Throughout most of the significant spiritual and religious traditions on Earth, can be found references to a mysterious presence, usually defined as an energy or Spirit of some sort, which is deeply involved in the spiritual awakening and evolution of both the individual, and humanity at large. Though this presence-energy-spirit has gone by many different labels, for the sake of simplicity we are referring to it in this essay as the “Only Spirit”.

Such a term would no doubt attract righteous indignation and condemnation from orthodox religions, as these organizations are generally defined by their insistence that only their version of this Spirit is the true one, and thus the very definition of Only Spirit would be an affront to their designs on having the special avenue to the divine Source. But the very basis of the spiritual approach is to recognize the universality of consciousness, and the oneness of existence. From that simple perspective not only is there only one ultimate Spirit, there can only be one ultimate, universal Spirit – just as there can finally be only one universal Consciousness.

What will follow in this essay will be a brief comparative study of the various ways the world’s religions and spiritual paths have described and interpreted this one universal Spirit.

Ruach, Pneuma, and The Holy Spirit

Ruach is the Hebrew term for “Holy Spirit”, though in its original sense it meant “moving, or blowing, air”, or, more simply, “wind”. In time it was translated by the Greeks as the word pneuma, and in Latin became spiritus, a word which suggested many things, including “breathing”, “breath”, “air”, “life”, and “soul”.

The Christian idea of the Holy Spirit is inherent in the doctrine of the Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Ghost, or Spirit). The idea of the Trinity was formalized in the Nicene creed promoted chiefly by the bishop Athanasius in 325 AD during the Council of Nicaea, which resulted in the “official” confirmation of the Trinity and the essential equality of Christ the Son with God the Father. The main doctrinal basis of this creed was from the Biblical statements attributed Christ “I and my Father are One”, and “Go into the world, and baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”

The subtlety of Christian Trinity doctrine is that the Trinity consists of three distinct parts, which are all essentially one and the same as well. God the Father is the Source and Creator, the Holy Spirit is the direct link between the Creator and His Creation, and the Son is the full manifestation in the Creation of the Creator Himself.

The Christian doctrinal view of the Holy Spirit is that it functions as a life-line for the soul to connect with Christ and receive the power of the redemption, thereby enabling the effects of the Original Sin to be washed away, resulting in the “reborn” individual. The inner spiritual states and psychic-physical effects undergone by one being “reborn in Christ” are attributed to the workings of the Holy Spirit.

The mystical, non-doctrinal understanding of the workings of the Holy Spirit essentially is governed by one crucial difference. This difference is the rejection of the Nicene creed, which promoted Jesus to full equality with God, i.e., made the specific person of Jesus Christ as the only true manifestation of the divine. The mystical understanding – as championed through A Course in Miracles and some Gnostic teachings – is that “redemption” as traditionally interpreted is an erroneous concept, as is the Original Sin (as formulated originally by St. Augustine) that it is based on. So too, the personality-body of Jesus Christ is not the sole, only begotten Son of God. Rather, consistent with Christ’s statement in Luke (“the kingdom of God is within”), the true Christ resides within the Heart and Soul of everyone. And, more to the point, Christ is but a symbol for our true, awakened nature – what the Hindus have called Atman, the true Soul, or what the Buddhists called the “Buddha-mind”.

Given this, we can begin to see clearly another example of the essential difference between doctrinal religion and investigative spirituality. Christian religion places sole and exclusive special status on the personality of Jesus Christ, whose redemptive power is the only hope and salvation for all humanity, which is alleged to be laboring under the effects of Eve’s seduction by the Serpent at some ancient time in the past.

The political nature of such a doctrine becomes glaringly clear once it is seen that the exclusivity of Christ as sole gateway out of the damnable effects of this “Original Sin” is completely dependent – according to the orthodox form of the religion – on being both outwardly and inwardly allegiant to the outer Church and the inner Spirit of Christ the person. Investigative spirituality, however, emphasizes the relative unimportance of Jesus as an historic personal figure (and especially his specific alleged bodily resurrection), and asserts his significance as one who awoke to his intrinsic divine nature, thus becoming a shining symbol of our own divine destiny, and what we are all capable of waking up to as well. But such a realization entails no need of being allegiant to any outer Church, and thus is of no use (and is even dangerous) to established Christian religion. This is the main reason that teachings like Gnosticism and A Course in Miracles have been branded as heretical by Christian ecclesiastical authorities. It is because they appear to undermine the unique status of the historical personality of Jesus Christ, in favor of a universal Christ who is “merely” the symbol of our naturally awake condition that we have forgotten.

