KUṆḌALINĪ: The Goddess as the Power of Self-Recognition in Tantric Śaivism

by Igor Kufayev

This book restores Kuṇḍalinī to the heart of the Trika Śaiva vision—affirming She is not an esoteric energy or psychological metaphor, but the self-revealing Power of Consciousness whose vibration gives rise to the world and liberates the one who perceives it. Rooted in the tradition of Kashmir Śaivism and grounded in decades of lived realisation, Igor Kufayev offers a contemporary yet rigorously faithful exposition that reclaims Kuṇḍalinī from the distortions, fragmentations and oversimplifications that dominate modern discourse.

Here, awakening is articulated through an ancient and unbroken arc: the alchemy of Nectar and Poison, the primordial tension through which transformation unfolds. Kuṇḍalinī is shown to be the one who churns these currents within the human vessel—burning through obscurations, refining perception and restoring the innate luminosity of the heart.

Drawing from Śaiva metaphysics, subtle anatomy, mythic hermeneutics and lived testimony, Kufayev presents a map of the full trajectory of inner transformation—from primordial slumber to awakening, from awakening to integration and from integration to the rare maturity of embodiment. The work argues that spiritual life is not an escape from form but its transfiguration, where perception becomes the very site of revelation itself.

For scholars, practitioners and seekers alike, this is not merely a study of Kuṇḍalinī but a reorientation of how we understand consciousness, evolution and the purpose of embodiment—an invitation to recognise the Goddess as the pulse behind sensation, the axis of experience and the very song through which the human being is returned to its original wholeness.

396 pages, Paperback

Published December 1, 2025

About the author

Igor Kufayev is an artist, spiritual teacher and founder of Flowing Wakefulness organization. Born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan in 1966, classically trained in art from an early age, he completed his studies at the St. Petersburg Academy of Fine Arts, had his first solo exhibition at the age of twenty five and by his early thirties enjoyed an international art career in London. Since 2002 he has been sharing his insights into the nature of Being, leading transformative programs worldwide. Kufayev’s debut book, Camatkāra: The Hidden Path, is a compelling exposition on life’s purpose based on a unique Tantric perspective and verified by the lifelong experience of an artist.

Reviews

[Drew]

One of the best books written on the subject. Igor Kufayev demonstrates great knowledge on the original source material, while also bringing profound personal insights of his own experience with the goddess.