w.whitman - kundalini 1

[Guest guest]

Whitman's poems are full of exaltation of love, birth and sex. His

union with himself leads to an awareness of his unity with God,with

others, with nature. This is not only attained by prayer or

meditation but by sexual union, which like poetry is a creative act.

Whitman realizes love of self through an auto erotic acceptance of

the body. This leads to love of God and a view of all humanity as one

whole. The central structure is God's creation is love. The poet's

ritual drama of creation reveals its own source--the acceptance and

love of one's own body. The self is not only in traditional mystical

experience, submerged or annihilated, but rather celebrated.

 

Svadhisthana Chakra: With the activation of the first centre, the

poet does not shun the basic libidinous impulses, the primordial,

elemental passions and desires of human life. In fact he not only

accepts the senses but celebrates them. This acceptance of the senses

dawns upon him when the energy reaches the second chakra, the abode

of the self where Whitman really begins to exist. He then transcends

the fact of death by discovering the reality of the spirit in life

within him and by participating in the eternity of the spirit.

 

At this center, the state of consciousness begins to interpenetrate;

there arises a hitherto unexperienced continuity of consciousness.

This means enormously increased sensitiveness throughout the whole

being. When the soul "plunged its tongue" to the "bare stript heart"

of the poet, the physical becomes united with the spiritual. The body

from the beard to feet is held in the grip of the soul, and the body

and the soul become one it ". . . reached till you felt my beard, and

reach'd till you held my feet." The sensations felt by Whitman are

similar to the sensation felt during the awakening of the energy

within a human being. It is here that he begins to feel an ascending

movement that fills him with ecstasy, ". . . you settled your head

athwart my hips and gently turn'd over upon me," describes an axial

rotary movement and this is followed by a sensation of chill

ascending along the body.

 

As a consequence Whitman feels a sense of physical exposure, "And

parted the shirt from my bosom-bone." For Whitman the spiritual is

not in conflict with the organic but rather its fulfillment. His aim*

is not the discovery of the unknown, but the realization of the known

and the result of this is an experience that is more real than the

experience of the objective world. With the awakening of the

primordial energy Whitman is born again, born a new person. He is

joined with God and finds "that all the men ever born are also my

brothers, and the women my sisters and lovers." He discovers the most

fundamental secret of the universe, "That the kelson of creation is

love."

 

With the Svadhisthana chakra vibrating in rhythm with the Muladhara,

Whitman becomes aware of his power as a warrior, creator, mover and

shaker. He uses this power as the means towards the constructive

fulfillment of interpersonal relation and higher values such as

truth, beauty, goodness, peace, freedom, and justice. Whitman

realizes the unity of wisdom, power and love and he is aware that

love binds man to man, woman to woman, and man to God. In this

tremendous knowledge, he knows perfection and grows grave and

tremulous before this ultimate truth.

 

Life according to Whitman is valuable because of sentiments,

emotions, laughter and tears. These are the glories of life, which

only humans are capable of having and expressing. Whitman believes

that spiritual progress and liberation is not achieved by avoiding

emotions and sentiments, but by transforming them. Therefore, for the

poet sensations and emotions are powerful human motive forces that

should be cultivated and harnessed to the ultimate goal.

 

Whitman feels that only through sentiments and emotions and

sensitivity can a person come to that vibration through which

meaningful communication is possible. Thus the poet gives vent to his

feelings and creates poetry of laughter and tears. After overcoming

all bonds and inhibitions and the consequent enlargement of

consciousness, there is a tremendous flow of vital energy that

manifests itself in an immense exuberance of spirit and self-

assertion. He sounds his "barbaric yawp" over the roofs of the world,

declaring himself, "infinite and omnigenious," is at once the great

prophet and creator, "The supernatural of no account, myself waiting

my time to be one of the supreme./ . . .becoming already a creator

 

Manipura Chakra

 

Ajit Mookerjee writes that Kundalini Shakti is aroused by meditation,

and asserts, "One must rise by that which one may fall." He

continues, "What in the cosmic plane is fusion of polarities, on the

biological level, the sexual union of asana (yogic poses)--

not "sexual intercourse" as commonly and wrongly stated." Whitman's

power too resides in sensuality. Power is the mother goddess who

gives birth to the male child and then initiates man into carnal

knowledge, which for the poet is the surest and most crucial

knowledge, as he says:

 

Unfolded out of the strong arrogant woman I love, only thence can

 

appear the strong and arrogant man I love,

 

Unfolded by browny embraces from the well-muscled women I love,

 

Only thence come the brawny embraces of man.

