Kundalini and the Art of Being ... 2was instead ridiculed or distorted by the majority of society—includ-
ing most religious institutions, whose real focus seemed to be the
same societal repression exhibited by the social and political powers
in general. I couldn’t make sense of why things had to be this way.
My confusion over this matter was like a treadmill in my mind, keep-
ing my thoughts and emotions constantly churning but never leading
to any real understanding of what was actually going on in the per-
plexing world around me.
On that Thursday evening, I had volunteered at a small music
venue in Eugene, called the WOW Hall. They played a wide assort-
ment of music from basic rock and roll to punk, folk, reggae, techno,
jazz, classical, salsa—pretty much anything or anyone that made
noise. One or two nights a week I would work there for half the
show, stamping hands, checking IDs, or helping set up the stage, in
exchange for seeing the second half of the show for free.
After working my shift that night, I listened to the music for a
little while, then left early. It was a local punk band that had appar-
ently lost the subtle distinction between music and noise pollution.
Besides, I had too much distortion going through my head already.
I drove home to the Pearl Hill House and parked near a back en-
trance that led up to the communal kitchen. I was immersed in my
own world as I walked up the back stairs and opened the door, my
troubled thoughts running in endless circles. I looked forward to a
little meditation on my couch, then crawling into bed, reading for a
bit, and then drifting off into the pleasant fluidity of my dreams.
As I stepped through the door, I noticed Jeffrey sitting on one of
the couches in the kitchen. I hadn’t actually met him yet, but for
some reason—maybe I’d overheard someone else mention him—I
already knew his name. And apparently, as I was about to discover,
he also somehow knew mine.
As I closed the outside door and then walked across the kitchen,
some part of me became aware that Jeffrey was staring intently at
me. I felt deeply unnerved, as his unexpected gaze magnified all my
churning thoughts and conflicting emotions. He wasn’t simply getting