Shakti Rising: Radiance Sutras Verse 5

Today we're reading from the Radiant Sutras,

Which is a translation of the Vijñana Bhairava Tantra,

An ancient tantric text that comes out of the Kashmir tradition.

And this is a translation by Lauren Roche.

And every week on Monday we look at one sutra and we dive into it and have a conversation about it.

And so the goal here is to kind of listen to it with your soul.

Listen to it not from the personality or our education or the ideas we have.

Like sometimes we have an idea about how the world works and then everything has to fit in that idea.

It was funny on the weekend I was chatting with William about it.

I was saying,

You know,

I've really come to the realization that I lived most of my life describing myself in a language that doesn't fit.

You know,

And I don't think it's me because I'm me.

I think it's all of us.

It's almost like,

I don't know if you guys ever read the book Stranger in a Strangeland,

But it's a fascinating book.

I highly recommend it.

And it's a story of this guy,

Michael Valentine,

Who as a baby was born to two astronauts on Mars and his parents died.

So he was raised by Martians.

And the Martians were much more advanced than humans,

That they were telepathic.

Telekinesis was an obvious one.

They were empathic.

They lived in multi-dimensions.

They simply existed in a much higher evolution than humans.

And so as an adult,

Michael Valentine was brought back to Earth.

And he actually couldn't believe how much the Earthlings had not evolved over time.

But what was really interesting is people wanted to learn from him.

They wanted to learn how to be like him.

And the challenge was that you couldn't actually describe how he did what he did in English because our language is only limited to our current state of evolution.

So the only way to actually become more like him was to learn Martian so he could explain it in Martian because you would just always be wrong if you explained it in English.

And it came up between William and I because I had said something that just didn't land with him properly.

He just said,

You know,

I just really want to revisit that because that just just didn't land with me.

And it was interesting because I noticed within me that historically I would have just backtracked and I would have said,

Oh sorry,

You know,

That was the wrong word.

I didn't mean to say it like that.

I,

Oh,

You know,

And I would have actually backtracked because I would have realized that whatever it was I was trying to say wasn't being received so I'll just change what I mean so that the other person understands or at least I get the proper feeling from them that my intention was.

And for whatever reason yesterday I just sat and I really sat with it and I thought,

No,

What I said is what I meant but there's something wrong in the,

In how we each see the world.

And this story of Stranger in a Strange Land came to my mind that if you wonder just how different each one of our realities really are,

That are we even able to describe our realities in English?

Are we really able at all?

And so it's really interesting when we read an ancient text,

You know,

A tantric text like this or any really any ancient text,

Because it's like we have to listen with that part of us that we can't describe in English or whatever your first language is.

Because our language doesn't describe transcendental experiences,

It doesn't describe the upper chakras,

It doesn't describe the greater experiences.

And in the case of today's reading,

The more subtle experiences of being human,

It describes the gross,

And I don't mean gross like disgusting,

I mean gross like physical aspects of life.

But as soon as we get beyond the physical,

Our language is pretty inaccurate.

So what we're going to do is I'm going to read the sutra and today we're reading sutra five.

And it's on page 40 for anyone who has the book.

And you certainly don't need to have the book,

But if you do,

It's on page 40.

And I highly recommend just kind of closing your eyes and listening with that part of you that can't be described.

Just really listening within,

Even trying to access the part of you that you'd never be able to describe to anyone.

It was a real revelation yesterday because I,

It's almost like we start to believe that we are the description that we've repeated to people so many times about ourselves.

And it actually isn't even close.

So let's just close our eyes for a minute.

Just breathe deeply.

Expand the belly as we inhale.

Contract as we exhale.

Follow the path of life force as she flashes upward like lightning through your body.

Attend simultaneously to the perineum,

That bright place between the legs to open up to the crown of the skull into that shining star place above the head.

Notice this living current becoming ever more subtle as she rises,

Radiant as the morning sun,

Until she streams outward from the top of the head into all-embracing gratitude.

Thus become intimate with the life of all beings.

Follow the path of the life force as she flashes upward like lightning through the body.

Attend simultaneously to the perineum,

That bright place between the legs to the crown of the skull into that shining star place above the head.

