He was only another name, another guru, until I read Sally Kempton’s article in New York Magazine. Sally had written for Esquire a couple of years ago about her liberation as a woman. Now, she was writing about a different kind of liberation.
Having decided to look for a guru, she chose, in the manner of one looking for a heart specialist, to get the best. Muktananda was said to be a living saint, a perfectly realized human being, a sadguru — the highest of gurus. He had the ability, moreover, to give shaktipat, to awaken, by touch, or glance, or simply by his presence, the dormant energy in everyone called shakti or kundalini. Arousing this energy is the goal of all spiritual disciplines. For some, the awakening is subtle; others speak of visions, strong rushes of energy, and spontaneous movements.
