11

a f t e r w o r d

I

’ve wandered through a lot of new territory from where this story
ends, both within and without. I lived on the farming community
in the Washington Cascades for the rest of that summer; which
undoubtedly provided many valuable learning and growing experi-
ences. Then, ready to move on, I continued my travels around the
West that fall, with a friend that I’d met while on the farm; went to
Hawaii for the winter and lived for several weeks in the rainforests
of the Kalalau Valley; spent most of the following summer living at
another commune in Montana; lived in my tent for a month in the
redwoods of Northern California; and then headed back to Hawaii
again for the winter, where I lived for half a year on yet another
farming community.
In the fall of 1999, I journeyed to India—the metaphorical origin of
Kundalini and of spiritual illumination—and delved to the depths of
that profoundly rich and vibrant culture. Upon my return five months
later, I decided to resume my college education, and finally received
my B.A. in World Religions two years later, from HSU at the heart of
the redwoods in Humboldt County, California.
The adventure within has been equally as exciting and challeng-
ing. The force of energy flowing through me has never really abated.
It has simply changed and evolved in subtle ways. And I’ve done my
best to transform along with it, so that my experience of its pres-
ence has gradually shifted. Although in one sense, I am basically the
same person as before all of this occurred, at the same time I’ll never
be quite the same. Kundalini seems at various times to be both a
blessing and a curse, depending on my perspective from one day to
the next. It often feels like a weight; and yet, any weight is simply