Bitch or Witch? Fears That Keep Us From Owning Our Power
Felt called to reblog this post at this time. May you know your power!
Power is often an uncomfortable topic for spiritual seekers, especially women. We are much more comfortable talking about compassion, lovingkindness, and even wisdom. But power is central to the spiritual path; in fact, one could even say power is what it’s all about – allowing the ultimate power of the universe, the essence of which we are all composed, to flow through us naturally, unhindered, so that our unique expression of it may be known and felt in the world.
If we look at all of recorded human history, it’s clear that the rise of feminine power in all forms (and this includes the breakdown of gender stereotypes that limit anyone’s self-expression or gender identity) is one of the hallmarks of our current age. It’s a gestalt, a theme of our times. Never has it been more important that the old ways of thinking about male and female power, and…
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Tips for Working with Kundalini Overwhelm and Trauma

Our kundalini is like a river, and blocks or repressed trauma are like rocks in its path. Activating the flow can dislodge a rock, or working to dislodge a rock can quicken and change the flow. Either way we need time to adjust.
Note: I’ve created two quizzes just for fun related to the themes of Chakra Empowerment for Women. The first quiz is to help you determine which empowerment might be the most relevant for you right now in your life, and the second quiz is to test your women’s energetics knowledge (or learn about it if you haven’t been a regular reader of this blog!) Enjoy and please consider sharing (tag me on FB, Insta or Twitter if you do.)
I’m often asked about kundalini crises, or about how to safely activate the kundalini. Individuals who have experienced trauma in their lives are often particularly concerned about this, as they may have read, or experienced, that intense sensations and feelings can accompany kundalini work and fear this could be triggering. While I do find this can happen, there are ways to prevent it, and then kundalini methods can be a wonderful part of some trauma survivors’ healing and personal growth path. I’ve also found that some people who have come to me for help with unexpected kundalini surges, without having practiced any formal kundalini activation methods, first experienced these surges after participating in some trauma healing or processing modality.
In other words, kundalini activation can trigger trauma release, and trauma release can trigger kundalini activation. Either way it can feel quite intense, and this post is an attempt to share my own experience of what can help. And first my usual disclaimer: None of this information is meant to be a substitute for mental health or medical support, or qualified kundalini instruction and support.
As a quick review: Kundalini is the source energy that moves through the chakras, and the most powerful of the energies that does so. Formal kundalini activation methods exist within both meditation and yoga traditions, and any energy practice will awaken the kundalini to some extent. Our kundalini may also activate without formal practice, often triggered by dramatic life events or changes in our lives. Really, the kundalini is active in all of us throughout our lives, but in varying degrees depending on the extent to which we are openly working to grow and change. This is what the kundalini is: the energy of change and transformation.
The experience of the kundalini moving through us can be quite beautiful and peaceful – a gentle, warm flow of well-being. But sometimes it feels more intense or jarring, and if we enter into a period in which a lot of kundalini is being released, whether through formal methods or due to life events, over time our body or psyche may become overwhelmed and manifest challenging symptoms. This overwhelm is what is usually called ‘kundalini crises’, and while it is relatively rare, it does happen.
Trauma is categorized by experiences our psyche has difficulty integrating, and from an energy body perspective this means we push down or store away the energetic impact of such experiences somewhere in our energy body. Without getting too caught up in what constitutes trauma and what does not, it’s fair to say that most of us experience events in our lives that our psyche cannot process at the time. If we expand our view of trauma to include secondary trauma (witnessed by us or described to us by someone else) and past-life, ancestral, and transgenerational trauma (trauma in our family history), all of which can impact our own energy body, then this word ‘trauma’ becomes relevant to even more of us. From an energy body perspective, these energies we push down or away are a kind of ‘block’, initially created through self-protection. But when pressure is applied by the kundalini moving through, the block might release quickly, and suddenly these energies we had vaulted away are moving through our being.
