Transformative Spiritual Experiences

As consciousness develops in the seeker, it clearly brings with it changes in the way the seeker perceives and understands and reactions to events, situations, people, opportunities, etc. What is often forgotten is that it is not the extraordinary and massive experiences that effectuate long-term change, but more realistically, it is the day to day adjustments that come about through the steady process of consciousness growth.

As the seeker becomes more in touch with the niner psychic being, he experiences aspiration, devotion, compassion, empathy, peace, deeper understanding of the relationships that are expressive of the unity of the world and more. These things come as experiences, insights, openings that in many cases are dramatically different than the way the egoistic personality of that individual has responded in the past. These are the powers of transformation, far more than some sudden experience that has a dramatic effect but then fades and leaves the seeker still with all the issues that need to be addressed in his life.

The Mother observes: “However, in the normal course, to the degree that you progress inwardly, every step that you take towards the true consciousness is accompanied by a certain number of experiences corresponding to it which allow you to understand the situation you are in: this of course is normal. It ought to be like that.”

“But these usually are not such sensational experiences as to be made much of. People often have all of a sudden an illumination of consciousness, an inner indication, an unusual perception. But when they are not turned exclusively towards the desire to have experiences, they don’t attach much importance to it. Sometimes they don’t even attach enough importance. The indication came, showed them something, but they were not even aware of it. Yet it is not these things which give you the impression that you are living in a wonderful world. These things are quite normal. Suddenly an opening in the mind, a light that comes, one understands something which he did not before. You take that for a very natural phenomenon. But it is a spiritual experience — or the clear seeing of a situation, the understanding of what is happening in oneself, of the state one is in, the indication of the exact progress one ought to make, of the thing that’s to be corrected. This too is an experience and an experience that comes from within; it is indication given to you by the psychic. People take this also as quite a natural fact. They do not attach any importance to it.”

Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, Growing Within: The Psychology of Inner Development, Chapter VII Growth of Consciousness, Inner Experiences, pp. 128-129