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
ARTArticleThe Ego-Standpoint Bias — the Basis of Self-DeceptionWe tend to have a more or less hidden bias in favor of our own view or position in various matters, which carries out at each level of the ego-standpoint, individual, family, community, religion, country, etc. as it expands its scope. We tend to see things from our unique viewpoint and not take into account the viewpoint of other stakeholders in the event, situation or interaction.ARTArticleThe Environmental Consciousness and the IndividualThe ego-personality believes it ‘creates’ ideas, manufactures feelings, etc. It then takes pride in the accomplishment, and this becomes a source of enhancing the ego through a sense of vanity. Many systems in the world are set up to reward the creator or inventor or author, with the idea that they are solely responsible for the development of the content. Disputes arise when anyone else claims an invention, or when there is similar conceptualization or arrangement of materials between a copyrighted or patented work and another source.ARTArticleThe Evolutionary Process of the Manifestation of the Supramental ConsciousnessThe gradations of consciousness beyond the human level represent levels of awareness and power that far exceed anything that we can appreciate from the purely human mental level. In the Taittiriya Upanishad, there is a “calculus” of gradations of bliss. “Let there be a young man, excellent and lovely in his youth, a great student; let him have fair manners and a most firm heart and great strength of body, and let all this wide earth be full of wealth for his enjoying.ARTArticleThe Evolutionary Progress of Nature and the Impact of the Conscious Participation of the SoulSri Aurobindo describes the long, slow process of development of the universal manifestation. There is an evolution of consciousness which takes place over time spanning many millennia, and which does not involve the conscious participation of the individual. At a certain point in time, when the human being develops and has achieved a certain level of self-awareness, he is able to participate consciously in this evolutionary process and thereby speed it up and make it more complete.ARTArticleThe Evolutions of Forms in the Machinery of NatureAs we are basically fixated on the physical world within which we reside, we tend to look at the development of forms and the relationship of form to function on the physical level. Scientists such as Darwin studied the evolution of species. Mendel looked at the genetic factors that have later been charted to determine dominant or recessive traits and the method of transmission of these traits. It is clear from the work done by scientists that there is both an evolutionary “tree” of development and a specific methodology for specific species to pass along specific characteristics to maintain cARTArticleThe Experience of the Individual in the Ordinary Life of the Exte
al Surface BeingFor the individual living on the surface of his being, interacting with the exte
al world, responding to impulsions, pressures, forces and the objects of desire, his inner experience is essentially a reaction to these exte
al pressures and an attempt to meet the desires that arise and somehow enjoy one’s life. When he succeeds in obtaining some object of desire, he experiences a short-lived sense of happiness or joy. When things do not work out as he hopes, he may go through experiences of anger, frustration, or depression.ARTArticleThe Exploration of Inner SpaceHumanity has developed a method for exploration of the world around us, and in recent times, the exploration has expanded to include exploration under the vast oceans, exploration of the solar system and further reaches of outer space. Attention has now turned to the internal foundations of life and new technologies allow us to map genomes and discover how the machinery of physical existence functions. All of this exploration however, relates to our surface lives, our physical body and its surroundings, and the vital and mental opportunities that arise through our life experience.ARTArticleThe First Step in Unifying the ConsciousnessThe mind, vital, and physical body tend to pull one in different directions, based on their differing needs, wants or desires, and propensities. This creates a tension in the being when the pulls from these aspects come into conflict with one another. For instance, someone has the desire to become a proficient athlete and this requires a strict discipline as to diet and training; at the same time, certain foods are desired, or the being wants to simply relax and enjoy the day.ARTArticleThe Food of the Vital BeingWe can observe that there are times when the vital nature is energetic, enthused, active, and makes efforts. There are other times when it is dull, withdrawn, sullen, lacking energy and clearly is not taking interest in doing anything. The difference between these two states generally lies in the way the vital nature obtains its ‘food’. Food in this sense is the method by which the vital nature becomes energized.ARTArticleThe Forms of Knowledge: the Mind’s Knowledge and the Soul’s KnowledgeIn a chapter titled ‘Knowledge by Identity and Separative Knowledge’ in The Life Divine, Sri Aurobindo describes true knowledge as coming through identity, where the knower and the object of knowledge are one and unified. This occurs through the direct relation of the soul with the Divine in a state of oneness.ARTArticleThe Growth of