Story of a Dual Awakening: Energetic (Kundalini) + Spiritual Transformation

Part One

It was 1994 and life was evolving in miraculous ways. Having left a marriage, a full-time professional career, and a familiar residence a couple of years earlier, I began diving head-on into spiritual growth. Living with my young daughter, her cat, and my beloved soul-partner who was as committed to his awakening as me. During this period, my heart chakra (anahata, 4^th energy center) awakened which flooded my being with inexplicable love and gratitude. Awakening from the body-mind dream began and my life changed irrevocably. Not all was dreamy. There were financial pressures and resistance to our newfound lifestyle from extended family members. Life as we had previously known it was dissolving and entirely new foundation was being formed.

Fast forward 28 years…

After years of spiritual exploration and being of service (with a few detours in the mix!), I felt moved to go even deeper in the fall of 2021. The Vedantic teachings revealed there was more Truth than what I was experiencing so I committed to surrendering myself to God in ways as never before. Two hours every morning I began surrendering my entire existence to God and in January 2022 another awakening happened. It almost seemed to pick up where the first one left off 28 years earlier, at least energetically speaking.

Kundalini/Biophysical Energetic Awakening

A profound surge of energy began moving up my spine which would wake me up during the night. For those of you who are familiar with an energetic awakening, you will recognize this as the immense power of Kundalini.  Bliss, supreme contentment and profound peace were part of my early experience. Within a few short months, the energy moved upwards from the heart chakra into the throat/5th/vishuddha chakra and now circulates around the third eye/6^th/ajna and crown/7^th/sahasrara chakra or brain centers. Much clearing seems to be happening around the third eye and there is noticeable movement in the pineal gland and prefrontal cortex. Not all is pleasant. I had no idea a Kundalini awakening could cause such physical sensations. Many days the pressure and discomfort in these areas cause me to continually adjust my spiritual practice and daily activities. Yet, I am aware that this powerful energy is transforming trauma, clearing blockages, raising awareness, and strengthening my connection with the Divine both internally and externally in ways I had never known possible.    

Energetic awakenings can proceed or follow a spiritual awakening. Many people mistakenly confuse an energetic awakening with a spiritual awakening, but from my experience, they are different. Kundalini energy transforms the nervous system so more electricity/God force energy can expand within a person’s anatomy. This expansion occurs throughout the entire physical and subtle bodies, but most noticeably in the spine and brain centers. Most people are operating from one of the ten brain centers but Kundalini awakening gradually (in most cases) expands the other centers supporting one to operate at a much higher capacity.  

Spiritual Awakening/Non-Duality   

Long before the energetic shift began, I was waking up from my belief in a false self and feeling separate from other living beings. As the programming of separateness collapsed, the awareness of Oneness with everything in the universe increased. Spiritual awakenings affect our mental, emotional, and psychological well-being. They are psycho-spiritual in nature and unlike an energetic awakening, not felt by the physical or subtle bodies. Shifts in perception, how we view ourselves, others, and the world around us, are all part of a spiritual awakening. Initially, we may stop feeling victimized by others and life itself. This is a significant shift because we move out of the victim archetype and into the recognition that we are the creators of our experience. This transformation in consciousness is when our real freedom begins.  Resentments begin to drop, and we experience more inner peace, acceptance, and living in the present moment.  Our values often shift and our relationships with family, friends, co-workers, etc. may change. As our vibration increases, we find new people and a spiritual community replacing some, if not many, of our former connections. This may be experienced as quite painful but necessary.  

Not surprisingly, we can fall back to sleep. In my case, this occurred more than once between 1994 and 2022. No matter how disorienting and disappointing this may feel, the expanding inner blaze and light from the original awakening never become completely extinguished. Sparks of deep joy and profound peace from those initial flames re-ignite once we are ready to surrender and resume our spiritual practice.    

This is a very brief overview of the difference between an energetic and a spiritual awakening. Those who have experienced Kundalini insist it eventually leads to enlightenment. While others who have experienced a spiritual awakening believe it leads to mukti (liberation) and Kundalini is not necessary. And then there are those on a non-dual path who may recognize that both can exist but are not meant to be focused upon. Why? Because the body-mind is part  of our false selves and is not relevant. Only pure awareness of our beingness is Absolute Reality.

In Part Two we will delve into what it is like to simultaneously experience both an energetic and spiritual awakening. Life becomes very interesting indeed! This is more likely to occur when an individual is seriously committed to his/her awakening, immersed in Truth teachings, and his/her karmic conditions are ripe for God-consciousness/Self-Realization.

Namaste and Great Love to You,

Laura Grace, PhD