Thus from the context of spirituality, the Holy Spirit functions as a guiding light to our inner Source of awakening, helping us in exact proportion to our degree of willingness and sincerity of intent to know ourselves and know the truth. From this view, it is essentially identical in function to the workings of what Hindus have called Shakti, prana, and kundalini. The slight difference lies in the Christian spiritual version giving less emphasis to the physical manifestations of the Holy Spirit, and more to its psychological-spiritual purifying functions. In that sense, there is no Judeo-Christian equivalent to the kundalini (the physical manifestation of the universal prana), but it could be said that Shakti-prana is one and the same with ruach and the Holy Spirit. The etymological root of both prana and ruach being connected to “air” and “wind” and “breath” further underscores their commonality of meaning.

Prana, Kundalini, and Shakti

Prana, kundalini , and Shakti are all terms deriving from ancient Hindu-Vedic traditions. Each refers to a particular form of expression of the fundamental universal spiritual energy that for sake of simplicity we are calling here the Only Spirit.

Consistent with the connection between the words “Spirit”, “life”, and “breath” found in several traditions, the term prana in Sanskrit means “breathing forth life”. In the ancient Vedic scriptures known as the Rig Veda, prana is associated with the Atman or the Soul, where it is defined as the breath of this Soul. It is the extension of the divine Source into the realms of manifest existence.

Prana came to be superficially known as “air” (or in specific, oxygen), but its deeper spiritual significance is that it is none other than the primal Life-Force of existence, and in particular, its more subtle manifestation.

Vedic teachings in time came to specify two different manifestations of prana, being the primary Life-Force, and the human expression of the Life Force, which is said to flow through the body. This bodily expression of prana is said by Vedic teachings to manifest in no less than ten different forms, and to circulate through the many “channels” that direct the Life Force to the various organs in the body.

Yogic breath mastering techniques, such as pranayama, all associate the breath with states of consciousness. As breathing is mastered, so to is clarity of thought, capacity to focus and concentrate, and capacity for attention. Through understanding and experientially deepening our relationship with prana via its close link with breath and oxygen, the ability to look within is enhanced, and the ability to achieve deep states of inner awakening is facilitated, although granted many of these “states” are more akin to altered states of consciousness than actual enlightenment.

The term kundalini derives from the Sanskrit word for “serpent force”, a reference to its “coiled up” form at the base of the spine, as interpreted and perceived by practitioners of kundalini Yoga, or those who have experienced it spontaneously or via other means. It is recognized as being the bodily manifestation of the spiritual force termed Shakti (“power”). The Life Force, prana, is the considered the other chief manifestation of Shakti.

Kundalini is an extremely powerful force, that when aroused via meditation, prayer, or breath-control techniques, has the capacity to awaken extreme states of altered or heightened consciousness and bliss. If aroused prematurely, however, it can have effects similar to too much voltage being run through an insufficient capacitor. The result can be something like the human equivalent of the frying of circuitry, such as extreme physical discomfort and pain, anxiety attacks, or even delusional mental states. (See the works of Gopi Krishna, Lee Sanella, and Stanislav and Christina Grof for more on these difficulties).

Premature kundalini arousal is not a subject that should be minimized, as it is a phenomenon found in all spiritual traditions, and wherever there are seekers of awakening who are insufficiently prepared or ready to experience the strong energies usually associated with the deepening of consciousness. In essence, this is the person who is not yet grounded enough in their basic human experience, and are seeking altered states of consciousness (or what they think enlightenment might be) as a way of avoiding their humanity, and in particular, their lessons of worldly responsibilities and self-reliance.

Ancient Indian Vedic traditions specified a particular guideline for the typical life, which usually involved raising a family and assuming worldly responsibilities prior to setting out on the spiritual quest. This latter was typically reserved for late middle age, when the householder was now expected to retire to a natural setting in order to turn inward and awaken to his or her true spiritual condition.