 

The celebration of the body and the association of sexuality with

artistic creativity are fundamental. Both the transcendental

experience of the union with nature and physical experience of the

sexual orgasm are prolonged far beyond their usual short lives, as

Whitman works up the ladder.

 

With the opening of the heart centre, Whitman has some profound

experiences within him. This centre is the poet's being, hidden

within him, where he gets a glimpse of truth and relates it with

primordial energy of life. Whitman begins to hear celestial music,

music of the infinite, music that is created without the help of

instruments, a flowering of the infinite.* It is similar to the

mantras that arise from the depth of one's being. It is the Manipura

center that leads to the beyond that has no frontier; A limitless

infinite expanse which knows no sorrow. There is nothing but

abounding bliss:

 

O the joy of my soul leaning pois'd on it self, receiving identity

 

through materials and loving them, observing characters and

 

absorbing them,

 

My soul vibrated back to me from them, from sight, hearing, touch,

reason

 

articulation, comparison, memory and the like,

 

My real life of senses, and flesh transcending my senses and flesh,

 

My body done with materials, my sight done with my material eyes,

 

Proved to me this day beyond cavil that it is not my material eyes

which f finally see,

 

Nor my material body which finally loves, walks, laughs, shouts,

embraces, procreates.

 

This experience seems to have touched the psychic source of his life.

He begins to be drawn to silence, the milieu in which he has his

being and the boundless reservoir his poetic creativity. At this

moment when he first comes to know the unfathomable, perfectly silent

ocean of pure consciousness, he is born a poet, a singer of great

songs. For him words become meaningless. He allows music to flow

through his body, his physical throat--a music not a sound, but of

silence. In that rippless lake of consciousness, something is

conveyed.

 

Not words, nor music or rhyme I want, nor custom or lecture,not even

the best,

 

Only the lull I like, the hum of your valve'd voice.

 

After attaining access to the heart center Whitman realizes that

words do not convey meaningful silence can. Silence cannot be

communicated by language, since talking involves shifting attention

from the thing that matters. How could silence sing or communicate?

Why should silence preoccupy a singer? The question goes to the heart

of the creative process Whitman experiences as a poet. It also goes

to the heart of the secret mystical experiences that recurred

throughout his life—it is without name—"…it is an word unsaid,/ It is

not in any dictionary, utterance, symbols." In silence Whitman enters

the womb of existence and begins to experience profound consciousness.

 

Visuddha Chakra

 

Illumined with knowledge and inspired by love Whitman experiences

purity and innocence, as the energy strikes the fifth centre,

Visuddha. Through love and compassion there is realization of God and

the poet pours forth words that are unsayable, ineffable, and

inexpressible. He sees the beautific vision of God and becomes mad

with joy, longing to come closer to him and be united with him. His

Words have fragrance, dance, and music and whatever he says is

poetry, and whatever he utters is sheer joy: Hymns to universal God

from universal man all joy!

 

A reborn race appears--a perfect world, all joy!

 

Women and men in wisdom innocence and health--all joy!

 

Riotous laughing bacchanals fill'd with joy!

 

War, sorrow, suffering gone--the rank earth purged—nothing but joy

 

left!

 

The ocean fill'd with joy--the atmosphere all joy!

 

Joy! joy! in freedom, worship, love! joy in the ecstasy of life!

Enough to merely be! enough to breathe!

 

Joy! joy! all over joy!

 

Here the expansive and dynamic self of the poet realizes its all-

inclusive nature, embraces the world and identifies himself with it,

thus bridging the gulf between the self and non-self. In this state

there is a continual bliss.

 

Ajna Chakra

 

Consequently the poet experiences the free flow of creative energy at

the sixth centre, the wisdom centre. Here the self of the poet--like

the self of the universe--includes and transcends all. He realizes

the intuitive identity of the universe and rises to the conception of

an absolute Being, which is at once the support and essence of the

world, "Ehtreal, pervading all,/ Essence of forms, life of the real

identities, permanent, positive,/ I, the general soul." This soul is

the "only certainty" and "final substance." For Whitman "Kosmic

spirit" is no other than one's own self. In his "Song of Myself" he

expresses this cosmic vision , this exalted sense of self-expression

which is the highest achievement of the intuition.

 

As a result of this cosmic consciousness the poet, freed of all

impediments, becomes perfectly fluid and diaphanous and reflects

within himself the cosmic existence. There is continuous chanting

voice within him. The world and the human scene appear revealed in a

new light, and Whitman becomes aware of the deeper significance of

life. Since God is the ultimate experience the poet now feels that

the union between him and God has been established. He now becomes

the voice of God:

 

Why should I wish to see God better than this day?

