Category
Spirituality
Browse the spirituality library by topic first, then narrow into articles, websites, videos, or events.
Topics
Spirituality Topics
Like the legacy category pages, start with the full topic folder list. The selected lane controls where each topic opens.
Everything39,166Browse the category resource libraryArticles30,061Read expert articles and newslettersWebsites9,102Browse recommended websites and resourcesVideos2Watch category videosEvents1Find upcoming sessions and events
Topic clicks are currently scoped to Everything. Choose Articles, Websites, Videos, or Events to open that resource type for every topic below.
A Course in MiraclesAffirmations and Positive AffirmationsAkashic RecordsAstrologyAuraBeliefChannelingChristianityConsciousness and AwarenessCreativityDowsingEnergy Healing and Energy MedicineEnlightenmentFaithHopeHoroscopesImaginationInner PeaceIntuitionLife BalanceLife PurposeMeditationMiraclesMysticismNew AgeNumerologyPalm ReadingPositive ThinkingPsychic Readings and PsychicsReligionSelf KnowledgeSelf RealizationSpiritual GrowthSpiritual GuidesSpiritual HealingTarotZen and Mindfulness
Everything
Spirituality Resources
Browse a compact directory list below, or use the topic folders above for a focused legacy-style path.
30 resources
ARTArticleDistinguishing Vital Movements from the Expression of the Psychic BeingIt is not easy for most people to distinguish vital responses such as feelings or emotions from the true expression of the psychic being within them. This is primarily due to the fact that just about everyone bases themselves in the exte
al surface being. We see this confusion when people see someone who has a deep emotional resonance, a longing or a feeling of human love or attachment and they call this a ‘soul’ relationship or expression. The vital nature may be influenced by the psychic being, but it still is busy carrying out its own movements and forms of expression.ARTArticleEmbedded Subconscious Complexes and the Ability to Overcome Their Influence or ControlA large number of responses and reactions are embedded in the subconscious and unconscious parts of our nature. Some of these arise as a result of atavistic reactions that precede the human stage of evolution and have been carried forward, while others are embedded as a result of prenatal and early childhood experiences, and yet others get embedded through various life-experiences, particularly traumas, that we undergo.ARTArticleEmploying the ‘Psychic Mirror’ as a Tool For Transforming the NatureThe methodology for the mastery and transformation of the exte
al nature of the individual essentially comes down to a shift in standpoint to the psychic being, which is the soul-element in the being, and then, a systematic review and management of the exte
al nature and its various parts, drives and directions to conform with the direction that the psychic being is focused on taking.ARTArticleEnvironmental Consciousness — the CircumconscientA feeling, an emotion, a thought arises within us. Do we ‘manufacture’ these, or are we the recipients of them from elsewhere? If we manufacture them, how exactly do we do that? Where does the basis for that thought or feeling come from? What causative factors are there for a specific feeling or thought to come to our awareness at a specific time?ARTArticleExploring Rebirth of the Soul into New Bodies and New LivesWhile a segment of humanity does not accept the idea of rebirth, choosing instead to either suggest that this one lifetime is the entire frame and limit of an individual’s existence, or else, that after death they will be resurrected to go before a seat of judgment and either be assigned to heaven, or hell, for all ete
ity. We then come to those that accept rebirth in some form as providing meaning and significance to life and the evolutionary development taking place in the universal manifestation.ARTArticleFrom the Oneness of Unconsciousness to the Oneness of Consciousness: the Impulsion of the Divine ConsciousnessSri Aurobindo cites the Vedic Rishi of Mandala X, Canto 129, verses 1-5 at the beginning of Chapter 25 of The Life Divine, titled The Knot of Matter: “Then existence was not nor non-existence, the mid-world was not nor the Ether nor what is beyond. What covered all? where was it? in whose refuge? what was that ocean dense and deep? Death was not nor immortality nor the knowledge of day and night. That One lived without breath by his self-law, there was nothing else nor aught beyond it. In the beginning Darkness was hidden by darkness, all this was an ocean of inconscience.ARTArticleGaining Access to the Subliminal ConsciousnessIt is one thing to gain an intellectual understanding of the concept of the subliminal consciousness. However, this does not provide a real experience of nor true knowledge about the action, influence and impact of the subliminal consciousness on our lives. The question then arises, whether and how it is possible to become conscious of, to gain a real awareness of, the action of the subliminal consciousness, and how to distinguish this action within oneself.ARTArticleGaining an Understanding of the Nature of the Subliminal ConsciousnessWestern psychology is in its infancy as a science. It is, as is all mental knowledge, a form of ignorance, seeking and grasping for knowledge, while not actually able to see the entire picture nor understand the complexity of all the elements that go into human psychology. Thus, Freud gained a partial understanding of how unrecognised complexes, arising in many cases from trauma or childhood experiences, or natural drives hitting up against cultural taboos, can influence the way people react to various events or circumstances.ARTArticleGaining Mastery Over the Action of the Mechanical MindThe mechanical mind encompasses some of the most basic, most rudimentary activities of the mind. It lies below the faculties of higher logical reasoning, and forms a foundation for the most simple and automatic mental processes. It is like the core computer language upon which all kinds of routines are later built and which functions behind the scenes to keep the functionality of the computer in place.ARTArticleGetting in Touch with the Inner, Subliminal Mind, Life and Physical ConsciousnessIn his epic poem Savitri: A Legend and a Symbol, Sri Aurobindo describes the experience of the awareness moving inwards away from the surface consciousness fixated on exte