Think of energy blocks as rocks in a river, creating breaks in kundalini flow. Those rocks may have been placed there by our psyche as a self-protective measure, or they may be the result of emotional wounds or conditioning. However they got there, they are blocking the flow. Energy modalities engage methods to dissolve or remove them in a conscious way. We might also do it through therapy or other methods that don’t actively involve our energy body at all, but as we change and grow these blocks are gradually broken down and dissolved.
If we make the river flow faster and stronger (the equivalent of kundalini activation practices) we might dislodge the rock even though we didn’t know it was there. Even if we consciously remove the rock (through various healing and therapeutic methods), the river will flow through for the first time and that feeling will be brand new to us. If we aren’t ready for it, or if new sensations are overwhelming or challenging for us (a common response to past trauma), this new flow may generate feelings of anxiety or stress. Then our usual response to anxiety or stress (different for each of us) comes into play, and that has its own impact on our mind and body.
This release does not necessarily manifest as the uprising of repressed memories – a common stereotype of trauma release. While this can happen, more often we just begin to experience intense thoughts, emotions or physical symptoms that don’t feel related to another cause and feel overwhelming to us. We don’t really know what’s happening or why. In my experience many experiences that individuals categorize as ‘kundalini crises’ unfold this way. It is a system overwhelm on a mental, emotional or physical level but because we don’t know exactly why it’s happening, it feels out of our control.
However it has come about, here are some tips for working with kundalini overwhelm:
• Slowdown and create space for your being to catch up. If you are working with kundalini activation methods, stop for a time. Don’t ‘double down’ thinking you need to meditate or do even more pranayama etc. Take a break and let your system process and catch up to the changes you have triggered. Return slowly when it feels good.
• Similarly, if your kundalini activation happened spontaneously due to other healing or therapeutic methods you’ve been engaged in, kundalini methods are not the first thing you need. Focus on the next few items on this list instead.
• Cultivate feelings of comfort and safety. Nest for a bit. To the extent possible, be with people and engage in activities that make you feel nurtured and safe. Bask in these energies to the extent you can – fuzzy blankets, sitcom binge-watching, hot chocolate, a visit home. What brings us comfort is very individua, so really think of this for yourself – what brings forth these feelings for YOU.
• Allow yourself distraction. Often when our kundalini is surging, we are sure we need to deal with something RIGHT NOW. Everything feels urgent. Unless you are experiencing a serious health crises, self-harming thoughts, or psychosis, try to allow yourself to be distracted from this urgency. In other words, it’s an OK time to watch funny YouTube videos, or seek out whatever activities will capture your attention. (If you ARE experiencing any of these more serious effects, than please seek professional help immediately.)
• Connect with earth and trees. If you are able to engage in a ‘forest bath’ (basically walk through a beautiful forest) in a way that also makes you feel safe and comfortable, then do so. But even sitting at the base of a comfortable tree can help, or gazing out your window at one for a time.
• A little extra protein can be helpful for some to support grounding and the root energy as well. If your diet is already high-protein then this is generally not helpful.
• If you feel restless or overstimulated, experiment with free movement. This might be simply going for long walks, or it might mean dancing or moving around your house in a spontaneous, unstructured way, allowing your body to dictate what you do.
• Embrace your normal routine once you feel able to. Routine also soothes our energy body and psyche.
All of these tips are from an energetics perspective – if you are working with a therapist, healer, kundalini yoga, and/or meditation teacher be sure you are also sharing what is occurring for you with them, and that they are open to adjusting/adapting however you are working together. This is the foundation of any trauma-informed work, and anyone you are working with should be open to this. If you are experiencing kundalini overwhelm then you should move forward in a trauma-informed way, regardless of whether you know whether or not your reaction was based on a trauma release.
With time, in most cases your energy body will gradually adjust to your new flow and settle down. At that point you can begin to re-engage with kundalini based practices, or start them for the first time if you are looking to consciously manage the shifts that began. Here are some suggestions for integrating as you do so:
• When and if you feel ready to engage energetically again, first make sure your body feels relatively strong. Establish (or re-establish) a healthy and regular exercise and nutrition regime. This is usually a prerequisite for any formal kundalini activation program, because our body is the conduit for the kundalini, even though it is generated through our energy body. Respect, care for, and nurture your conduit, and it will be able to handle more intensity.
