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ARTArticleShifting to the Divine Standpoint From the Ego Standpoint Is Central to Overcoming the Impulses of the Exte al Nature That Need to be Changed for the Spiritual FulfillmentThe practitioner of the integral yoga has set before himself the change of what we consider to be basic human nature, the established workings and principles of action of the body, the life-force and the mind. These elements have developed over countless millennia as part of the evolutionary process of Nature. Many of them have been considered foundational principles of the physical body and the life energy. Effectuating any change therefore requires a process and a force that goes beyond our mental will.ARTArticleSincerity and Spiritual SadhanaFor most people, the concept of ‘sincerity’ is connected with how they relate to other people, in an open, natural and honest way, without duplicity or hypocrisy. The idea that sincerity can relate to oneself and one’s inner life is something that spiritual aspirants grapple with. Sincerity is an essential quality for the spiritual seeker as it implies that the thoughts, emotions, vital responses and physical reactions align with the deepest aspiration. Without sincerity, the aspiration is basically thwarted, diverted or obstructed in the exte al being.ARTArticleSincerity in the Aspiration Is the Basis of the Divine LifeThe ego-consciousness is deeply embedded in each human individual, through the evolutionary process that created the ego as a mechanism for individuation and self-awareness, as the mental phase of this process took shape over long periods of time. The ego provided a needed framework to allow quite individual progress and development separated from the more collective expressions found in animal life.ARTArticleSleep and SadhanaWhat happens when we sleep? Where does the consciousness go? For most people, sleep is a blank state. We have little awareness of what goes on during sleep, except for times when we are having a dream in a state near enough to the waking state that we actually remember details from the dream. We may try to interpret and understand the dream. We believe there may be some significance to it but we are not quite sure.ARTArticleSleep, Dream, Waking Consciousness, Self-Awareness and Spiritual DevelopmentThe physical consciousness is the primary seat of the Guna of Tamas in the being, in general, and thus, when the waking consciousness of the mental and vital levels is in abeyance during sleep, there is a natural tendency for the tamasic energy to come forward for a time. One of the first questions to arise is ‘what happens to the mental and vital consciousness’ during sleep? Some speculate that they simply go into a state of inactivity or lesser activity. What we can say is that the sleep state tends ordinarily to remove the self-awareness.ARTArticleSlogging Through the Dense and Dull Consciousness of the Physical BeingThe natural seat of the Guna of sattwa is in the mental being; rajas in the vital being and tamas in the physical being. This is not to imply that there are not times and situations where one of the othe qualities comes forward in any of these three aspects of our exte al being; on the contrary, we can identify tamasic and rajasic elements in the mental being, as well as sattwic and tamasic elements in the vital being, and sattwic and rajasic elements in the physical being.ARTArticleSolving Illness With Insight and ModerationIt is a natural human tendency, and it carries over to those who take up spiritual practice. This tendency sees most things through the mental lens and tries to categorize them as black and white, positive and negative, etc., essentially creating a mental framework of exclusion that looks to thoughts, actions and focus without looking at process, timing or the needs of the various elements being addressed, whether they are individual formations of the mental, emotional, vital or physical basis or more general formations of the social framework. Thus, we tend to extremes and become dogmatic.r ARTArticleSoul MateNever has there been more written about a topic , if you google this topic, you will get a million results!! So what is it about soul relationships that intrigues us so? Well I guess all of us at one time or other have dreamt of meeting our soul mate and living happily ever after isn’t that what films have been telling us over the years? Soul Mate Recognition Soul relationships can take many guises and can come at anytime of one’s life, there’s mother daughter relationships, brother/ sister but the one that fascinates us the most is the romantic kind , the quest to find “the one”.r ARTArticleSpiritual Awakening: Moving Away From Disillusionment to Finding Meaning in LifeAs we grow and experience life, there may come a time when we become disillusioned. We may feel like there is no meaning or significance to what we do. We feel like we are running in a hamster wheel, or on a treadmill, always striving to earn money to survive and maybe have a bit of enjoyment. We experience empty enjoyments and superficial relationships. We wind up asking ‘why’. This can be a real turning point for an individual who is ready for taking up the spiritual life. A feeling of throwing it all away and escaping rises up. We call these feelings many things.ARTArticleSpiritual Development Can Occur Regardless of One’s Activities in the WorldFrom early childhood we are inculcated with the idea of achieving success, becoming foremost and occupying a position of power, prestige or wealth in the world. Parents drum this idea into the mind of their children that they need to