The Serpent Power

About this book

At the base of the spine a serpent lies coiled, waiting to rise through the centres of the subtle body. The image belongs to a complex Tantric account of consciousness, sound and liberation, expressed through Sanskrit verses and intricate diagrams.

Writing as Arthur Avalon, Sir John Woodroffe translates and comments on the Shat-chakra-nirupana and Paduka-panchaka. He explains the lotuses, seed syllables, deities and practices associated with Kundalini in their textual setting. The book became influential in Western discussions of chakras, though its traditional symbolism is far richer and more demanding than the simplified charts that followed it.