Altered states of consciousness have been around in spiritual, religious, and wellness rituals and traditions throughout the fluidity of time. When studying the different types of religious and spiritual practices in my anthropological work, one of the first things that comes up is how altered states of consciousness are used within cultural and individual practices to bring forth a sense of connection and enlightenment. These states have been known by many different names: focus levels, trances, stages of enlightenment, mystical experiences, and even the Kundalini experience via a Kundalini awakening. Despite being known by a variety of names, they seem to be tied together in a similar type of altered consciousness.

While rather hard to define, the Kundalini experience or awakening as identified in Hinduism represents the awakening of divine feminine energy and chakra work defined by many as cosmic energy that resides at the base of the spine. Parts of the Kundalini awakening concept can be seen in modern yoga techniques with the Kundalini breath, but its roots and traditions are so much more than that. Signs of a Kundalini awakening consist of heightened awareness of your intuition, a slight disconnect from the physical world, a more intense connection to your higher self, and a deep sense of purpose and destiny. This generally comes with heightened energy and an urge to make changes in your life.

We received an interesting letter recently from Petros Petrakis (M.Arch) in Athens, Greece who, while in a meditative state of heightened awareness, perceived a connection between ancient art and higher states of consciousness. He writes:

“Through my combined imagination, I observed a silent bond between the statues of civilizations and the peaceful smiles that appear in sculptures [1,2,3,4,5,6] and some paragraphs in two books [7,8]. Moreover, these statues share an ancient sacred prestige. … The statues are formed within different cultural frameworks and are closely correlated with the expression of divinity. For the interaction between civilizations, on the one hand, we learn from the level of the map with the trade routes and on the other hand, Franz Bopp’s linguistic work [9] reveals the kinship relations that unite Sanskrit with Greek. For example, comparing the declension patterns of the Latin “genus” and Greek “genos” with the Sanskrit “ganas” series highlights the linguistic evolution and transformation of these linguistic forms. [10] The word of genus appeared in the Homeric Rhapsodies (8th century BC), so it indicates the inter-civilizational interaction before the mention of the Kundalini in the Vedic Sanskrit texts of the Upanishads (9th – 7th centuries BCE) [11]. Furthermore, Egyptian and Greek civilizations communicated in ancient times and so on. So, these smiles may be an outcome of ancient cultural communication. …

… “Art can be considered a visual communication that transfers frozen achievements. Consequently, it is observed that the statues seem to describe altered states of consciousness, the Kundalini experience(‽), with this peaceful smile… .”

What’s more interesting is that he couldn’t find any scientific connection between the art and altered states of consciousness, noting that “Many peaceful smiles exist throughout art history, but these [sacred] statues [seem to] concentrate on a mutual spirit and typical characteristics of the body’s sacred role. Also, they appeared as the guardians of secrets (with a literary mood). The truth of the deepest reason remains a mystery, and this piece of art has won eternity because this peaceful smile permits us to make beautiful subjective interpretations eternally!”

I know I’ve spoken before about the idea that when I’m in my most creative states, I find myself tapping into something more powerful than myself, something that flows through me and encourages me to create my best work.

Right away, I have to agree completely. While I’ve not yet completed my masters in anthropology, I’ve been working on my studies to do so, and it has become clear that throughout history there has been a strong connection between religion, spirituality and art. Both spirituality and art seem to be creative forms of expression that we actively work through and towards, many times with spirituality and religion being the inspiration and art being the expression of them.

So, yes, I have to say, this is a great point. If research conducted between these statues and a state of enlightenment or higher state of consciousness has yet to be  found, I’m sure this can be further researched to find the connection. After all, I had a friend who just did a whole dissertation on dance in ancient Egypt and how it was done in ceremonial ways. Again, religion and spirituality were the inspiration, and the dance was the vessel or medium used to express it.

I know I’ve spoken before about the idea that when I’m in my most creative states, I find myself tapping into something more powerful than myself, something that flows through me and encourages me to create my best work. Perhaps the ancient artists were tapping into something quite spiritual or were in more heightened states when creating their art? Perhaps they were accessing that global consciousness that I very much believe could be out there? Perhaps they were created as a part of a religious ceremony or as a way to express their spiritual connection?

This is what I love most about the Monroe Institute—it allows us a place to talk about these things. To take these very artistic and abstract ideas and be able to add the scientific thought behind them. This, as many topics presented to me here, has inspired me to approach these pieces of art to ask larger questions and to understand more of the world that we live in and what it was like before I arrived here. While I’ve yet to find any specific science to note regarding the statues, I am now inspired to further search and report back on the topic.  

REFERENCES

1. Muzdakis M. 4,500-Year-Old Egyptian Wood Statue With Rock Crystal Eyes Boasts Incredible Craftsmanship [Article on the Internet]. My Modern Met; 2021 Jun 29 [cited 2024 Feb 17]. Available from: https://mymodernmet.com/ancinet-egypt-kaaper-statue/
2. Wikipedia contributors. Archaic smile [Internet]. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia; 2023 [cited 2024 Feb 17]. Available from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archaic_smile
3. Wikipedia contributors. Kimbell seated Bodhisattva [Internet]. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia; 2023 [cited 2024 Feb 17]. Available from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimbell_seated_Bodhisattva
4. Wikipedia contributors. Buddhism and Hinduism [Internet]. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia; 2023 [cited 2024 Feb 17]. Available from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism_and_Hinduism
5. Seated Female Figure, Remojadas, 6th–9th century, Mexico, Mesoamerica [Internet]. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art; [cited 2024 Feb 17]. Accession Number: 1978.412.73. Available from: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/310525
6. Rienjang W, Stewart P, editors. “The Global Connections of Gandhāran Art: Proceedings of the Third International Workshop of the Gandhāra Connections Project,” University of Oxford, 18th-19th March, 2019. 3rd vol. Oxford: Archaeopress Archaeology; 2019. p.20,27-104. Available from: https://issuu.com/carcoxford/docs/the_global_connections_of_gandharan_art
7. Sannella L. “Kundalini: Psychosis or Transcendence," San Francisco: Henry S. Dakin Company; 1976. p.1. Available from: https://archive.org/details/kundalini-psychosis-or-transcendence_202306/page/8/mode/2up [cited 2024 Feb 17].
8. Bentov I. “Stalking the Wild Pendulum: On the Mechanics of Consciousness,” Destiny Books; 1988. p.180. Available from: https://archive.org/details/itzhak-bentov-stalking-the-wild-pendulum-on-the-mechanics-of-consciousness [cited 2024 Feb 17].
9. Bopp F. On the conjugation system of the Sanskrit language in comparison with that of the Greek, Latin, Persian and Germanic languages. Frankfort. 1816.
10. Saussure FD. Course in general linguistics. Baskin W, translator; Meisel P, Saussy H, editors. New York: Columbia University Press; 2011
11. Dale, C. “Kundalini: Divine Energy, Divine Life,” 1st ed. Woodbury, Minnesota: Llewellyn Publications; 1988. ISBN 978-0-7387-2863-6.