Notice this living current becoming ever more subtle as she rises,

Radiant as the morning sun,

Until she streams outward from the top of the head into all-embracing gratitude.

Thus become intimate with the life of all beings.

We'll go deeper into what all that means,

But I'd love to know what stands out for you amidst the puppy chewing sounds.

Or what feeling you have,

Or what words it's like Kundalini rising.

I love the idea that it connects us to everyone.

Yes.

Lightning current flowing.

Christmas tree with a star on top.

Ooh.

Feel the energy rise up the spine and connect to the universe.

Yes.

It reminds me of a few times when making love when the physical action was in the perineum,

But I felt it in my brain.

It was wonderful and beautiful.

Oh,

Yes.

Oh,

That is so beautiful.

Acknowledging the life force in all of us.

Yes.

Feeling the energy rise up my center and out,

But as well being reminded of the perineum and grounding at the same time.

Feeling into incredible unconditional love.

Wow.

I'd like to read to you another translation of the same passage.

It's from this book,

Sri Vijnana by Rava Tantra,

The Ascent.

Entering the plenum.

Totally.

This is another translation of it.

Concentrate on the Shakti arising from the root like the rays of the sun,

Gradually becoming subtler and subtler until at last she dissolves in the Dvadashanta and by Rava manifests.

So I actually want to play with this translation for a moment.

And then we're going to go back to our radiant sutra translation.

Concentrate on the Shakti arising from the root like the rays of the sun.

So this comes from the understanding that when we are whole,

We are Shiva and Shakti.

And the idea,

The way the mythology is written is the Shiva is at the crown of the head.

And in order to become manifest in duality in this space-time continuum on earth,

Shakti descended down into the earth.

And this is the way the mythology is written.

On earth,

Shakti descended down into form and she lives at the root chakra in Muladhara.

So from there,

There are 72,

000 nadis.

Nadis is,

We would spell it n-a-d-i.

And these are the energy channels that carry consciousness throughout our bodies.

So if you imagine,

We have Shiva at the top and Shakti is down in the Muladhara chakra,

In the first chakra.

From there,

You have this visual of sun rays flowing out through 72,

000 energy channels throughout the whole body.

And as the channels flow up higher through the body,

Right,

Passing through all the chakras,

Going up through us,

They become subtler and subtler and subtler until they come all the way to the crown and all the way up just above the crown.

And they're so subtle that we merge with Shiva,

That we merge with the cosmos,

That we merge with all things.

Concentrate on the Shakti arising from the root like the rays of the sun,

Gradually becoming subtler and subtler until at last she dissolves in the Dvadashanta and Bhairava manifests.

Now Dvadashanta means the end of the 12.

And this is really interesting for me.

And one day for all of us,

Because they talk about the 12 chakras.

And what's really interesting,

And I've been so interested in 12 chakras and that every bit of research I've ever done about the 12 chakras,

They just didn't land for me.

It was like,

I read them and it was like,

Yeah,

I think you read this out of a book somewhere.

Like I just couldn't.

It didn't make sense in a way that you and I could take it out into our life and make changes and make decisions.

Like it has to be real or else,

Why would we study it?

So I'm intrigued where this takes me because according to these guys,

The 12 chakras are the normal first six,

Mooladhara,

Svadisthana,

Manipura,

Anahata,

Vishudi and Ajna,

Which is our third eye.

And then between there and the Sahasraha in the seventh,

What I would normally call the seventh,

They have Lalana,

Nasekagra,

Mana,

Soma,

Bindu and then Sahasraha.

So this is going to become a project for me to do research into all of these other higher chakras.

If I'm successful,

Then we can do more talks about them.

But I know nothing about them right now.

So I'm very intrigued by this discovery of this particular tradition's description of the 12 chakras.

So more to come on the Dvadashtanta.

And so when they say that Bhairava manifests,

Bhairava is the union of the physical and the divine.

That's the whole foundation of all of Tantra.

It's for us to be able to take this Shiva consciousness and our Shakti manifest self and actually merge them together,

But not to disappear,

Not to transcend life,

But to fully experience life,

To bring that Shiva energy into the world,

To bring that Shiva consciousness into our life,

Into our relationships,

Into our work,

Our creations,

Our children,

Our friends.

