Nāgas and the Kundalini

Energy that creates and shapes reality, at the stage of the primary separation of worlds from the virtual seething of the Interworld, is inseparable from mind, and manifests as distinct “quanta of creation,” primary “units of description” located on the boundary between chaos “as such” and chaos that gives rise to the cosmos.

These “portions of creation,” deep, chthonic activities of the mind, of course, also have their own inherent manifestations of will and self-awareness, and appear to beings that perceive them as serpent-like entities, widely known in various teachings and mythologies. The Nagas of Hindu myths, the mushgizguz of Sumerian ones, the serpents of the source Hvergelmir (Níðhöggr, Grábakr, Grávvölluðr, Ófnir, Sváfnir, and others) of Scandinavian ones, and so on — all personify these primordial “seeds” of creativity and awareness in a chaotic medium. Both the serpents of Yggdrasil and the many Nagas live in the roots of the World Tree, coiling around the axis of the universe.

One could say that such primary serpents are a universal form and principle through which potential energy in the world and in beings’ bodies exists. Such an image is found in many spiritual and mythological traditions and expresses a concentrated power that can be either hidden, coiled, or active and unfolding.

On the one hand, serpents or serpent-like beings are associated with the primordial chaos from which cosmos arises. They represent forces that precede order and harmony. At the same time, these beings also possess hidden knowledge, a primary “informational quantum,” which can be either destructive or necessary for creation. Primary serpents may also represent a kind of potential barrier, a special energetic obstacle that mind must overcome in order to bring the world to order and overcome chaos.

In this system of images, serpents are energetic structures operating wherever there is a boundary between potential and manifested energy. They either restrain, or guide, or remove limitations, depending on their role.

The origin of the chthonic serpents of the World Tree is connected with the most ancient notions of chaos, subterranean waters, destruction, and rebirth. Their history goes back to precosmic era, to an era preceding the formation of the universe. Thus, they are simultaneously relics of primordial chaos and its guardians, as well as a personification of the hidden wisdom of primal spaces. It is precisely in this key that they can be viewed as concentrated creative energy, which also transformed into distinct beings in the Archontic ethers.

At the same time, in their primordial state they appear as a single energy field which, in the process of primary creativity, split and became beings inhabiting the ethers.

In a similar way, this primal energy of creation is also present in every manifested being, and Eastern traditions describe it as the serpent-like kundalini. It is traditionally depicted as a serpent coiled three and a half times, awaiting awakening.

The serpents living in the roots of Yggdrasil, on the macrocosmic level, are analogous to the kundalini sleeping at the base of the spine, since both images embody a latent, chthonic energy that is connected both with destruction and with nourishing the World Tree — entirely analogous to how kundalini may remain inactive or awaken, transforming the mind.

Similarly, Nagas as guardians of water sources can be considered the personification of life energy carried by water, and they are also comparable to kundalini, especially if one considers that water is a carrier of transformative energy. Since Nagas govern the waters, one could say that they regulate the movement of life energy, just as on the microcosmic level kundalini governs the flows of prana.

According to legends, the great serpent-god Ananta-Shesha (king of the Nagas) supports Vishnu and the universe. He is coiled into rings and personifies potential, latent energy ready to unfold. Kundalini is coiled at the base of the spine, just as Shesha sleeps in the cosmic ocean. The great Naga Vasuki serves as the rope in the churning of the ocean, which resembles the upward movement of kundalini.

In addition, Nagas usually travel from the Interval to worlds via waterways; they are connected with rivers and lakes, yet they are not water spirits and avoid undines — just as kundalini is present in the body but remains inactive until awakened.

In other words,  Nagas are the embodiment of hidden, “coiled” energy that can rise and lead to transformation.

If the Nagas are angered, they can make water dangerous or toxic, or cause it to stagnate and become foul. This corresponds to a situation where kundalini energy gets stuck at one level, leading to a painful stagnation in body and mind.

We have already discussed that in the Buddhist tradition Nagas are ambivalent beings, who can be both guardians of knowledge and a personification of obscurations (klesha) that hinder awakening. Their serpentine nature links them with ignorance, attachment, and instinctive forces that keep the mind trapped in samsara. In this sense, Nagas personify knowledge without wisdom, intellect without spiritual insight. This underscores an important notion: that knowledge alone does not lead to enlightenment if the mind remains obscured.

In general, all chthonic serpents of the Interworld — the mushgizguz — not only create the primary field of manifestation, but also bind the mind to their spheres, creating obstacles to passing through the Interval. Therefore, they can also be perceived as certain energetic knots that hold mind in a particular state or space.

Similarly, in the yogic tradition they describe granthis (energetic knots) that impede the rise of kundalini. They are believed to be located in the muladhara, anahata, and ajna chakras and, accordingly, express the limitations of the material, emotional, and mental levels.

One could say that the Archons themselves perform a similar function — they prevent energy from returning to the higher source, forcing it to congeal into limited forms.

And in exactly the same way as yogic practice helps unblock the knots, the mind can free itself from Archons’ power and pass through the ethers, finding within itself the primordial light of divinity.

Nagas, the mushgizguz of the Interworld, can be viewed as an aspect of kundalini on the macrocosmic level — they are simultaneously forces of creation, pleasure, illusion, and liberation. These “primary serpents” are embodied energetic entities that participate in the creation, destruction, support, and evolution of worlds.

In other words, the key question is who controls this primary, serpentine energy: if it is in the hands of the Archons, it becomes an obstacle; but if it is awakened and freed, it becomes a force of ascent.

We have already noted in Tantric tradition that kundalini is Shakti, the energy that creates and manifests worlds, bodies, breath, and feelings of pleasure and pain. And at the moment of its awakening, it begins to destroy illusions, rising.

This energy can:

• Manifest as the material world (through separation and the binding of beings to different worlds).
• Remain in a pure state (if not bound by the limitations of the Archons).
• Return to the source (like Kundalini, if the energy returns to Shiva-consciousness).

In the ether of life energies — TOR — where the Nagas dwell, this primal creative force is perceived as attachment to life, the body, pleasures, physical needs. This corresponds to the “worldly” aspect of kundalini.

In other ethers, for example in BAG, where the serpent-like mushgizguz took on the form of butterflies, they become messengers of bliss, providing a connection with blessed souls. This corresponds to the higher aspect of kundalini, manifesting as liberating bliss.

In the ether RII, the serpent-like manifestations of energy transformed into guarding and guiding entities — Anubises — helping elementers overcome the afterlife.

Overall, the serpents of creation are an energy that manifests in different forms depending on the state of mind. When it is in the lower spheres, it binds beings to corporeality and the material world; but when it is freed, it becomes a force of transcendence.

At the level of the Universe, primary serpents represent the primordial energy of the universe, the hidden potential for the creation of worlds; in the Interworld they are guardians of passages, flows of power, boundaries between levels of reality; in the bodies of beings they embody a sleeping and potential energy that can be either blocked or developed and awakened.

For completeness, note that the active form of the same energy, which in its passive state remains a hidden, potential serpent of chaos or the sleeping power of kundalini, is represented by fiery serpents (uraei, seraphim, and similar beings and entities). They express energy in its manifested, active state, manifesting through primary fire, light, transformation, and upward movement.

While chthonic serpents maintain stability and bind the mind to the world, fiery serpents express the energies of development, transformation, and active creativity.

Thus, serpents as “primordial quanta of creative activity” embody a universal principle of energy that manifests at different levels of existence. They can be in a latent, hidden state or awaken, becoming an active, transforming force. One could say that the very path of the mind’s evolution is the serpent’s transition from a state of potential chaos to a state of purified fire.