Synopses & Reviews
Roughhousing with teammates at boarding school, a seven-year boy old trips and falls against the wall. Examining the baseboard, he notices a missing sliver of molding and realizes it's lodged in his foot. For reasons known only to a child of seven, he decides not to tell anyone. Incredibly, the finest specialists are unable to locate the splinter. Soon he's in a near coma state. The splinter's severed vital nerve channels. He starts to implode physically. Still, he refuses to tell. Before his accident he was an exceptional child, a prodigy, in fact. But the accident affects his cognitive abilities, even sealing off part of his memory. Months later, when he leaves the hospital, he scarcely remembers that he excelled at music and mathematics. Growing up, everything he attempts leads to failure. He seeks refuge in a life of destructive excess-sex, drugs, and alcohol. One day, he meets a young girl in a Parisian bookstore. A few days later, she brings him an ancient Taoist book, The Secret of the Golden Flower. And although she insists it will heal him, he puts it aside and forgets it. Little does he know it contains the only method capable of healing his body and restoring his lost abilities. The narrative takes place in France and on the Eastern seaboard of the US with a memorable 1977 trip to Kashmir where he encounters the eminent Kundalini author and practitioner, Gopi Krishna. In Part One, he reaches the low point of his life. After years in boarding school, he descends into drugs, alcohol and botches two important relationships, with Madeleine, his stunning French girlfriend and Margo, a whimsical schoolteacher. This part also describes his privileged childhood, his accident, hisdysfunctional family, and his emotional immaturity. Part Two takes place in a small village in the south of France where, after rediscovering The Secret of the Golden Flower, he unlocks the secrets of Kundalini. His discovery has a profound effect. He loses a great deal of weight and sleep, becomes a recluse, and puts his sex drive on the shelf. Through rigorous meditation and near-death madness, he awakens the Kundalini. Part Three tests his ability to deal with the real world as he attempts to integrate his spiritual experience with everyday life. After a disappointing encounter with Swami Muktananda, he meets Martine, a journalist researching the field of spiritual exploration, attempting to separate the phonies from the true achievers. They travel to Kashmir to meet Gopi Krishna. Returning to France, he takes a job with a French company that will send him back to the US. Martine refuses to leave France. In the final part, after a severe relapse due to diet, he discovers a raw foods regimen, which unblocks his faltering Kundalini, boosting it to a new level of healing power. Completely healed, he dedicates himself to bringing safe, practical Kundalini knowledge to the world.