spine, through which the Shakti moves upward and downward.Sri Aurobindo
Letters of Sri Aurobindo
11. Visions and Symbols
Fragment ID: 2065
The Lotus is the symbol of the opening of the centres to the Light. The Swan is the Indian symbol of the individual soul, the central being, the divine part which is turned towards the Divine, descending from there and ascending to it.
The two serpents interlaced are the two channels in the spine, through which the Shakti moves upward and downward.
The serpent with the six hoods is the Kundalini Shakti, the divine power asleep in the lowest physical centre which, awakened in the yoga, ascends in light through the opening centres to meet the Divine in the highest centre and so connect the manifest and the unmanifested, joining spirit and Matter.