Within Shakta traditions, Kundalini is regarded as the immanent presence of the Divine Mother within each being, the primordial cosmic energy of Shakti individualized in the subtle body. This power is described as dormant and coiled like a serpent at the base of the spine, in the muladhara chakra, symbolizing its latent yet immense potential. As the microcosmic counterpart of the universal Shakti that creates, sustains, and dissolves the cosmos, Kundalini is understood as the Divine Mother’s own presence in embodied form. To contemplate Kundalini in this way is to see the human being as a living shrine in which the cosmic Shakti abides in a hidden, interior mode.

Shakta teachings present the awakening of Kundalini as a central spiritual process, not merely an energetic event but a sacramental encounter with the Divine Mother herself. Through practices such as mantra, yantra, meditation, pranayama, ritual worship, and devotion, this dormant Shakti is gradually stirred and awakened under proper guidance. Once awakened, Kundalini is said to ascend through the sushumna nadi, the central subtle channel, passing through and activating the chakras as successive levels of consciousness. Each stage of this ascent is associated with purification and transformation, as the individual’s awareness is refined and reoriented toward the divine.

The culmination of this inner journey is described as the union of Shakti and Shiva, when Kundalini reaches the sahasrara at the crown of the head. In this union, the individualized Shakti merges with Shiva-consciousness, symbolizing liberation and the realization of identity with the supreme reality of Devi. Kundalini is thus portrayed as both path and goal: the guiding power that leads the practitioner upward and the very divine consciousness into which that practitioner awakens. In the Shakta vision, to awaken Kundalini is to recognize that the Divine Mother who manifests the universe is also the indwelling, conscious power that carries the soul toward ultimate freedom.