When people ask my opinion on other Kundalini methods, I tell them that since my Kundalini was fully and permanently realized by a single method (GFM) at the age of 34, it is impossible for me to critique other methods, including Shaktipat. Since I cannot rewind the clock back to the moment before I started GFM and cannot reverse the Kundalini energy that now courses through me 24-hours a day, I cannot present myself to a guru and ask him to perform in Shaktipat on me. I am already realized. Therefore, there is no way I can comment on a given method's value or its validity. I can only say I have heard many hearsay accounts.
Gopi Krishna's plan included accumulating and categorizing substantive accounts of all types Kundalini experiences. Unfortunately, to my knowledge nothing was ever done about this. The accumulation and categorization of Kundalini accounts cannot match the scholarly interest that has overtaken Near Death Experiences (NDEs) over the last twenty years — even though the effects of NDEs are a mere subset of Kundalini effects.
The reason for this is numbers. NDE research has reached critical mass and Kundalini research hasn't. Therefore, I can contribute little more to the subject of shaktipat, although it does interest me.
During Gopi Krishna's lifetime there were meetings, panels, and discussions on Kundalini. Since his death this interest has become muted, on account, some say, of over-saturation of "New Age" fads. I'd love to see a revival widespread interest and discussion on Kundalini and the various methods for activating it.
There is a long thread in the Golden Flower Forum that discusses Shaktipat, a mere fragment of the ongoing discussion around this important topic.
Nevertheless, for me, Shaktipat seems like a something-for-nothing deal, almost like the one-time static electric discharge your experience after walking across a thick rug in leather soled shoes and touching a metal door knob. Yes, the kick is there and it makes you pause to wonder at it. Wow, that was a surprise, you remark. Wonder where that came from? And then you remember, Oh yes, static electricity. It lasts for a moment and then you get on with it, but it's a far cry from 24-hour-a-day, 7-days-a-week permanent Kundalini, which is more like being permanently hooked up to the electric chair, albeit, a lot more benign. And that's what I've heard about Shaktipat: there is an energy rush that makes you stop to pause, but the aftermath effects vary widely, sometimes evaporating within minutes, sometimes sending the neophyte into a temporary stupor, sometimes, well, there are too many variations for this sentence to support. Plus, as I say, I'm not an expert, having previously activating Kundalini, thus forever eliminating my chances of experiencing Shaktipat.
So before going on, I'd like to ask a quasi-rhetorical question, "What would you do if I told you I could perform Shaktipat? Would you ask me to perform it?"
Seriously, take a moment to reflect, because this question goes to the heart of the so-called "spiritual" quest. It covers just about every religion, every sect, every movement. It also plays a role in individual motivation, which is one of the keys to success in this work. Free will, predestination, creativity. Don't you want to control your life and practice?
I have met and talked with many people, who claim to have experienced it, only to have it dissipate more or less rapidly over time. Some individuals I've talked to actually got stuck in a funk after experiencing Shaktipat. One person, in particular, sat in her bathroom for several years whiling away the hours, unable to manage her life. This is the extreme. The SGF warns against this, says we must — in spite of our 'spiritual ambitions' — meet life head on. Something-for-nothing tends to induce this kind of soporific behavior, to rearrange brain chemistry such that the affected individual loses control of the decision making process and the will to keep moving forward. It brings to mind Jonestown, large rallies, mass movements, Rock Concerts, Kool-Aid sessions — places and events The SGF warns us to avoid. Experiences that require us to hand over personal responsibility to others. Is this what you want? Because it doesn't have to be that way. YOU have all the necessary power within you to realize your own regeneration.
Nevertheless, there is one important point suggested by a Golden Flower Forum participant, and that is: "I know that some look for shaktipat as a way to avoid 'doing the Work.' Such has never been true in my case. I am one who LIVES the Work. My ideal goal would to be awaken everyone. The shaktipat experience that I had opened my eyes to the reality of kundalini -- for the first time, it became an attainable goal rather than a spiritual fantasy. Without this taste of what was possible, I may have never been able to commit to such a program as the SGF. I certainly wouldn't have had the faith in the possibilities that I do now. The fact that the awakening was only temporary was far outweighed by the benefits of having 'seen the Light'!"