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LIVING THE MOTHER'S PATH

by MSS and Roy Posner

In this article we cover a number of the key issues in following the path of the
Mother. This information is mainly for those who are followers and devotees of Sri
Aurobindo and The Mother, though anyone can benefit.

(We would like to thank the Mother's Service Society (marked MSS), especially Sri
Karmayogi and Garry Jacobs for providing much of the following material.)

Accept What Life, Mother Gives


Normally we like to do what we want, see people we want to see, do the work we
want to work on. In a life dedicated to Mother and the Divine, we need to reverse
this and do and accept what life presents us.

Home Page Mother's way is to rise above likes and dislikes. It is to relate to the
Site Intro
work that is given. It is to express your duty to what is given over
Short Intro to Both
Intro to Sri Aurobindo the needs of one's self and personality. In fact if we were to observe
Sri Aurobindo's Vision even normal life we see that people who continuously rise in their
Sri Aurobindo's Path lives have this ability to put away their personal preference and
Life Divine Analysis
instead relate to work on hand. That is the way of progress.
Intro to The Mother

It is also the Mother's, the Divine way or value to do the work without expecting
results; i.e. do it without any attachment to the work itself, including its non-spiritual
rewards.

Elimination of Ego
The essential reason we do what we want rather than what life gives; i.e. what The
Mother, the Divine provides, is that we live from the poise of ego. The Mother ask us
to give up ego in all aspects of our lives. When we live a life of ego we are focused
on our own passions, concerns, and interests and we become oblivious to the
opportunities we are handed, the truths that are emerging, the full knowledge
availing to us at any moment, i.e. the direction we have been pointed towards on
Her path.

Should one try for a life devoid of ego -- which leads to separateness, self-assertion,
preference, attachment, ignorance, and false action -- we will soon discover how
enjoyable and powerful life is.
So we must eliminate all egotistic movements including expectation, impatience,
assertion, greed, irritation, vindictiveness, jealousy, disappointment, etc. Instead we
must move toward positive feelings, such as feeling happy at a colleague's promotion
and congratulate him, instead of feeling jealous about his advancement. Mother's
Way is for is to become patient, tolerant, open, concerned, and giving.

Take disappointment. We are disappointed in life because we anticipate results.


Instead we should do the work on hand and concentrate on it, and think less and
less about the results. In that sense the aphorism "the journey is the reward"
explains this. We would paraphrase it as "the Inner journey is the reward."

One must also develop a sense of calm and equality in all situations. If e.g. you are
not promoted, if someone betrays you in work, one must not react. One must calmly
accept what is and move on. One must see things not from the perspective of the
ego and one's wishes and preferences, but from the perspective of the unfolding of
life, that there is a Divine purpose and Will in that unfolding in your life. In that way
we view the world not from our ego-sense, but from our higher sense, the Divine's
Will, the way of the Divine Mother.

The best way to begin the journey towards non-ego is to move inward away from the
surface of life into the deeper parts of our being. From the Silence that emerges
there, from the detachment from the surface bubbling of life when stationed there,
the self-assertiveness of the ego-sense is reduced, enabling one to interact with life
through greater unity and connectedness rather than ego and separateness.

If the ideals set forth here seem too high and one feels he cannot attempt it, he can
make a small but significant beginning that will lead to the goal in time.

In this light here are a few specifics we can follow:

1. As a first step, it must be possible to drop jealousy, hatred, offensiveness,


selfishness, etc. One can make a full-throated effort, at least, with one of them.

2. As a second step, try to take another man's point of view, train yourself to
listen, be pleasant and try any such attitude.

3. At the physical level of action, punctuality, orderliness, regularity, etc. will help
the efforts above.

4. At a higher level act on faith.

If you are not able to follow any of these with full significance, at least start following
the external physical versions of them in behavior.

Doing the Work in the Right Spirit


Work for Mother is a field of greater yogic effectiveness than meditation. Mother says
one can make a greater progress in yoga by doing the work in the right spirit than
by meditating. By right spirit Mother means taking interest in the work that comes to
us instead of seeking to do the work one likes. It looks simple, but this is one of the
most difficult disciplines in any yoga. A boy who loves cricket can agree to stop
playing it during study period and sit at his table for hours preparing for the
examination. He unbends himself from play and bends his energies to work. This is
to do one's duty. This is admirable. By the above discipline Mother wants this boy to
derive the same joy in doing his lessons as he derives from cricket playing. Normally
that capacity is not within the reach of the boy. At least he can suppress his
enthusiasm for cricket, disregard his dislike for study and do his duty. This way he
gives his energies to duty. This is good and Mother approves of it. Now what She
asks for is that the boy should enjoy his studies as much as he enjoys playing
cricket. That is ordinarily beyond human capacity. (MSS)

Accept Mother as Center of Our Lives


The greatest attitude on the path is to accept The Mother, the Divine as the central
focus, purpose, and meaning in our lives.

Doing Work for the Sake of The Mother, the Divine


When a man takes to yoga, accepts Mother, adores Her, loves to do Her bidding,
feels the privilege of working for the Divine Mother and sees his reading as
something he does for the sake of Mother, joy begins to issue from reading. Within
the limits of this act, this is a process of divinisation, transformation, a process of
raising man from sensual pleasure to psychic joy. To know that we are doing the
work in right spirit, Mother gives an index. After completing a work if one feels joy,
he has done it in the right spirit. If one feels tired after a work, he has done it in the
old human way. Almost as a rule when a man joins the Ashram the work that falls to
his lot is one that he has detested all his life. He has to learn to transform his dislike
into enjoyment. That is one aspect of sadhana.

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The Children of The Mother


The future belongs to Spirituality, not religion, says The Mother. The time of religion
is over according to Her. Religion is many following the inspiration of one enlightened
person. Spirituality is each one seeking his own illumination. As Protestantism
removed the priest between Man and God, Spirituality will enable each man to seek
his own God, seated inside.

The Mother was in Japan during the First World War. She recorded her Prayers and
Meditations everyday, which was later published. As a preface to that publication,
She wrote that there are those who give their souls to God, and others who give
their work. Some give their wealth. A few others give their lives to the Divine. There
are the rare few who give their souls, wealth, work and lives to the Divine. They
alone are the true children of The Mother and all others are valueless
ciphers for the Divine Work.

In Her scale of values, it may be impossible for us to become even valueless ciphers.
Why? Is She a taskmaster and a disciplinarian? When China threatens the borders of
India, the Indian leader needs nerves of iron and can no longer indulge in the luxury
of non-alignment. Not all people can lead a nation in war. Divine Work embraces the
universe where one has to organise new ways of life suited to the Higher
Consciousness. For that, one cannot be attached to his work or life. Therefore, SHE
laid down Her requirement but never persuaded anyone to take to it.

In Her Agenda She describes the yoga of the body She tried and said how horrible it
was. She said She would NOT recommend this yoga to anyone. I ask people to
invoke the Spirit for a better life, not for yoga. A life of utter Truthfulness brings
one into the atmosphere of Her Force that is active on earth since 1956. She
said that that Force had organised itself in the consciousness of a person. Yoga is for
the evolutionary adult. A life of higher consciousness is for the aspirant of Truth in
life, where he can express his own higher values. (Karmayogi)

All Work is Opportunity for Growth, Transformation


(under development)

Moving in the Right Direction for Future Employment


According to Karmayogi, creating a new opportunity for yourself through
entrepreneurial spirit is the method of the True Individual who will be emerging in
the 20th century.
Those who are able to self-determine their lives in that that spirit will be rewarded
greatly, as long as they are practical.
Taking up the initiative through constant consecration, one will be guided every step
of the way.
Sometimes Mother will give employment through others instead, because it is best
for one's growth (and may also help related devotees and relations).
Having the subtle sense to see where Life/Mother is pointing is very helpful.
Also, speaking with others with an open mind is useful for determining one's
direction.
Consecrating one's entire future life is infinitely helpful for garnering Her direction
and guidance. I.e. it will become the subtle signs.

Skill in Work
A man derives joy from a work when he has great skill in it. He who has high skill in
a work can be seen taking pride in it and enjoying it. Several such aspects in the
physical, mental expression of a work help one enjoy it. An attempt is made to
explain these aspects below.

Values in Work
Values are lifelines. They have great power. In business one value everyone
appreciates is the quality of the product. Every businessman as well as every
customer knows fully well the value of quality. If you look at any company and find it
is making steady progress, certainly it will be adhering to values. If two companies in
the same industry are making small and great progress, surely the latter company
will be following higher values. Even one great value fully followed can give
extraordinary results. Some of the values that are meaningful to business are:
safety, security of job, family feeling, constant progress, reliability, honesty, efficient
after-sales service, maximum use-value of product, courtesy, friendliness, ideals in
work, trustworthiness, quality product and loyalty.