• BEFORE any kundalini work, spend more time with your root chakra. This chakra anchors us, connects us with earth energy, and supports feeling safe in our body. The Root Bowl from Chakra Empowerment for Women is a good tool for this, but even simply focusing on red light at your tailbone for a brief time each day, and before any kundalini activations, can help anchor your energy body.
• AFTER any kundalini work, engage with your sacral chakra. This chakra helps us process change, and supports flow in our energy body. The Sacral Lotus is good for this, but incorporating movement may be beneficial too. Try standing and swaying with your hands on your pelvis, visualizing the Sacral Lotus or simply a swirl of light in your pelvis, and see it flowing easily and unobstructed throughout your body.
• Notice any tension you are holding physically or emotionally. Are you tightening parts of your body as you engage in kundalini work, or feeling anxious? See if you can gently let go of this and feel free and easy.
• When/if you do experience energetic sensations, attempt to relax into them, and experience them as pleasurable. If the sensations are challenging for you, go ahead and disrupt them by moving on to something else. But if possible, see if you can relate to them as natural. Even simply reminding yourself inwardly that kundalini energy is a natural part of our makeup and growth can be helpful.
• Pace yourself – pushing through or going for maximum intensity is not the point. Allow your kundalini flow to be a peaceful and steady stream, not a raging river bringing down trees.
Realize too that you don’t have to utilize methods that formally work with the kundalini at all. Even all chakra and energy healing work does not engage the kundalini. So if it is not for you, that is fine! Find the modalities that are nurturing and transforming for you. And finding the balance between nurturing and transforming is really the key: modalities that feel only nurturing may not foster growth – we need a little ‘stretch’, within our individual window of tolerance, to move forward. Modalities that are all stretch, pushing constant transformation, are more likely to trigger us, or burn us out. So finding the right balance for yourself, and the right pacing, is key. Communicating with any practitioner you are working with is too.
Wishing you a peaceful and gentle kundalini flow!
P.S. Thank you to everyone who has purchased and reviewed Chakra Empowerment for Women. If you have reviewed it somewhere and not let me know, please do! I appreciate the exposure and feedback:-)
Chakra Levels – Part 1 of a Series
Both All Hallow’s Eve and Mercury retrograde (also starting today) are about the unseen. While Mercury retrograde is often viewed as a nuisance time when logistical and technological complications arise, on an energy level it can add a boost to karmic clearing – it has the energy of ‘circling back to move forward.’ In that spirit I had started a post on karmic clearing through energy work. However, I realized that to set it up I was repeating a lot of what I’ve already written in my Chakra Levels series. So I’m reposting the initial post in that series first, and will post the karmic clearing post next week to build upon what is already written in these 4 posts. Enjoy, and please check out the sidebar for links to my new website for my Chakra Empowerment for Women book and webinar, as well as the new Facebook and Instagram pages. Like/follow them to receive updates, events, and deals related to the book as we get closer to the Dec. 8th publication date. Thank you!! Yours in Light, Lisa
Everything you see has its roots in the unseen world. Its form may change yet the essence remains the same. ~ Rumi
Note: This is the first post in a series, for links to the rest of the series, please see the bottom of this one.
Many modern chakra teachings focus on methods for ‘opening’ or ‘clearing’ the chakras, and while this can be very useful, it really provides just a glimpse of the many ways we might work with our subtle body. Chakra systems map the intersection between body, mind, and spirit – they allow us to navigate the flow of energies between these levels of our being. These mappings provide guideposts for our subtle sense – the aspect of our intuitive mind we use to work with our chakras.
