Shaktipat is a term from Sanskrit and Hindi that refers to the act of a guru or spiritual teacher conferring a form of spiritual 'power' or awakening on a disciple/student. This power has been referred to by various terms, such as Shakti, Kundalini, Chi, Holy Spirit. Shaktipat can be carried out by either touch or presence, intentionally or accidentally. The Sanskrit language ( संस्कृता वाक्) is one of the earliest attested members of the Indo-European language family and is not only a classical language, but also an official language of India. ... Hindi (हिन्दी) is a language spoken in most states in northern and central India. ... A guru (गुरू Sanskrit) is a Hindu religious teacher. ... See: Spirituality Spiritual music Spiritual dance The Age of Spiritual Machines Spiritual possession The Four Spiritual Laws Wholism External links Spiritual service This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... This article is about the Hindu religious concept. ... Kundalini is derived from a Sanskrit word meaning either coiled up or coiling like a snake; and refers to the mothering intelligence behind yogic awakening and spiritual maturation (Sovatsky, 1998). ... Chi has several meanings and pronounciations. ... The Holy Spirit, from the Christian viewpoint, while related to Gods will, is not Gods will personified. ...

The most famous recent yogi in the west to do shaktipat was Baba Muktananda. Brought to the US by his students, Muktananda would perform group shaktipat in public Q&A ("satsang") sessions. On one documented occasion, it was performed in a television interview. Comparative Literature professor Paul Zweig wrote of his experience in receiving Shaktipat from Muktananda, published in the anthology Kundalini, Evolution, and Enlightenment by John White, editor, (ISBN 1557783039). The word Yogi can mean either: a practitioner of yoga Yogi Berra, a baseball player, named after a yogi Yogi Bear, a Hanna-Barbera character, named after Yogi Berra Yogi Rock, a rock on the planet Mars, named after Yogi Bear. ... Swami Muktananda (स्‍वामी मुक्तानन्‍द) (1908-1982) is the monastic name of an Indian guru. ... The company of the highest knowledge and Truth; the company of a Guru; contact with a person or an assembly of persons who listen to, talk about, and assimilate the Truth. ...

Current gurus notable for their shaktipat powers are Mata Amritanandamayi (the "Hugging Mother") and Sai Baba. In India there seems to be quite a few, however, as well as one New York-based Maha Yoga guru. Others who claim this power include Yogi Amrit Desai, Da Free John, and Shoko Asahara. The last two examples illustrate the potential for abuse of this practice, where psychologically needy 'disciples' are encouraged to become dependent on the guru for periodic 'fixes' of energy treatment, that are doled out in exchange for financial donations or sexual abuse. It is one of the main factors in cult abuse, and explains the difficulty in deprogramming cult victims, as they are literally undergoing a form of withdrawal as if from a drug addiction. Mata Amritanandamayi Mata Amritanandamayi Devi(माता अमृतानन्‍दमयी), also known as Amma, Ammachi or Mother (born September 27, 1953), was born Sudhamani in the small village of Parayakadavu, near Kollam, Kerala and is a humanitarian and a revered saint. ... This article is about the original, turn of the century Shirdi Sai Baba from Bombay state (now Maharashtra). ... The Republic of India is the second most populous country in the world, with a population of more than one billion, and is the seventh largest country by geographical area. ... State nickname: Empire State Other U.S. States Capital Albany Largest city New York Governor George Pataki Official languages None Area 141,205 km² (27th)  - Land 122,409 km²  - Water 18,795 km² (13. ... Adi Da Samraj (born Franklin Albert Jones, at 11:21 A.M., on November 3, 1939 in Jamaica, New York) is a modern spiritual teacher and religious guru and the founder of the new religious movement known as Adidam. ... Shoko Asahara (left), with Ven. ... Sexual abuse is physical or psychological abuse that involves sexual behavior. ... In religion and sociology, a cult is a group of people devoted to beliefs and goals which are not held by the majority of society, often religious in nature. ... Deprogramming is a form of coercive persuasion in which a persons parents hire professional faith breakers to get their child to leave a religious group which they regard as spurious (i. ... When an addictive behavior is stopped or an addictive substance is withdrawn from use, withdrawal symptoms almost always follow. ... Addictive redirects here. ...

The schools of yoga whose gurus perform shaktipat are as follows:

• Bhakti Yoga, the yoga of devotion.

• Maha Yoga, a school using shaktipat as its main tool for spiritual liberation. Maha Yoga initiation typically consists of 3 full days of receiving shaktipat, followed by further meditation with the guru.

Some feel that shaktipat is related to the "laying-on of hands" form of faith healing. Author Barbara Brennan in the book Hands of Lightdescribes shaktipat as the actual projection of the guru's "aura" on the disciple, whereby the disciple acquires the same mental state of the guru, hence the importance of the high spiritual level of the guru. The physiological phenomena of a rising kundalini then naturally manifests. Bhakti yoga is the Hindu term for the spiritual practice of fostering of loving devotion to God, called bhakti Traditionally there are 9 forms of bhakti yoga. ... Liberation means to be freed (or change from a state of lacking freedom to having freedom), see freedom. ... Faith healing is the use of solely spiritual means in treating disease, which, in some cases, is accompanied with the refusal of modern medical techniques. ... Barbara Brennan is an accomplished author, educator, public speaker, and spiritual healer. ... The Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) is a consortium of universities and other institutions. ...

Imperfect shaktipat can be conferred unknowingly at times by un-enlightened massage therapists and even yoga teachers, some believe. Or, a shaktipat experience can be a result of the subject's conferring power upon a person via the phenomenon of psychological projection. Conversely, an experience of shaktipat can be prevented from occurring from an otherwise qualified teacher by lack of faith of the subject, analogous to the experience of Jesus recorded in the Gospel of Mark chapter 6: For the period in European history, The Age of Enlightenment For the corresponding movement in the European Jewish community, see Haskalah. ... Psychological projection (or projection bias) can be defined as unconsciously assuming that others share the same or similar thoughts, beliefs, values, or positions on any given subject. ... The neutrality and accuracy of this article are disputed. ... The Gospel of Mark is the second in the most usual sequence of printing of the New Testament Gospels. ...

• "Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and among his own relatives, and in his own house." He could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people, and healed them. He marveled because of their unbelief."

Accidental and involuntary experiences of shaktipat have been recorded as well. For example, when a disciple accidentally brushed against the guru Meher Baba as he exited a door. Meher Baba was born Merwan Sheriar Irani, February 25, 1894 in Poona (now Pune), Maharashtra, India, and died January 31st, 1969, in Pimplegaon, Maharashtra, India, a small town not far from Ahmednagar, where his samadhi (tomb-shrine) has become a place of pilgrimage. ...

See Also

Cult Cult Awareness Network (http://www.cultawarenessnetwork.org) An interview with Yogi Amrit Desai (http://www.wie.org/j17/desai.asp?page=5&ifr=srch) In religion and sociology, a cult is a group of people devoted to beliefs and goals which are not held by the majority of society, often religious in nature. ...