-Punctuality, regularity, orderliness, cleanliness, etc. are essential disciplines


to accomplish a work. We can say that if the value of punctuality alone is acquired by
Indians to the level of European punctuality, it can transform the nation from a poor
to a rich one. All of us know its value. It is enjoyable when we possess it. It is very
productive. Regularity and other qualities in the list above are more valuable. In
1920 Mother started teaching sadhaks how to keep books in an orderly way.

-Maximum utilisation of energy, materials, money, water, electricity, etc. is


a cardinal principle. In other words, elimination of waste of every description is a
value. A company in USA went bankrupt. It was a small company with Rs.5 crore
sales. Another man bought it. The first thing he did was to apply a scale of utilisation
values he had evolved in his own business. He worked out the percentage of
expenditure on every item such as electricity, advertisement, etc. He applied those
norms here and found the electric bill was 2.5 times higher than it should have been.
He took action to bring down all expenses to within his norms. In three months, the
new acquisition became an economically viable one, even profitable. Mother followed
all these principles, which would be understood as economy in Ashram life. She used
to re-use envelopes by turning them inside out.

-To approach a work from another man's point of view is a powerful principle
for success in life and work. To approach it from our own point of view only will
generate conflicts and produce low results. To approach the same from another
man's point of view is generative of harmony, producing maximum results. I shall
give one example.

A contractor of sugar mill waste known as pressmud was in business for 17 years
and was fairly successful. But over the years his business accumulated outstanding
from the farmers to whom he supplied on credit. He had a thick bundle of 200
promissory notes due to him for the last 17 years, periodically renewed. Each year
he supplied more, collected a little, lent more and so on. The outstanding remained.

-An attitude of "work first, anything next" must be the guiding line.

-To have a good control of speech is a yogic discipline but will yield great results
for anyone in any walk of life. The total amount of talking must be brought down to
the minimum necessary level. The tone must come down to an audible whisper.
These two efforts are very difficult. In business low voice produces great profits.

When an industrialist with Rs.10 lakhs annual sales came to Mother, he mentioned
his one major industrial problem was a harassing manager who irritated him beyond
measure by his umpteen repetitions, which occupied all his time. Among many ideas,
he practised low voice and was relieved of the harassment from the manager in one
day. His sales rose to Rs.50 lakhs in three years.

The voice comes from our life centre and therefore carries a life-power. Conserving
the energy through low voice will have desirable results in life. In business, it first of
all makes the entrepreneur effective and happy. He functions in a relaxed way. If
anyone follows this in business, he will discover that there is no better way to make
money. Voice lowered is money conserved.

-Systems for every individual item of work are essential.

-Mother was great as an organiser. Whatever She did, she functioned through a
system.

-Personal power must be replaced by the impersonal authority of a system.

Ordinarily man carries the weight of his work on his nerves and it gives tension,
making people look older than their years. Often we hear, "There are a million
details. If I forget one thing, it is not done. I feel like going mad." This is so because
this man does not resort to systems. Once you create a system, the work is done
well and your nerves are free. A system does the work of 10 or 100 or 1,000 men.
That is the value of a system.

-If systems are valuable, coordination of systems is powerful. Suppose there are
25 systems in a company with a minimum of coordination and they are all
coordinated to a maximum extent, the same staff can accomplish twice or thrice
more. To give a simple example, in a college if the timetable of the dozen
departments is not coordinated, i.e. if each department has its own time table, the
two year course will extend to five years and twice as many classrooms must be
built.

We can see one expression of this at home when there are three cycles for use and
five of us are using them. Without coordination, two more cycles must be bought and
with coordination, one or two cycles can serve the purpose instead of three.

When individual power is exercised, accomplishment is low. If impersonal authority is


used through systems, the same man can manage twice the amount of work. (MSS,
somewhat modified)

Attention to People, Things


Everything in life responds positively to attention. People, objects, stocks of
inventory, and money are but a few examples. For example, the best way to give
attention to money is to account for it very accurately and promptly. Keeping
accurate and up-to-date accounts of money is a powerful mechanism for attracting
more of it from life.

There are endless examples we have witnessed demonstrating this power. Here's
one:

One small business owner decided to give attention to his accounts, balanced eight
months of back bank statements, and miraculously received $5000 from nowhere
the next day.

If you bring your personal or business accounts fully and accurately up to date, you'll
be able to watch the money flow to you!
Money is not the only thing that responds to attention. So do ordinary objects and
things. Consider this example:

A businessperson was unable to make any substantial sales. He was told that he
should give attention to and evaluate his remaining current stocks, and then make a
full effort to sell them off. After making an effort of selling but a few of the minimal
stocks, an order arrived equal to six months of normal sales!

We have often seen this phenomenon where a business owner concerned by low
sales or cash made the effort to sell off remaining unsold stocks, and life responded
by bringing more sales. This is a powerful example of the power of attention to
objects and things.

One way we give attention is by adopting the personal value of maximizing the way
you use your current resources, such as money, materials, and time.

So all sorts of things respond to attention; animate and inanimate!

Finally, let's not forget to mention that people also, of course, respond to
attention. Every person wants to be attended to and be the object of others
attention. When you give deserving people attention, they can blossom in front of
your eyes.

Education and Training


The required level of education for the work of every employee is essential.

Education expands the mental horizons. An educated person is better for his
education. Each level of work requires a minimum education. Workers, supervisors,
clerks, managers, accountants, etc. should have the education necessary for them.
That makes the work enjoyable for them and productive for the company. The idea
of accomplishing a higher work through a less educated person may be successful in
the exception, but as a rule it hurts the work.

Full essential training for the work is important.

Education is the base, training is the top dressing. Regular systematic training,
though costly in the beginning, pays rich dividends in the long run. Generally we let
our workers be trained during work. We expect them to be trained by experience. As
a rule this training is slow, partial and expensive. One bad result here is that they
acquire a wrong training.

One company in Holland followed the first principle of recruiting people and
expecting them to acquire training through service. Another recruited trained people.
Though both were of comparable endowments in all respects, in five years the
second company rose to the 3rd position in the industry while the first company was
ranked 21.

Perfect skill is of permanent value.


Skill in works is yoga, says The Gita. To see that everyone in the company acquires
perfect skill in what he does will raise any company from the bottom to the top. It is
the duty of the owner of the company to constantly raise the skills of his workers.
That makes the workers happy and labour relations smooth. A company with 50
workers had at least 25 labour problems in two years and was closed for five
months. The proprietor agreed to take very special steps to give complete skill to all
his workers. The situation reversed and the labour trouble disappeared. (MSS)

Resourcefulness
Resourcefulness is always a great value. In business it pays rich dividends. Mother's
devotees can find their minds becoming more and more resourceful as days pass. A
determination to be resourceful helps it to flower. Simply described, resourcefulness
means to find a use for every resource and to find a solution for given-up tangles.

A milk society was continuously losing money, and the co-operative department
considered closing it. One low level officer expressed the opposite view. They asked
him to try. In six months, he turned it into a profit-making society and even
purchased a delivery van. Pleased by his resourcefulness, the department asked
whether he could start a co-operative bank. He did. In the first three years, his
performance record was top-most in India. He was a simple man who retired at a
non-gazetted post. But he was resourceful. At the silver jubilee of the bank, they
hunted out the man from his retirement and gave him an award. (MSS)

Endless Progress
To have constant endless progress as a goal enlivens a business organisation.

When a sugar mill was founded, the owner sought Mother's blessings. She wrote "For
endless progress". He registered 1,500 acres of cane for the first year crushing. The
average per acre yield in the adjacent factory area was 28 tons. This factory fixed a
high average of 45 tons an acre, since initial cultivation gives higher return. Mother's
endless progress reached the fields too. The fields yielded 85 tons an acre, which
even touched 110 tons in exceptional cases. The factory kept on crushing the first
year's cane for two full years.

Mother herself blesses her devotees with endless progress. If endless progress is
accepted as a conscious goal, the company does progress endlessly.

If a devotee starts a company, endeavours along these lines seriously and meets
with a fair level of success, his company will have several characteristics that can be
observed.

↵ There will be an atmosphere of hope and joy in the work.

↵ Public image will be one of admiration and approval.

↵ Individuals in the company will be sought after by everyone from everywhere.

↵ Expansion, not mere growth, will be endless.


↵ No difficulty will ever arise (MSS)

Courage
Courage in crisis is a great endowment. Intelligent risk in seeking opportunity brings
reward.

To advise one in a crisis to have courage is easy, but to give him courage is not so
practical. Granting that a company faces a crisis, the entrepreneur finds himself
helpless and it leads to panic. But there are people who in a similar situation do not
get panicky and who are courageous. About 15 years ago, a Rs.150 crore company
faced a market situation in which it became clear to all that it was only a matter of
time before the company would have to close. Employees at all levels were filled with
terror. The situation was in nobody's hands. The proprietor was courageous and
calm. He was the one who would lose the most but he did not lose courage. In a few
weeks, there were several unexpected developments and the crisis blew away.
Today the company's assets are worth Rs.1,000 crores. Anything could have
happened. It is the courage of one man at the top that saved the situation.

