Lecture 1
Psychology and Kundalini: Lecture 1
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“Ladies and gentleman, we have just had a seminar about tantric yoga, and as there are always misunderstandings in the wake of such an event, I am devoting some time to the discussion and elucidation of any questions that you may have” - C. G. Jung
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Jung begins the seminar with a view of tantric yoga from a psychological lens. He calls it “mandala psychology.”
The Kelśa Asmitā and the Kelśa Dvesa
He begins by explaining the terms kelśa asmitā (containing the germ of being a personality) and the kelśa dvesa (the wish to be two).
“The kelśas are urges, a natural instinctive form in which libido first appears out of the unconscious; that is psychological energy (libido) in its simplest form of manifestation.”
These instincts, kelśas, appear energetically in two forms of energy.
Asmitā is represented as, “the character of being an EGO, the way we assume that I think, feel, or experience… I am I.”
Dvesa is represented as, “the wish to be two, putting one’s own being and personality up against one another, it is the power of being one’s self… disinclination, distaste, dislike, and hatred.”
To grasp what kelśa represents, this quote should do the trick.
“The kelśas provide the dynamical framework of the phenomenal consciousness. They urge the organism to burst into activity, to feel, to think, to want. As the base emotional and motivational factors they lie at the root of all misery. Thus the normal human situation can be characterized as the product of a cognitive error for which there is one remedy; the recovery of the Self as the true identity of man or woman.”
While there seems to be an “EGO” driven, negative tone to these kelśas, there lies piece of gold within each. If YOU can catch these instinctual urges, whether in asmitā or dvesa form, you can unpack information about your true Self. As the quote above concludes, “there is one remedy, the recovery of the Self.
According to tantric teaching, there is an urge to produce a personality, something that is centered, and divided from other beings, which is the kelśa of discrimination. In the West, this is known as the instinct for individuation.
This instinct is found everywhere in life, for there is no life on earth that is not individual. Each form of life is manifest in a differentiated being naturally, otherwise life could not exist. An innate urge of life is to produce an individual as complete as possible.
So, the kelśa that contains the germ of personality can be called just as well the kelśa of individuation. Through observing your kelśas, you may begin to unpack information about the totality of YOU.
The Tattva and The Samskāra
A question was proposed, “is there a psychological equivalent to the tattva, and the samshāra?”
The tattva
Definition: “thatness, meaning that hidden power in the whole universe which has a certain tendency to create and move in a specific way - that and that.”
Psychology: “the essence of things, not a substance but an abstraction, represented psychologically as the libido.”
The samskāra
Definition: “the maker who makes things so that they are really a working compound, a working whole… at this moment what we think, how we sit, how we talk, is cause by the samskāra.
Psychology: “the hypothesis of the collective unconscious, the unconscious mind is full of rich images or archetypes.”
Mūlādhāra and Svādhisthāna Chakras
A chakra represents, “centers of physical or spiritual energy in the human body according to yoga philosophy.”
Root Chakra - Mūlādhāra (Red)
Definition: “The chakra that holds the root of all things. It is the region of the earth, of the creative man or woman power…the foundation of the world.”
Element: Earth
Psychology: “Mūlādhāra represents our conscious world, here, where we are all reasonable and respectable people, adapted individuals as one says. So, we are in the roots, we are upon our root support. We are in the roots right in this world - paying the waiter for instance - that is reality as you touch it, and then the Self is asleep (which means that all things concerning the gods are asleep).”
In this chakra, “one is a victim of impulses, instincts, unconsciousness… we are hapless victims of circumstances, our reason practically can do very little… yes, when in quiet psychological times we can do something with the help of technique, but then a storm comes and the whole thing is destroyed and we are nowhere.”
Sacral Chakra - Svādhisthāna (Orange)
Definition: “The chakra that represents the life we live freely and thoughtlessly, just throwing ourselves into the stream of life and letting ourselves be carried, floating on to all that comes to us.”
Element: Water
Psychology: “The Svādhisthāna represents the unconscious, symbolized by the sea, and in the sea is a huge leviathan which threatens one with annihilation.
In this chakra, “Is the worldwide idea of the baptism by water with all the dangers of being drowned or devoured by the makara.”
Arising The Kundalini Serpent
The progress into the second chakra, from root to sea, may only take place with the arousal of the serpent (Kundalini), and the arousal of the serpent is dependent on having the ‘right attitude’. Psychologically, this represents approaching the unconscious in one way, by a purified mind, by a right attitude, and by the grace of heaven, which is the Kundalini.
Something in you, an urge in you, must lead you to it. A leading spark must force YOU on through, into the water. The Kundalini in psychological terms is that which makes you go on the greatest adventures. For example, when knights set out to slay a dragon, known in many tales, the Kundalini would be the princess he was rescuing. She provided the divine spark to push a knight towards the unknown.
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In this, we rise through the chakras in Lecture 2.
