Strange electric feeling

[TetrisMcKenna]

Hello,

Was wondering if anyone could relate to this and give me some insight into what's going on.

I've been meditating for about 3 or 4 years now, and in the last 6 months it's really taken a turn and provided many insights into my true self and much of the LOO material.

Lately, in the last 2 months or so, I've been getting these very strange sensations. During meditation, I see all sorts of lights and patterns shifting up through my vision. Eyes open or closed, it corresponds to a kind of vibratory feeling in the middle of my head. Sometimes the lights get so intense that with eyes open, sitting, I can't see my lower body.

Occasionally, not while meditating, I get these really intense and strange 'surge' feelings - like I've been hit by a lightning bolt. There'll be a ringing noise in my ears which increases in pitch and an intensely electric feeling through my whole body and head. It'll last maybe 10 seconds or so then fade away. Weird thing is, it's started happening in dreams, too. I practice Buddhism so the best advice I've gotten is not to worry and not to cling to the feeling, but I'm worried in case it happens while driving or what have you. They're not unpleasant feelings per se, just very intense and I feel kind of disturbed by them afterwards as I have no explanation.

Can anyone relate to this experience, and possibly shed some light onto what's happening? I'm not entirely sure where to turn for guidance, I don't know many people on the spiritual path.

[1109]

IT sounds like kundalini rising. If it becomes to strong you can try "grounding" yourself by walking in nature, eating heavier food and not meditating as much. I had similar sensations when I started attempting astral projections through Deep meditation, and it was kind of scary. Lately I've looked on it as some kind of initiation.

[TetrisMcKenna]

Thanks - yes, I'd considered it might be related to kundalini. It definitely feels like it 'rips' through my body and my mind becomes instantly clear. It's not specifically a spinal feeling, though, it seems to electrify my whole nervous system. Often it feels like I'm popping out of my body!

What's strange is that it seems to be just a physical feeling, I don't seem to be able to do anything useful with it, I don't get any insights or contact or what have you - just an incredibly intense feeling. I'll take your advice and try to ground myself more.

[APeacefulWarrior]

You could also start learning to play with it or control it. The next time you feel the sensation, try to make it flow to different parts of your body, like your hands or tummy or feet. There's no way to describe *how*, tho - just try to will it into happening. Once you can do that, try specifically sending it into your hands while they're a couple inches apart. If it works, you'll get an odd sorta-magnetic feeling of your hands being pushed apart, or of the power intensifying between them.

Also, if you get the hang of moving it around in your body, you can "ground" yourself by literally sending it through your feet and into the ground, which is a good way of clearing your head if you need to.

[michael430]

[deleted]

[outerheaven]

I think the others have already hit the nail on the head, but one thing I've noticed lately is how much extra energy we're getting from this lovely springtime Sun.

In my meditations I see energy moving (shifting patterns like you've said) a lot more now than I did a month ago.

I love spring and summer.

[AngelofDeath]

Thanks - yes, I'd considered it might be related to kundalini. It definitely feels like it 'rips' through my body and my mind becomes instantly clear. It's not specifically a spinal feeling, though, it seems to electrify my whole nervous system. Often it feels like I'm popping out of my body!

What's strange is that it seems to be just a physical feeling, I don't seem to be able to do anything useful with it, I don't get any insights or contact or what have you - just an incredibly intense feeling. I'll take your advice and try to ground myself more.

These are experiences that happen as you clear the three primary channels of the energy body, Ida, Pingala and Shushumna. This clearing naturally happens as you meditate for extended period of times. You could say you are simply progressing to the 'next level', which results from changes in the energy body over many hours of practice.

[godwide_void]

Can anyone relate to this experience, and possibly shed some light onto what's happening? I'm not entirely sure where to turn for guidance, I don't know many people on the spiritual path.

You are becoming more aware of your energetic nature. All physical matter is preceded by energy, with electromagnetic energy being one of the primary forms of the energetic system of your physical vehicle, with etheric energy and psychical energy being two other configurations of your energy system. As previously mentioned, you may be undergoing a precursory experience of your latent kundalini energy.

It is entirely and wholly possible, via meditation and psychical focus (with or without particular aids) to be able to control one's energy, both internally (e.g. charging energy into one's arms/palms for the purpose of vastly increased strength or to any other body part for enhanced vigor) and externally (e.g. for psychokinetic purposes, such as aerokinesis or the capability to manipulate and direct the air to manifest psychic whirlwinds), as well as being able to work with the deeper portions of dimensional energy for manifestation of existential circumstances.