Well, he was one endowed with courage. What about ordinary mortals who get
panic-stricken? Of what use is this advice to them? Knowledge that courage is a
saviour brings some courage. If one is a devotee and prays for courage, Mother
grants plenty of it. (MSS)

Strength
Strength is one of the important determinants of a person's overall character and
capacity for accomplishment in life. Just as one can admire another person's
goodness and compassion, we can also admire their strength of character. A person
of both great goodness and great strength can rise to unlimited heights of joy,
happiness, and accomplishment in life.

One of the interesting ironies we have observed along the way is that we can often
learn a lot from "bad" people. Many bad people have something that many of us lack
-- strength. These individuals may nor be using their strength for a good cause, yet
the fact is their strength advances their cause. On the other hand many "good"
people lack strength in life, and could probably learn a great deal from anyone (good
or bad) who has it in abundance.

One of the keys to personal growth is the taking of the initiative to increase one's
strength in life. One particularly interesting phenomenon we have observed is that if
a person who lacks strength makes the effort to increase and assert his strength at a
level higher than he/she is used to, life outwardly can respond with great reward.

Strength At Various Levels


Strength can manifest as physical strength, vital strength, and mental strength. At
the physical level one can of course be a physically strong person, though even a
small person can have the physical strength of endurance or good health. It can
even show itself as physical courage. At the vital level strength can show as
determination, courage, perseverance, toughness, and willingness to confront life's
difficulties head on. Mental strength can show up as the ability to maintain intense,
keen interest in something, such as the details of policies or the formation of a
logical argument.

We can take an individual, such as the character of the Count in the Count of Monte
Cristo, and evaluate the person in terms of strength at these three levels. (MSS:) He
had physical strength due to his life as a sailor and enduring hardship in prison. He
had vital strength negatively born of suffering and the urge for revenge, positively
due to the enormous wealth he acquired and the social position it gave him, and he
had mental strength derived from the wonderful education given by Abbe Faria.

Similarly strength can show up at these three levels of physical, vital, and mental for
social entities, such as teams, organizations, businesses, institutions, and nations.
For example, Israel has shown great strength in its fortitude in the face of being
surrounded by enemies. Similarly many poor countries show great resiliency and
strength to exist despite their difficult realities. Or in the social arena such as sports
we see how a team can show great strength, despite limited talent, and succeed far
beyond their physical capacities. On the other hand, another team can have great
talent but not succeed in the decisive games because there is not an inner toughness
or strength.

Taking Responsibility
Throughout our lives we are confronted with external pressures that bear on us
greatly. It is how we react to these pressures that determine to a large extent to
what degree we accomplish in life. Those who take responsibility, see their own
weakness as it relates to the problem, grow and accomplish. Those who blame
others or ignore the pressures, stagnate and achieve less. For example, in the book
Pride and Prejudice the main hero Darcy is confronted by great pressures in life,
many of which he created in the first place. Fortunately, he responds positively to
the pressures by taking personal responsibility for his actions. He does this by
acknowledging his character flaws and misdeeds. This acknowledgment and
acceptance causes him to solve a very difficult problem, which sets in motions a
series of even more positive events for others and for himself. It also and enables
him to grow as an individual, which leads to his ultimate achievement in the story,
his marriage to Eliza.

We see how magnificently life responds to taking responsibility in life. On the other
hand another individual confronted by the same great pressures of life fails to take
responsibility, blames others, and doesn't grow or accomplish in life as a result.

When life bears down on us and exerts pressures we can respond positively or
negatively. Those who respond positively, who take responsibility rather than blame
others or be in different, grow as individuals, and set the stage for great positive
responses from life, and great achievement and happiness.

Higher Attitudes
We are filled with attitudes that we acquire from our family, our friends, and our
environment. They are also in the very fiber of our being, inherited through our
genes. Many of these attitudes are quite good, while others are less than stellar.
However, if we can identify a bad attitude, and make an effort to change it, we will
find that life will suddenly respond and bring us good fortune.

There are three basic types of attitudes that we can identify; attitudes about
ourselves, attitudes towards others and things around us, and attitudes towards life
itself. Examples of attitudes about ourselves is having high or low self-esteem, or
great or little self-confidence. Examples of attitudes about others are our ability to
have goodwill or bad will or goodwill towards others; trust or mistrust of others,
concern or indifference toward others, and so forth. Attitudes about life might be
include the feeling that good things will always come our way, or a faith that difficult
situations and circumstance will always turn out for the best. The opposite is that life
always treats us bad, and we are doomed to difficulty and failure.

A positive attitude can overcome a negative situation, and enable positive


circumstances to suddenly emerge, e.g. where objects like machines suddenly work
better. We also see how people respond better to this shift in attitude, as in this
case, where another individual is suddenly elevated to a new position in life. As a
result of shifting one's attitude, life suddenly, abundantly, miraculously responds in
kind; defying all of the normally accepted rules of logic, defying all of our normal
perceptions of cause and effect, and space and time.

Negative Expressions Attracts Negative Responses


Whereas we see that positive improvements in attitudes attract positive responses
from life, sudden negative attitudes attract the reverse. For example, if one speaks
negatively about another person or about a situation or circumstance, it tends to
suddenly attract negative things from life.

The best approach is to avoid all negative expressions towards others, things, and
situations. Negative expressions are reflections of a wanting attitude, habit, or
opinion, which has the tendency to suddenly attract negative responses from life. It
can even destroy a work.

Inner-Outer Correspondence
The spiritual experience often leads to an awareness that the things that occur
outside of ourselves and the things within us have a direct correlation and
relationship. The mind says they are divided, are of two different worlds, and cannot
possibly have a direct relationship. For example, how could changing an attitude
possibly relate to a positive circumstance happening to you a few moments after be
related in any way. Our minds suggest that such a relationship lies beyond the
normal bounds of causality, space and time. Yet, that is precisely what occurs.

Our conclusion is that everything that is happening around you is a reflection of


innermost thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes. If something is wrong on the outside, you
find the corresponding negative inner perception, change it, and watch life respond
positively in kind. This in turn leads us to the understanding that we can and should
take responsibility for everything that is happening around us, and can make inner
changes to effect the world around us.

Interestingly, we have witnessed that if people take this approach, they can bring
about an instant outer response from life. For example an individual changes an
attitude about someone at work, and instantly gets a call thereafter that a new
project has been agreed upon that that person is to lead; or a man cleans something
he was reluctant to clean before and instantly finds out that he has run into some
expected money. This is called a Life Response.

If your attitudes and opinions are reflected by the circumstances around you, then
we can make an effort to change the world on the outside by making a change on
the inside; by changing our attitudes, opinions, and habits, or taking a specific
action. Under certain circumstances life on the outside can instantly respond to your
inner effort. If you can look at every positive and negative circumstance and match it
to a corresponding attitude, value, or habit inside yourself, you will be well on your
way to understanding the character of life, and gain the ability to master life. There
is no faster way to change the world around us than by acting from a positive inner
poise.

Life Response
Normally, we believe that taking an action on our part brings about a corresponding
result in life. This is of course true. There is also a secret knowledge that certain
special actions we take and certain attitudes we have can instantaneously evoke a
positive response from life from seemingly out of nowhere. We call this dramatic
phenomenon a "life response."

For example, let's talk about money. We are all aware of the importance of
intelligence, hard work, social position, skill, organization, and other forms of
strength and power to create wealth. There are, however, a few hidden strategies to
creating an immediate response from life concerning money. For one, keeping
accurate and up-to-date accounts of money is a powerful mechanism for attracting
more of it from life. One small business owner decided to balance eight months of
back statements in a weekend and received $5000 from out of nowhere the next
day. This is an example of a life response. It is virtually instantaneous, and appears
to come from seemingly out of nowhere; thus the moniker "instantaneous
miraculousness."

There does not seem to be any obvious connection between the actions and the
results, yet somehow life responds to the initiation of this person. That is the case
because life is organized in ways far beyond our normal, i.e. outer perceptions of
cause and effect. There are also inner laws of cause and effect that are in operations,
which are mostly hidden from us, are subconscious or unconscious to us. The
example of attention to money and how it generates a sudden, abundant, instant life
response is but one example of this inner causality we have discovered over the
years.

There are perhaps a dozen or so key human behaviors that can trigger such positive,
instant, abundant life response. E.g. in addition to the power of attention to keeping
accounts up to date to attract money, being as careful and prompt in paying debts as
in collecting what is owed to you attracts money.

Attention to finances and taking care of financial debts are in essence forms of higher
organization attracting money through the inner forces of cause and effect. Another
example of this inner power of organization is cleanliness. For example, we have
found that cleaning up and organizing an area around you brings about a very fast
response from life.
Just as organizing money accounts and paying debts on time attracts money and
fortunate circumstance to you, so does cleanliness and organizing things around you
one level higher than they currently are.

