Kundalini

I decided to do a book review because it is the first book I have read for a while that has somewhat irritated me. I have visted Solomae's website on several occasions in the past but this is the first book of hers that I have read. I have never questioned anything written on her website because I found the initial information I gleaned useful, even enlightening. I will confess that I do not like the 'guru' culture and when I saw a picture of Solomae all dressed in white, previously on her website, I actually found it off putting. (I also had the same reservations about Doreen Virtue who also wore all white on the front cover of one of her books, 'The Lightworkers Way'.) Anyway, now I think this is my problem and not theirs if they want to wear all white, it is up to them. Solomae can also call herself a 'Living Master', but personally I believe we are all Masters, but some of us have forgotten our heritage.

I have read quite a few books on Kundalini so now I tend to now look for new information. However, I am interested in the author's personal experience, which I like to compare to my own and other stuff I have read. Solomae's book introduces the subject quite well and I liked her explanations for the cause of Kundalini awakening and also some very good analogies to get her points across. A lot of the book is her interpretation of levels of development on the journey to enlightement with a few biblical quotes thrown in for good measure. Some information was presented in a mainly esoteric way, blending information about chakras, consciousness, ego, karma etc. There is some cataloging of states which was a bit tedious to read.

I actually felt disturbed about the discussion that an advanced state of Kundalini allowed one to leave the wheel of incarnation. It created a feel within me that said 'stop the world I want to get off'. It is the same feeling I have had in the past when life has become too much and I have not felt in control. (For more information on this topic I would recommend reading the book Autobiography of a Yogi, by Paramahansa Yogananda, which is a classic that any spiritual person should read.)

There was other information which was more practical and that would be helpful to a person who had not come across this information before. I actually found the research detail about the Electromagnetic rings around the head which comes from the work of Lee Sannella a psychiatrist and opthalmologist fascinating. I was dissapointed though, that she mentioned meditation and the latter stages of Kundalini, but did not mention that these electromagnetic rings are also effected during healing. Scientific evidence is available that shows that healers brain waves also slow down during the healing process comparable to that of advanced meditators and this also effects the client's brain wave patterns. Hence, this is why the electromagnetic rings are balanced in each phase of an EMF Balancing Technique session. (See Healer Science - Research Highlights, note 3).

I think my reservations are mostly based in the second section, 'Advanced Understanding'. I actually got excited when she talked about the physics concept of entrainment and how an enlightened being vibrates at a higher level pulling others up towards their level. Unfortunately this concept was ruined for me when she started talking about purification and gave the example of people going to confession and being entrained by the perfected state of the priest. Those who know me well, would know that I would object to that concept.

I really got really ignited when Solomae discusses power and talks about the temptation of Jesus and equates this to her experience of 'temptation to own the Universe', which occured for a couple of hours whilst lying in bed!! Actually the bible says that Jesus was shown all the Kingdoms of the world but he turned it down because he was not prepared to worship the devil. The bible does not talk about Jesus refusing power. Solomae then compounds this issue by describing 'abuse of power' and then complains about one who 'accepts the power and then teaches others to reach this stage also'. She talks about Jesus embracing love but does not mention his miracles which to me symbolise mastery of matter and hence power. There is no mention that Jesus said 'greater things shall you do because I go to the Father'. It would help if she actually explained what she meant by power.(I am aware there are lot of things in the bible which are meant to be taken esoterically, and that is why quoting scripture is such a hornets nest, ie it is a matter of interpretation).

The real icing on the cake in the book is was when Solomae describes the advanced stage of enlightenement, leaving behind identification with being human and leaving the planetary consciousness. This quote left me aghast. 'At this stage I did not feel possible to allow anyone to worship me in the form of a Guru.'

Finally, I was very disappointed at the end of the book because in the Q&A section someone asks about Siddhis which are psychic gifts, which accompany Kundalini. She then quotes the Bible again and writes, "To some, the gift of healing, to some, the gift of prophecy, to some, the gift of vision". Really!! Actually in I Corinthians 12:4-11 can be found the following.

"Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of working, but it is the same God who inspires them all in every one. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are inspired by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills."