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Declare daily, the truth that the Lord is guiding you! Your Creator has destined you to leave your mark! Your job is to believe and trust that it is all coming together. Don’t be in doubt, or fear or even feeling that you are inadequate; instead begin to visualize what it is you are seeking. ... Views: 1284
When we are fixed in the external personality we take our cues about our role in life from our family, our friends, the social and economic environment and, with that framing, our particular interests and aptitudes. As a child we may want to emulate people in uniforms and thus, may want to be a ... Views: 422
The Buddhist tradition describes Manjushri as a Bodhisattva who, with his flaming sword of discrimination, cuts through illusion and falsehood to disclose the truth of existence. The power of discrimination between different powers, forces, impressions, suggestions, and their source and intent ... Views: 764
Many of you are expressing that this start of the year of the snake has been a very important time for soul searching and experiencing breakthroughs of profound awakenings, and alongwith this comes recognizing the depth of resistant patterns that have been sabotaging your abilities to manifest ... Views: 1467
The mental framework frequently wants to find an “either/or” option rather than looking at the nuance needed to resolve multiple views of pending questions. Thus, when we are asked to consider achieving a poise of equality in the face of provocation of any sort, positive or negative, we will ... Views: 174
There is a real difference in motivation and intention between what may be considered to be ignorant responses, and those that are malignant. Seekers face a difficulty or some resistance in the external nature constantly. For the most part, this resistance is due to the long embedded habits and ... Views: 101
While humanity embodies the development of the mental consciousness, in principle, it must be noted that this generalisation does not apply specifically to each and every human individual. Just as the field of statistics does not predict any single event, and the observational experiments of ... Views: 531
We transcribe and filter impulses and feelings that arise from the physical body and the vital action through our minds, and thus, we generally confuse the awareness or the response that arises through this process as a mental functioning. Sri Aurobindo distinguishes between the physical mind, ... Views: 810
Near the top of the “wish list” for most spiritual aspirants is achieving “peace”. This is generally understood however in a very personal sense to alleviate the turmoil, dissention and conflict that invariably arises in our normal circumstances living in the world. It is rarely appreciated ... Views: 644
If we observe the mental status that takes place at times when we focus on achieving some objective or other, taking a test, working on a project, running a race, playing music, or creating some work of art, for example, we see that the attention is focused intensely on the task at hand, and ... Views: 705
There 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. ... Views: 290
How does one distinguish between psychic experience, as defined by Sri Aurobindo, as soul experiences, from the vast array of experiences that occur on the mental or vital planes that have been called ‘psychic’ phenomena? Once one has the clue about the different parts of the being and their ... Views: 51
We 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 ... Views: 271
The lack of experience and recognition of the action of the soul makes it difficult for most people to understand the reality of the soul. For this reason, people tend to confuse the true soul with the vital soul of desire, which Sri Aurobindo calls the ‘desire-soul’. This is an expression of ... Views: 48
There is a vast difference between mental speculation and actual life-experience. We can speculate about what it means to swim in the ocean, but this does not prepare us for the actual experience when it occurs. It is similar for those focused on spiritual sadhana. Generally those individuals ... Views: 10
The vital nature has an innate drive towards fulfillment and satisfaction of desire. Since most individuals are oriented towards the outer life, the fulfillment comes through attaining desirable objects of the vital focus. This can be accumulation of wealth, it can be family, fame or achievement ... Views: 652
Spiritual experience and progress can be confusing. In many cases the seeker is misled or misunderstands what is actually taking place, and the significance of it. Spiritual paths generally recommend the seeker find an experienced guide, or Guru, among other reasons, to help mitigate confusion ... Views: 640
There is considerable confusion about the “subconscient” and the “subliminal” aspects of consciousness. Essentially, the subliminal references aspects of the independent levels of consciousness that embody the subtle physical, the subtle vital and the subtle mental. These levels are independent ... Views: 432
The long history of focus by spiritual aspirants on achieving oneness with the Transcendent, the Eternal, while subordinating or outright denying the life of the world, has created substantial confusion about the significance of life, the nature of the manifested universal creation, and the ... Views: 750
We may observe feelings, perceptions, thoughts, emotions, ideas, imaginations, memories, etc. all arising in our minds, and, for most of us, this is all just ‘mental activity’. And for most people this is clearly enough! For those taking up the spiritual life and practice, however, it becomes ... Views: 378
During the 1980’s there were a number of scams carried out by US mail. An individual would receive a letter purporting to come from some high official in another country who had access to a large amount of money and needed a ‘partner’ to help take the funds out of the country and invest them in ... Views: 148
It 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 external surface being. We see this confusion when people see ... Views: 407