Sometimes physical things, such as stored away objects or stocks of inventory in a


business are ignored or forgotten. If one makes an effort to give it a new level of
attention life can miraculously respond.

You can also change life's circumstances by overcoming a limiting or negative


attitude, habit, or opinion. This is perhaps the most powerful method of all!

Changing an attitude can make life respond. So can taking a positive decision,
especially if it was something not taken before.

You can also make life respond by attempting to improve yourself, such as learning a
new skill to improve your career.

Finally, you can make life respond by quietly wanting something (preferably
something that is necessary!) from within yourself, without expressing it outwardly
or demanding it. Some would call this "the power of mind over matter."

When we master the inner rules and laws of cause and effect, we gain an enormous
power over life that we didn't have before. This knowledge is one of the great secrets
of living one's life from our deepest self awareness.

--------

Moving the Collective


There are several approaches to affecting the collective. One Appa suggests is that of
there is a problem around us we want to change, identify the corresponding element
in ourselves, agree to change it, and offer it to Mother, the collective will move.
We can also affect the collective by taking a great interest in the subject, studying it
and understanding it from all possible angles, and with great intensity offer it to
Mother. Usually the collective will respond.

Moving Conditions for Yourself


When Mother does not respond to a personal situation even though one's thoughts
about Her are 100% positive, it usually means she is waiting for a wanting aspect of
our being to change first -- often a limiting attitude. If we recognize and change it,
life will instantly move on our behalf.

Life Response and Divine Life


If life response becomes a universally known wisdom, Sri Aurobindo's 'Divine Life on
Earth' will be well on its way to becoming a reality.

Consecration (i.e. Opening to the Force)


Perhaps the greatest secret that we reveal is a knowledge about a new power that
exists on earth. It is the power that when utilized can create instant success and
accomplishment in your life, solve any problem, enable infinite possibility, and
enable an individual to evolve from his current consciousness to a higher status of
awareness in life.

All one has to do is open to this power, this spiritual Force a moment before taking
any action or commencing any activity. Thereafter, you will likely notice that
everything goes right, circumstance turn your way, life cooperates, and a new feeling
and energy comes into play. For example, just the right person will arrive when you
are were seeking solutions from others to help you with an issue; or a phone call will
come to you from out of nowhere solving a problem or providing a solution; or a
sense of calm and peace will arise in the environment where there was previously
agitation and stress.

Opening to this higher force before commencing an act has the power to evoke
positive responses from life. Also actions are completed much better than expected,
people respond more positively, events move more quickly, and life "cooperates."

To experience this effect just once in one's life is to set one onto a new course in life.

This consecration of an event can also lead to what we consider spiritual results as
well - such as a deep sense of peace and calm, a feeling of harmony and unity of
purpose with others or things around one in the environment, or even an inner
feeling of spiritual joy, delight, and bliss.

Different Approaches to Consecration


You can practice this technique of consecration, this opening to the spiritual Force, in
different ways. Some are able to consecrate before a major event in their lives;
some are able to do it regularly before a major activity or activities in a working day
(such as a teacher consecrating before a class, a manager consecrating before
writing a new report, or an individual visiting a relative). Some are even able to
consecrate before the small activities of the day (such as before brushing one's
teeth, or driving a car). At whatever level you practice this technique, you are sure
to see real results.

We believe that this spiritual force and power that is accessed through the method of
consecration has become more active in the world in the last fifty years; especially
the last ten or twenty. It is now more accessible, and has a greater power of
effectivity to bring about great results. Why this is so requires an explanation of the
evolution of what this spiritual Force is, what is its changing nature that makes its so
powerful now, and what is likely to make it even more powerful in the future. We
have addressed some of these points in another article on the emergence of this
Force in life.

Spiritual Nature of the Force


Briefly, we can think of this Force as the active power of the highest consciousness;
that is, of what we call God, the Divine, the Absolute, or Brahman as is known in the
East. This power of the divine consciousness has the ability to create instant truth,
knowledge, success, and joy in our lives. What normally would take a week, a
month, or a lifetime to accomplish can happen in a few days, a few hours, or even
instantly. What would normally take considerable effort, movement, and interaction
on your part can take place right where you are.
We can try to understand this phenomenon from the metaphysical perspective. We
can say that the universe emerged from God, the Absolute, the original Omnipresent
Divine Reality. The Absolute has always been there, is there now, and always will be
there. In order to manifest the universe from the Divine reality, It extended itself
through a new plane, which we call the Supramental plane. That plane was the
intermediary between the Divine Reality and the universe that was created from out
of the Divine reality. The Supramental plane served to coordinate various aspects
between the Divine reality and the forms in the universe that would emerge from
that Divine reality. In that way this Supramental plane was the ultimate force of
creation, since is enabled the Divine to manifest into a universe of forms. That
ultimate power which enabled creation is also available to us so that we too can
manifest creative results in our own lives.

When the individual opens to, remembers this power before an event or an activity
that is about to start, the Absolute transfers its infinite powers through this
intermediary Force to the particular situation that the individual is about to engage
in.

Opening to the Force enables problems to be solved, solutions to appear out of


nowhere, harmony to be created, success to flourish, perfection to come about, and
joy to rise. As life responds abundantly, quickly, miraculously to our invocation of the
power, we will see that our normally accepted notions of space and time, cause and
effect are overcome and transcended. Even what we believe is possible, i.e. what we
perceive is as finite is overcome, as the infinite potentials of life appear in what we
formally perceived as finite possibility. These are the results of the infinite capacities
of the Force, the same force that was/is the power that enabled the universe to
emerge from the original Divine Reality.

The Force is the ultimate, dynamic power of creation in the universe; and that same
power is available to the individual. If an individual opens to this Force at any
moment, a connection is made that enables one or more of its attributes to directly
enter the act or event.

This power solves problems, resolves conflicts, dissolves dead habits and unwanted
traits, opens up new opportunities, generates freshness and enjoyment in everything
we do, widens the personality, deepens our awareness, and reveals one's true inner
self.

This infinite, dynamic, creative power, sometimes referred to as "Truth


Consciousness," was first discovered or perhaps we should say rediscovered by the
Indian sage and seer Sri Aurobindo in the first half of the 20th century.

We ask you to try this method and approach, and see if you experience the
extraordinary results. If you have the experience even once, it can change your
outlook on reality, giving you a whole new perspective on the nature and powers that
are available in life. Hundreds, perhaps thousands of individuals we know of have
had the experience of connecting to the Force, with stunning results in terms of their
accomplishment, success, and happiness in life.

Solving Current Problems


It is also possible to take consecration a few steps further. For example, you can also
consecrate a current problem, and through consecration, overcome it; even turning
it into an unexpected opportunity. Needless to say, such a change in fortune will
bring about a profound joy in one's life.

So consecration, or perhaps we can call it "offering up the problem" to a higher


power, to the Force, also solves problems. It solves them instantaneously,
miraculously, and in creative ways not thought of before. It even reveals to us new
unthought of opportunities. It has the power to overcome negativity and it has a
creative power; giving us access to that same creative, dynamic power that enabled
the universe to manifest from the Divine reality. It is the ultimate power in life at our
disposal.

Opening to Power Matched by Changing Corresponding Weakness


So you can overcome any problem in life; a conflict with the boss, a physical ailment,
a money problem, or confusion on a programming job. All of life is in play when we
consecrate a problem.

There are however instances where you consecrate an act, event, past problem, etc.
and get no results. This can of course be disconcerting for those who have faith in
the Force. There is a simple meaning to this outcome: It is that the Force cannot
move unless a corresponding limitation or weakness in our own selves is also
overcome. When one invokes he Force, there are various parts of our being that are
at play. If there is no result from invoking the Force, then one or more of these
aspects in one's self are limited or negative, are blocking the action of the Force, and
need to be overcome or otherwise resolved for the power to move. Then, as soon as
you change that part of your nature, you will see an abundant response from life to
your earlier consecration.

For example, an individual opens to the Force concerning a difficult situation with his
boss. He offers with great intensity, but there is no results. It is only when he
overcomes his reluctance to meet with the boss and discuss the matter directly with
his boss, is his problem resolved. Not only that, but a very painful neck problem that
he had had for six months also simultaneously vanished. The combination of
overcoming one's limitation --whether it be a bad attitude, or a false opinion, or a
negative past action -- in tandem with the Force, will enable wonderful life response
if an opening to the Force alone does not do the trick.

Overcoming Past Problems


In addition to consecrating an event that is about to take place, or a current
problem, you can also use the Force to overcome problems of the past, including the
effect of mistakes of the distant past on your current situation. In other words, one
can also consecrate any past difficulties or problems to change one's fortune in the
present.

