The Creative Power -- Kundalini Shakti An Artists Perspective
The Creative Power Known As Kundalini Shakti
Kundalini Shakti is known as the creative power of Supreme Consciousness and is often referred to as the goddess. She is the essential force that gives rise to the entire universe. Kundalini Shakti also exists in a subtle, dormant form within each human being. When she is awakened, she moves through different psychic energy centers (called chakras) bringing about knowledge of one's inherent divine nature and inspiring creative expression through music, visual arts, poetry, dance, and other endeavors.
The Coiled Energy Series
The imagery in the Coiled Energy Series expresses my own exploration of this creative power within myself. My meditation teacher implores spiritual seekers to become like scientists and investigate this immense, divine power within. My way of exploring this inner power is through art. It has become clear to me that Kundalini Shakti is the power behind the creation of art. I have palpable experiences in which divine wisdom in the form of energy directs and creates the artwork. During these moments, I feel I am not the one creating the art, but rather a witness – an observer – of the artwork being created. These experiences inspired me to do the artwork in this series as a way of further discovering aspects of the Kundalini. In this series, Kundalini Shakti is both the source of the art and the subject matter – a visual image of the energy that is the inspiring, moving force behind the art. For me, art can serve as a means of bringing physical artistic form to Kundalini Shakti and her revelations. In addition, focusing on the Kundalini Shakti as the subject matter of the artwork is a way of expressing my love for this divine power – a way of honoring her.
Use of Symbolism
In her dormant form, Kundalini Shakti lies coiled at the base of the spine in the chakra called the Muladhara. The Sanskrit text Chat Chakra Nirupana, translated by Sir John Woodroffe in his book The Serpent Power, describes this chakra. In this series, some of the imagery is consistent with the descriptive explanation given in The Serpent Power. However, I have also incorporated images from my own intuitive and direct experience. My artwork is not intended to be illustrations of the chakras, as such. Instead, my approach is to connect to Kundalini Shakti through meditation, and then engage in the creative process as a way to discover what this Power wishes to reveal to me through my artwork. Each work of art portrays some traditional symbolism associated with Kundalini, as well as my personal representation of the essence behind these symbols.
In my studies, I was pleased to discover that some Indian drawings show the chakras as abstract energy vortices, rather than the traditional symbol of lotuses as described in the Chat Chakra Nirupana and other sacred texts. Such variety in the representations of the chakras indicates that creative interpretations exist. The same creative spirit that exists in all is revealing multiple aspects of the one Truth. By contemplating the iconography of my artwork, Kundalini reveals something that is significant for me to discover and share.
I am confident that the additions to or omissions from traditional symbolism are permissible in the spirit of art and, hopefully, in the spirit of the Tantric tradition, as well. (Tantra, according to Harish Johari in his book Tools for Tantra, is a holistic means of studying the universal (the macrocosm) from the point of view of the individual (the microcosm).)
The explanation that accompanies each piece does not include my emotional or psychological response to the artwork, because I want the viewer to experience the art and its significance without superimposing my own psychological biases. I do, however, explain most of the symbolism in order to provide a more expanded context in which to experience the art.
Art and Meditation
The art in this series is designed to support meditation, the experience of the inner world. You may want to try focusing on one piece for a period of time as a doorway into meditation.
To Learn More About Kundalini Shakti
The following references serve as a good starting point for learning about Kundalini Shakti, this powerful and extremely important energy within.
- The Sacred Power: A Seeker's Guide to Kundalini, Swami Kripananda, A Siddha Yoga Publication, 1995.
- The Serpent Power, Arthur Avalon (Sir John Woodroffe), Dover Publication, New York, 1974.
- Tools for Tantra, Harish Johari, Destiny Books; Vermount, 1986.
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