Are the things I read about Kundhalini and whatnot metaphorical or do people generally mean them in a literal sense?
I've always wondered about this phenomenon.
There are a couple of distinctions to be made here which may help clarify your understanding: first of all, there are the descriptions of the physiological sensations common to what are termed "kundalini" experiences - e.g. sensations of warmth surging up the spine, "sexual" sensations emanating from the base of the spine and the genitals, physical shaking, and so on - which, in my experience, are literal [1] and can be repeated by anyone interest in pursuing the relevant practices; secondly, there are the descriptions of the mental, emotional and/or psychological aspects of the experience - a sense of expanding to become infinite space, feeling as if you become one with "God", visions of archetypal figures, precognitive experiences - which, in my experience, can only be described metaphorically [2] since their literal explanation would require considerable medical study and research.
In the words of Korzybski: "The map is not the territory it describes" - This is something useful to keep in mind.
Hope that helps.
[1] Literal: "in accordance with, involving, or being the primary or strict meaning of the word or words; not figurative or metaphorical: the literal meaning of a word." -
[2] Metaphor: "something used, or regarded as being used, to represent something else; emblem; symbol." -