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ARTArticleA Change of Consciousness Is Required for a Change in Human SocietyWhen we look back at the history of human civilization, we can see that many ideas have been attempted to try to develop a fair, balanced and prosperous society. Thinkers, philosophers, political scientists and economists have all weighed in with their dreams and considerations about how to perfect human life on earth. We can also see, however, that none of these ideas has actually worked out in practice.ARTArticleA Deeper Meaning to Our ExistenceWhat if the life we lead is not our true purpose on earth? What if there is more to our existence than the daily round that we carry out, day after day, year after year, changing only the exte
al trappings and specific activities, but falling into a similar groove regardless? How many of us sense, at some point in our lives, that we are missing something that would help us make sense of it all?
In his epic poem Savitri: A Legend and a Symbol, Sri Aurobindo explores these questions.
Sri Aurobindo writes: “This bodily appearance is not all;
The form deceives, the person is a mask;rARTArticleA Positive Focus Is More Productive Than a Negative Fixation for Spiritual GrowthWe go wherever we focus our attention. If we focus our attention on difficulties, we wallow in those difficulties. If we focus our attention on growth and development, then we draw to ourselves those opportunities that support that growth. There are examples. Certain traditions make the rooting out of what they consider to be ‘sins of the flesh’ through extremes of discipline or even self-punishment through use of whips, hair shirts and the cilice.ARTArticleA Prayer of Aspiration, Consecration and Peaceful Receptivity to the Divine Impulsion in LifeAs long as we focus on outer circumstances and involve ourselves in them, we are participating in what some have called the “illusory” life of the world. The world is not illusory in an ultimate sense, since it is a manifestation of the Divine consciousness, but it is illusory in the sense that achievement of specific societal goals or objectives is an end in itself.ARTArticleA Quiet MindNormally the mind is something of a chaotic marketplace. Sensations come in, feelings, emotions, ideas, all kinds of distractions arise and the mind reacts and follows them willy-nilly until the next impulse moves it in another direction. The past arises as we review things that have occurred to us and ruminate over what that means. In some cases, we obsess over something someone has said or done and we repeat thoughts over and over again. The future enters our minds as we focus on something we would like to do, intend to do, or on some possible outcome that we fear or hope for.ARTArticleA Quiet Mind or a Silent MindA relatively small number of people attend to the quality or texture of the mind. People tend to identify with the sensations, feelings, emotions, thoughts and reactions that ‘take over’ the mind stuff. We become angry and identify with that movement so closely that we do not normally observe the anger, but we ‘are’ the anger. We don’t observe the sensation of heat or cold, hunger or thirst, but rather, we identify with them.ARTArticleA True Measure of FaithWhen an individual takes up the spiritual path, he normally starts by desiring peace, knowledge, power or some kind of solace or comfort. But what if he actually is faced with an unending series of obstacles, challenges, threats, and various forms of physical, vital or mental suffering? In such a case, does he maintain his complete faith in the Divine, or does he begin to doubt the Divine, the Truth, the Path, the Teaching or his own abilities to follow it?rARTArticleAchieving Confidence About the Spiritual Path and the Spiritual DestinyWhen we see things from the viewpoint of our ego-personality, with our limited life-span, and our insecurities based on the limitations of our knowledge and power we frequently experience bouts of anxiety or at least uncertainty about the reality of what we are doing, about the truth of the spiritual path, and about our ability to face all the obstacles and overcome them to obtain the objective we have set before ourselves.ARTArticleAchieving Inner Peace Through MeditationMeditation is essential to your spiritual development. By meditating you turn the mind inwards, calming and soothing your spirit. The material world is an explosion of sensory stimulation and your senses need to take a break from it and go within to the world of spirit.
