Overcoming the Obstruction of Universal Adverse Forces

Most people are skeptical about the concept of conscious universal forces. Even if they profess a belief in God, angels, demons, and other unseen powerful beings, they tend to reject the idea when it comes down to actual influence in their own actions, reactions and responses. There is an inherent belief in the freedom and independence of their decision-process. People do not like to admit that forces outside themselves, particularly conscious forces, are controlling in any way how they think, feel and respond.

People acknowledge the reality of universal forces on the material plane. They experience the effects of gravity, electricity, and other forces operative in the material world. They also tacitly acknowledge some larger universal forces at the vital level when they look at instinctive behaviour in animals. Anyone observing the coordinated movements of a flock of birds or a school of fish can see that these actions are not the result of a large number of individual decisions by each bird, or each fish; rather, they are all responding together to some force that transcends their individual decision-making power.

We thus have a basis for acknowledging that universal forces are at work in life and we can, if we explore our own human lives, find similar instinctive or coordinated behavioural responses that certainly impact our own individual reactions, thoughts and development.

What we have not yet arrived at, in this analysis, is the sense that these forces are conscious and are acting from their own unique needs, desires, viewpoints and ideas and utilizing their powers to influence what we do.

When we see vast numbers of people suddenly responding to a situation in a similar way, we can accept that some universal forces are at play. The mind, with its limited access to information and its limited range of perception and understanding, is not the proper instrument to appreciate the existence of forces and conscious beings that operate outside the mind’s range of perception. The lack of specific acknowledgement by the mind does not prove these forces do not exist; rather, they simply amplify our sense of limitation in our current understanding.

Using techniques developed by sages, seers and mystics throughout the ages, and in many different cultures and societies, new powers of understanding have been developed. People have experienced, and report, the existence of conscious entities that interact with humanity on the subliminal or supraliminal levels. In the Taittiriya Upanishad, one chapter actually sets forth a hierarchy of conscious beings who exist beyond the normal human level of experience.

Scientists, as they continue to probe the basis of existence, have concluded that Matter is a concentrated form of Energy and that Energy is a concentrated form of Consciousness, and that the entire existence is one. Consciousness is universal. As we get used to this way of seeing the universe, it becomes obvious that all that exists is organised, developed, planned and executed by a conscious awareness far beyond the human mental capability. It is also obvious that just as there are beings below the human level, perception, there are beings above the human level of perception.

Biologists have recently determined that the intestinal flora, essentially bacteria colonies that live in the human digestive system, and which help us effectively digest food, are themselves able to send signals to the brain, ostensibly to request food. The question of “whose hunger is it” when we experience cravings of hunger, is now being answered: it is not solely our own individual experience of the need for sustenance, but in many cases, it seems to be the bacteria who are commandeering use of our nervous systems to communicate with the brain and trigger a hunger response.

This brings us to the topic at hand, namely, the existence of forces that are conscious, universal and have their own agenda with respect to human beings. They try to influence us and in many cases, they feed off of the energies and emotions we throw off when confronted by situations raised by these forces. In terms of negative or hostile forces, these energies may be embodiments of fear, lust, anger, hatred, strong emotions that vibrate strongly and cost us energy. In terms of positive or helpful forces, they tend to help us to grow, to understand and to appreciate and support the oneness of the creation and help us to create harmony in our lives and for the world within which we move and act.

Sri Aurobindo notes: “… the prolongation of the difficulty and its acuteness come from the fact that there are Forces in Nature, not personal or individual but universal, which live upon these movements and through them have long controlled the individual nature. These do not want to lose their rule and so when these movements are thrown out, they throw them back on the sadhak in strong waves or with great violence. Or they create in the vital a great depression, discouragement, despair — that is their favourite weapon — because it is losing its former field of desires and has not yet in any certainty something that would replace it, the assured continuous psychic or spiritual condition or experience. To prevent that is the whole effort of these Forces. So they create these upheavals and the vital admits them because of its own habit of response to the lower Forces. At the same time they put in suggestions to the mind so as to make it also accept the disturbance, discouragement and depression. That is what I meant by saying that these are attacks from outside and must be rejected. If they cannot be rejected altogether, yet one must try to keep a part of the mind conscious which will refuse to admit the suggestions or share in the depression and the trouble, — which will say firmly, ‘I know what this is and I know that it will pass and I can resume my way to the goal which nothing can prevent me from reaching, since my soul’s will is and will always be for that.’ You have to reach the point where you can do that always; then the power of the Forces to disturb will begin to diminish and fall away.”

Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, Looking from Within, Chapter 4, Ordeals and Difficulties, pp.90-91