al perceptions. “In moments when the inner lamps are lit And the life’s cherished guests are left outside, Our spirit sits alone and speaks to its gulfs. A wider consciousness opens then its doors; Invading from spiritual silences A ray of the timeless Glory stoops awhile To commune still with our seized illumined clay And leaves its huge white stamp upon our lives.” (Savitri, Book I, Canto IV, pp. 47-48)ARTArticleGrowing Within: the Psychology of Inner Development: Summary and ConclusionsHumanity is facing an existential crisis. Scientists report that changes brought about by human civilisation have created the conditions that are causing what is now being called the sixth planetary die-off of species. The land, water and air are all being polluted. Toxic chemicals are poisoning the planet. Climate change is wreaking havoc with the entire planetary environment. The ocean is seeing its food chain decimated. Essential species required for food production, such as honeybees, are dying off in record numbers, threatening the world’s food supply.ARTArticleHabitsMuch of the activity in our lives is governed by the force of habits, whether ingrained in the genetic and species memory as ‘instinctive’ behavior, or built into the structure and function of the anatomy and physiology of our bodies, or developed through various forms of conditioning of our perceptions, feelings, responses, vital reactions, emotions and thoughts. Every vibration in nature has a pattern which lends itself to repetition and this repetition, which we may call a vibratory rhythm, builds habits and “grooves” of response at all levels of our being.ARTArticleHigher MindIf we reflect for a moment on the shift from one evolutionary principle of consciousness to another, we can see a shift of standpoint as well as a difference in the mechanism of operation. Those beings who are primarily based in the vital nature tend to react based on principles of fear and greed, desire, and avoidance without substantial planning or mental ideation taking place. A shift from the mental standpoint to that of the spiritual standpoint is what we would expect if there is a full manifestation of the spiritual powers of consciousness.ARTArticleHigher Mind Is the First Gradation of Consciousness Beyond the Normal Human Mental LevelIt is difficult to appreciate that there are gradations of consciousness, each with their own distinct characteristics, that occur outside our normal human range of perception. We tend to see separations and divisions within our limited range, while we treat anything outside that range as being uniform and indistinct. If we, however, simply observe our own range of perception and awareness carefully, we will see that there are gradations that occur within that range.ARTArticleHow Does an Individual Acquire the Higher Form of Spontaneity?Once we distinguish the lower forms of spontaneity that stem from the vital nature and its instincts and desires, from the higher form of spontaneity that is linked to unification of the being with the higher spiritual purpose, the question arises as to how the individual can develop this higher spiritual form of spontaneity rather than simply falling back to the vital form which the development of the mind was intended to control and counteract. The answer comes by shifting the standpoint of the being away from the ego-personality that inhabits and controls the body-life-mind complex. This isARTArticleHow to Change One’s CharacterHumanity has struggled with the idea of an individual changing his character and becoming something more, or different, than what he was before. Numerous methods have been tried, and at the end of the day, almost everyone agrees that human nature and the individual character that expresses that human nature is bound and cannot be modified by any power that the human being possesses.ARTArticleHow to Cultivate and Utilize the Faculty of Intuition: Part 1We tend to treat intuition as something amorphous and difficult to define. We want to somehow fit it into the framework of a mental process, possibly one that is very fast, but nevertheless works through the logical steps to arrive from a set of facts to a decision. At the same time, we try to undermine the power of intuition by trying to make a joke of it, such as when we laughingly refer to a “woman’s intuition” as if it is something less than, and less valuable than the logical, rational process undertaken, theoretically, by the men who are laughing. We do the power of intuition a grave injARTArticleHow to Cultivate and Utilize the Faculty of Intuition: Part 2As we have noted, there are some who believe that intuition is simply a very fast reasoning process that moves directly to a determination. This is clearly not intuition as the Mother explains below. It is a separate mental process that still follows the laws of the mental plane in its operations.