While some may claim that it is impossible to possess any sort of psycho-spiritual capacity or phenomenal energetic capabilities without extreme discipline in the areas of one's dietary habits or yogic/meditative practice, this is partially false, although engaging in auto-disciplinary or ascetic practices will obviously vastly amplify your psycho-spiritual functions, one can still achieve impressive feats and make tremendous progress even if they do not fast, follow a vegan/vegetarian diet or engage in extensive traditional meditative practice, especially if one is aware of particular techniques which can allow one to bypass energetic barriers or obstacles that may arise, such as stimulating pineal-centric methods (e.g. deep breathing via the larynx).

[Lighthead]

While some may claim that it is impossible to possess any sort of psycho-spiritual capacity or phenomenal energetic capabilities without extreme discipline in the areas of one's dietary habits or yogic/meditative practice, this is partially false, although engaging in auto-disciplinary or ascetic practices will obviously vastly amplify your psycho-spiritual functions, one can still achieve impressive feats and make tremendous progress even if they do not fast, follow a vegan/vegetarian diet or engage in extensive traditional meditative practice, especially if one is aware of particular techniques which can allow one to bypass energetic barriers or obstacles that may arise, such as stimulating pineal-centric methods (e.g. deep breathing via the larynx).

While it may not be impossible, it would definitely be hard, as you mentioned, without meditative practices. That reminds me of a video that I saw of a villager in Southeast Asia (or perhaps in the vicinity of Malaysia?) that could set fire to things with his hands (and more!) because of his daily meditative practice. The video was not fake at all. That really tripped me out!

I for one do not meditate. I have way too many distractions in my life. I've tried, but the longest I've meditated for was 3 months (maybe one or 2 days that I wasn't able to because of the distractions). While I had plenty of mystical experiences, I've found that meditating is not really my cup of tea. Being a writer, I prefer a writing meditative practice, or simply thinking real deeply about things (contemplation).

I think that if you're a meditator you will get certain benefits, and if you pursue contemplation, while you will get benefits, they won't necessarily be yogic in nature (such as the type that you've described, TetrisMckenna). I'd say that the benefits of disciplined contemplation would be more along the lines of, say, magical insight about things.

[AnthroHeart]

I don't usually meditate much either.

[Minyatur]

I don't usually meditate much either.

Meditation is awareness, a meditative state of mind can be kept throughout the day without doing the exact act of meditating.

[APeacefulWarrior]

I tend to agree with godwide_void. Intense spiritual/ascetic practices CAN help unlock the body energies, but I think that once someone starts to feel them, the most important thing is simply to keep playing with them, one way or another. Every persons' body and energies are different, and no one can teach a person how to access those energies except themselves.

For those that need the structure of regular spiritual practices, they'll probably be helpful. But for others, well, it's easy for the rituals to become a focus rather than the goal of those rituals. Too much adherence to form can ultimately block people from moving past that form, at least in my experience.

Personally, I've rather deliberately avoided learning too much about any one interpretation of energy systems specifically because I'd rather work out my body for myself, without "limiting" my options via someone else's models. But then, I also don't have any particular goals and a general disinterest in trying physical manifestations. After all - if I bent my spoons, how could I eat my soup?

So I'm content just "playing" with my energies and seeing what experiences I can create for myself with them. Others' milage may vary.

[TetrisMcKenna]

Thanks for all the advice! I certainly feel more reassured and less freaked out by these feelings now.

I've been meditating every day for a while, mainly zazen, though I did some of the stuff on aypsite.org a while ago, I don't think I was ready for that kind of energetic practice yet, it was too intense. I do eat vegetarian too. Started meditating because of a crippling existential depression that lasted some years. It's really helped me out of that void and into the light! Mainly I'm looking for insight and contemplation, I want to remember. I don't crave psychic powers, but I've had many strange experiences that I can't explain rationally. It definitely feels like it's been much more stimulating of late - I've heard a few people mention that there's a lot more energy in recent months.

godwide_void, you mention that ascetic practices 'grant' these capabilities more easily - is this because by disciplining the self, you're serving others with the powers? Or something like that? I'm imagining some sort of karmic debt being paid off.

APeacefulWarrior, I suppose my main concern with playing with it is with somehow doing it 'wrong', damaging myself or others. Though I'm guessing intention has a lot to do with it, so long as one isn't intending to do harm one won't do harm?

And I agree that mindfulness can be maintained through the day with some effort without regular meditation. Some people will find it much easier than others, I wouldn't be surprised if wanderers or those with a good karmic record in past lives won't need a regular meditation practice. You have to be careful, though - before I started I certainly didn't think I was selfish or that my mind played tricks to protect the ego. Now I see it much more clearly, and sometimes I still fall into the ego trap. For me, well it took some time to get to that point. Now, meditation seems to be opening up doors to new kinds of experience.

