Serpent Power, The

Who is Kundalini, the Serpent Power? Mythologically, she is an aspect of the shakti (power or energy) and consort of Shiva. Philosophically she is the creative energy that eventually forms mind and matter and comes to rest in the lowest form of matter. She is consciousness: the power of matter to know itself. In terms of Tantric practice, she is the mysterious power that resides in the human body and can be awakened through suitable techniques: special meditations and yogic practices of a particularly powerful nature. She is The Goddess: the ultimate heart of many areas of Eastern religion, not only of Hinduism.

The present volume, by the foremost student of Shaktic and Tantric thought, Arthur Avalon, is the prime document for the study and application of Kundalini yoga. The author covers the philosophical and mythological nature of Kundalini; the esoteric anatomy associated with it the study of mantras; the chakras, or psychic centers in the human body and their progressive awakening; and the yoga associated with this. This introduction, some 300 pages of unique material, is followed by translations (with long analytical commentary) of two important Tantric documents: The Description of the Six Chakras and the briefer Five-fold Footstool. By working through these documents, the reader can acquire the essence of Kundalini yoga.