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ARTArticleConscious Powers of Light and Darkness Oppose One Another in the Exte
al World We InhabitEverywhere we look, whether in material Nature, or in the vital or mental domains, we see a play of forces, attraction and repulsion, centrifugal and centripetal, positive and negative, dark and light, etc. It appears to be a core principle of the creation to utilize these opposing forces to create the dynamic needed for a progressive evolution of consciousness. Opposition appears to strengthen the forces of growth. We find that trees and plants subjected to somewhat strong winds, for instance tend to root themselves more firmly.ARTArticleConsciousness Pervades All Forms, Beings and Entities in the Universal CreationIn his play Hamlet, William Shakespeare comments on the limitations of the objective mind and its ability to understand existence: ““There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy”. Our mind’s view of the existence of the universe and its significance is blindered by our reliance on what we can observe with our senses, and our ability to correctly organise and interpret what we perceive.ARTArticleConsciousness, Its Powers and the Drive to Discover Our True SelfWhen we try to define consciousness we tend to do it from an individual standpoint, our own state of awareness. From a broader perspective however, we can see that consciousness exceeds both in scope and power, that of the individual status. Western science is moving toward a view that will eventually agree with the insights of the ancient Rishis and sages, as it has definitively determined that Matter is a form of energy, and in fact, maintains immense energy potential locked up in the concentrated form that we call Matter.ARTArticleControlling One’s ImaginationMore frequently than not, the spiritual aspirant has both a great upward aspiration and a corresponding ‘knot’ that he needs to work out which is the counter-part to the upward capacity. It is the dynamic tension between the two that forces him to persevere. He will either given in to the lower impulse or find a way to work it out, dissolve it, eliminate it and realise the highest potentiality of his being.ARTArticleCreating Beneficial Thought Forms and Their Positive ActionWhenever there is some kind of news headline about a major negative event, such as a school shooting, or a catastrophic earthquake or hurricane, we hear major political leaders express “thoughts and prayers” for the victims and their families. Everyone knows that there is no serious force behind this and it is intended to deflect from actually doing anything. It also makes us doubt the efficacy of ‘thoughts and prayers’ at all. Aside from the deliberate hypocrisy at work here, it is clear that no real force of consciousness and development of a powerful thought form was applied at all.ARTArticleDealing With PainIf we look at the mechanism of pain, we find that wherever there is an injury, disease or stress on a part of the body, a ‘vibration’ starts there, in many cases what medical science would call ‘inflammation’, that triggers a nerve impulse to send the signal to the receptors in the brain, where the impulse is then interpreted and experienced as pain.ARTArticleDeterminism in the Exercise of Free Will — Free Will in the Carrying Out of DeterminismWe generally jump to extremes in our way of looking at things from our normal, mental viewpoint. Thus, we either want to accept that everything is absolutely determined and thus, every move we make, every action, every reaction, is choreographed down to the slightest detail; or else, we want to believe that we are totally free and independent and we are basically “self made” in our decisions and actions. The reality however is somewhat more complicated than this view.ARTArticleDeveloping Gnostic Living Amidst a World of OppositionAnother, and serious, issue that arises is the relationship of the gnostic individuals and community to that wider world of humanity and life in general which remains based in the physical, vital and mental principles and thus, continues to operate on the basis of division, fragmentation and the principles of ego and desire.
