To understand the tantric tradition of Kashmir which was transmitted to me by the Yogini Lalita Devî in 1975, it is necessary to return to its sources and to the civilization of the Indus Valley which developed between 2.700 and 1.700 years before our era.
This Shaivite culture, which stemmed from a matriarchal tradition, migrated to Kashmir around 2.000 years ago. It was transmitted mainly by Yoginis in a direct and iconoclastic style, outside of any religious or political order. This transmission in a long face-to-face encounter has always had the reputation of being non-gradual. Its deconstruction effects are intense, the deconditioning can be astonishing, and its poetic, symbolic and dense form is reserved for those who have no fear. Only the fearless are ready to face the “demons” that emerge from their own ego.
THE SPANDA AND PRATYABHIJNA PATHS OF KASHMIRIAN SHAIVITE TANTRISM
The Spanda path, or “path of vibration” affirms that everything in the cosmos is both vibration and consciousness. There is no split between the human, animal, and plant realms. The Pratyabhijna path, which is complementary to Spanda, speaks of "spontaneous recognition of the Self". The Yogin who practices these two paths experiences an expansion of the body which unites with the cosmos, and this is what we call enlightenment.
THE KAULA PATH OF MATSYENDRANATH
The Kaula path (the union of Shiva and Shakti), also known as the Path of Shakti, is based on the Kaulajnananirnaya Tantra. Eminently feminine, it is linked to a transmission by Yogini. Originally from Assam, it came to Kashmir through the Mahasiddha Matsyendranath and his companion Konkanamba in the 8th or 9th century. This text contains about fifty precious visualization practices that will induce bodily sensations of expansion and integration of space on a mental, physical, and emotional level.