[AngelofDeath]

I believe the ascetic practices aid due to the relative purity of the seeking that goes in to them. In otherwords, the conditions of asceticism are designed to release attachments and so those who pursue an ascetic route are often very focused on purity (of the body, spirit and mind) and immersed deeply in their practice. I think it's largely the difference between doing it "casually" and making it a dominant way of life.

One might also remember that the Buddha, once he achieved enlightenment, actually said we shouldn't seek out extreme asceticism in order to achieve enlightenment as extreme practices are a 'long way' compared to the Middle Path.

Also, if you are ever worried about doing harm you are correct that if you hold the intention to harm none, the energy must follow that. However, if you want to feel 'secured' in that fact, you can always use an intention such as this - for all energy to flow down in to the earth to be circulated and purified and that any energy which may be harmful to another is drawn down in to the earth to be cleansed.

I'd also note that there are many, many different kinds of ascetic practices.

[TetrisMcKenna]

Thanks AngelOfDeath - I'm not planning on venturing into asceticism, mostly I'm just curious! The advice is much appreciated, though.

It happened again in a dream today - has anyone experienced that? I've noticed that the dreams it happens in tend to be of old, forgotten memories - usually selfish in nature - where the situation in the memory is played out, but it turns out differently for me, and I realise how selfish and petty I was. It feels like I'm working through karma in my dreams, and then kundalini strikes, which pulls me right out of the dream state for a while and then back into it without seeming to actually wake me up.

[godwide_void]

While some may claim that it is impossible to possess any sort of psycho-spiritual capacity or phenomenal energetic capabilities without extreme discipline in the areas of one's dietary habits or yogic/meditative practice, this is partially false, although engaging in auto-disciplinary or ascetic practices will obviously vastly amplify your psycho-spiritual functions, one can still achieve impressive feats and make tremendous progress even if they do not fast, follow a vegan/vegetarian diet or engage in extensive traditional meditative practice, especially if one is aware of particular techniques which can allow one to bypass energetic barriers or obstacles that may arise, such as stimulating pineal-centric methods (e.g. deep breathing via the larynx).

While it may not be impossible, it would definitely be hard, as you mentioned, without meditative practices. That reminds me of a video that I saw of a villager in Southeast Asia (or perhaps in the vicinity of Malaysia?) that could set fire to things with his hands (and more!) because of his daily meditative practice. The video was not fake at all. That really tripped me out!

I for one do not meditate. I have way too many distractions in my life. I've tried, but the longest I've meditated for was 3 months (maybe one or 2 days that I wasn't able to because of the distractions). While I had plenty of mystical experiences, I've found that meditating is not really my cup of tea. Being a writer, I prefer a writing meditative practice, or simply thinking real deeply about things (contemplation).

I think that if you're a meditator you will get certain benefits, and if you pursue contemplation, while you will get benefits, they won't necessarily be yogic in nature (such as the type that you've described, TetrisMckenna). I'd say that the benefits of disciplined contemplation would be more along the lines of, say, magical insight about things.

Contemplation in terms of synthesizing new thought streams to attain insight, reflection upon principles to gather the self, mindfulness in regards of the observation of one's thought patterns, the complete suspension of thought for the purpose of psychological and/or spiritual involution or the cessation of mental chatter in order to reel in higher wisdom, or even the adoption of internal quietude for transformative metaprogramming of the consciousness; regardless of which mode of mentation one engages in, any type of focused abstract mental activity falls under the vast umbrella category of "meditation". 

Of course, as you say, disciplined contemplation will more likely than not beget not only magical insight but certain magical capabilities as well (e.g. directed focus of will for the purpose of circumstantial manifestation), moving beyond that, it is adeptly acknowledged that the prerequisite to particular capacities of consciousness which transcend causality (non-causal manifestation, sorcery/brujeria, etc.) is focused mental silence; although, this generally applies to instances when the utilization of deeper capabilities in consciousness is sought.

[godwide_void]

godwide_void, you mention that ascetic practices 'grant' these capabilities more easily - is this because by disciplining the self, you're serving others with the powers? Or something like that? I'm imagining some sort of karmic debt being paid off.

It is not necessarily the case that via ascetic practice that external service is effectuated, but rather simply the notion that the refinement of discipline (be it mental, spiritual, emotional, or psychical) hones the behavioral and psychological distortion patterns of one's consciousness by sharpening every facet of one's multi-layered mainframe of being and placing the consciousness further in touch with the subconscious faculty which animates the consciousness, thus amplifying the propensity to seamlessly blend the conscious aspect of one's beingness with those innate, latent, dormant or otherwise unrefined or untapped with the deeper recesses of said spectrum of being.

These potentially gleamed notions are also dependent upon the type of ascetic practice followed and one's own volition for engaging in such practice (e.g. self flagellation, extreme fasting, societal isolation, psychonautical/entheonautical methodologies, etc.)