In current times, values have shifted markedly, especially in the West, and many have followed a reverse path of pursuing spiritual practices in early adulthood, and only in middle age turning to a traditional family life. Either way, what we suggest here is that the “order” (if indeed there must even be an order) we proceed in is less important than the fact that we remain balanced in our overall development. Worldly responsibilities can indeed be combined with a sincere spiritual practice and commitment, and such a combination is fast becoming the dominant spiritual paradigm. But what must be watched for in such a new paradigm is the gradual dilution of teachings of enlightenment. In the very effort to make spiritual awakening possible within mainstream society, we must be on guard not to compromise it and reduce it to a poor, socially acceptable version of its natural purity.

Kundalini energy in Indian lore is closely wedded to the idea of the chakras deriving from the Sanskrit word for “wheel”. The chakras refer to centers of psycho-spiritual activity, and they are said to be aligned with specific points along the spine. Generally there are recognized to be seven, corresponding to the base of the spine (root-survival), genitals (sexual-emotional), navel area (personal will), center of chest (heart-compassion), throat (communication-truth), Third Eye (intuition, insight, psychic sensitivity), and crown (connection with ultimate Reality).

None of these chakras should be understood as physical, and in fact are rarely detected even by practiced meditators. Their primary importance is symbolic, and they have been highly useful as teaching aids when presented as a kind of microcosmic map of the human energy field, correlating with specific psychological states.

In traditional kundaliniYoga the practitioner learns to arouse their kundalini energy and to experience it “uncoiling” and rising to the crown chakra. While passing through the other chakras it purifies them and their associated mental states, and when passing through the crown chakra it results in the consciousness of the meditator merging with the universal Consciousness. In theory, the end result is the transfiguration of not just the mind, but the body as well, an idea which much of “ascension” beliefs are based on. Such physical transfiguration due to the power of kundalini also lies behind the legends of certain Himalayan yogis and masters who have been reputed to survive in one body for hundreds, if not thousands, of years.

Shakti is regarded as the dynamic principle of the cosmos, the primal Force that truly is responsible for creating, and animating, the universe. In Vedic lore Shakti is paired with Shiva, who is the silent, passive Source, but who is incapable of creation on his own. Though he represents the center of existence, it is Shaktiwho extends outwardly and generates and maintains manifest existence.

The Sanskrit term Shakti-pat (“descent of power”) is used to indicate the transmission of Spirit-energy (usually from master to disciple), which can occur spontaneously in any number of ways. The ultimate Shakti-pat transmission however is not in fact a transmission at all, but is more a profound awakening that occurs in the presence of the teacher.

From all this it is clear that for the Vedics, the “Goddess” Shakti, was none other than the direct bridge to our divine Source. In that sense, it is identical to the function of the Only Spirit as it is understood in most other spiritual traditions as well.

Chi and Ki

Chi is the Chinese word for “breath”, and in Taoist cosmology it is essentially identical to the Hindu idea of prana. It has also been compared to kundalini, and in truth is most likely a more general term encompassing all of what Hindu theory particularized as both prana and kundalini.

Much as with the ancient Vedics of India, the Chinese Taoist adepts made painstaking observations of the movements of chi through the human body. Whereas the Vedics identified at least 10 different forms of prana circulating through the human body, the Taoists out did them and eventually defined no less than 32 different manifestations of chi energy in the body. All these types of chi-Life Force are of particular relevance for Taoists in the context of healing and restoring a mind-body complex to balance, in concert with ancient techniques such as acupuncture and herbology.

Other Taoist terms worth noting here are ching (sexual energy) and shien (spirit energy). The three together – chi, ching, and shien, are regarded as the three indispensable “treasures”. Cultivating a right relationship with all three eventually leads to full inner awakening.

Shien as “spirit energy” is the human essence of consciousness, or the Soul. It is roughly the same as the Hindu atman. The term for the indefinable Source (or “void”) from which all chi energies derive is known as Wu Chi, or the “original chi.” This is basically the same as the Western idea of “God”.

The fundamental difference between the Taoist approach to spirituality, in relation to the chi energy, is that it is a very practical approach of cultivating the right use of the different chi energies as they are found in the various sources, such as food, air, and sex energy. Thus, the concern is on right diet, right exercise, right meditation, and right usage of sexual energy. The Taoist approach is the path of practicality par excellence. In that sense, it is very close to the structured and discipline steps of the Vedic yogi working with meditation and right usage of prana and kundalini.