study, attain degrees, choose suitable (lucrative) careers, and marry well to occupy their role in society. A hierarchy is established through this process that treats certain types of careers as prestigious and rewarding, and others as low, demeaning, degrading, or somehow of lesser value or importance.ARTArticleSpiritual Development Is a Marathon, Not a SprintA devotee by the name of Satyakama Jabala approached a respected Guru, in a story related in the Chhandogya Upanishad. He asked for teachings so he could achieve realisation on the spiritual path. The teacher asked him his name and family background, to which the young seeker replied that he did not know who his father was. The teacher was impressed with the truthfulness of the youth and gave him an opportunity.ARTArticleSpiritual Development Through Action of the Divine Force Rather Than Through Purely Personal EffortWe are wrapped up in the ego-consciousness from the moment we take birth. The entire societal structure, as well as the weight of millennia of evolutionary development to create an entity that could develop the powers of the vital and mental being as a self-aware and seemingly independent being, works to build up the ego consciousness.ARTArticleSpiritual Experience Beyond the MindIn his epic poem Savitri: A Legend and a Symbol, Sri Aurobindo states: “God shall grow up while the wise men talk and sleep.” Until an individual has an actual experience of an inward state of consciousness, or that of the silent mind, or one in which the experience is that of an uninvolved witness, or one experiences the descent of knowledge, or power or ecstatic bliss that goes outside the bounds of the normal human experience, he cannot truly understand what is meant by these descriptive terms.ARTArticleSpiritual Experience Impacting the Exte al BeingSpiritual experiences are not purely subjective events impacting the mind or the emotions. They can also take on a very concrete form that impacts the vital nature and the physical body. Because of a general mental, religious and social bias against what appear to be unusual experiences, many people are left confused, bewildered, or even afraid to discuss what has occurred within them for fear of being labeled or even ostracized. Many people have been referred for psychological counseling once they have begun to speak about what is occurring in their inner state.ARTArticleSpiritual Experiences and the Foundation of Peace and Aspiration Needed As Their BasisThe vital nature is enamoured of experiences that are new and different, ‘exciting’, unusual. This is the allure of the vision quest, fasting, and the use of entheogenic substances to bring forth experiences, visions, contact with alte ative states of conscious awareness, and alte ative realities. Many techniques have been developed to encourage these experiences, including various psycho-physical practices, breathing techniques, mantras and chanting, the use of mudras, bandhas, tratak, devotional singing and dance, Sufi dancing, etc.ARTArticleSpiritual Guidance Upon WarWar Guidance (This is a sessio I had with Spirit upon the issue of war. The insights given were surprising at first to me but after reflection upon them they were logical in view of the Universal Laws.) R. I want to talk about the current world situation and the ongoing war. What insight do you have for me conce ing all of this?ARTArticleSpiritual Martyrdom Trap: Avoid at All CostsRefusing to capitalize on your abilities (i.e., accepting money for your talents) and sacrificing yourself for nothing in return only generates negative consequences and hinders your spiritual growth. Centuries ago, religious adherents were conditioned to believe that they should never use their “spiritual gifts” for personal gain; in doing so they believed they would be damned to hell forever. You’re Not Alone if You’ve Fallen For it ARTArticleSpiritual Progress: Personal Effort or Surrender to the Divine GraceWe see in the legends about great yogic practitioners and their struggles to achieve the spiritual results, a variety of approaches. Two major approaches have been categorised as the “baby monkey” and the “baby cat” approach. The differentiation involves the way the individual participates in the process of spiritual growth and transformation. The baby monkey approach involves substantial personal effort.ARTArticleSpiritually Effective Work Depends on the Inner AttitudeWhenever we act in the world, whether it is a job, or any kind of activity that involves the expression of energy in the exte al world, whether physical, vital, mental, etc. we generally do so with a particular ambition, motivation, desire or need. It could be based on physical needs for food, clothing and shelter; it could be based on vital desires or some form of ambition, a seeking for some physical, vital, emotional or mental satisfaction. It could be a form of vanity, or a seeking after fame or glory, wealth or other forms of recognition.ARTArticleStanding Back from the Reactions of the Exte al NatureThe action of the three Gunas rules our exte al nature. Rajas active in the vital being tends to fixate on the fulfillment and satisfaction of desires of whatever kind. Desires, however, cannot ever be fully satisfied as the fulfillment of a desire simply increases the vital’s push for more. A ‘groove’ is more or less created that is a known and easy pathway for energy to flow and thereafter, it tends to go down that path more easily than trying to take a different approach.ARTArticleStepping Into OurselvesI have written a book, which should be out in the next few months. In it I share a story regarding the beginning of human kind, which