How will emerging gnostic communities both relate to and survive such an encounter?ARTArticleDifferences Between the Practice of Magic and Spiritual ActionIt is an obvious fact that as one grows and develops in the spiritual path, the concentration of conscious force, tapasya, will definitely increase not only the spiritual development, but also the powers that the individual has available to accomplish action in his life in the world. In the past, when spirituality was bifurcated from the outer life, seekers were advised not to utilize the various powers that arose.ARTArticleDistinguishing Magic from OccultismThere is considerable confusion between the concept of occultism and the idea of the practice of magic (whether considered ‘white’ magic or ‘black’ magic). Occultism essential is the science of dealing with forces subliminal to our outer senses, but nevertheless active and acting upon our being. On the material plane, electricity is essentially an occult force, working unseen but having palpable results of its action. Those who learn how to generate, channel and put electricity to work are essentially practicing occultism on the material plane.ARTArticleDistinguishing Rapid Process of Thought from True IntuitionWe occasionally meet people who seem to be highly intuitive. With very few facts, and with a very fast response time, they seem to understand and decide things successfully that we are struggling to deal with, and for which we need considerably more time. In some cases, there may be the functioning of the higher power of intuition, but actually in many cases, there is simply a rapid correlation response going on in the brain. Sometimes this is a matter of experience and instantaneous pattern recognition.ARTArticleDistinguishing Will From Willings“The integral yoga, which involves a deep understanding of the normal psychology of the human being, as well as the impact of the descent of the higher spiritual force to manifest the Divine Will in the manifestation, has to develop its own terminology and specific definitions so as to ensure clear communication and understanding. One such instance of this is distinguishing between ‘will’ and ‘willing’. Will, as a concept, is reserved for the expression of the higher intention in the manifestation.ARTArticleDivine Grace and Cosmic LawThe terms ‘divine grace’, along with ‘cosmic law’ and ‘divine compassion’, are transcriptions into human terms from our human viewpoint of actions and events that take place from an entirely different level of the divine manifestation and with a viewpoint that far exceeds that of our limited human understanding. For example, we tend to look at the world as some kind of machinery that operates under specific strict rules that we treat as inflexible rules, governed by an all-powerful, all-knowing ruler..ARTArticleDivine Will and Divine GraceWhat is the will of the Divine, and how can we know it? The usual answer is some prescription from one religion or another with a doctrine supported by that religious persuasion as being the correct interpretation. In some cases, the Divine Will seems thereby to be in conflict from one religion to another, and we thus set up the battles that have led to more death and suffering in the world than virtually any other cause. The Crusades, the Holy Inquisition are a few examples of men interpreting the Divine Will to support their own ideology.ARTArticleDo the Stars Control Our Destiny?Someone has their astrological chart done, and by that they are able to determine the location of the various planets and the sun and moon and the constellations in relation to their birth. They will learn about the hardships they will face, the major life events they can expect, and the opportunities that lie in front of them. Some people reject the entire concept of astrology, while others treat it as a true relation of their future and take the information they receive from their chart to heart.ARTArticleDo We Create Our Own Thoughts and Feelings?Teilhard de Chardin described what he called a noosphere, a belt of mental energy that encompasses the earth, and which moves vibrations that can be perceived at the mental level and converted into thoughts and thought-forms. This is similar to the biosphere at the level of the life-energy and the ionosphere that protects the planet through absorption and reflection of solar radiation.ARTArticleDo We Have Subtle Sense Organs, Beyond the 5 Physical Senses We Recognise?We are generally so fixated on the impressions we receive through the action of the five physical sense organs, that we fail to recognise that we frequently sense things without these senses providing any input. For instance, people can frequently sense when someone is staring at them, even when they have not seen nor otherwise experienced the presence of that individual. People sometimes experience fear, or horror in certain circumstances that have otherwise no visible cause for alarm.ARTArticleDo We Really Exercise Free Will in Our Lives?Subjectively we tend to believe that we make our own decisions and that we are exercising ‘free will’. What we do not generally do is recognise that there is an entire preceding set of ’causes’ which lead us to the present moment and the very type of choices we make. We may be extremely ‘predictable’ in the regularity of our decision process, or we may be highly unconventional and tend to take the ‘road less travelled’.ARTArticleDoubt and Faith: Resolving the Debate Between Science and ReligionThere has been a long-standing debate between religion and science, centered around the question of faith versus the search for truth through the use of the mind and its powers. This raises several questions, however, about the type and nature of the faith, and the type and nature of the mental action. There is no necessary or irreconcilable division between them, but we need to understand the situation more in depth to find the point where they coexist and actually support one another.ARTArticleDrawing on the Universal Energy for Life-ForceIf we observe the way we receive energy normally, we can