This practical Eastern approach to relating to Spirit-energy is in sharp contrast to the Western monotheistic approach of direct spiritual surrender. The Taoist and Vedic approach is one of cultivation and personal effort. The Western monotheistic approaches are concerned with contemplation, love and devotion to God, and total inward surrender of desires and worldly attachments. According to the theory of the respective traditions, both these paths of personal cultivation and personal surrender end up in the same condition, one of the complete purification and transfiguration of the body-mind complex by the workings of Spirit-energy.

Ki is the Japanese term that essentially indicates the same thing as the Chinese chi. The slight addition to it has been the influence of the Zen and martial cultures of Japan, where ki also came to refer to “action”, being suggestive of the Zen master’s authority and ability to teach and guide his disciples.

Mana, Baraka, and The Divine Heat

Mana is the Polynesian term for the Life Force, or Spirit-energy, especially as it animates all life and intelligence in the universe. Technically, the word mana carries three meanings, being “power” (same as Shakti), “confidence”, and “energy”.

Much as with the Taoists, Hawaiian shamans (kahunas) teach practical methods for cultivating the right usage of mana, resulting in the overall purification and strengthening of the mind and body.

In shamanism, a common theme that is found around the world is that of the “divine inner heat”, which is usually connected to breathing techniques, and the inner activation of Spirit-energy. For certain south Pacific Island cultures, shamans holding much mana within are considered to be saka (“burning”). This “burning” is the common phenomenon reported in most cultures for any who commit themselves deeply to spiritual practice. The deep commitment and sincerity and power of intention – whether initiated by personal effort, or through profound inner surrender – results in the activation of Spirit-energy within, which has a heating, purifying effect (though it is frequently accompanied by painful experiences throughout the purification process). Often this “heating” is not just psychological or spiritual, but manifests physically as well. Tibetan yogis in particular were famous for cultivating tumo, their term for the inner heat, which would enable them to be physically comfortable even in harsh and cold whether.

In Islam, the process of deep spiritual surrender is described as resulting in fana, or the annihilation of the personal ego in the fires of God. A common expression of Sufi, Gnostic, and Jewish mystics has been that of “being on fire for the Divine”. The Sufi term for the Life Force was baraka, which indicates the subtle power of Spirit-energy and its supposed transmission from master to disciple, as well as the presence of this “force” at site of spiritual pilgrimage.

All of this is really indicative of the purifying power of the Only Spirit, which despite its many different forms of manifestation, ultimately has only one purpose, and that is facilitating the awakening of all who are sincere and ready to realize their True Identity and birthright as pure consciousness.

As formana and Spirit-energy, the common recognition amongst all those who have cultivated a relationship to it, and awakened to its presence, is that it ultimately cannot be overcome by personal will. This is why the shaman, or the spiritual seeker within any tradition, finally came to see that full awakening is only possible with the complete release of all attachment to separate identity, and separate, personal will. At that point, the universal Consciousness, and the Only Spirit are seen to be one and the same as our true nature.

Reich’s Orgone Energy

Wilhelm Reich’s significant contribution to 20th century psycho-spirituality was via his concept of “orgone” energy, and attempting to frame it into a Western scientific paradigm. There is little doubt that the “orgone” energy he had “discovered” was a manifestation of the same essential Life Force we have thus far been defining. He derived the term Orgone from the words “orgasm” and “organic”, stemming from his initial thesis that the sexual orgasm is an indispensable aspect of psychological and physical health. He believed orgone energy to be the fundamental energy of life and the universe, and further, that all disease and ill-health in humans was related to some sort of blockage in the natural flow of this Life Force. In that sense, Reich was something of a Western Taoist adept, as his theories of energy flow and blockage as related to illnesses is very similar, in basic idea, to the Taoist teachings around the flow of chi through the human body, and the results of imbalance stemming from chi blockages. Reich had arrived independently at the conclusion that a fundamental Life Force permeates the universe, thus putting him in agreement with most spiritual traditions on the planet. He gradually came to suspect the presence of this energy when his patients, undergoing the bodywork-emotional clearing therapies that he pioneered, would report consistent sensations of tingling or pulsing or streaming or energy movements whenever they experienced breakthroughs in their therapy.