Spending quiet time calming the breath and steadying the mind is crucial to developing and maintaining Wisdom perspectives. Wisdom based Perspectives are the foundation of a Peaceful being. They are the essence of the Golden Virtues that support inner and outer Peace.ARTArticleActing from the ‘Right Spirit’The Mother provides another example of the need for insight and flexibility to address changing circumstances. Most people want to have a fixed routine provided for them. ‘Do this, and you will achieve that.’ This process, while comforting to the mental consciousness that normally functions within fixed and narrow limits, is unable to address the fluidity and complexity of the world within which we actually live.ARTArticleActing Without Expectation for the Fruits of ActionThe Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 2, v. 47-48, as translated by Sri Aurobindo, states: “Thou hast a right to action, but only to action, never to its fruits; let not the fruits of thy works be thy motive, neither let there be in thee any attachment to inactivity. Fixed in Yoga to thy actions, having abandoned attachment, having become equal in failure and success; for it is equality that is meant by Yoga.”ARTArticleAction According to One’s Own Svabhava and SvadharmaPeople who take up spiritual life frequently believe that they should change their line of work and focus in the exte
al world. In some cases, this is a recognition of the inner being’s guidance as the individual awakens to his true calling. In other cases, however, this is a mistaken belief that certain lines of work or action are ‘more spiritual’ and thus, one should abandon what was a natural calling for one that the mind has determined is the ‘more spiritual’ activity.ARTArticleActive Versus Passive Forms of Surrender to the DivineIn his book, The Mother, Sri Aurobindo distinguishes between the needed attitude of surrender to the Divine and what he terms a 'tamasic surrender'. "Note that a tamasic surrender refusing to fulfil the conditions and calling on God to do everything and save one all the trouble and struggle is a deception and does not lead to freedom and perfection."ARTArticleActualizing the Surrender to the Divine in All the Parts of the BeingParticularly when we are predominantly seated in our mental consciousness, we tend to believe that 'knowing' something with our minds represents 'knowing' it in its reality. We gain what may be called the arrogance of the mental consciousness. We soon learn, however, that mental knowledge is not equivalent to actual practical experience.ARTArticleAddressing Depression and Vital Struggle in the Yogic Practice By Building Calm and Equality in Mind, Life and BodyThe play of the Gunas in the exte
al nature explains the various reactions, moods and psychological states we experience. This is true not just in the ordinary life of the individual in society, but also for those who take up the practice of Yoga. The patterns of reaction based in the action of the Gunas are well-known. When Rajas is predominant there is an uprising of ambition, desire, and pressure to achieve a specific result.ARTArticleAddressing Food-Desire Effectively Without Over-Emphasizing the Focus on ItWhen an individual takes up the spiritual path, he seeks guidance, perhaps from books or through online blogs, podcasts, videos, webinars, perhaps from people who are treading the path, perhaps from a teacher or Guru who has come into his life. Generally he comes away with some guidelines to follow. In many instances, the guidelines set forth ultimate desired results but do not provide detailed instruction taking into account the individual’s starting point, situation and circumstances.ARTArticleAddressing Obstacles, Difficulties and Resistances That Arise for the Spiritual SeekerTraditionally spiritual paths have developed guidelines and practices that are applied to everyone as set practices. Thus, some people wind up learning particular forms of meditation or concentration, devotion, or dedicated work, or they practice specific forms of hatha yoga, pranayama or other specialized approaches to gaining mastery over the various aspects of their being, the body, the life energy, the mind while developing the soul entity, the psychic being, and coming into contact with the higher planes of existence beyond the mind.ARTArticleAddressing Obstacles, Weaknesses and Limitations Through the Connection with the Divine PowerThere are so many obstacles and difficulties that confront the spiritual seeker, precisely because the work of transforming human nature in each element involves dealing with endless numbers of embedded habits, instincts, trained responses, etc. It is virtually a constant effort to address each and every one of these conce
s as they arise.ARTArticleAddressing Physical Fatigue Experienced by the Spiritual SeekerMany paths of spiritual practice disregard the needs of the physical body as being irrelevant, distracting, or obstructive to their spiritual development. This has not always been the case. The ancient Greek culture focused on a ‘sound mind in a sound body’ as an ideal. The ancient Vedic tradition recognised the need for a strong body, strong vital force and strong mind as a foundation for spiritual fulfillment.ARTArticleAddressing the Arguments Against Management and Redirection of the Sexual Energy by the Spiritual SeekerPeople tend to get very defensive about the idea of celibacy, sexual abstinence, Brahmacharya, however it may be termed. They argue that it is unhealthy. They argue that this is a process in Nature that ensures the continuity of the race, they argue that the suppression of sexual expression leads to all kinds of perversions and criminality, including pedophilia, rape, or utilization of power dynamics to pressure others into sex. All of these arguments have some basis in fact.ARTArticleAddressing the Divergence Between the Inner Being and the Exte