There's so much potential there.

And that's really the point is this beautiful merging.

So then we shift over to our friend Lauren Roche in the Radiant Sutras.

So in the back of this book,

I highly recommend this book.

It's a beautiful book.

I have nothing to do with it.

I'm not a an affiliate or something for this book.

But it's just a beautiful book to have in your world.

I think just having the energy of it sitting by your bedside is kind of magic.

I'll read a little bit about what Lauren says in the back here.

The word he wants us to look at is is sukshma,

Which means subtle.

So as these energy channels are flowing up through us,

They get more subtle and more subtle and more subtle.

Because so often in life,

What are the things we ignore?

The subtle things,

The subtle cues,

The tiny little voice in our head that says,

Let's not do that,

Or yes,

Let's do that.

We wait,

Oh,

It's not that we literally say,

Oh,

It's not that big a deal.

Like it has to have big form for us to take it seriously.

Oh,

It's just such a small thing.

We'll just let it go.

What if the subtle is that paying attention to the subtle is how we actually connect with the divine.

It is through the small things.

And that's what Lauren shares with us here.

He says,

Sukshma has a range of meanings,

Including insignificant,

Unimportant.

This is a teaching.

What you are looking for is right here,

But it looks insignificant to you.

The gateways that open to your inner life are here in minute perceptions easily overlooked.

The inspiration and energy you need for your meditation practice is already present.

Tune in to the subtle aspects of your sensory experience that are so tiny,

They seem intangible and atomic.

Be alert for that which is as fine as woven silk.

I'm just going to keep reading this because it's so beautiful.

You can think of sukshma as a subtle,

Sensuous experience.

You walk outside on a beautiful day and feel a tingle of sexual electricity just because you're alive.

It lasts a second and then disperses throughout your whole body.

But your next breath is a bit more enjoyable and the colors seem brighter.

There is a microscopic level of sexual excitement flowing around your skin.

That is subtle sensuality.

Or say you are listening to music.

At a certain moment,

One of the players touches a string lightly and the quiet sound moves you deeply.

The music doesn't have to get louder for you to feel its power.

That is subtle sound.

Or consider a moment when you are loving someone and the lightest touch means everything.

A delicate and slow touch can feel more intense than big motions.

That is subtle touch.

I'm just going to read you the last paragraph too because it's so beautiful.

Subtle sensing is fun and freeing.

You take more and more pleasure from less and less input.

In this yukti,

In this verse,

You are invited to take pleasure in subtle electrical sensations flashing through your body.

From the mula,

The root of your spine,

Through the sexual centers into the belly,

Heart,

Throat,

And head.

This verse reinforces the notion of subtle and minute with the word karana,

Meaning dust,

Very minute dust,

And beam of light like the rays of the sun.

We sense the energy of life sparkling like dust motes,

Drifting slowly in a beam of afternoon sun.

I read that from The Radiant Sutras by Lauren Roche.

It's so beautiful.

Let's do a meditation.

Let's just sit nice and tall.

Or you can lie down,

Whatever it is for you.

And let's just close our eyes.

Just breathe deeply.

And allow all of your attention to your perineum,

The place between your sex organ and your anus.

This is where your muladhara chakra is,

Your root chakra.

This is where the shakti lives.

This is where the kundalini lies dormant,

Waiting to be awakened,

Waiting to be allowed to flow through all the subtle channels.

So if we focus on this first chakra,

Shakti,

Who you are on the earth,

Be aware of your physical body and how amazing it is,

Regardless of its state,

Age,

Size,

Fitness,

All these strange things we like to measure with our brain,

To just tune in to this incredible manifest body that allows us to be here on Insight Timer,

That allows us to sit and walk.

And just breathe into it like an orb.

There's actually,

It's literally an orb,

It's called the ukanda,

Where this kundalini lives.

And from this orb,

72,

000 rays of sunshine flow up through your body and down your legs.

So let's visualize that,

Let's feel this orb where the kundalini lives,

And 72,

000 energy channels flowing out from her.

