Self-realisation is a frequently used – and often misused – word. In common parlance it can mean discovering the power to get on top of things, or making big personal discoveries, but technically it means the realisation – that is the manifestation – of the Self – which is the Spirit. In other words, the ability to feel the Spirit on the central nervous system. And to be able to feel the spirit on the central nervous system each person must gain – and there are a lot of names for it – the experience of moksha, union, yoga, liberation, the rhu, all names for the same thing – the experience of Self-realisation.
Again technically, this is the awakening of the life force in us – in Sanskrit, it’s called kundalini – which resides in the sacrum bone at the very base of the spine, and its rising up through the various energy centres along the spine to make the union – the yoga – with the great energy of creation around us. This union takes place at the very top of the head, at the Sahasrara, the so-called Crown chakra.
In earlier days, when this experience of Self-realisation was desired by seekers of truth, they had to dedicate themselves fully to the task, working very hard over a long period of time. Sometimes with a guru or spiritual master, sometime on their own, undertaking penances and a tough life in some isolated, inhospitable place.
Why the long hard work? Well, through conditioning and fears, through over-emotionalism, lust, lethargy and ritualism on one side, or, on the other, greed, over-activity, living in the future, egocentricity, the desire to dominate, through any or all of these activities, these energy centers of ours, these chakras, become misaligned and they collect, over time, a lot of impurities, a lot of negativity. And since these energy centres affect our whole being – physical, mental, emotional, spiritual – they are of major importance to our development, our evolution. Well, these earlier seekers of truth, through their dedication and hard work would clear, one by one, each energy centre, making way for the kundalini to rise, until, eventually, the Sahasrara or Crown chakra was reached, and Self-realisation took place, granting powers – health, balance, well-being, peace, Divine knowledge, joy.
Well, in our day and age, things have changed. In fact, the old, harsh processes have been turned on their heads. Now, today, it is possible, through the grace of Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi, the founder of Sahaja Yoga, to gain Self-realisation in a very simple way. All that is necessary is desire, and the appropriate circumstances. So now-a-days, instead of clearing out the energy centres in order to gain Self-realisation, the opposite process takes place: Self-realisation is granted in order to clear out our energy centres, clear our whole subtle energy system. Self-realisation, gained in this way, becomes a natural, spontaneous part of our evolution. It’s is the first time in human history that this collective way of gaining Self-realisation has been used. And since 1970 Shri Mataji has been travelling the world granting seekers the gift of moksha.
Brian Bell