You can consecrate past limitations and problems, which will dissolve them, resulting
in positive, abundant, instantaneous opportunities and other changes in fortune in
the present. This is possible because the Force is beyond any limitations of time; of
past, present, and future. That's the case because the source power behind the
Force, that which created the universe, is in touch with the timelessness of the
Divine Reality.
Spiritual Results Too
Consecration not only brings great gross, material results, but it also brings spiritual
results as well - such as a deep sense of calm and peace, a feeling of harmony and
unity of purpose with others or things around one in the environment, a deep
perception of knowledge and truth and wisdom, or even an inner feeling of spiritual
joy, delight, and bliss. Let's return to our earlier example to show an example of
this:

Intensity of Consecration
Normally, we make the connection with the spiritual domain through concentration
or prayer; calling to a Divine source or the spirit within us. In these instances, we
have usually withdrawn from the fervor of our emotions in order to make a
connection with the higher power. However, we have seen that the more intense the
consecration, the greater the results; i.e. the greater life responds.

By "intensity" we mean that our ardor for the Divine help through the consecration is
intense, sincere, deep, and full. When one reaches this state, the intensity of the
nagging problem or difficulty is transferred to the intensity of the offering of the
situation or circumstance to the Divine. The transference of the intensity from the
situation to the offering (or, better yet, intense consecration supported by a soft and
simple mental clarity of thought of the situation) evokes great positive response from
life.

Scale of Reference in Consecration


For the most part the consecration we have spoken consists of using the Higher
Power to create positive gain in one's own life, for one's own sake and benefit. As
one moves further on the path of personal growth, development, and evolution one
comes to the point that one begins to focus not only on one's own interests, but the
interests of others, of the community, of the society, and eventually the interests of
the Divine Spirit itself.

There is thus an ascending scale of reference that extends from the very limiting
self-interest of the individual, filled with his poor attitudes, selfishness, self-interest,
etc., to a higher level where one is free of these limitations and can invoke a
response to a consecration, to a higher level still where the scope broadens to the
interests of others, and then on to the collective, and finally to the Divine's Will itself.

The higher we are o that scale of reference when we consecrate, the greater its
effectivity, hence its results.

Say for example, you are a business person who wishes a great increase in sales for
your retail business. We can perform the consecration at these various ascending
levels of consciousness, each getting a corresponding higher and wider result. For
instance, at level one I consecrate so that my day's sales will be great in order to
make more money for myself. At a next higher level I consecrate to create great
sales so that others can benefit, such as my staff; or the customer himself. (More
customers can now have the product, including its benefit.) The same interest can
apply to the community and society, who can have great benefit and delight either
directly in using the products, or indirectly from other improvements that the product
engenders. The result that comes will be commensurate with the reference of
consecration. At a higher level still I once again consecrate to create greater sales,
but this time I do it for the Divine's sake. I do it as an offering and surrender to a
Higher Will that can use our products or the fact of greater sales for its own higher
purpose. I again consecrate the need with great intensity and emotion, but now I
defer to, surrender to the Higher Intention; to accept what the Divine wants for its
own sake. Again, I may get a causal response that is stupendous; that moves the
individual or the institution one is involved with to a new level of success. This is the
ultimate form of consecration that leads to ultimate quantity and quality of results.

We should point out that as you move to the higher point of reference, i.e. higher
purpose, you touch on the universal forces that are there just beyond our normal
perceptions and levels of awareness. These universal forces and powers are
themselves connected more directly to infinite realities, enabling infinite possibilities
to enter into what we perceive as the finite at any moment in time.

To enable such vast possibilities, requires a fundamental change in one's nature. To


reference universal forces and powers one must live one's life from a deeper poise
and consciousness within; to come in contact with our Inner Being, culminating in
connecting with our own personal evolving soul. This begins the process of
transformation of the individual, which enables him to permanently connect to the
universal forces, including the divine Force that is the object of our consecration.
When one invokes the Force from these deepest levels of consciousness, its
effectivity to create results is greatest. In that way one begins to have the ultimate
power of creation in life. When one connects to the Force from the deepest regions
within us, we gain the greatest powers of creation. We open the doors for infinite
accomplishment and joy to enter our once perceived finite existence.

Grow by Giving
Perhaps the single most powerful way to succeed in life is to have more concern for
our fellow human beings. Normally, we are overwhelmingly concerned about
ourselves, driven by our own personal motives and ambitions. However, the
happiest people literally lose themselves in the feelings, thoughts, and aspirations of
others.

Are you ready to "forget yourself" and be genuinely interested in the welfare of
others? Are you willing to be tolerant and kind to others, listen attentively and
silently to their words, and be non-judgmental and open to their opinions and points
of view? If you are, you're an excellent candidate for great success in life, not to
mention an ever-increasing personal happiness and joy.

Try a little experiment. When you meet with others, immediately put yourself in their
shoes. Think only of what they want. Listen carefully to their thoughts and feelings,
and show genuine concern and empathy. Do this for the entire meeting. Now watch
how the interaction goes. Watch how the energy level of the other person increases.
The other individual becomes more animated and involved.

In addition, if you watch closely, you may notice some interesting things starting to
happen. An unthought of point of view or perspective may be raised in the
conversation. New ideas or fresh new insights are suddenly revealed. Or, a new
interesting idea, project or event might suddenly come out of the discussion. This all
happens because you have shifted your concern toward the other person.
But there's more. If you pay very close attention, you'll see that there might be an
added "response from life." For example, during the conversation, someone might
call in a great new project to you; or a dramatic new development might arise in
some area of your work. This is life itself "responding" to your concern for another
person. It is a hidden power that we have witnessed dozens of times in the past.

Whenever you shift your perspective from yourself to others, your energy increases,
conditions of accomplishment, success, and positive outcome reveal themselves, life
responds suddenly, positively, and abundantly, and one feels a great joy. The more
real and heartfelt the positive feeling toward the other person, the greater the
energy, success, joy, and happiness.

Increase Gratitude
Gratitude is a very special quality in humans, a quality that can be said to border on
the spiritual. Some have even suggested that gratitude is a new form of goodness it
the world. If we look around us we can see that individuals with a "soft nature" have
a natural way of expressing their gratitude. A person who shows gratitude is in
essence recognizing the goodness and rightness of the flow of events in his life;
perhaps even subtly recognizing a Divine hand in things. Gratitude is a quality that
moves an individual from strife and bitterness to a higher emotion that borders on
love of life.

We have noticed that those who are capable of gratitude normally lead a pleasant,
smooth, and generally trouble-free life. Those whose sense of gratitude is weak or
dull find all kinds of problems arising in their lives. Our conclusion then is that a very
effective and powerful way to overcome a serious problem is to change our negative
feelings toward the problem to corresponding positive feelings of gratitude to the
people and circumstance related to the problem. See the goodness and benefit of the
people and circumstance in your past and make your feelings positive with a sense of
gratitude. This approach can solve a serious problem very quickly!

Aspiration
When we are first in touch with the spirit, we have a desire to keep close to this
force in our lives. However, that aspiration usually wanes after our experience with
the spirit recedes over time. To rekindle our relationship to the spirit and its benefits
of peace, joy, light, truth, and infinite possibility, we need to make a continuous
effort to bring the spirit back into our lives. This effort must be constant, unending,
and should embrace all parts of our nature until a flame ignites and burns inside
ourselves as a constant Aspiration for union with the divine. By having aspiration for
the spirit, the divine in our lives, we make it the central part of our being, the light of
our existence.

-For transformation what is needed is aspiration, and the end of ego. To those who
are sincere in this regard will receive the divine help. (Paraphrase of The Mother)

-How many of us are serious about breaking the shackles of ordinary human life to
enable our true potential to shine through, to bringing the infinite into the finite, to
bring Delight to our souls, instead of living lives of ego, ignorance, and unhappiness.
Most of us just want to live ordinarily, compelled to live a bit more extraordinarily
only when the chips are down. That's a negative approach to consciousness. We can
do better. We can enable our personal growth through intense positive aspiration.

-The people who have the aspiration, the need to know, are the key in the evolution.
(Paraphrase of The Mother)

Sincerity
At the beginning of each day we must ask ourselves if we are truly committed to
taking a step forward today, or if we are resigned to accepting our current status,
habits and preoccupations.

Faith
-The ultimate skill of the spirit is perhaps the acknowledgement that there is
something beyond any skills, beyond our knowledge, beyond even our spiritual
emotions that we can have ultimate trust in. That is faith. Faith is the mind's
intuition of higher spiritual truth. Faith is the knowledge of the soul within us of
truths we have not yet discovered.

We can have faith on occasion, when circumstances are difficult, or on an ongoing


basis. Ongoing faith in the spirit, the divine is an indication that spirit has become
the foundation of our lives. From that poise anything we come to believe that
anything is possible for us. It opens us up to the infinite possibilities in life, and it
brings us into a closer relationship with the Divine spirit.

