A Primer to Siddha Yoga (Kundalini)

[Misagh]

I thought I write this because its helpful to those of you here who have active Kundalini but not much knowledge about it:

Short Description: 

Siddha Yoga is the Kundalini Path of enlightenment. Kundalini is divine energy which has manifested and upholds your current state of ignorance. In Siddha Yoga, truth or reality is described as having two aspects (which really are the same) known as Shiva, which is unmanifest potential (often described as pure void), and Shiva, dynamic creative energy which manifests the world within/from/as Shiva). Now after manifesting an individual, the Shakti resides as Kundalini within the body and lies dormant. In special cases, whether through divine grace, or the grace of a guru, the Kundalini can become active. It then works within your system and rewires it so your body can uphold higher and higher states of enlightenment. It will eventually leave its resting place at the base of the spine, reaches the top of the head, and merges with Shiva.

The state of enlightenment is described as Sat (being-ness), Cit (Consciousness), Ananda (Bliss).

 

Stages of enlightenment 

There are several stages of enlightenment (Consciousness) within this model:

Ignorant - Self-explanatory

Awakened - A person who has "awoken" to the spiritual path, and has begun to question the nature of reality (his own nature).

Turyia - A transitory stage before self-realization. The person has begun to seriously doubt and dis-identify with the ego, but is helpless in doing so thanks to subtle identification mechanisms that have not been crushed yet. Dark night (or years) of the mind often happens right before/at this stage as the mind frantically search to find its true nature but cannot come up with an answer. 

Self-realized - He who has lost all identification with the body/mind/emotions/ego and moreover has lost the identification mechanisms bring about ignorance. 

God-Consciousness - The person begins to see the divine in everything around him but himself. He has achieved non-duality within, but there is still a duality between him and the outside world. The dark night (or years) of the soul begin here as the person sees (projects) god in everything but himself, and this makes him miserable). 

Unity Consciousness - The person unity between the inner and the outer. Duality stops here. 

Shiva Consciousness - Happens within Blue Consciousness where the individual soul merges with the blue being (Krishna, Mary, Jesus etc.)

 

Practices

A seeker in the Siddha Yoga path uses many methods to assist him. He can receive Shaktipat to arouse Kundalini.

He can use self-inquiry to silence the mind.

He can contemplate the nature of god as Sat, Cit, Ananda (which is called Dhyana, the true form of meditation).

He can use kriyas and pranayamas to arouse more and more shakti within him.