In time, Reich came to believe that this energy was blue in color, and composed of something he called “bions”, which he hypothesized were the smallest units of living matter. One of Reich’s colleagues, Dr. Charles Kelley, outlined ten essential qualities of orgone energy, following much experimentation. These qualities are defined as

1) Is free of mass, without weight and inertia.
2) Is universally present, even in vacuum.
3) Is the medium for the movement of light, as well as electromagnetic and gravitational activity.
4) Is always moving, in either a pulsating or curving fashion, and at times is detectable visually as a blue-ish shimmer.
5) It contradicts the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics in physics, and specifically, entropy, by flowing in reverse direction from electricity or heat (which naturally flow from a higher potential to a lower), moving from low potentials to higher. In other words, high concentrations of orgone energy draw more orgone from lower concentrations. In short, “energy goes where energy is.”
6) Orgone energy forms units, from bions to cells to plants all the way to galaxies. As with orgone itselt, these “units” draw energy from their environment (are negatively entropic), and pass through life-cycles from birth to death.
7) Matter derives from orgone energy.
8) All life derives from orgone energy.
9) Streams of orgone energy can converge and join, and this will often take the form of a spiral.
10) Orgone energy can be manipulated and controlled by devices known as “accumulators”.

As can be seen from this list, many of these qualities seem aligned with the general and mystical descriptions of the Only Spirit, and its more physical manifestations, as given in the main wisdom traditions on the planet. (With the possible exception of point #10, as there has been subsequent analysis of Reich’s work that has found some of his more scientific deductions and measurements wanting. The jury remains out on the efficacy of his “accumulators”).

Jung’s Anima Mundi, The “World Spirit”, and the Divine Mother Archetype

The great 20th century psychoanalyst Carl Jung referred to the anima mundi (“World Spirit”, or “Soul”) and drew from ancient records to equate this “World Spirit” with the shape of a sphere.

In the principles of metaphysical or “sacred” geometry, the sphere (or circle) has been equated with the feminine aspect of form. Similarly, the Hebrew root , from which derives ruach, the term that eventually became “Holy Spirit” in English, is feminine in gender. Likewise, the closest Hindu-Vedic parallel concept to ruach – Shakti – is personified as the Goddess, the pure feminine archetype behind Creation.

A simple examination of the Christian Trinity will reveal that the image and idea of the divine Mother principle was neutered into the “Holy Ghost”. The Father remains, described in masculine terms, as is the Son. It is only logical that the Holy Ghost is more properly the Holy Mother, but was not described that way. It is not in the scope of this essay to speculate and analyze the reasons for that, but suffice it to say that the three monotheistic faiths have all been heavily patriarchal, and thus any ulterior motive for neutering the divine Mother archetype would not be difficult to see.

In Egyptian myth, the prime Trinity was Osiris-Isis-Horus, or the archetypal Father-Mother-Child. The Hindu Trinity of Brahma-Shiva-Vishnu are all portrayed as male, but Shiva “himself” is more properly a combination of Shakti and Shiva. Shakti is seen as the source of numerous other aspects of the Goddess archetype, being Kali, Durga, Parvati, etc.

Ultimately, the classification of the Only Spirit as feminine, or further, as the divine Mother principle of the cosmos, is less important than the direct experience of this Spirit-energy, and its presence. To understand its roots as the female aspect of Creation is useful inasmuch as it sheds light on the spiritual imbalances of the past two millennia in particular, and especially, in Western civilization. The linearity and rationality of the male principle, and its ascendancy during the past two millennia, has left an imbalance in overall development, which shows as a neglect of, and stunted development of, the intuitive, feeling faculties of human nature, as well as the hidden agenda to draw severe limits upon the feminine archetype and reduce it to an weak characterization of its true essence.

The presence and energy of the Only Spirit is the teacher and awakener of love as an aspect of Ultimate Realty. The Only Spirit is seen in the end to be the aspect of our enlightened nature that recognizes our Oneness with all – the truest definition of Love.

And so we arrive at these definitions:

God/Source – The aspect of Truth that rests in the perfect awareness of our natural “vast-emptiness” as pure formless consciousness. This is Wisdom, and it is realized via awareness.

Only/Holy Spirit – The aspect of Truth that rests in the perfect knowledge of our natural Oneness with all. This is Love, and it is realized via extension to others and the world.

The Christ/Buddha-mind - Our True Self, a balance of wisdom and love.

The World – The Playground in which we experience forgetting, and remembering, our True Self and the nature of Ultimate Reality.

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Copyright 2002 by P.T. Mistlberger, All Rights Reserved

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