-Faith is the knowledge and experience of the soul. Therefore, when you discover
your personal evolving soul at some point along the path, faith will be ever-present
and ever-lasting.

-Faith in the Divine comes as knowledge of one's soul. When we connect to our
personal evolving soul (the psychic being), faith increases. In that way we come to
faith in Joy, instead of coming to it by being tested through the despair of serious
problems.
We must learn to move from faith in life's institutions; e.g. law if we are involved in a
law case, medicines if we are sick, etc.; even to the miraculousness of life response
itself for faith in the working of the divine Force, the divine Mother. This is the true
faith.

----

Negative vs. Positive Faith in Mother (as expressed in a situation of someone's


chronic illness)

"In our [Indian] tradition, illness is understood to be the result of past karma. A lady
was suffering from asthma for over a decade. In an affectionate family, illness is an
occasion for attention. People overcome their resistances and offer unusual help. In
other families, where no one feels any emotion for another, it becomes an occasion
for the patient to develop immeasurable endurance. Occasionally, someone at home
will attribute motives to the sufferer. This lady was one of extraordinary politeness
and was so independent that she would seek no help from anyone except her
children.

Hospitalisation was an annual phenomenon. It sometimes prolonged for weeks or


months. To her, the physical suffocation was unendurable. During one such visit to
the hospital, the doctors found it a hopeless case and refused to attend on the
patient. The faith the patient had in the divine Mother that SHE would save her life
and spare her the pain gave way. She could no longer pray to save her life. She
shifted in her mind. She thought of praying that she should no longer suffer. She
sent for her children, removed the IV tubes, and refused further medication. To the
children she made a profound declaration, ''I can't live anymore. Mother will protect
you both. Have faith in The Mother.'' They broke out in a wail. A weight was off her
mind. She fell asleep.

When she woke up, there was no suffocation. Her face was bright. Her voice was
clear. To the nurse attending on her it was a wonder. The nurse ran to the doctors
and reported. They were unbelieving, and rushed to the patient offering to revive the
treatment. The lady preferred to go home. In the next fifteen years hospitalisation
was rare and far between. This is negative FAITH. She prayed to die. Mother gave
her health and life. A positive faith, though it sees no response, will imply one. It
takes the attitude, ''I have done my best. The pain is unrelenting. No prayer to
Mother will be in vain, even if the results are NOT visible. My duty is to exhaust my
prayer of faith and not despair. The best will happen to me.'' Such a faith will give
the same results but in a higher fashion. No recurrence will ever be there.

A positive Faith brings the positive opportunities of health and the society. A
negative Faith wards off the existing problems. One who relates to the Spirit has a
greater chance of developing a positive FAITH." (Karmayogi)

A Dialogue on Mother's Power and Life Response

I wonder how many a times, help lands when it is the last minute without which we
can not live. It can be money or medical help or anything that becomes crucial. One
reason this occurs is that it is at these (desperate) times that our aspiration
is most intense, and so Mother more readily heeds the call.

Many a times, I also wonder how we misinterpret certain events which appear
unfavourable but turns to be favourable (totally) when looked in reality after
developments in near future. Negatives are positives in disguise; a more
intense form. Often they are the greatest spur to our progress. Sri
Aurobindo says that as we rise in consciousness, we see the divisions that
the lower consciousness perceives as not being so, including positive and
negative. We instead see oneness and progress everywhere.

Mother's way of blessings is something, I feel one need to realize and experience and
it just takes a form of a miracle every time. We are blessed to constantly
witness her miracles. Think how few perceive such things even once in their
lives.

When our thoughts grow to higher levels of consciousness , we can realise the
presence of spiritual guidance in all our life in all events. Yes, well put.
I always shiver with fear at times when life takes a roller coaster turns - but only to
laugh at myself - mother's force like life belt holds me strongly and landing becomes
smooth.

I make mistakes and take wrong decisions, but when surrendered and even on
thought of reversing it , immediately depending on the faith levels prevailing at that
time, I have seen results. This is wonderful.

But pity human beings like me after all experience develop same doubts and fear as
the life presents similar experience situations. That is why He and She advocate
our evolution towards a divine life on earth. The current state is terribly
unconscious, filled with duality, fear, and ignorance.

Call it a life response or call it Mother's blessings (obviously mother is the only force
which I know brings all good things in my life.) , I see many a times, that Mother has
blessed those who have just shown some interest in knowing about her and her
teachings,.(my friend have got many blessings in reality though he is not a strong
follower). Any, even the tiniest connection with Her, evokes her Grace.
Sometimes a person who barely knows her will receive the biggest change
of all because the energy differential between her current, old status and
this small opening is so fast. Mother rushes in there.

Roy Sir, Life response is something fabulous which brings instant miracles and
happiness which we can create for ourselves with Mothers principles and thoughts
and kindly clarify as to whether this will work even for those who are in reality not
mother's followers. Life response is a universal power of life. It is constantly
happening all of the time. It even occurs negatively. Sri Karmayogi has
pointed out hundreds of instances of it in just one book, Pride and
Prejudice. Mother's disciples also have conscious access to Her Force which
adds causal power. Still anyone can evoke a life response at any moment by
raising their consciousness relative to that instance and circumstance.

Her Causal Power that Transcends Problems in Society


My own experience has been similar; that in times of economic crisis or recession,
etc., there is no impact on those who open to Mother. Positive results invariably
come from out of nowhere. I.e. life responds in our favor. Let me explain.
Life response normally comes through subtle power. I.e. we are able to access the
right conditions of life through inner, subtle, invisible means -- e.g. through inner
aspiration, and change of attitude. Still it might be influenced to a degree by the
general condition of society, such as economic slowdown. The subtlety of that inner
ability to attract is there, but the energies are the composite of what is in the
environment, which we may be subject to (unless our reversal of consciousness --
e.g. changed attitude -- is intense enough).
Opening to Mother is however super-subtle, often called 'causal,' as new
unprecedented conditions are created in the world that never existed before. Thus,
Her power is not dependent on existing conditions, and therefore the energies and
forms in the environment that we can attract. We can say Her power bypasses that
subtle plane through her super-subtle, causal Capacity.
This in turn enables us to feel a great trust and faith in Her. Sometimes however, a
new problem arises, and we have to have even greater faith in Mother's causal
power. In that sense, all negatives are positive in disguise, as they provide us with
the opportunity to develop a richer, longer-term trust in Her influence and power.
The negative helps us grow spiritually, and next time we know just what to do in
similar intense situations. I.e. surrender to Her more fully.

Connecting with the Psychic Within (One's Personal Evolving Soul)


What is the soul? A commonly accepted definition is that the soul is a portion of, a
"spark" of the Divine that each person has within him at birth. This soul is in the
noblest person, as well as the most wretched. In one sense we can say that the very
reason we are born is because we have manifest a spark of the universal spirit within
us. Just as the universe exists as an extension of a Divine reality, so too we each
exist because we have a soul spark of this Divine reality within us.

Now consider the fact that each of us actually has two souls! As an individual begins
to live a life of progress, or lives an inner life, or connects to the spiritual Divine
reality, something interesting starts to occur deep within. The spark of the Divine,
this soul within us, starts taking on a new companion aspect that has an
individualized, personal character. The Indian sage and seer Sri Aurobindo calls this
personalized soul the "Psychic Being." (Not to be confused with having "psychic
experiences.") When we grow as individuals, when we touch the inner consciousness
in the depths of our being, when we connect to the Divine reality in our lives, we
begin to manifest a new personalized soul space, the Psychic Being.

Next to the unchanging soul spark of the Divine, the personal evolving soul, the
Psychic Being is dynamic. It is dynamic because it reflects each person's
individuality, including changes in growth and development of the individual;
whereas the "first" soul, the universal soul, the soul spark of the Divine is the same
in essence in everyone; a part of, an eddy of the changeless, infinite, timeless,
spaceless, unfathomable Divine. The Psychic Being is also dynamic because it is an
evolving entity. It evolves through the accumulated positive experiences of the
individual it inhabits. This individualized personal soul at any point has a certain level
of spiritual substance, essence, and Wisdom; and seeks to enhance these through
the growth and progress of the individual human it inhabits. As the individual in the
course of his life grows, develops, and evolves his capacities, attitudes, habits,
opinions, sentiments, values, and other aspects of his being, the Psychic Being
absorbs those essences from the individual's experiences and realizations that are
useful for its own further evolution. In other words, when you evolve, it can evolve!

If the individual stops growing relative to the needs of an evolving Psychic Being, It
will begin to withdraw from that person, searching for new opportunities for greater
sustenance for its further development. It normally withdraws by leaving the
individual, and merging with the higher realms of consciousness not of this world. If
the right vehicle is found, the Psychic Being then enters that new individual in its
quest for further nourishment of consciousness, i.e. to further evolve. This is what
we mean by the term "rebirth."