the SoulIt is the normal process of Nature that each being, each individual experiences life, interacts with his environment and with other individuals and forms thereby his physical being, his vital being and his mental being through these interactions. What is not easily recognised, due to the unseen central being around which these aspects form and develop, is that this process systematically provides an ever-richer basis of experience and growth to the soul, the psychic being. For a long time, this growth process is something that occurs slowly and steadily across countless lifetimes.ARTArticleThe Habit of Self-DeceptionWhat we frequently fail to recognise is that much of the vital interaction and mental self-justification that supports it takes place more or less without active intervention or reflection by the mind. A vital desire or conce
is prodded and the mind instantly jumps to self-justification without any real review of the facts, the circumstances or the balancing interests and other stakeholders in any situation. Afterwards, if challenged, the mind may develop an elaborate set of explanations and justifications, but this all tends to stem from an initial defensive reaction that occurs instantly.rARTArticleThe Inconstancy of the Exte
al Nature Under the Influence of the Action of the Three GunasThe Bhagavad Gita provides an extensive review of the operation of the three Gunas, the qualities of Nature, Sattwa, Rajas and Tamas. These qualities are always interacting and changing based on that interaction. There is no consistency or constancy in how an individual responds so long as he is subject to the operation of the Gunas, which is implicit in every action undertaken by the exte
al surface personality. The inconstancy that results means that an individual who is normally quiet, thoughtful and reserved may, under certain conditions or influences, become imbalanced and disruptive.ARTArticleThe Individual Soul and the DivineWe remain so fixated on the exte
al surface being, that we fail to recognise the divinity within us. Just as we go through our daily lives in the light of the day and do not attend to our world’s connection to the vast galaxies and universe of which our world is a part, so also we do not consciously connect our soul with its divine being. We may separate a drop of water from the ocean, but that does not make it different from the ocean in its essence and nature.ARTArticleThe Influence of the Soul on the Exte
al Nature or the Direct Relationship with the Soul in the Deepest Inner BeingIt is common for an individual to take some kind of illumination of the mind, or some strong positive emotion in the heart, for instance, as a sign of their contact with the soul. Yet in many, if not most, cases the contact is with a mental or vital movement tinged with the influence of the soul, and thus, only a partial and diluted relationship to the divine essence at the deepest soul level. The Mother clarifies this in some detail:ARTArticleThe Influences That Direct the Development of the Vital NatureWe can understand the role of genetic predispositions in the formation of the physical body. The transmission of physical characteristics from generation to generation, the blending of dominant and recessive genetic traits and the atavistic background that led to the status of the genetic material at the time of conception are relatively well-recognised processes nowadays.ARTArticleThe Inmost Being — the Psychic BeingFor those who live their lives on the surface, focused on fulfillment of their exte
al lives, desires and their ego-personality, there is generally no direct knowledge of the existence of the soul. They may accept the idea of a soul without a clear sense of what that implies or means. Or they may deny the idea of the soul and indicate that there is no proof of its existence. They may try to find proof of the existence of the soul in some way, if the issue even arises in their minds to consider that.ARTArticleThe Inner Being (the Subliminal)There are many times when people suddenly get a true ‘sense’ or a ‘feeling’ about something that is not directly perceptible to their senses. Sometimes one will feel that someone is watching or following, although the person cannot be seen or heard. There is some inner sense, with a wider and more subtle range than the physical sense organs, that can pick up these impressions.ARTArticleThe Inner Subliminal SelfHaving now referred to the Subliminal Self in our discussion of the creation of dreams, it is necessary to describe this part of our being more thoroughly, and Sri Aurobindo takes up the question. He points out that the subliminal self is not a creation out of the inconscience, but actually it is a meeting-place for the “consciousness that emerges from below by evolution and the consciousness that has descended from above for involution.”ARTArticleThe Interaction of the Individual and Universal Subconscient With the IndividualWe tend to imagine that somehow the mind, the vital energy and the physical body we identify through our ego-complex as ourselves, is separate from those of everyone else. In reality, however, the physical, vital and mental substance is universal in nature and the portion we try to wall off within our ego-awareness is part of that universal Nature. It is like the idea of submerging an open-mouth jar into the ocean. The water that migrates into the jar is the same water that surrounds the jar, and the water flows back and forth between what is ‘inside’ and what is