As Above So Below:

The Universe Within Us

Tantra teaches that every level of creation mirrors the others.  So the structure of the atom with its nucleus and surrounding protons and neutrons, mirrors the solar system with the sun and the surrounding planets, and in turn the whole of the universe.  And in all cases the structure is maintained by an invisible force of energy.  The cosmic energy as it is known is that indestructible force recognised by modern physicists and  scientists, and Tantrics.

The concept of God is the traditional explanation for the arrangement and order which we find throughout creation, starting with the Big Bang theory through `primitive ` religions to the highest philosophical and spiritual beliefs.  The details of that explanation differ between specific religions.  For some God is the ineffable Creator who pulls the strings on all our doings and orders the cycle of life through the seasons, and from birth to death.  He, and in a personalised god especially from the Judeo-Christian, Muslim traditions, was usually seen as a masculine force.  We have theories of creationism and theories of evolution.  For Tantrics the starting point is the existence of potential and energy.

What the ancients lacked in external hardware to explore the universe they more than made up for by their inner searching and awareness.  Seeking the truth they realised that all that exists beyond our individual body,  also exists within us.  A Tantric text affirms that `He who realises the truth with in the body, comes to know the truth of the universe`.

Specifically the ancient seekers realised that even before creation there is the potential for creation, and that there is in nature the constant search for balance and unity.  Time and tradition have led to the development of symbols, metaphors and rituals to give a human understanding to these realisations.  Thus the concept of channels of energy, the nadis, whirlpools of energy, the chakras, and the polar opposites, the static masculine force at the crown of the head, and the dynamic feminine force at the base of the spine provide a psycho-spiritual model. 

In Tantra the `crown` pole is usually given the name of Shiva, and the base pole `Shakti`.   Tantrics seek to awaken the Shakti force, also named Kundalini to pass up through the body where it will eventually meet the Shiva force creating the body equivalent of the Big Bang.  The realisation of this force and our understanding of the basic concept of `As above, so below` is the fundamental reason for the Tantric belief of the oneness of God.  Tantrics believe not in a God separate from our self, but in a God of which all creation is a part.  The essence of God within our Self is known as the Atman, and the realisation of that is the highest aim of Tantrics.