More than one author has suggested that part of the symbolism that we see in the Book of Revelations deals with Kundalini Yoga. While I am not prepared to go into a detail description of Kundalini, I would like to touch on some of the symbolisms that appear to me to relate to it, as well as point out some connected concepts.

"Kundalini" derives from a word that means "coiled up; the refrence being to the spiritual energy that is coiled up at the base of the spine, which is seen as a female serpent coiled three and a half times. The goal of yoga is to awaken that coiled up energy and bring her up the spine, passing thru seven spiritual centers or chakras on the way. The term used is "raising the Kundalini". [Compare to the "raising" of Hiram in the Masters Degree in Masonry.]

As you can see from the image above, the Kundalini system is seen as being comprised of three pillar or columns (relate to the Tree of Life); those being the central sushumma, the ida and the pingala. Below is an actual picture of the nervous system, including the brain and spinal column, as well as peripheral nerves.

Some times the Kundalini system is depicted as two serpents representing the ida and pingala twined around a staff, which represent the sushumma; and this is of course the cadeusus of Hermes/Mercury, used as a symbol of the medical profession.

The spine consists of a column of 33 segments (vertebrae), the upper 24 of which move in relation to each other. The lower 9 are fused in two groups, the sacral and the coccyx. [Compare with 33 degrees of Scottish Rites masonry.]

There are 12 pairs of cranial nerves which come together at the base of the brain to form the spinal column. (See image above.)

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In Chapters 1 through 3 of the Revelations we see mentioned 7 spirits, stars, candlesticks and churches; the latter being very close to the word "chakras" (wheels) used in Kundalini Yoga, which refer to the seven spiritual centers in the body.

In Chapter 4 we read, "a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.. and round about the throne were four and twenty seats, and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders"; which can be seen as referring to the 24 cranial nerves the feed input into the brain.

The three and a half turns of the serpents is depicted again and again, in different terms. In chapter 11:2 (also 13:5), "forty and twenty months" is 3.5 years; in 11:3 (and 12:6) a thousand two hundred and three score days is also 3.5 years; In 11:9 and 11:11 we see three days and a half.

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The author moves through a series of seven steps several times, indicating in turn each of the chakras (churches, angels etc), then at the seventh level we have a poetic description of the full blown kundalini experience:

Rev 8:1 And when he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour,

Rev 11:15 And the seventh angel sounded; ..the Kingdoms of the world are become the kingdoms of our Lord
11:19 And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament; and there were lightnings and voices, and thunderings and an earthquake, and great hail.

Rev 16:17 And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne saying, It is done.

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