outside.ARTArticleThe Interaction of the Mind and the BodyThe body has its own consciousness and much of its operation takes place without active mental intervention. However, there is also a serious interaction that takes place so that the mental power can influence, guide, train, direct and otherwise gain at least some control over certain aspects of the body consciousness. Physical training, whether in sports, military training or playing a musical instrument, typing, singing, dancing, art or sculpture, or development of other motor skills, represents one such area of mental intervention.ARTArticleThe Jivatman, the Soul and the Evolutionary Process Through Birth and DeathThe soul makes choices along the way and in so doing, it builds up the psychic being as it grows, evolves and passes through a series of births and deaths of the physical existence. The Jivatman represents the Divine Consciousness presiding over each individual formation within the manifestation and remains unattached to the specific results of any specific decision made in the individual lifetime, but remains fixed on the larger divine intention in the manifestation.ARTArticleThe Justification and Benefit of Unifying the Being Around the Psychic Being and the Spiritual Purpose of the LifeWhen we work in the exte
al world, whether it is to study, to follow up a line of development of some sort, to train the body for athletic endeavours, to strengthen and refine the mind to undertake serious development of the powers of Reason and intuition, etc., we do so with some expectation of a result or benefit. It may be some form of inner satisfaction of accomplishment, or it may be fame, or fortune or acclamation of some sort. It may that the form of a benefit to family, friends, community, our religion, or our country.ARTArticleThe Limitations of the Reasoning Intelligence and the Need to Maintain It During the Spiritual PracticeThe mental knowledge we acquire is mostly a form of ignorance reaching out to try to acquire knowledge. In The Life Divine, Sri Aurobindo describes the various forms of knowledge. With one exception, they are set up in the paradigm of subject, object and the process of knowing, and treats the object as something separate and exte
al to oneself. We acquire facts, make inferences, and draw logical conclusions to try to ascertain the truth of whatever we are trying to know.ARTArticleThe Limits of Mental, Vital and Physical Efforts to Change Human Nature and the Need for a Shift of Consciousness to a New Evolutionary PrincipleIn his epic poem Savitri: a Legend and a Symbol, Sri Aurobindo writes: “Heavy unchanged weighs still the imperfect world; The splendid youth of Time has passed and failed; Heavy and long are the years our labour counts, And still the seals are firm upon man’s soul And weary is the ancient Mother’s heart.” (pp. 344-345)ARTArticleThe Lower and Higher Forms of Psychological Innocence and PurityThere is an ‘innocence’ of the instinctive vital nature. It acts according to its impulses, habits, instincts, without interference of any mental considerations, whether termed self-dealing, planning, calculation, conscience or ethical and moral constraints. The famous example is that the tiger kills its prey out of its instinctive need to satisfy its hunger and its nature as a predatory animal. It does not kill for ‘fun’ or for ‘recognition’ or for some sense of superiority, all of which are motives that arise within the context of human action. The child shares this innocence as it does notARTArticleThe Meaning and Importance of Sincerity in the Practice of YogaWhen most people think about ‘sincerity’, they focus on the truth of the speech aligning with the actions of the individual. They expect this alignment to manifest itself in actuality. Expressions of good will or condolence, for instance, are sincere if they align with the true feelings of the individual, and are insincere if they are a surface show that do not reflect the true inner sense or feeling of the individual.ARTArticleThe Mechanical MindThere is another aspect of mind that holds the habits, instincts and trained responses in place. This is what Sri Aurobindo and the Mother call the ‘mechanical mind’. There are uses and benefits to this mind, but it is one of the most rudimentary actions of mind, which arose to provide a mechanism for survival as mind began to emerge out of material life. This aspect of mind depends on repetition and protects the individual from mistakes that arise from unanticipated circumstances.ARTArticleThe Mental and Vital Formation May Transfer Into a Next Lifetime Under Certain ConditionsThere are phenomena that are inexplicable under our normal understanding of life and death. The body dissolves, certainly, and the vital being and mental disperse soon thereafter and return into their native planes. Yet we find that occasionally it seems like a particular understanding or capacity has been continued as if from an earlier life, and we have to explore how this may occur.ARTArticleThe Mental Process and Developing Independence of ThoughtWe may believe that we create our own thoughts and ideas, but a close examination makes it clear that streams of thoughts, ideas, mental energies are constantly bombarding us, both overtly through what we read, what we hear, what we see and what we experience, and covertly through the subtle impinging force of thoughts in the “mental field” that is created through the action of the mental consciousness in its own plane and impinging on our earthly existence.