determine that the sun is the immediate source of physical energy and it then gets transformed, or converted, into other forms of energy including life energy. The first step in this transformation comes about through the ability of plants to turn solar energy into life-energy. The plants then store the produced energy, using some of it for growth and some for life activities. Animals, in turn consume plants to obtain a share of this physical energy which they need to survive and thrive.ARTArticleDrawing on the Universal Energy for Life-ForceIf we observe the way we receive energy normally, we can determine that the sun is the immediate source of physical energy and it then gets transformed, or converted, into other forms of energy including life energy. The first step in this transformation comes about through the ability of plants to turn solar energy into life-energy. The plants then store the produced energy, using some of it for growth and some for life activities. Animals, in turn consume plants to obtain a share of this physical energy which they need to survive and thrive.ARTArticleEconomic Systems Cannot Solve the Evolutionary CrisisSri Aurobindo continues to explore the various proposed methods for effecting positive change in human life and society so as to confront the evolutionary crisis we see before us. Some have proposed that the solution can be found in developing a more perfect economic system, and much effort has gone into developing and implementing a number of economic models which go under names such as capitalism, communism, socialism, etc.ARTArticleEducating and Uplifting the Vital Nature: Part 1 Understanding the IssuesWhen we recognize the difficulties of managing the energy of the vital nature, and its long habits of how it finds fulfillment and satisfaction, we can appreciate that there are no ‘simple’ solutions available. The vital, when it is cooperative with the mind and the psychic being, is an incredible power of effectuation; when it sets up obstacles, however, it can pose immense difficulties for the seeker.ARTArticleEducating and Uplifting the Vital Nature: Part 2 Concepts and Principles of ActionGaining the cooperation of the vital nature is an important step in the transformation of our existence, including the upliftment of the physical nature. Once we have begun the process of observation of the vital nature, its habits and its predilections, we can begin to implement various methodologies and techniques to reshape and redirect its energies. In order to do this effectively, however, we must appreciate certain principles and concepts that govern the process, whichever specific techniques we attempt.ARTArticleEducating and Uplifting the Vital Nature: Part 3 Methods and TechniquesOne of the prevalent ideas about managing the vital nature has been the idea that punishment in some form or other is beneficial. Spanking of children, for example has been a common method of ‘educating’ them. It is a form of conditioning that administers a negative consequence to a specific behavior that the parent (or other authorized authority figure) wants to eliminate. Modern psychological research indicates that, in fact, this method is not the best approach to what is actually vital education.ARTArticleEffectuating the Formations of Imagination Over Time and CircumstanceCreating a detailed imagination is the first step in a future realisation. The formation so devised will attempt to achieve its actualisation in the world. Yet, it must contend with the readiness of the ground upon which it alights, the preparation of the ‘soil’, the proper support along the way, and avoidance of those forces and influences which will tend to either destroy, distract or delay its coming to fruition. The formation struggles to survive, grow, thrive and bear fruit. It may take time. The more far-reaching the intended outcome, the longer it may take.ARTArticleEmpowering Thought Forms Through Linking of Will and EmotionPerhaps the biggest impediments to the exercise of the occult powers native to the human condition is our lack of willingness to acknowledge these powers for what they are, and our lack of attention and focus on understanding, developing and exercising them. When extraordinary circumstances arise, and we actually concentrate our minds, things may take place that we do not associate with the direct action of our minds. Perhaps they occur out of sequence with our action, or at a distant place, or in an unexpected manner.ARTArticleEncouraging the Dreams of ChildrenWe could say that it is almost a universal experience. A child expresses some sentiment, some idea about what he or she would like to do, something that soars beyond the mundane daily existence, something that makes things better, increases the beauty and harmony of life, cherishes life, and then the elders, parents, relatives, teachers, make it clear to the child that their dreams are not ‘practical’ and they should instead focus on their studies and preparing for a career or job that will provide them a stable livelihood in their adult lives.ARTArticleEndurance Is Required for Progress, Growth and SuccessEach part of the being has its own form of endurance. Endurance is essential for any true and lasting development. Change tends to be mostly incremental. When it comes more rapidly it is usually accompanied by major disruptions to the status quo. In either case, one form of endurance, or another, is required.ARTArticleEverybody Practices Occultism, Whether They Realize It or NotPeople proudly deny occultism with a laugh and a smirk about how unreal it is, and how people are taken in by the occult sciences. They state their dependence on what is “real” and “solid” and palpable to their senses. Seeing is believing, they say! They frequently pound on the table to prove how “real” what they believe in happens to be.
Yet, when given the opportunity to objectify what they do in their lives, they reveal that they too are practitioners of occult arts, things that are not so palpable or ‘solid’ as they profess in their attempt to minimize the value of occultism.