Desire can take many forms, some of them subtle, inasmuch as they are linked to prayer and thus seem to confirm the aspiration. There is a subtle form of bargaining that can take place where the dedication of the seeker is tied to the Divine providing a specific anticipated form of realisation, ... Views: 93
“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 ... Views: 346
We like to believe that we are independent actors in control of our own destiny and our own lines of development. We want ‘freedom’ to express ourselves. The ego-personality acting in the outside world is very much a captive of past energies, whether those of the formation of physical and vital ... Views: 92
What is the physical mind? The element of mental activity that relates to the actual physical substance that conveys and responds to sense perceptions and the operations of the physical body is considered to be the ‘physical mind’. We normally believe that the operation of our mind is ... Views: 683
Some years ago we were witnesses to an event that clearly illustrated the disturbance to the vital that can be caused by a positive experience. In that case, a married couple were planning to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary and their extended family and friends were there to join the ... Views: 603
The 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 ... Views: 286
Due to the nature of the mind, which always seeks for “black and white” solutions and answers, it is easy to fall into the idea that everything depends on one’s own efforts, or alternatively, that one’s efforts do not matter as the Divine controls what occurs. In actuality, there is no real ... Views: 687
The ancient sages of India, as we see in some of the texts that have come down to us through the course of time, understood the balance between the internal and the external, between individual liberation and a balanced activity in the world. They recognised the individual role as part of the ... Views: 139
What 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 ... Views: 277
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 ... Views: 339
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 ... Views: 297
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 ... Views: 335
We feel like something is missing in our lives. It could be something material, it could be just a pang of hunger or thirst. It could be a sense of emotional emptiness, unattached to a specific object. We may feel like we need to find out something, do something, know something, respond to ... Views: 528
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 ... Views: 362
When was the last time someone upset you in a way which put a damper on your day? Perhaps you though something was so unjust that it even changed your perception of the other person.
Was it last month, last week or maybe even today?
If you are anything like the author of these blogs, ... Views: 1277
This is not a trick question but rather an honest insight into the inner workings of each one of us. We usually share with our friends and associates a piece of who we are, the piece that we want them to like or connect with; however, there is a secret, a hidden piece of you that doesn't want to ... Views: 1480
I do not believe that most of us think about living a life of mediocrity but in truth that is exactly what is happening.
Mediocrity is when we do not strive to be our best and stretch ourselves to reach our goals. If we do not expect the best out of ourselves or others, then we are ... Views: 1800
It is a most uncomfortable period in our lives to be caught up in the dysfunctional periods where nothing seems to be flowing and everything feels difficult to manage. I know that feeling because I have experienced it, however, I can truthfully say that as I was going through it, I was able to ... Views: 1166
Do you truly practice the meaning of friendship? What is a friendship? The philosopher Aristotle said, “In poverty and other misfortunes of life, true friends are a sure refuge. They keep the young out of mischief; they comfort and aid the old in their weakness, and they incite those in the ... Views: 1082
Do you truly practice the meaning of friendship? What is a friendship? The philosopher Aristotle said, “In poverty and other misfortunes of life, true friends are a sure refuge. They keep the young out of mischief; they comfort and aid the old in their weakness, and they incite those in the ... Views: 1318
Islam is the most practiced religion in the world. Muslims are present in almost every religion of the world and practicing the teaching of Islam. It is the psychology of every Muslim to know about their religion and its aspect. As we all know that Azrael is the angel of death. The angel who ... Views: 1483
Many people believe that once they become adherents of a particular religion or spiritual tradition, they need no longer make an effort. The idea that someone else is “taking charge” and taking on the burden of one’s life is particularly enticing for people. They frequently then accept that ... Views: 192
According to the science of karma, what counts the most is one’s inner intentions. Based on these intentions, good or bad karma get bound. And once, any karma is bound, it is bound to catch you. In next birth, one’s actions shall take place in line with the intentions made now, and accordingly, ... Views: 665
Rene Descartes famously proclaimed the fact the he existed by stating ‘I think, therefore I am.’ In today’s world, however, that method of proving existence is under pressure as we grapple with more subtle possible answers to how we exist, why we exist and what this entire existence means, if ... Views: 195
Our brain is an amazing organ. Once believed to be static and hard wired, scientists have now proven otherwise through the study of neuroplasticity. Scientific research has established that our brain is creating new brain cells and forming new connections every day. Our brain is malleable to our ... Views: 1339
There 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 ... Views: 324
Dowry is a curse of a society that means an amount of property or money brought by a bride to her husband on their marriage. It is a very old tradition in our society that may compel both the poor and the rich to anyhow carry out this evil practice. As for the rich, they generously spend their ... Views: 1732
If 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 ... Views: 317