They host events, write a lot of well-researched information on aspects of Kundalini, and as internet resources go, this is one I trust. I particularly like their Resource Links.
Patanjali Kundalini Yoga Care: If you need personal, one-on-one assessment and support, you might consider further researching this organization.
I do not have personal experience with them, but I wished I'd known of this resource when I was deep in crisis at the beginning of my journey. It was precisely what I'd originally been looking for, but did not find until recently {all in divine timing though, so all is right and perfect. 🙂 }
You can also refer to this extensive list of books on kundalini. Many of them I have not personally read so I did not include them here as I cannot personally endorse them.
Please comment if you have any questions about the many books and resources listed above, or would like to share your own experiences or recommendations for me to add to the list. This is a safe space and I welcome you. You are not alone.
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