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ARTArticleIllness, Faith, Yoga-Power and MedicinesIf we examine how illness comes upon us, and what effects it has, we can identify multiple different contributing factors that can lead to the physical imbalances that we call illness. Many of the symptoms of illness are the result of the physical body actually resisting the effect of the illness. Is it possible to do away with illness? Is it possible to prevent illness? Is it possible to heal illness?ARTArticleImagine Happiness for Fun and SuccessWhen I was a little girl I loved to play “pretend.” I imagined lots of different scenarios from being the first female baseball player for the Chicago Cubs to flying like Superman. I had a friend, Teresa, who would pretend with me. We also put on little performances. I only have a vague recollection of the entertainment, but I do remember singing, “Side by Side,” by Harry Lucas. It was written the year my mother was born, so it was an oldie even when I was a youngster. My favorite chorus was: Oh, we ain't got a barrel of money, Maybe we're ragged and funnyr But we'll travel alongr ARTArticleImmunity, Yoga-Force and the Supramental NatureA question recently arose about how to become aware of the subtle vital envelope that surrounds the physical body and acts to protect it. One can practice quieting the mind, the emotions, the vital energies and the body and just feeling the sensation of the wider body until it becomes vivid and constant. One can close one’s eyes, sit quietly and have another individual quietly move a hand toward the body, not quite touching it, and sense where it is. one can begin to observe and feel when some pressure is felt such as feeling the beginning of a cold or other physical imbalance.ARTArticleIncreasing Awareness, Detachment and Mastery Are the Requirements for the Practitioner of the Integral YogaWe have something of a conflict in the way we tend to view the development of consciousness. On the one side, we generally try to minimize the distractions and reactions to sensations, impulses, feelings, thoughts from outside while we attend to our meditation or deep spiritual concentration. The stories abound of sages who were so immersed in their internal meditation that they did not react to anything exte al, in some cases having anthills grow up around their bodies!ARTArticleIndividual Strength, the Power of Sincerity and the Action of the Divine GraceParticularly in the West, historically, but more and more a world-wide phenomenon in the modern era, there is a strong bias toward the idea that one needs to be a “self-made man”, implying that it is through individual strength and accomplishment that one can accomplish anything. This bias is something of an illusion, even in the exte al world and its results, as much of the success we see in the world may be the result of family or school connections, or just being in the right place at the right time.ARTArticleIndulgence of Desire Does Not Lead to RejectionIf we reflect on how we learn, how we gain skills, we find that one of the key elements is repetition. We train our muscles through repetition of an exercise regimen. We train our minds through repetition and we train our responses through repetition. At some point we embed the results of the repetition into what we call ‘muscle memory’ or ‘cellular memory’. Our immune systems respond more effectively to provocations that have been seen before. There is thus a ‘memory’ in our immune system.ARTArticleInner Attitudes Towards Life, Towards Oneself and Others, Towards Work and Towards DifficultiesWe have previously explored the attitudes of the exte al, outer being in relation to these various issues. This is the opportunity to compare that view with the attitude of the inner being. At a certain point in an individual’s journey the development takes him beyond his initial fixation with the things that the exte al life can offer.ARTArticleInner Peace Is the Foundation and Basis for Spiritual GrowthWhen the spiritual seeker begins to recognise all of the difficulties and obstacles in his own exte al being, and understands the need to reduce and remove these obstacles if there is to be any permanent and major progress, he may begin by struggling with the desires, the movements that arise, the thoughts that harass his mind. There is no end to these difficulties, so if he becomes fixated on them, he can distract himself from the transformational work of shifting his focus to the spiritual realms and the energy that they make available.ARTArticleInside attachmentWhatever we are attached to will hurt us. It is well understood that attachment is the condition for our suffering and that whatever we are attached to will hurt us This attachment will always manifests in a possessive relationship with life and everything that it contains, and is revealed in the words ‘I, me, mine and my.’ When using these words without wisdom and understanding we open the gates to our unhappiness. The answer to the question, ‘who suffers ?’ is always the same, ‘I do !’ Attachment is always possessive, but what is it that we think we own ?r ARTArticleInsights About the Need for Strength and Flexibility in the Practice of the Integral YogaSri Aurobindo makes several essential points here that bear some reflection. First, the need for strength in all the parts of the being. Until it actually begins to happen to an individual, he has no idea about the power of the Divine Force descending into the being and what impact it has on the mind, the vital being and the body. There are warnings in some of the traditional yogic paths about the potential imbalances that can occur when the yogic power awakens in an individual who is not properly prepared.ARTArticleIntegral Surrender to the DivineWe tend to live under the illusion that we are one being and that what we think or feel represents ‘who we are’. We accept the idea that we are dedicated to a spiritual path, or we accept the sense of devotion that we feel as representing our surrender to the Divine Will. Yet, we have different aspects of our being that may not actually carry out this dedication or surrender in their day to day activities; rather, they may act from desire, or some egoistic impulsion.ARTArticleIntegral Yoga Method for Attaining Mastery Over the Force of Desire in the Lower Vital NatureHumanity develops habits of response that tend to become ingrained in almost all approaches to any particular topic. This is found to be especially true when it comes to the question of religious dedication and spiritual aspiration. The default response to religious or spiritual devotion has historically been to give up, abandon, the focus on life in the material world.ARTArticleIntroduction to Looking from Within: A Seeker’s Guide to Attitudes for Mastery and Inner GrowthHow do we look at our lives? Do we find any meaning or purpose in living? Or are we just here to live a material existence, enjoy ourselves as much as possible, try to avoid suffering and eventually die without much pain? Many people do not take the opportunity to shift their perspective on life and this then represents the frame within which they exist. They live in the exte al world without much reflection.ARTArticleIntroduction to the Higher Levels of Consciousness Beyond the MindWestern psychology has begun to explore the levels and ‘realms’ of mind. This study has been going on for many hundreds, if not thousands, of years in India, where the psychological framework of ‘inner space’ has been a key focus of yogic psychology. Western study started with the mental powers and then began to explore the connection ot less conscious levels, such as the subconscious and (what Jung called the “collective unconscious) and their influence on our waking minds and responses to circumstances and events.ARTArticleIntuition: The Soul Of LoveIntuition like love emerges from the depths of the soul. Simply defined as knowing something without knowing how you know it, intuiton may be one of your greatest allies in attracting and maintaing successful and loving relationships. Have you ever noticed how feelings of love and attraction seem to magnify intuitive ability?ARTArticleIntuitive SexualityHave you ever noticed how sexual and sensual feelings seem to intensity and increase not just your physical alertness but your mental, spiritual and emotional sensitivity as well? You feel more, experience more and become an open door for tuning into yourself and your partner in ways that escape your attention during every-day interactions. This heightened mind-body-spirit responsiveness is a form of intuitive awareness.ARTArticleIs Every Man Capable of ‘Sinful Behavior” Under Certain Circumstances?Cultured and educated people often believe that they could not stoop to certain actions or be guilty of certain motives in their actions, or simply react to circumstances in a way other than that of their predominant mental view of themselves. They may look down on those who appear to them to be weak, sinful or who give in to impulses that are hateful, greedy, lustful or otherwise exhibit one of the ‘sins’ that humanity generally recognises as unacceptable behavior.ARTArticleIs It Sleep, Or Is It Samadhi?When the consciousness moves inward, away from the awareness of the exte al reality, it is frequently interpreted as ‘sleep’ by those who experience it for the first time. The reason they believe it is sleep is due to a lack of communication between that inward state of consciousness and the outward exte al awareness, and the identification with the known conception of ‘sleep’ which, in some ways, mimics the action of samadh, with respect to the absence of conscious attention of the exte al waking ego-personality..ARTArticleIsolation, Introspection, Introversion and the Witness ConsciousnessA young person, around 20 years of age, reported an experience he had while visiting a beer hall in Munich, Germany with some friends and acquaintances. As could be expected, there was a lot of noise, clinking of glasses, singing, laughing, story-telling among his friends, as well as generally in the pub. He suddenly felt totally isolated, ‘alone in the crowd’, as he phrased it. He felt out of place, like he could not understand what he was doing there. It brought him to a state of disorientation about what his entire life was about.ARTArticleKeep Hold On Your Aspiration Through All Difficulties and CircumstancesThe flame of aspiration is the force that keeps the sadhak moving forward in his spiritual practice, regardless of the forces that