I have alluded to in some of my Fifth Elements. It’s a story that elicits deep compassion for our species as we are a people divided within. This is not to say that we can’t function, enjoy our lives, make some progress spiritually and even love. We can do all of these things to varying degrees, even without any conscious connection to ourselves.ARTArticleStrength and Courage Are Needed to Face the Difficulties of the Spiritual PathWhen an individual withdraws from most exte al activities to focus on spiritual sadhana, people tend to interpret this as a sign of weakness or failure in the outer life. They believe the seeker could not ‘make it’ in the competition in the exte al world and therefore retreated from it so he did not have to face it. This view, however, is inaccurate. While it is true that some individuals retreat from the difficulties they face in the world, they soon find that spiritual practice requires far more strength than they could have imagined.ARTArticleSuccess in Yoga Despite Negative Suggestions of Unfitness or ImpossibilityAs the three Gunas continue to rotate their action in the exte al personality, there are times when Rajas presides and there is potentially a sense of ambition and with it, a sustained effort. When Tamas presides, however, there is a tendency to fall into despondency or depression, seeing things from a viewpoint of general incapacity and without the energy to break out of the slump. The good thing is that neither of these two states are permanent as the Gunas are always in motion.ARTArticleSuicide Does Not Provide an Escape From the Difficulties of Life or of Spiritual DevelopmentAn individual reaches an absolute low point in his life. He may be suffering under intense grief, he may have made mistakes that led to catastrophic consequences, he may be faced with exposure and embarassment for actions he has undertaken, he may be in intense pain and suffering from a terminal disease. He may have been rejected by a person he was attached to. He may be under the influence of various disorienting drugs. These are all predisposing circumstances that lead some individuals to contemplate suicide.ARTArticleSuppression or Rejection of the Force of DesireWhen an individual takes up religious or spiritual practices, he becomes aware of the force of desire and the need to curb it. In some cases, particularly in religious pursuits, there are a set of moral rules or monastic rules that provide set guidelines for the practitioner. Usually these things revolve around control of the impulse for sex in some manner, including potentially complete abstinence.ARTArticleSuppression Without True Rejection of the Sexual Impulse Does Not Solve the Issue for the Spiritual SeekerThe first impulse of religious or spiritual paths with respect to the sex impulse has frequently been to simply suppress and deny it. When any form of energy is forcefully suppressed, it acts like a coiled spring, storing that energy and building up its potential power, until such time as it is able to overcome the force of the suppression and then is released with a tremendous uprising of that energy. The result can be explosive, similar to the eruption of a volcano. Pressures build up until the cover can no longer contain it and it bursts forth.ARTArticleSustaining the Yogic Endeavour in the Unique Challenges Posed by the Integral YogaFor those individuals called to take up the integral yoga, there is a unique opportunity and a unique set of conce s that arise. Those paths of yoga which aim at liberation have their own difficulties. It is not simple to escape the lures of the exte al life, or even to undertake one-pointed concentration to the exclusion of anything else. Yet there are methods, and there are defined results, and at the end, with sufficient determination and practice, the seeker in the traditional paths of yoga can reach his objective.ARTArticleSymbolic DreamsSymbolic dreams are common and in many cases, similar thematic elements show up for most people. These dreams attempt to raise up from the subconscious levels some underlying need, concern, fear, or persistent issue that remains unresolved in the exte al life. Sigmund Freud, in his work on The Interpretation of Dreams provided his translation of certain common symbolic elements into their underlying significance for the individual. His work, however, was limited by his very narrow focus on the lower subconscious levels.ARTArticleTarot Card Reading for BeginnersWhat are tarot cards? Tarot is a pack of 78 cards. Tarot cards have four suits corresponding to the suits of conventional playing cards. Like conventional playing cards, each suit has cards ace to ten and four face cards for a total of 14 cards. These suit cards are called the 'minor arcana'. Unlike conventional playing cards, tarot cards have an additional 21-card trump suit and a single card known as the Fool. These cards are called the 'major arcana'. Tarot reading is an ancient tool of divination--an attempt to foretell the future or uncover hidden knowledge about life.ARTArticleThe "Big Book" is a text!Chapter 1 - Study of How It Works (p.13-15 Spiritual Infusion) Here is a simple study approach to use. I learned it when attending an Inductive Bible Study course. It involves three basic skills: observation, interpretation, and application. (1) Observation answers the question: What does the text say? (2) Interpretation answers the question: What does the text mean? (3) Application answers the question: What does the text mean to me personally? What truths can I put into practice? What changes should I make in my life?r

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