Awakening is a Dance—A Perpetual Expansion and Contraction of Awareness

In the wisdom traditions, particularly in classical Tantrik philosophy, the concepts of expansion and contraction of awareness are central to understanding the dynamic play of Śakti, or the Divine Power of Consciousness (a.k.a. Kundalini).

Expansion and Contraction of Awareness are not just mental states, but ontological principles, describing how Consciousness Itself (often called Cit or Śiva) operates. An ontological principle is a fundamental idea or truth about the nature of being or existence, Ontology being the branch of philosophy that deals with what exists, what it means to be, and how different forms of existence relate to each other. It asks questions like: What is real? What is the nature of self? What is the relationship between mind and matter, spirit and body?

In this context, Expansion means that as awareness extends outward, it manifests, and diversifies. This throb of pure awareness expresses itself as the multiplicity of the cosmos. It’s not a “fall” but a celebration! Śiva is becoming Śakti. The One is becoming the Many.

On the other hand, when awareness Contracts, it limits itself. This is how the One (Śiva), in order to play the game of life through the lens of an individual soul, intentionally forgets its infinitude, veiling itself through māyā and the the five limiting sheaths: time, space, desire, knowledge, agency). This leads to the perception of separation, individuality, and ego.

This idea is not morally charged (not good vs. bad), but rather a natural, rhythmic pulsation of awareness—like inhalation and exhalation—of the cosmic dance of Consciousness.

Due to the cosmic nature of expansion and contraction, a human being is possessed of dual conflicting urges—the urge to imminence, to be in the body, to experience life—and the urge to transcend, to ascend, to pierce the veil and return to its source.

But transcendence is not elsewhere; it is the background and essence of immanence. So when awareness contracts, transcendence appears veiled—immanence seems like “just” material or mundane. But through expansion, the immanent is re-recognized as divine. The Tantrik goal is recognition (pratyabhijñā) of this truth: The transcendent and the immanent are not different—they are simply different aspects of the same Self.

When you feel a sense of separation, ego, smallness—this is contraction.

Not a flaw, but part of the Divine’s own self-limiting play.

When you experience oneness, vastness, intimacy with all things—this is expansion.

A glimpse of what has always been true.

Śiva veils himself as you,
so he may one day rediscover himself as You.

No need to resist the flow and the flux of this dance. It is your nature, and if you allow yourself to be, as you are, with reality, as it is, you will befriend your nature, the Mother Nature, and your ‘awakening’ will gradually initiate the process to total freedom from the incessant cycles of suffering.

Awakening means being in touch with who you are at every level. A recognition of your essence nature. It is a love of truth. In the tradition, we say immerse yourself in essence nature in order to drink of the divine nectar. Accordingly, in this tradition, there is a wealth of practical guidance, means and ways to explore this unfolding of Cit-Kundalini—the gradual awakening of the knowledge of oneself. The means and ways of immersion are not limited to only one way either, but are as plentiful as the fruits on the earth. There are ways and means (upāya) for every disposition—soul immersions, empowered approaches, direct experience of the Absolute.

Take for Example the Meditation on the Three Bindus (located at the plexuses of consciousness that we also know as the knots. Ref. The Knots of Consciousness

The Bindus are known as the three faces of the Goddess, or the Three Kundalinis. Ref. The Three Kundalinis

When Kundalini awakens, your nature is said to be calling to you from these sacred centers, and there are profound practices on the meditative field wherein you may engage these centers actively, intentionally, consecrating these centers of awareness, holding space for yourself by knowing yourself at your primordial root.

Try This Practice: Consecration of the Red Bindu

The location is three or four fingers below the navel (kanda, or dāntián in Daoism). If you press here, you may feel a tingle in your sexual organs because of the nerve plexus here. This is the default location of the bindu, but it is not fixed. The location of any aspect of the subtle body is not fixed, so the Bindu may be a little lower. You are encouraged to feel into it. Not visualize, per se, but imagine, or sense.

The presiding deity of the red bindu is dancing Gaṇeśa in his red light body, an intense and powerful form of the elephant God whom you may not be familiar with. The Tantrik deities have many forms!

So in this practice, we invoke Gaṇeśa to consecrate the red Bindu.

Begin by taking some deep breaths and directing the energy of the breath all the way down the central channel to the default location of the kanda, or lower depending on your intuitive feel.

There is a red ball of energy there. Feel yourself feeding it prāṇa-śakti, prāṇa-kundalini, or life force energy. With each breath, you might feel the ball getting bigger. If it helps, you can even place your hands over the center, cherishing this sacred, beautiful ball of light.

To aid your meditation, you may want to find a tānpūrā in C on YouTube. The drone of this traditional Indian instrument is said to be very conducive to meditation and inward focus.

Focus and become absorbed in your sensations of the red bindu at the base of the subtle body. It’s the source of all sensations. They are powerful, warm and exciting.

To install the dancing Gaṇeśa in the red bindu, imagine his tiny, sparkling form in the center of the ball while reciting this mantra:

oṁ gaṁ gaṇapataye namaḥ

Once is enough, or if you’d like to enjoy deepening the experience, you might repeat the mantra several times, enjoying the pulse, the expansion of the Bindu with every breath, until the bindu grows to completely encapsulate you, expanding more and more until you are surrounded by the luminosity and you yourself are now dancing in the belly of Red Gaṇeśa, his warmth, exuberance, and power permeating you.

Remember, the Bindu is a cosmic force. It is one of the faces of the Goddess Herself. She birthed you. You are Her child. A child of the Divine. You are engaging with your source.

So now it’s time to come back. Bring yourself back. It’s time to contract that vast sphere of red light all the way down to its small size while retaining all of its power and energy.

One more time invoke the red Gaṇeśa with the mantra:

oṁ gaṁ gaṇapataye namaḥ
gaṁ gaṁ gaṁ gaṁ

Consecrating your center. Revering the source and the resonance that enlivens you and empowers this center of consciousness.

Feel now the activated red light bindu in the kanda. You are imbued with the power of the energy of red Gaṇeśa and you can feel your entire physical body as an emanantion of this red light bindu. All of your physical sensations are extensions of this red light bindu.

Slowly open your eyes and run your hands over your body. Touch your seat and feel grounded. Get in contact with the physical world and earth yourself. The red bindu is an expression of the earth. Bring your hands into añjali-mudrā (namaste) and in your own way, express gratitude for the feeling of saredness of physical contact.

OṀ ॐ

Adyashanti says:

“There is a saying in Zen, ‘When the realization is deep, your whole being is dancing.’ You can have an experience of emptiness, but it can be the emptiness of emptiness. A phrase that’s used is ‘a cool emptiness.’ But when it’s the true emptiness, your being is dancing. It even goes right through your physical body. Everything is alive again. You are dancing — the emptiness is dancing. Then we go deeper into that love and that dance and that joy. Then it settles, and it is still love, dance, and joy, but it settles into something that is quiet and very pervasive. There is a love and a stillness that’s just deepening. When awakening happens, the heart has to open. I think that for realization to be complete it has to really hit on three levels — head, heart, and gut — because you can have a very clear, enlightened mind, which you’ll know in a deep way, but your being won’t be dancing. Then, when the heart starts to open just like the mind, your being starts to dance. Then everything comes alive. And when your gut opens up, there is that deep, deep, unfathomable stability where that opening, who is you, just died into transparency. It’s become the absolute. You are That.”

~ Adyashanti, Emptiness Dancing