In order to distinguish true intuition from this mental function, the Mother provides insight into how intuition actually operates, and what the status of the individual and his receptivity needs to be to properly receive, assimilate and utilize the power of intuition.ARTArticleHow To Effect Permanent Change in the Subconscient NatureIt is often said that ‘you can’t change human nature’. One of the major obstacles turns out to be the seeds of all past habits, actions, behaviors, reactions and instincts that reside in the subconscious levels of the being. An individual may spend his life culturing his mind, his emotions and his vital nature. He may train the body and create an enormous power of will to impose his focus and his direction on the rest of the being; and yet, something occurs that suddenly awakens one of the embedded habits or instinctive reactions, and years of effort are seemingly lost.ARTArticleHow to Establish Unity in the BeingThe Mother advises that the way to establish unity in the being is to treat the psychic being or the central aspiration as the guiding principle, and then observe and manage the mind, the life-energy and the body to conform to the intentions expressed by that central guiding principle. It is interesting to note that when the seeker finds a movement in the exte
al being that does not meet this criteria, he is asked to treat the “recalcitrant parts as disobedient children.”ARTArticleHow to Find the SoulPhilosophers, scientists and religious leaders argue about the existence of the soul. Some say the soul does not exist. Some scientists have tried to conduct measurements by weighing the person immediately before and after death to determine if any difference in weight, representing the soul, has departed the body. Some religious leaders, as an article of faith, declare the existence of the soul, while there are others, including noted philosophers and scientists who argue that the soul does not exist. What is missing from all of these arguments, however, is the experience of the soul itself,ARTArticleHow to Prepare Oneself for the Practice of the Integral YogaIn the biblical story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, we find human beings innocent and acting out of their natural instincts, predilections, and their basic intelligence as human beings. They have no social setting or training to which they need to conform. They are essentially ignorant about the forces at work in the world, their potential role in adopting or furthering any of those forces or their agenda.ARTArticleHow to Recognise the Awakened SoulIn the Bhagavad Gita, Arjuna asks how the ‘liberated soul’ can be recognised. How does he walk? How does he talk? What distinguishing characteristics can we find that identify such a person? Sri Krishna responds that there are not exte
al signs, but only the inner standpoint of the individual that marks the difference between someone still bound to the ordinary life and the soul who is liberated and free.ARTArticleIllumined MindWhen we study the functioning of the mind, we see that the essential nature is one that can receive sense perceptions, analyze, organize and then subject the objects so developed to a process of reasoning using systematic application of rules of logic. We can also see a process of recall of memory and a process of projection, extrapolation or imagination that moves the understanding from the current status and tries to appreciate probable lines of development based on our past experience and the direction, momentum and amplitude of the development we can observe.ARTArticleIndividuality Is a Stage Along the Path of the Evolution of ConsciousnessSri Aurobindo has indicated that the evolution of consciousness is carried out by the gradual and mostly unconscious action of the divine intention withi
Nature. At the stage of the human being, however, it becomes possible for the individual to “speed up” the slow action of Nature through focus and participation through the practice of conscious Yoga.ARTArticleIndividuation Is Not Isolation from Exte
al InfluencesWhen we reflect on the individuation process for which the ego-consciousness is the instrument of Nature, we oftentimes go to the extreme of believing that we are totally separate, independent and free of outside influence. We believe that our individuality is a wall of separation that keeps us safe and free. This viewpoint however is a mistaken one.ARTArticleIndividuation Is Not Isolation from Exte
al InfluencesWhen we reflect on the individuation process for which the ego-consciousness is the instrument of Nature, we oftentimes go to the extreme of believing that we are totally separate, independent and free of outside influence. We believe that our individuality is a wall of separation that keeps us safe and free. This viewpoint however is a mistaken one.ARTArticleInteraction Between the Individual and His Social RelationshipsThere is a subtle interaction that takes place in any social setting. Even an individual who is awake and conscious of his own thought and expression may, and frequently is, subtle impacted and influenced by the physical, vital and mental forces with which he is in contact. When an individual winds up in a place of dissipation, such as a nightclub or bar, while he may hold himself somewhat in reserve, he is nevertheless influenced.ARTArticleInteraction of the Mind, the Vital Envelope and the Physical Body in the Development of Acute IllnessFor most people, acute illness is an event of the body, which is subject to attack by various malign types of germs, bacteria and viruses. We tend to envision the body as a battlefield and the attacking germs aggressively target the cells and organs and the body fights back with an immune response. The combination of the effects of the attack and the defense create the symptoms that we associate with a particular illness.ARTArticleInteraction of the Powers of Consciousness in the Material WorldWhile each power of consciousness, physical, vital, mental (and others) operates in its native mode and strength in its own plane or sphere of action, it projects itself into the world we inhabit by tying itself to the foundation of the basic physical principle. This involves a ‘watering down’ of the native action of the power in question, while also creating a ‘mixing’ effect so that each level of consciousness is not only attenuated, but also forced to interact with the other principles and thereby develop a hybrid action.