Spiritual awakening is damned inconvenient at the best of times.

The awakening of kundalini appears to be a major autonomic shock to the whole organism. The shock, panic, anxiety and depression can occur regardless of the conditions in one's life or the personal contents of one's mind, and despite whatever story or explanation we give ourselves as to what is happening to us. This is probably due to the penetration of the veil of conditioning, and also the hyper-activation of the adrenal glands, with massive changes in the nervous system.

"The sudden forced arousal to activity of this hitherto inactive center creates a condition analogous to that created by a serious accident." P.21 Living With Kundalini, Gopi Krishna

The autonomic shock could also be an expression of the unconsciousness and organic blockages that are becoming apparent with the amplification of energy and consciousness. That is the ego becomes aware that it was only masquerading and was "not our Self" by the Self's sudden appearance and the collapse of our known worldview. This "disillusionment" can create an intractable ineffable shock and depression in the beginning stages of the awakening. The ego-mind can't really make sense of this shock for it happens well below conscious awareness and is unrelated to the daily world, but is simply a phase of the physiology of the metamorphic process.

Philip St. Romain relates his ideas on the changes in the autonomic nervous system:

• The sympathetic nerves constrict blood vessels in the skin and most visera. This leads to an increase in heart rate and faster breathing, both of which are observed during meditation. It may also explain the heat experienced on the skin--particularly the shoulders. One is reminded here of yogis drying cold, wet sheets with their shoulders.



• The sympathetic nerves dilate blood vessels in the skeletal muscles. This allows more blood to be taken to the sketetal muscles. Presumably, this once served as an adaptive role in running from danger. During kundalini, it serves to carry more nutrients to muscle tissues being healed from emotional pain.



• Sympathetic nerves stimulate glycogenolysis, which increases blood sugar. This serves to keep the body energized in the state of heightened nervous activity. The Hindu's concern for proper diet may also be related to this effect.



• Sympathetic nerves stimulate adrenalin secretion, which elevates heat rate and brings the body into a higher state of preparedness. This is also an undeniable effect of meditation, which, paradoxically, results in an eventual lowering the threshold of excitability. Consequently, meditators do not become stressed easily." P.87

After the first major opening of the influx (Sex with Eros) I experienced a corresponding major contraction. I call this particular contraction the White Death because blood leaves the skin surface and the skin turns white; one doesn't have much motor control and feels dispossessed during this event. That is one goes into shock. During the "White Death" shock and the ongoing general meta-activation of the sympathetic nervous, the adrenals are highly active and blood is removed away from the body surface and sent to the sketetal muscles. Perhaps this is tied into the changes in the production of immune cells in the bone marrow during metamorphosis.

At this time the nervous system would be flooding the body with a certain mix of neuropeptides that would signal the cells to change from their normal function into the transmutation mode. The fact that neuropeptides are the molecules of emotion, and that this alchemy occurs of its own accord and there is nothing much we can do about it, helps explain why the early stages of a sudden awakening can be so emotionally overwhelming.

During the initial stages of the awakening there is a radical activation of the adrenals and sympathetic nervous system, which essentially is the fight-flight response. So great is this sympathetic activation during the influx stage that the digestive system purges. Digestion is activated by parasympathic or the rest-relaxation side of the nervous system and with the crisis instigated by the radical sympathetic activation the parasympathetic is equally activating leading to the body rapidly purging the intestinal tract so that more energy can be available for strategic thinking for fight-flight. The purging is essential first, so that when the shock phase hits the digestive system is relatively empty, for the intestines and the visceral organs go into an intense contraction. Perhaps this contraction is necessary in order to reset the function of the organs into the transmutation mode. Note that while the body is purging it is best to avoid eating food. Instead a little fruit or fresh squeezed vegetable juice should be fine, but only if the desire for it is there.

The first awakening appears to be more of a "shock" to the system than subsequent awakenings, even if subsequent awakenings are more "intense." In my first awakening when I was 28 years I lost 30 lbs in nervous energy and my period ceased for 6 months.

During the White Death of the 2000 awakening the autonomic shock my body went into of its own accord was perhaps equivalent to seeing a nuclear blast occur out of the blue. Many people would assume in experiencing this kind of autonomic shock that they are going through a "Dark Night of the Soul" experience. For me the white death shock proper occurred after the initial peak opening of the influx of spirit, the shock being in direct proportion to the extent of the opening.

The White Death is associated with the ignition phase while the die-offs happen after a certain time interval of transmutation has occurred. The die-offs are quite different in sensation and physiology to the White Death experience. The White Death is a state of septic shock created by the NO, free radicals other metabolites produced during the hyperactivation of the Influx. While the die-off is an elaborate catabolic process choreographed by hormones etc...and involving the immune cells cannibalizing body cells that cannot withstand the high oxidation conditions. This later process is known in the traditions as The Death and Resurrection.

To deal with the septic shock do gentle stretching and pushing exercises and plenty of breathing. Get some form of bodywork or the comfort of another human body to hug. Eat green vegetables and green drinks and avoid heavy foods for a body in shock is not prepared for digestion. Supplement at least with B Vitamins and antioxidants and drink plenty of water. Take baths in Epsom salts in order to provide the magnesium that will help turn on the relaxing parasympathetic nervous system and loosen the contraction of the intestines allowing proper peristalsis.
(For more on this subject see Septic Shock of the White Death in the Nitric Oxide section.)

It is absolutely amazing that the most primitive functions in the body turn themselves into the service of the highest biological faculty of transmutation.

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