threaten or oppose that progress, whether from outside or which rise up internally. Everyone goes through changes of mood and energy as the three Gunas fluctuate. Even in the darkest of periods when Tamas takes hold of the being, there is that flame, hidden deep within the secret heart, that is oriented towards the Divine. If all else seems to fail, it is that flame which needs to be kept lit and be the anchor of the sadhak’s efforts.ARTArticleKey Differences Between Human and Animal ConsciousnessWhat makes the human consciousness different from the animal consciousness? A primary factor is the possibility that a human being has for detaching himself from total involvement in the exte al life, and along with that, the opportunity for evolutionary growth.ARTArticleLet Endurance Be Your Watchword in the Yogic EndeavourSuccessful people, in whatever field, tend to highlight their ability to keep going. They indicate that no matter how many times one falls, one must get up, or in the local vernacular, ‘keep on keeping on’. Reactiveness, an inability to hold one’s peace under provocation, is considered to be a sign of vital weakness. People who have cultivated vital strength tend to be able to bear much without expressions of anger, without lashing out, without crying or otherwise evidencing signs of distress.ARTArticleLiberating the Consciousness from Imprisonment in the Physical BodyWhen we reflect on our normal state of conscious awareness, we recognise a primary seat of awareness in the mind, while also finding that we respond to impulses that originate in the other chakras, subtle energy centres, from the base of the spine to the crown of the head. Yogic science has long recognised that energy traverses the sublte channels that connect the chakras.ARTArticleLiberation and Self-Perfection: Adherence to the Divine Intention in the Universal ManifestationMuch of the historical context of spirituality has been centered around the idea of individual realisation and liberation. The disciplines, practices and methods have been geared towards the individual achieving some form of release from what is recognised to be the ‘illusion’ of the exte al world around us and the chasing after transitory rewards to be acquired in that exte al world, in the form of wealth, prestige, fame, power, physical, vital or mental satisfactions or gratifications, etc.ARTArticleLiberation From and Mastery of the Exte al Nature of ManMany religious and spiritual traditions focus on the idea of ‘liberation’ from bondage to the illusion of the exte al world and its enticements and attractions. In some cases, this takes the form of a vow of austerity and a focus on achieving redemption and access to heaven after one dies. In other cases, it involves the one-pointed focus on liberation with the abandonment of the active life in the world, a reduction of one’s needs down to a bare minimum, and in some cases, using a begging bowl to obtain food and accepting whatever, if anything, comes to one.ARTArticleLike Alice in WonderlandNotes to Myself ARTArticleLive Your Divine PurposeOn January 20th 2009 I had an intense vision, one that would define my career and play out in various stages throughout my life. It came to me first as a complex jumble, with many messages beaming in at once and me falling over myself to comprehend them all. Over time, it’s repeated itself in gentler and clearer ways, most notably in my work with clients. I endeavor here to share with people the “meta-vision” of the last year and a half of my life, what I mean by the words “Live Your Divine Purpose”, and the over-arching goal of my work. The Human Heartr ARTArticleLocation, Location, Location ~ 3 Questions You MUST Ask Before Booking Your Spiritual Workshop VenueOnce you've got a great workshop idea, the next step is to find the right venue. Since not all venues are not created equal, here are 3 questions every spiritual practitioner MUST ask before booking your spiritual workshop location. Question #1: Do they have an established clientele and, if so, who are they? Ideally, you want to book your workshop in a venue with an established clientele that matches the profile of your perfect workshop guest. The reasons are twofold:ARTArticleLoneliness at the HolidaysMost of us a familiar with the statistics showing that holiday time has one of the highest suicide and depression rates of the whole year. Even if you are not feeling overtly depressed or even suicidal it is quite possible that you may be one the millions of people who have feelings of loneliness and sadness this time of year. So what is it about the holidays that causes us to feel so sad?ARTArticleLooking from Within — Summary and ConclusionsThere is a deeply embedded aspiration wtihin humanity to discover some purpoe or significance to our lives, and to the very existence of the creation within which we live and act. Our training and education, from our earliest childhood, is fixated on achieving our standing within the exte al reality of the society within which we live. We are asked to learn a trade, have a career, marry and raise a family. We are then told that we should seek for enjoyment and we search for happiness through exte al actions and material gratifications.

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