Awakening Śakti: Kuṇḍalinī within the Nondual Tantric Teachings of Sally Kempton

This chapter examines how the terms kuṇḍalinī and śakti are used in contemporary lineage-based yoga and tantra, focusing on Sally Kempton (formerly Swami Durgananda), a disciple of Swami Muktananda. Kempton transmitted teachings non-authoritatively, often online and through conversation and meditation, yet students reported experiences of 'kuṇḍalinī rising' or 'presence of śakti,' causing physical and energetic effects. A discourse analysis of her books and teachings shows that for Kempton and many contemporary practitioners, kuṇḍalinī can highlight unwanted personality traits as well as deliver liberation.

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Abstract

This chapter examines the use of the terms kuṇdalinī and śakti within the field of contemporary lineage-based yoga and tantra. It focuses on the teachings of Sally Kempton, formerly Swami Durgananda, a disciple of Swami Muktananda. Kempton gained increasing influence as a missionary of the Goddess over the last decade, seemingly carrying on the tradition of śaktipāta for which her guru was so famous. But Kempton’s method of transmission was performed in a non-authoritarian way, often over the internet and through conversation and meditation (rather than by being whipped on the head by perfumed peacock feathers). Nevertheless, students experienced what they described as ‘kuṇḍalinī rising’ or the ‘presence of śakti,’ causing their bodies to sway in meditation, waking them up with energetic rushes in the nights, and leaving her mark of liberating grace on their daily lives. A discourse analysis of Kempton’s books and online teachings shows how for her, as well as for many contemporary practitioners of yoga and tantra, kuṇdalinī is just as likely to highlight unwanted personality traits as deliver liberation. Although this might be thought of as a contemporary, psychologized development, the chapter shows that while Kempton put aside her monistic identity in 2002, her teachings continued to draw heavily on the ideas she received through Siddha Yoga and that her understanding of kuṇdalinī and śakti are comparable to Muktananda’s, while her emphasis on what she called ‘the divine feminine’ suggests that she struggled to consolidate her early dedication to radical feminism with a lifelong spiritual commitment.