If we are able to help the Psychic Being evolve, how can it help us? If we learn to
connect with the Psychic Being that is there in the depths of our being within, then
life will move in a decidedly different direction for us. The first major effect that the
evolving personal soul can have on us is that it helps us live our lives in the best
possible way. It does this by "watching over us," insuring that we act in the right
way, do the right things, and take the right actions in life. For example, when we do
certain things or take certain actions, it subtlely lets us know if it is the right or
wrong thing to do. It also watches over the movements of our emotions, reactions,
thoughts, habits, attitudes; and subtly suggests, intimates which movements are
good and which are deleterious and harmful to us, to be avoided in the future. In this
way our personal evolving soul, this Psychic Being becomes our Inner Guide in life.

A second result of our connection to our evolving soul is that we start experiencing
everything around us from a very different perspective. By living in the deepest
depths we start to move away from and are less influenced by the surface activities
around us. We are no longer overwhelmed by the input of the surface life, absorbed
through our five senses, which deleteriously affects our feelings, our thinking
processes, and our actions. As we withdraw from the surface of life, we are less
likely to act from our ego-sense, from our intense and over-wrought individuality and
separateness. As a result we see all of life around us in a new light. We open to the
greater possibilities that are always there in the atmosphere around us. We open to
wider the influences and possibilities that are emerging at every moment. We
withdraw our own will and needs and desires in favor of the will and needs and
requirements of others. We sense what the truth of the moment is; what is right,
what is the correct action to take (or not to take). In this way we enable a greater
harmony, unity, and oneness of purpose with all and everything around us.

Also, as our field of awareness, insight, and consciousness expands beyond our own
selves, we begin to sense that we are not only an individual self, but that we are also
a universal self and being. We begin to sense that the universe and its forces and
powers are really an extension of our own individual self. We sense that the
consciousness of the universe is intimately connected to our own consciousness. At
that point we begin to develop a cosmic consciousness within us, as we sense that all
the forces, powers, and subtleties of the universe are there at our disposal.

Then there is the effect of touching the Psychic Being on one's knowledge in life.
Normally we know things through our senses, mixed with the thinking faculties of
mind. When we want to know something we might need to undertake an
investigation, or learn something new, or find it out from others, or simply think
deeply on it. The process is long-winding and time consuming. However, there are
greater powers of mind higher that one can utilize in one's life; where answers come
directly and instantly, without having to go through a long process of investigation,
learning, or even thinking. In this way knowledge simply comes, descends into our
minds as sudden flashes of light or illumination, as visions or revelations, or as great
descents of the object of knowledge and inquiry, complete, in toto, into our minds as
intuitions. As a result of our connection to the universal consciousness and mind
through our association with the Psychic Being, these experiences of light,
illumination, vision, and intuition begin to happen more frequently.

This descent from the universal is greatest when we have descents of complete
intuitions of knowledge. If, for example, we wanted to know the solution to a difficult
problem that would normally take weeks if not months of inquiry, it would simply
descend into our minds, without any thought, giving us future knowledge today; e.g.
abridging months of hard fought mental inquiry into literally a few moment of time.
Needless to say this can totally change our effectivity and efficiency in life. We
become the masters of time and space; we bring the infinite future into the finite
present.

As we touch the evolving soul within we not only develop experience illuminations
and intuitions of future knowledge in the present, but we also start developing a
most astounding new perception of the world; a unitarian consciousness. What does
that mean? Well normally we perceive the world in terms of conflicting opposites;
good and evil, pleasure and pain, and other divisions, dualities, and opposites of life.
In the unitarian consciousness we no longer view these conflicting opposites, but as
necessary complements to one another needed in order for life to progress. The good
cannot get better without the bad; I cannot improve myself except through my rival
or the conflicts, challenges that life presents to me; the nation cannot progress
except through its conflict with others. In this unitarian consciousness, we begin to
perceive that the contradictory and conflicting parties are necessary to one another
to enable higher harmonies to emerge. Pairs of opposites is Nature's way of
progress. Moreover, as we see the complementary nature of opposites that need one
another for each to progress to a higher harmony, we actually become instruments
and enablers of that higher harmony. By seeing the complementary nature of related
conflicting pairs, we sense where they are moving towards, and thus have a glimpse
of their future direction. From that point we can develop strategies that help them
get there without conflict! Connecting with the evolving personal soul enables us to
extend out to have a glimpse of this unitarian truth consciousness.

Perhaps most rewarding in connecting to the Psychic Being within is when we


experience the Delight of existence; the joy of being and living in life. Perhaps the
single great reason this universe emerged from a Divine Reality was so that we who
dwell here could experience the delight of the Divine spirit. The divine created the
universe for delight, and when we touch our evolving soul being, our Psychic Being,
we uncover that hidden delight in creation. In the Psychic Being of the individual is
buried the great hidden Delight that emerged from the Creator in creation.

When we connect to the Psychic Being we experience our inner personal guide,
experience great awareness of the environment around us, open the doorway to the
universal consciousness and its forces and powers, open to descents of light, vision,
and intuitions of complete knowledge and integral knowledge, experience the
oneness, purpose, and emerging harmonies of life beyond the dualities and conflicts
of existence that we see on the surface, and enter the pathway of bliss and delight.
To experience the Psychic being even once in our life is one of the greatest
experiences a human being can have. To make it a permanent realization is to open
the portal to the infinite potentials and delight of existence.

Surrender
-The roadmap to our evolutionary destiny passes through these milestones. We
begin by offering acts and activities and problems of life to the Divine Force; which in
turn enables us to make a link our inner being within, which guides us to our truer
nature and behavior, opens us to the descents of intuition and revelation, and
connects us to universal force and powers; which leads us deeper within to our True
Self, our personal evolving soul; which leads to a realization that we should now live
our lives completely dedicated to the Divine Will and Purpose, which is a life of
surrender; which opens the portals to infinite possibilities in life, and establishes the
foundation for the ultimate transformations to our supra-human functioning.
-Concentration is a movement away from living on the surface of life, where the
senses dominate, to a focus within. Consecration is to defer all action in life to a
higher consciousness [i.e. the Force] rather than our self of ego. Surrender is the
willed decision to move one's entire life in a whole different direction; that direction
being a never-ending life of self-giving and surrender to the Divine Will.

The psychic [the personal evolving soul] is engaged when there is consecration. It
begins to flower when surrender begins, and its is in full bloom as surrender unfolds.

-Surrender of one's self to the Divine enables the spirit Being to enter the life
Becoming, which enables the infinite potentials of life to rush into the present as
miraculous sudden, abundant, responses from life.

-Surrender seems less to do with acts, events, problems, but a general or overall
movement of giving ones self to the Divine's Will, not personal will. The personal self
begins to be left behind; though it enables the real Self.

-No surrender is possible without the psychic emerging. Surrender is done through
the psychic. (We consecrate so that we reach the psychic.)

-Once one has discovered the personal evolving soul, the method of Surrender to the
divine will emerges as a possibility.

-Consecration, though not easy is for the beginner devotee; while surrender is for
those whose very lives are committed to progress and spiritual evolution.

Surrender to Mother, Joy, and Money


Consecrating an activity such as money to Mother's Force, will attract it. To feel
Mother's joy to attract money takes more than ordinary consecration, but
surrendering to Her essence. It requires a different orientation to life; one that is
consistently inward and thereupon open to Her Being. It is surrender that produces
joy. It is a soul movement.

It takes dedication to such an effort, -- we can even call it Yoga -- but it produces
ultimate results, including vast monetary reward that is nothing less than Her Grace
in action.

Truth
-We need to move our center of consciousness from what we call the sense-based
mind to a higher status of mind, where we are using the more logical, rational part of
mind. From that higher rational, conceptual status of mind we are more objective,
more likely to see the varied sides of a truth, which enable us to get at most of the
facts that lead to insight.

-To go against the falsehood that lies in the family, to stand aloof from the falsehood
inherent in society, and to overcome the falsehood that is surely there in ourselves,
is the adventure of the seeking of Truth, i.e. of Spirit in life. (Paraphrase of MSS)

-We must give up our morality, our ethics, our social conventions, our worshiping,
our rituals, our faith in limited material, scientific knowledge of the surface, and
aspire for one great thing -- Truth. Only this will rapidly bring the future into the
present.

Mental Bent
On the other hand for many these approaches may not be suitable. For those with a
more mental bent, there are solutions as well. For example, one can simply try to
analyze the problem in a wider context so as to arrive at a fuller understanding of
the problem. This can reveal solutions not perceived before.

A Calm and Equal Basis


Whichever approach you use it is important that you remain calm and equal
throughout the situation. The first rule in dealing with any problem is that you need
to be still and not overwrought by the problem. In an atmosphere of anger, fear, and
worry, the problems only get exacerbated, and the power of these techniques are
reduced. In addition, having a general positive faith that one way or the other the
problem will be overcome is also very helpful. That includes accepting that what
comes as a result of utilizing the above methods is for the best, even if it is not what
one expected or even likes.

