In this article I am going to talk about Shaktipat and Kundalini awakening. I will cover questions such as, what is Shaktipat? who should get Shaktipat? Who should not get Shaktipat? What will happen once I get Shaktipat? How much Shaktipat should I receive? Is Shaktipat safe?
I first came across Shaktipat a number of years ago, I had already gone through my first Spiritual Awakening two years prior and had been fully stabilized in Cosmic Consciousness / Self Realisation and was moving in and out of the God Consciousness phase. I had read about Kundalini awakening and how it was vital in advancing towards higher states of enlightenment. After doing some research I discovered Shaktipat and found an enlightened master called Jan Esmann who could give this spiritual transmission, he was situated in Copenhagen Denmark but was actually holding Shaktipat intensives all around Europe and was holding a 3 day Shaktipat Intensive in my home town of Dublin.
After attending the 3 day Shaktipat Intensive I started to experience deep states of love and bliss. My state of self realisation now started to deepen and had depth and fullness that was not there previously to receiving Shaktipat. After attending my second Shaktipat Intensive with Jan in Copenhagen a number of months later I experienced a full Kundalini awakening that travelled up into the brain and my Crown opened up fully.
So what exactly is Shaktipat and how does it work?
Shaktipat is the transfer of spiritual energy from the enlightened Guru / Teacher to the aspirant in an attempt to awaken the dormant Kundalini energy that lays coiled in the base of the spine. Kundalini energy is our life force which is responsible for the beating of our hearts, the digestion of our food, it keeps us breathing while we sleep. It is the vital force that keeps the body alive. In its dormant state Kundalini remains coiled up like a snake at the base of the spine.
When one receives Shaktipat from an enlightened Guru or Teacher, the Teacher sends his or her Shakti energy from their consciousness to the consciousness of the aspirant. This can be done in a number of ways, it can be done in person via the teacher placing his or her thumbs on the persons third eye situated in the centre of the forehead, the teacher uses their intent to send the shakti energy, they can also place a hand on your knee sending the energy in a similar manner using intent. Shaktipat can also be sent via sight or just being in the same room as the Guru / Teacher you can pick up the transmission of Shaktipat. One can also receive Shaktipat in absentia, via a mala or some dried fruit, the Guru / Teacher infuses the Mala and dried fruit with Shakti energy and can post the items to the aspirant. The Mala can then be worn by the aspirant during meditation and the shaktipat will enter their consciousness.
Whats does Shaktipat feel like?
Shaktipat is a very subtle energy, it may be felt in a number of different ways by various aspirants, the most common is a warm liquid like sensation that descends from the top of the head down. It may also be felt like tiny fizzing bubbles in different locations around the body. Individuals receiving Shaktipat often experience entering trance like states, waves of bliss and spontaneous body movements known as Kriyas may also occur in individuals.
Once the Shaktipat enters the aspirants consciousness, usually via one of the energy centres or Chakras it starts to stimulate the dormant Kundalini energy, heat can be felt in the base of the spine or there can be tingling in the sacrum area. This may not happen on the very first session or intensive and may take multiple session to awaken the dormant Kundalini energy. I have known a few people that it has awoken for after one or two sessions.
So the easiest and safest way to awaken the Kundalini energy is through genuine Shaktipat from an Enlightened Guru / Teacher.
Kundalini can be in three different states, it can be in the dormant state and the individual is completely unaware of its existence, this would be the case for the majority of the population on the planet. The second state is an arousal of the Kundalini, this is still in its coiled position but has ever so slightly start to awaken and the individual may start to feel new sensations in the body, glimpses of bliss or intuition may start to arise. The third state is a Kundalini awakening, this means that the Kundalini energy has awoken fully and made its way out of the coiled position and has entered into the central channel of the spine. This is usually experienced as a small snake like energy sensation that enters the spine between two of the lower vertebrae. Once it has entered into the spinal column it will never fall back down into the dormant phase again, its goal now is to make its way up the spine and to enter the Crown Chakra and brain. This is not an over night process and can take years for the Kundalini to finish its journey up into the brain and for the crown to open fully.
As the Kundalini starts to make its way up the spine the energy starts to work on bloc
kages in the system, old traumas get stirred up and brought to the surface to be dealt with, new pathways are being created in our nervous system to allow the new ways of enlightenment to be experienced through the body mind.
What are other ways to awaken Kundalini Energy?
There are a number of other methods one can use to awaken Kundalini, they may involve breath work and self will practices such as body locks and breath retention and forcefully willing the energy in the spine. These may take years if not decades to eventually get the Kundal
ini to rise. Another way is the use of plant medicines, but these might be problematic if the individual is not ready or evolved enough for a Kundalini awakening. The safest and easiest way to awaken Kundalini is from genuine Shaktipat form an enlightened Guru / Teacher.
Who can give Shaktipat?
There are only a very small amount of people who can give genuine Shaktipat, I know of only 4-5 people including myself in Europe who can give genuine Shaktipat which is capable of awakening Kundalini Energy. They are usually fairly far along their journey of enlightenment and would need to have experienced a full Kundalini awakening into the brain and to have a fully open crown. Once this takes place in an individual they may naturally develop the ability to give Shaktipat. It took me about a year after my full Kundalini awakening to develop the ability to give Shaktipat. I was later initiated by Jan Esmann to give Shaktipat.