al NatureComplete sincerity, inwardly and outwardly, is something that does not generally happen ove
ight. There are too many habits, instncts and trained responses that control the way the exte
al nature responds to expect that the mental, vital and physical elements of the being will not only accept the spiritual focus and aspiration, but be able to respond and integrate it into the actual events and circumstances of the outer life.ARTArticleAddressing the Issue of Overactive Nervous System Response to CircumstancesWhenever anything happens in the world, the senses capture the vibrations and send them up the nervous channels to the brain where they are they interpreted and responded to. When the nervous system is sensitive and overly responsive it may vibrate continuously and not let up. This creates an uncomfortable feeling that makes the individual nervous or jumpy, wound up or overly reactive. This makes it difficult, if not impossible, to calmly view whatever the circumstance is and respond to it calmly and in the most effective manner.ARTArticleAddressing the Opening of the Lower Vital BeingEvery part of the being eventually has to open and become receptive to the higher spiritual forces. This will lead to changes in the way these aspects of the exte
al being respond and function. This is a progressive process over time. If the lower vital parts of the being get a surge of energy from an opening, there is both a chance for this to push toward the higher implementation or for it to represent a powerful use of the energy for the normal movements of that lower vital nature. In such a case, considerable damage could be done.ARTArticleAddressing the Process of Evolutionary Change Within the Embedded and Established Habits of the Past That Pose Obstacles to ProgressThe mental consciousness tends to look at things with a linear perspective. It expects things to systematically roll out in a continuous, directed stream. It becomes upset and disoriented when what appears to be a settled result gets suddenly disrupted or upset by new circumstances, forces or events.ARTArticleAddressing the Tendency to Overlook One’s DefectsThe vital nature in particular has a strong hold over the mentality. It uses this hold to find ways for the mind to justify various things that the vital desires. In many cases this occurs through a process of deflection and in others through a process of development of excuses and justifications.ARTArticleAfter Recovery...Can Prayer Help?For those of us who have not only been able to make it through a traumatic life event, but have actually been able to grow from the experience, we often think...What Now?ARTArticleAligning the Exte
al Nature With the Inner Spiritual AspirationPeople espousing their philosophy of how to act in the world are often confronted by a disconnect between their statements and their own actions. They frequently tell children, for instance, ‘Do as I say, not as I do.’ If we assume that the person is not simply motivated by pure self-interest and using his words to capture the support of others, essentially a form of hypocrisy, we sometimes find that the person himself treats his mental adoption of a certain idea, principle or attitude as the reality, without reflecting that his outer actions do not correspond with this inner idea.ARTArticleAligning the Inner Being With the Psychic Aspiration Overcomes the Pressure of Despondency and Depression in the Course of the Spiritual SadhanaTaking the right attitude when feelings of failure or depression arise in the course of the spiritual practice is essential to navigate through these moods with the least disruption. Sri Aurobindo implies that the standpoint should be in the separate witness consciousness, which he distinguishes from the exte
al being. The exte
al being is subject to the changes brought about by the 3 Gunas and thus, will, from time to time, see an uprising of vital disturbance or feelings of weakness, failure, incompetence, etc.ARTArticleAn Unwavering Trust and Faith in the Divine Without Any Admixture of Egoistic Demands or Self-Dealing Is the Attitude to Be Cultivated by the Spiritual AspirantWithout even thinking about it, we are programmed to bargain with the Divine. We carry expectations, we want our desires to be fulfilled. We care about immediate and positive feedback for the efforts we are making and the sacrifices we are undergoing for the Divine. We will agree to devote ourselves to the Divine as long as the Divine is giving us back what we want. We want experiences, we want progress, we want support, we want consolation, we want to see noticeable results. When these disappear, our faith also may disappear!ARTArticleArt of the Virtual Tarot ReadingWhile tarot readings have a long history, the concept of the 'virtual tarot reading' is relatively recent. Tarot card owners often develop a personal connection with their physical tarot decks. Some do not even allow others to touch their personal decks in order to preserve the psychic connection they have cultivated with their particular deck. Traditionalists might wonder if a virtual tarot reading can 'work' as well as a physical deck in capturing the intent of the seeker and the energy of the reader.