 

I see of something of God each hour of the twenty- four, and each

 

moment then ,

 

In the faces of men and women I see God, and in my face in the glass,

 

I find letters from God dropt in the street and everyone is sign'd by

 

God's name ,

 

And I leave them where they are, for I know that whereso' er I go.

 

Others will punctually come for ever and ever.

 

Thus through the rousing of the energy the poet attains divine

wisdom, superconscious conception, and realization of the spirit. At

last all is one, all is love, even hate is love, even flesh is

spirit. The great oneness, the experience is infinity, the triumph of

living spirit, which at last includes everything, is here

accomplished.

 

There is that in me—I do not know what it is—but I know it is in me,

 

Wrench'd and sweaty—calm and cool then my body becomes, I

 

sleep—I sleep long,

 

I do not know it—it is without name—it is a word unsaid,

 

It is not in any dictionary, utterance, symbol,

 

Something that it swings on more than the earth I swing on,

 

To it the creation is the friend whose embracing awakes me

 

Perhaps I might tell more, Outlines! I plead for my brothers and

 

sisters,

 

Do you see my brothers and sisters?

 

It is not chaos and death—it is form, union, plan—it is eternal life

 

--it is happiness.

 

Sahasrara

 

Whitman becomes perfectly detached when the psychological energy

passes beyond the six sixth center to the seventh, *highest center of

consciousness. At this level the poet experiences a crowning

fulfillment of the mystic realization, and his soul realizes its

freedom. He enters into a blissful communion with the supreme

godhead, bringing into life the ultimate fulfillment of spiritual

longing. He feels an ineffable sense of fruition and fullness, he

is ". . . satisfied—I see, dance, laugh, sing" and his poem express

an exalted vision of tantric sadhaka. He enters into the last phase

of spiritual triumphs, finally touching infinity. It is in this state

of heightened sensibility and magnified power of perception that

Whitman beholds a vision of the deity. He is overwhelmed by his own

power of observation and the new meaning it gives to every object.

 

This love and intuition enables Whitman to acquire the wisdom which

defies adequate translations into words; but in passage after passage

the poet reveals his conviction that in the eternal system of

creation, each part, regardless of how seemingly trivial, is equally

important and immortal. The whole world is revealed to Whitman when

this realization comes to him. The barrier between matter and energy

break down, with poet seeing even grains of sand and blades of grass

as vibrating with energy:

 

The Tantric Journey or the Journey Within

 

Being a poet of energy, Whitman feels an unfathomable sensation

arising within him, beginning from the highest center and travelling

to he lowest? As soon as Whitman knows his true self and his position

and function in the total scheme of existence, his whole being is

filled with the spirit of love, because he knows he is part of the

whole. Nirvana is an experience beyond dualities. Therefore, the

moment the poet attains enlightenment, he attains Nirvana and

liberation. This experience for Whitman was not something new, nor

was it a passing fancy or a poetic mood; it was a transformation

which stayed with him permanently, urging him toward constant

utterance:

 

I am the poet of the Body, and I am the poet of the soul,

 

The pleasures of heaven with me and the pains of heaven with me,

 

The first I graft and increase upon myself, the latter I translate

into a

 

new tongue.

 

This a cyclic process, his "feet strike an apex of the spices and of

the stairs,/ On every step bunches of ages, and larger bunches and

steps,/ All duly travel'd, and still I mount and mount." Each psychic

center plays a vital role in the poet's life.

 

Whitman's dynamism is the product and expression of the experience of

Kundalini. With this experience the idea of expansion and dynamism

permeates his thoughts. The meaning of life is revealed to him

through meditation and he expresses his inward illumination in art

form. This is the moment of supreme inspiration in his art that flows

from a level of consciousness where his inner spirit becomes one with

his ego and where he begins to identify himself with the universe.

 

Conclusion

 

Seen through the eyes of a tantric scholar, Whitman's "Song of

Myself" is a record of the progress of consciousness, from Muladhara

to Sahasrara, flowing from one energy center to the others. Seen

thus, Whitman's poetic journey is neither an ascent nor a decent, but

a progression from one spot of light to another. This is a system of

dynamic meditation. Like a tantric, Whitman perceives the radiance

mind and body, of subject and *object, of life and death, of light

and darkness, and of all else, with equanimity, tranquillity, and,

above all, love.