Comparing ancient symbols between cultures can be a powerful tool on the path to enlightenment. The Kundalini for example is a psychic force that rests at the base of our spine and once it is awakened brings many changes to an individual’s life and enhances their ability to perceive the subtle energies.
While the term Kundalini originated in India, references to this spiritual awakening are also on the sarcophagi of the Egyptian pharaohs. The ancient Egyptians called this the Ureaus and represented it on the headdress of the pharaohs. Both represent the dormant psychic energy stored at the base of the spine that can be awakened spontaneously or through spiritual practices.
Once the Kundalini force is awakened it stimulates the flow of the male and female subtle energy channels Ida and Pingala. While this is not an all-inclusive depiction of the Taoist concept of yin and yang, or the complexity of a Kundalini awakening, it is certainly part of the puzzle.
Everything in the universe is either more yin or more yang, as is each soul. When beings interact with each other they subconsciously seek to balance these energies. One important thing about mythology is how the deities reflect aspects of the human spirit, as we in turn reflect the spirits of the deities.
Aphrodite and Aries balance and complement each other. Love is, in fact the opposite of war. We can see Aphrodite in the beautiful fashionetta we knew in high school, who was dating her personal Aries, the most successful athlete. While I always liked Aphrodite, I was more of a Persephone, dressing in black, smoking in the bathroom, and running off to the underworld with Hades, upsetting my mother.
Working with the gods is an interesting journey. A few years ago, I met with a local group who follows the Temple of the Golden Dawn. While I was not sure if my ways and theirs were a match, their ways spoke to me at the right time.
A few days later, I was working on a term paper at two in the morning. Having enough for the night I went into meditation practice, planning to transition to sleep. Then the unexpected happened. I heard someone in the bushes at the window of my first floor apartment. Feeling vulnerable in a state of meditation, I immediately tried to wake up. Something told me, to stay exactly as I was.
In the dream state, I found myself in the classic painting Concave Convex by M.C. Escher, where staircases offer paths toall directions. I saw a dark cloud, where the noises were coming from which moved as I heard the trespassers run to another window. The vision stage then changed into what I would later find out is the Enochian chessboard.
The figurines in Enochian chess are of Egyptian deities. I tried to focus on the image of Isis, and instead was drawn toward that of Anubis. Now able to control my focus, I attempted to analyze the dark cloud which was full of unpleasant imagery. As I got closer to it, I heard the startled voice of a young teenager shout “let’s go!” followed by the sound of feet running while I drifted off to sleep. Many would wonder if this was an active imagination or a dream, as I did before finding childishly worded graffiti on both windows later that morning.
So what does an experience like that have to teach us? I have been pondering the answer ever since it happened seven years ago. What I have come to believe is that it had a lot to do with my visit to the Golden Dawn’s temple a few days prior. They are a large group who spiritually resonate with the deities and symbolism in those visions.
The true nature of a deity and life arecertainly a mystery; however it is impossible to deny that greater powers do exist and choose to interact with us. Once in a while an unseen force intervenes and we have the inexplicable miracle. Life, with its blessings and lessons may be difficult to comprehend, but isn’t it beautiful?
