I’ve been interested in the historical and psychological mention of Kuṇḍalinī’s location in the Mūlādhāra (the belly/the root chakra where Kuṇḍalinī begins)—and its relationship to the womb. In particular, the creative energy it possesses and its transformative capability. One experiences a rebirth after undergoing a Kuṇḍalinī awakening. I’m interested in its dormancy and potential to strike up through the central channel. Like some possession energies I have researched in the past, such as the Zār (‘Red Wind’), often originating in the Middle East and North Africa, the Zār finds space in female bodies, more so than men. Like Kuṇḍalinī, it does not go away. It requires a series of ceremonial practices to calm the energy down to remain in a dormant state. Of course, possession and spiritual awakening can be two separate experiences with different consequences. In some cases, they overlap. For example, the deity Śakti permeates the yogin’s body to meet Śiva once a Kuṇḍalinī tantric meditation begins. But most importantly, I wonder what these energies teach the host? And how this energy works as a technology for disruption? Its potential for transformation, rebirth and death of the old. The belly vessel as a placeholder for knowledge and procreation—the space for which it inhabits and holds the energy. I’m interested in the lack of female authors writing about their experiences of Kuṇḍalinī within the Kuṇḍalinī tradition. With so much South Asian iconography for the ‘divine mother’, I wonder why there is such a gap for non-western testimonies, or maybe I’m not looking hard enough... The duality and entwinement of male and female principles—and its fluidity of these sexes (see statue of Ardhanarishvara for the androgynous portrayal of Śiva and Śakti).
Egyptian Zār ritual
From: https://en.qantara.de/content/the-egyptian-zar-ritual
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AuthorLilian Nejatpour Archives
June 2023
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