055. Siddhananda

Siddhananda's journey began in her teenage years. It wasn't until she was around 30 that her journey and seeking of truth began in earnest. At this time, Spiritual practices were picked up on her own, and Kundalini spontaneously awakened due to a sincere prayer of wanting to be of service to humanity. She was not prepared or had any idea what this awakening would open or where it would lead. With this awakening, many phenomena, shifting states of consciousness and radical mood changes manifested which left her extremely ungrounded and shaken. After a long period of struggling to understand what was taking place and being unsuccessful at coming to any balance or peace within, Siddhananda found her Guru, GuruSwamiG. Siddhananda has been with her Guru for 10 years. Increasing stability, deepening states as well as balance slowly filtered in during this time  due to  her Guru's  grace and guidance. Recently, a profound shift took place in which all sense of separation and individuality suddenly dropped. Spontaneously, a starkly different reality was revealed–an immediate non-dual, pure beingness in which there never existed an "other".  This presence (One without a second) has remained and is known without a doubt that it is the truth of what all of humanity truly is at the core. Summary and Transcript of this interview Interview recorded 1/18/2011. YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Siddhananda's spiritual journey 00:02:39 - Facing Fears in Graveyards 00:04:31 - The Poetry of Krishnamurti 00:06:01 - Debilitating Experiences and Mystical Insights 00:08:00 - The Pull of Spiritual Awakening 00:10:08 - From Darkness to Light 00:12:33 - Discovering Kundalini Energy 00:14:33 - The Potency and Caution of Spiritual Experiences 00:16:35 - Five Years of Intensity 00:18:58 - Kriyas and Spiritual Awakening 00:21:23 - Connecting with a Kundalini Guide in Seattle 00:23:36 - A Life-changing Encounter in India 00:25:35 - Finding Stability and Balance 00:28:20 - The Importance of a Guru Guide 00:31:14 - The Blessing of Suffering and Desperation for a Guru 00:33:52 - Submitting to a Teacher 00:37:30 - Trusting in the Inherent Intelligence of the Universe 00:40:47 - The Blessing of Guruji 00:43:26 - Vibrating Thoughts and Fluid Consciousness 00:45:49 - Devotional Experiences and the Practice of Mantras 00:49:00 - The Illusion of Seeking Phenomena 00:52:38 - The Experience of Non-Dual Consciousness 00:57:02 - The Dissolution of the Ego 01:01:39 - The Illusion of Separation 01:06:51 - The Revelation of Non-Dual Presence 01:13:28 - The Mystery of Personality and Identity 01:20:43 - The Nature of Ego and Suffering 01:25:45 - Working with Students in the Online Ashram 01:31:32 - The Temporal and Eternal Qualities of the Substratum 01:37:21 - Transmission and Bliss 01:44:34 - Trusting the Universe