And if you feel this energy floating up just below your navel into the region of the second chakra,

And feel water,

Kind of feel the density of water,

The flow of the water element in your body.

And then feel that energy flowing up into the navel center,

Into fire,

Which has its own intensity,

But it's lighter than water,

Which is lighter than earth,

That is the first chakra.

And then flowing up into the heart center area,

Which is air.

Imagine the intensity of air,

Imagine what these energy channels feel like flowing through air versus fire or water or earth,

Knowing that all of these are important.

Every one of these densities are part of being human.

And then as we rise higher into the throat chakra,

We start to experience ether.

It's not even air,

It's lighter than air.

This is where we really start heading into the subtle realms.

We flow up into the ajna,

Into the third eye,

And we become even more subtle,

Where we really have to listen within.

And we flow up to the crown chakra,

Where it's even more subtle.

And then as the energy flows through the crown chakra,

Out through the top,

It completely merges with the universe,

With the galaxy,

With Shiva.

And it flows out through the klennan,

Into the air around us.

And to feel like this is always flowing through you.

Now you can almost feel it in the body.

If you imagine your legs,

You feel this orb of light,

In your perineal.

And as the energy moves down the legs,

Feel the size of your upper leg.

Feel the size of the bones,

The size of the muscles,

How strong they are,

How rooted they are,

How grounded they are.

And then as the energy continues to move in,

As the energy moves in,

How rooted they are,

How grounded they are.

And then as the energy continues to move down the leg,

Into the knee,

Feel how much more refined the knee is.

All the intricate bones and ligaments in the knee,

And how we must listen to the knees more subtly than we listen to,

Say,

The quadriceps.

And then as we move down the legs into the calves,

And the bones become even thinner,

And more articulate,

Down into the ankles,

And how fine the ankles are,

And how we must listen to the gentle,

Intricate movement of the ankles.

And then we continue moving down into the bones of the foot,

And what a miracle the foot is with all of its tiny bones,

Into the tiny bones of our toes.

To even wiggle your toes as you're doing this and realize how tiny they are compared to the big muscles in our upper legs.

And we can do the same thing with our arms,

To feel the strength in our shoulders,

Our upper arms,

Our biceps,

Our triceps,

Down into the elbows,

Which are a little bit more refined,

Down the arms into the wrists,

Down into our fingers,

To just even gently move your fingers and realize how incredibly articulate they are.

Imagine listening to what the knuckles in our fingers have to say.

If we have joint pain,

What are they trying to tell us?

You know,

Is the problem it's too subtle that we can't hear?

So again,

Just sitting gently,

Focusing back in the perineum,

In this powerhouse,

Powerhouse of energy.

If you're a woman,

To feel this power in your yoni,

If you're a man,

To feel that power at the base of your vajra,

That part that becomes excited first,

That kundalini energy,

And then to feel and visualize this sunshine flowing up and out through your whole body.

Then just relax whatever visual you have,

And let's just listen to the reading again,

Breathing deeply,

And read it in Sanskrit first.

A-mulat kirana basam sukshmat sukshmatara atmikam shantayat tam dvisat kante shamyantim bhairava udaya follow the path of the life force as she flashes upward like lightning through your body attend simultaneously to the perineum that bright place between the legs to the crown of the skull and to that shining star place above the head notice this living current becoming ever more subtle as she rises radiant as the morning sun until she streams outward from the top of the head into all embracing gratitude thus become intimate with the life of all the stars of all the i'm going to read that one more time follow the path of the life force as she flashes upward like lightning through your body attend simultaneously to the perineum that bright place between the legs to the crown of the skull and to that shining star place above the head notice this living current becoming ever more subtle as she rises radiant as the morning sun until she streams outward from the top of the head from the top of the head into all embracing gratitude thus become intimate with the life of all beings what rolls through your mind what feelings arise gratitude as oneness flow becoming intimate with the life of all beings being energy flowing through me in me and out of me no words can describe the description was perfect for this meditation i could feel the elements merging as my breath carried this energy up and out acting to the perineum to sacredness as a door to everything and oneness is a new amazing is a new and amazing concept for me it's so beautiful yeah well thank you guys so much for being here thank you for your calls and your comments and i'll see you guys tomorrow