Although there are different models for the levels of the chakras, the basic model that I find very helpful…
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Kundalini – The Energy of Change (5 Things You Should Know)
Note: I have been getting a lot of questions on kundalini lately so I decided to repost this article, originally written for the now defunct MeditateLikeAGirl.com, and currently residing on my client website EnlightenedEnergetics.com. This article was the first in a 3 part series, and if you’re interested in the other two articles you will find links to them on my client site at the bottom. Please feel free to post your questions in the comments here, as others may benefit – I have worked with many clients over the years on these issues, in addition to engaging in chakra and kundalini meditation for over 30 years myself. Blessings – Lisa
Whether you are trying to achieve a big goal in your life, develop a new habit, or let go of a harmful old one, any true change is grounded in a shift in awareness. We can will our way through for a while, but change only sticks long term when we are able to click into a new mode of perceiving and thinking. Modern neuroscience backs this up, with an increased understanding of what it takes to overwrite old neuro-patterns with new, healthier ones.
From a spiritual perspective, kundalini is the energy of change. A lot of mystique and jargon surrounds the traditional teachings on kundalini. But it is a natural energy that moves through us in varying degrees all of the time. We can all learn to feel this beautiful power within us, and to work with it as the organic, transformative energy that it is.
A common image used to explain kundalini is that of a snake coiled latent at the base of our spine. Through spiritual practices – traditionally yoga, meditation, and pranayama (breathing practices) – we ‘awaken’ the snake, and the kundalini makes its way up through our chakra system. As it does so, it clears blocks – the energetic component of our emotional wounds, mental conditioning, psychological blocks, and limiting perceptions. As each of these are nudged to the surface of our subtle body, the opportunity to grow beyond them arises. As the kundalini moves all the way through our subtle body into our crown, we experience a new sense of union with the divine.
There are volumes written on kundalini – on how to prepare for it, how to activate it, how to manage it, and what to expect. For most of us though, I think there are 5 basic points that are the most important to understand about kundalini:
- Kundalini movement is normal and natural, and happens to most of us at some point. Kundalini is the energy of spiritual consciousness, and of awakened mind. Whenever an event occurs in our life that triggers deep shifts in our understanding, our kundalini has been awakened to some extent, and movement has occurred. While there are many kundalini preparation and triggering practices, awakenings aren’t limited to those who utilize them, or to traditions that do. Mystics throughout the ages from virtually every spiritual tradition have described very similar experiences, all of which can be seen as kundalini awakenings. To study kundalini is to study the technical underpinnings of awakening – the ‘how’. This isn’t necessary or even of interest to everyone, but it can be helpful.
- Kundalini doesn’t just rise once – and it doesn’t just rise! We often hear about the ‘kundalini rising’, and in a general sense, the movement of the kundalini from our root to our crown chakra is the trajectory of spiritual growth. But the kundalini doesn’t simply rise once through our system and catapult us into enlightenment. It moves through in stages, each time clearing on a deeper level, and each time shifting us into a more expansive understanding of ourselves and the universe. (I cover the experiences and life lessons associated with shifts at each chakric level in the next article.)
Kundalini also doesn’t only rise – it moves downward too! Teachings on kundalini vary, and some traditions distinguish between different kinds of kundalini, some that flow from root to crown and others from crown to root. Upward-flowing kundalini is linked to spiritual seeking – our journey from knowing ourselves as finite, material beings to knowing ourselves as part of the infinite, cosmic flow. Downward kundalini is linked to manifesting spiritual understanding and goals on the physical plane. Both may clear blocks, and both are equally important to our spiritual – and human – journey.
Formal kundalini meditation practices are traditionally focused on the upward path, but for many people the greatest lessons come when we attempt to manifest in our lives from spiritual insight. Doing this is like trying to plant a kundalini tree in the earth – we are literally attempting to bring the kundalini through us from spirit to matter. So while the upward path is usually meditation and contemplation-based, the downward path is action and manifestation-based. Many of us like a mixture of both!
