Abstract
This paper examines the reception of the book The Serpent Power: The Secrets of Tantric and Shaktic Yoga, published in 1918 by British Orientalist John Woodroffe, who is better known by his pseudonym Arthur Avalon. This work is recognized as one of the earliest serious attempts by Western scholars to study the concepts of Tantra and Kundalini. Its publication significantly contributed to the understanding and dissemination of these spiritual practices within Europe and the wider Western world, representing a crucial development in the academic exploration of these Eastern traditions. Western occultists and Theosophists found ‘The Serpent Power’ particularly intriguing, as it aligned with their interests in hidden spiritual energies and the pursuit of mystical enlightenment. This text significantly influenced various esoteric schools, notably the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, and later played a role in the New Age movements of the 1960s and 1970s, which centered around the concept of Kundalini awakening. This paper also explores how the ideas and practices surrounding Kundalini underwent considerable distortions in the West following the publication of ‘Serpent Power.’ Traditional Indian Tantric and Yogic teachings presented Kundalini as a structured and disciplined spiritual process. In contrast, Western interpretations often reduced this concept to a simplistic notion of an instantaneous surge of cosmic energy, frequently conflating it with psychedelic experiences. This misunderstanding overlooks the profound and systematic nature of Kundalini’s awakening as described in its original context.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Tantra, Kundalini, West, Spirituality, Yoga, India