- Kundalini movement is beautiful and pleasant, most of the time. Stories of kundalini ‘emergencies’ have left many people fearful of kundalini, and it’s true that overdoing practices specifically designed to bring it up quickly without proper supervision is never a good idea. But most kundalini shifts are either so subtle that we don’t register them, or are beautiful and blissful. We may feel waves of light or tingles moving through our body, upswellings of love or joy, bursts of creative ideas, expansive spiritual epiphanies, or sudden insights. What’s not to like?
Warnings about kundalini are based in the fact that if we pull too much through too fast, it can feel as if we’ve short-circuited our system. Just like electrical circuits, we each begin life able to handle a certain amp level. If too much kundalini shoots through before we are ready, we may experience bodily or psychological symptoms that are uncomfortable and distracting. But in most cases, we will naturally adapt to the change with time and self-care, and it’s nothing to worry about. Of course anyone who experiences health or mental instabilities that may be kundalini-based should work with a professional healer, energy worker or therapist skilled in such issues. Pushing through is never the answer. In fact stopping any explicit kundalini practices for a time, focusing on grounding and centering in the heart, exercise and good nutrition, are the first steps.
- A grounded body and mind are the best preparation for kundalini shifts. Just like electrical sockets have to be grounded to safely conduct electrical currents, so our body and mind need to be grounded to conduct kundalini. From a physical perspective, grounded means living a healthy lifestyle, being comfortable and strong in our body, and connecting regularly to nature in a real and fulfilling way. From a mental and psychological perspective, grounded means we have a keen, focused mind and are centered in a healthy sense of self and reality. We may still have issues to work through, but we have a foundation of self-esteem and mental stability.
Most of the formal spiritual practices meant to prepare someone for kundalini work revolve around strengthening mind and body. Physical yoga in fact partly developed as a method for doing both. Inquiry practice, mindfulness, and concentration meditation are all also means of strengthening both our mind and self-awareness. While doing these in a formal way is usually only necessary for someone engaged in explicit kundalini awakening work, they are all good practices for managing spontaneous kundalini movements when they occur (and of course they all have other benefits too!)
- Seeking in the form that truly inspires you is the best way to awaken your kundalini. You don’t have to fit yourself into a certain mold to get your kundalini moving. Any sincere form of spiritual seeking – one inspired by true questioning and desire – will pull this beautiful power through you to some degree. Situations or practices that open your heart and encourage self-honesty, or that are based in true inquiry, will trigger shifts. The only thing that shuts down our kundalini is stagnation – a rigid mind or frozen heart. True spiritual seeking is itself fueled by the Source or spirit already awake within us, and the kundalini moves when we open even more to this urge.
Of course, you may want to work more consciously with your kundalini, and to tune-in to its subtle shifts in your energy body. The guided meditations included in this 3-part series are designed to help you do exactly this. They are not kundalini transmissions, but instead guided techniques that you can use to gently increase your own connection to your kundalini, and to support its movement within you.
In this first meditation, I will guide you through developing a strong foundation for kundalini work, and then use visualizations to help you urge both an upward and downward flow. Then we will focus on your root, heart, and third eye chakras, as these are each unique gateways in the kundalini rising process. This is a meditation you can do once, or over and over – it is gentle enough to repeat at will, although of course don’t if it makes you uncomfortable in any way:
Gentle Kundalini Movement Guided (mp3)
Here are the other two posts in this series (these will take you to my client site):
Stages of Kundalini Rising- Growing into the New You
Free Equinox Guided Meditation – Turning Point (mp3)

Equinox is a balance point – between day and night, sun and moon, past and future.
I haven’t posted an energy work meditation in awhile, and I have a favorite sequence for equinox that I’d like to share. This work helps you make the transition from past patterns and goals to new ones, on an energetic level.
If you roll a ball uphill, it will slow and then pause for a second before rolling back down. This pause is the perfect metaphor for the energy of the equinoxes – they are pauses at the balance point between light and dark, day and night, sun and moon, before a change in direction occurs. As such equinoxes are the perfect time to mark a transition in your life in a conscious way. You can use this balance point energy to affirm a turning of the page, a shift in emphasis, a new set of goals, and the release of old patterns.
The following guided meditation is designed to guide you through this process on an energetic level. You will need to do some preparation to engage with it, and then you could do it just once on the equinox itself (perhaps combining it with other rituals you like to mark the occasion with) or everyday for a few days before and a few days after to affirm the shift you are bringing into being.
The meditation has two parts, each consisting of three sub-parts. The first part is focused on looking back with gratitude at where you’ve been, and pulling forward lessons and wisdom you can use in the future. The second part is focused on turning forward, establishing your highest energetic vibration/foundation, affirming the direction you want to go, and what energies you would like more of in your life.
Here is an overview of the meditation, and what you will need to prepare (I suggest writing these down on a prep sheet beforehand):
Backwards/Past Section:
- Express gratitude for three things representative of the phase of your life you are shifting from. These might be events, people, gifts, or lessons (although you will focus on lessons explicitly in the step after next.) Although you could choose more or less than three, three is a good number for these kinds of exercises, so I have used it throughout. Write down your three items on your prep sheet.
- Affirm the release and/or say good bye to three items from this phase of your life that you do not want to be a part of the next phase. These might be relationships, an old job or home, or limiting emotional or conditioned patterns. Again, more than three is fine, but it’s hard to affirm a shift in a clear way if too many aspects are involved, so three is generally a good number. Write these on your prep sheet.
- Acknowledge and ‘own’ three lessons, or three types of insight or wisdom gained, in the period you are moving on from. Write these down on your prep sheet. Within the meditation, you will not only verbalize but feel these as energies integrating into your body. In fact feeling each step in your body is what distinguishes this meditation and makes it energy work. So as much as possible, feel the energies of what you are visualizing or contemplating.
At this point we’ll pause for an affirmation that represents the turning point you are consciously marking.
Forwards/Future Section:
- Chakra empowerment and affirmations. No prep necessary for this section, I will guide you through focusing on each chakra with a visual and affirmation, in order to fully clear and activate your energy body.
- Name and cultivate the feeling of three qualities you want your future to be filled with. These might be emotions like joy, contentment, or calm, or it might be more situational states such as successful, confident or financially secure. Either way, imagine what each of these is like as an energy, in particular what color of energy you would represent each as. You will use these to bring a felt sense of each state into your mind and body.
- Identify three goals you have for yourself in the next phase of your life. Then identify a visual you can use that represents you already having achieved each goal. You will utilize these within the final part of the meditation, in which you will first establish energy lines between your third eye, heart and navel chakra to each goal, and then integrate your goals, and the feeling they have already occurred, into your body.
Close out and complete the transition.
I’ve put this together as an audio for you, although you could certainly do this sequence on your own without an audio. Keep in mind this is a home-made audio, so there is some minor ambient static and background noice – in general, playing it on lower volume will help screen that out. I hope you enjoy it and I wish you all a joyful, abundant and transformative equinox!
Equinox Turning Point Meditation (21 minutes):
10 Tips for Surviving (and Thriving) As An Empath
Felt like a good time to reblog this post! I also recently had the pleasure of being interviewed by Rev Dr Rachel Wetztseon, check out the sidebar to link through to that podcast…and while you are there be sure to check out her book Radiantly Free.
‘Protected Empath’ by Elena Ray, http://elenaray.com
We are living through a very intense time right now, and in the coming months I’ll be focusing here on the energies of this particular phase of history, and how we all can deal with them. Today I want to start with the basics of caring for yourself as an empath. We are all empathic, because to be human means to be connected energetically to everything around you, whether you are aware of this or not. Just as our physical senses are constantly picking up sounds, sights, tastes, smells, and sensations, so our subtle body senses are constantly experiencing the energies present in our environment, emanating from the world mood at large, and from the people around us.
However, there is a spectrum of empathic sensitivity, and if you are reading this blog, which is almost entirely about energy, then you are probably…
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