There are some instances where one simply needs to completely forget the problem
to solve the problem. For example a person who is completely overcome by a
situation may need to completely forget the problem before taking any action.
Sometimes just by ignoring the problem, the problem will ease.

If you are sincere in using any of the techniques suggested here, you will be able to
solve any problems in your life. Furthermore, you might find that dissolving the knot
of the problem also opened new doors for you and propelled you to new levels of
happiness and success in life.

Equality
-A great foundation for growth and accomplishment in life is endless patience (a
quality of soul), perfect Equality (i.e. indifference of reaction to what appears
enjoyable or unenjoyable, good or bad; a quality of infinity), and a decided and
constant cheerfulness.

-Patience is the attitude of equality. Equality is the consciousness of infinity.

-The spiritual way is to be the detached beholder of life, which enables many sided
knowledge, truth, and right action. Our normal lives are the opposite of this.

-A great foundation for growth and accomplishment in life is Equality. Equality is the
indifference of reaction to what appears enjoyable or unenjoyable, good or bad,
fortune or problematic. It is quite powerfully demonstrated in this incident. It is a
spiritual quality of the Infinite.
Peace
Another way force acts is as Peace. Peace is a state of utter calm and stillness from
which all successful outcomes in life must begin.

One of the first steps on the journey is to establish Peace in our physical nature. We
must quiet the body and the nerves to seek that which is beyond our surface being.
Spiritual peace comes by self-discipline and calling down the higher vibration into the
body, whose nature vacillates between dullness an action. This is an essential first
step in any spiritual path. Once physical Peace is established we must learn to free
ourselves from the influence of our mind whose lower nature is one of analysis and
division and establish the abiding mental Peace to augment the physical Peace.

Calling Peace -- Here's one technique: Take any situation in which there is turmoil,
confusion, or other negative circumstance. Try to find a point within yourself where
there is calm and peace. If you are unable to find that point call peace into the
situation. When you feel you are at the point of calm and peace resume your
activities. Our research indicates that by calling peace you can calm your thoughts,
decrease pain, and attract positive circumstances around you. You can even help
stop a negative incident around, such as a riot.

Calling peace into yourself is also a way to reduce physical pain. When a pain occurs,
quiet your mind, and don't let it give sanction to the pain (i.e. don't give in to such
thoughts and feelings as "Oh no not again" or "Now I have to go to the doctor").
Then call in Peace into yourself for a few moments. Relax. Then watch the pain ease
or even disappear. This is also a great technique for reducing stress.

Notes: Calling down Peace disperses a quarreling crowd, as well as calms down a
nation troubled by war.

Silence
Mind is a great instrument, the greatest instrument we are endowed with. Mind
becomes destructive when it acts on its own. Mind becomes an instrument of
creation, a great instrument at that when it subordinates itself to its ORIGIN, the
Spirit. Relying on the Mind, insisting on our ideas, on our capacity to plan is our
undoing. Mind's ideas are powerful, its planning is effective when they are sanctioned
by the inner Spirit and fully endorsed in its validity.

It is NOT Reason that achieves, but Spirit through inner Silence. Cease to Reason,
you will end in Spirit. Ceasing to Reason, you are ushered into Silence, which is the
atmosphere of the Inner Spirit. Spirit is the seat of true everlasting Power.
(Karmayogi)

Perfection
Mother devotees are not often aware that even small perfection can bring great
results because Mother is there in the background. A small softdrink company
competing for the franchise of a big corporation secured that franchise due to the
neatly typed and folded letter that the consultant for the company sent to that
corporation. He himself was amazed when the head of that corporation told him that
it was the neatness and perfection of that letter that convinced him to allot that
franchise to this small company overlooking giants in the field.

The car driver of a past chief minister of Karnataka provided Indira Gandhi with
some interesting information about the then C.M which pleased her so much that she
gave him a ticket to contest an M.P election. He won the election and went on the
become a cabinet minister.

Big corporate deals are sometimes finalised not on the strength of the product
offered but on the fineness of the hospitality shown to the visiting clients.

If this is true the reverse is also true. If a businessman spills coffee on his shirt while
negotiating a contract worth crores of rupees, that simple coffee spill may cost him
20 or 30 lakhs when the other party suddenly reverses and bargains stiffly for a
hefty reduction because he has noticed the coffee spill and that tells him something
about the seller's personality.

Only a few people are allowed to enter my father's floor. These few people including
myself have to be very careful when we are there. If in opening the door to the inner
hall where my father sits if we cause a little noise by letting the door close fast he
says his work for the whole day has been cancelled because of that noise. It is
difficult for us to believe that a little noise can cancel an important work of his. But
for him that is real because the atmosphere in his floor is very sensitive. Similarly a
single grace flower we receive from him can bring us a luck out of all proportion to
that single flower because the consciousness in his floor is very powerful and it
magnifies the result of the single grace flower to a great extent.

So let us devotees not forget that when we are moving in Mother's sensitive
atmosphere great accomplishments can come due to nice little small
perfections in details which in ordinary life would scarcely matter. (N. Asokan,
MSS)

Identifying and Overcoming Our Negative Propensities


As I mentioned in the last reply, one needs to know all the negative qualities of man
(that block Mother) to prevent one from taking to them in the first place. We don't
want to become aware of these problems only after we are struck down by them.
Hence, we need to know these even as much as we know Mother. Maybe more so, as
they block Her action.

I suggested the booklet The Mother as a starting place because in the section on
Rejection, Sri Aurobindo lists out all of the wanting propensities of Man, including
money and many other matters. To consciously know what we are made up of, our
limitations as human beings (ego, ignorance, etc.), and what we should do to avoid
them is fundamental to a life of progress, let alone yoga.

What good is Mother if we are doing things in so many areas of our lives to block Her
Force, and going through rounds of endless suffering?

We need to know who we are, our limitations, and build a new being and basis out of
this, with Mother's infinite support.
We can see the limitations of Man, of who we are, and what we can do to overcome
them at three levels:

1. That which Sri Aurobindo outlines as all the things we need to reject in our nature
in the booklet The Mother, including all versions of desire, attachment, ego, money-
taint, power, sex, ignorance, falsehood, evil, etc. This is the basis from which we can
evaluate ourselves so we can avoid all problems in life.

2. The items Sri Appa continuously implores us to adopt: accept the current givens
of life before us (i.e. do the work at hand); move away from selfishness and be self-
giving, keep the mind silent and take the other person's point of view, being honest,
overcoming lack of cleanliness and orderliness, etc.

3. The fundamental blockages for success in life, including overcoming psychological


weakness; avoiding all negative attitudes towards others, self, and life; overcoming
limited energy; not having a clear direction in life, not having the will and
determination, not being organized at all levels, wanting motives and values, etc.
etc.

When you have begun to master these, then Mother's influence will have the
maximum effect.

Life is constantly responding negatively to our lack of capacity in these many areas.
That's why if we know what these human limitation areas are, and where we are
lacking, we will know what to do in any difficult situation. Moreover, we will have
avoided then in the first place through our new knowledge and right consciousness!

All negative conditions that come to you are a response to one or more limitation in
your being. It is (negative) Life Response. You can easily correlate any wanting
outcome to a limitation in your consciousness and learn that way. That's how we
normally learn. Appa and all offer another way. Know what you are, what your are
made up of, your limitations, and seek to overcome them (with Mother's support).
Then you will have the right consciousness that will never or rarely attract difficult
conditions.

My suggestion then is take inventory of who you are, including your limitations,
commit to improving yourself in those deficient areas, and offer all to Mother as you
implement. (If you even pick ONE obvious area, it will be enough! It is hard enough
to get a person to change one single area!) Then your life will be one of endless joy
as positive response from life and Her Grace will be your constant companion.

Yoga (Evolution as a way of life)


When we dedicate our lives to self-improvement, we are, in essence, making
evolution a way of life. Evolution as a way of life becomes our on-going, life long
attempt to elevate all aspects of our being, resulting in higher levels of
consciousness, awareness, capacity, and character for ourselves. That in turn leads
to greater levels of success, accomplishment, achievement, happiness, and joy.
There are many techniques and approaches we can use as we make evolution a way
of life. For example, we can learn to --

↵ increase our level of personal organization in our life

↵ increase our skills and knowledge in our life

↵ shed our negative attitudes, habits, and opinions in our life

↵ become aware of and implement our deepest personal values in our life

↵ increase our energy and vitality in life

In addition, we can practice evolution as a way of life by continually being aware,


observing, and utilizing the hidden forces and phenomenon of life that defy our
normal perceptions of space and time. These include -

↵ understanding the relationship between the world outside us and our inner
consciousness, i.e. how the outer life reflects our inner attitudes and perception.
(inner-outer correspondence).

↵ understanding how we can trigger instant positive life responses through
changes in our attitudes, actions, and thoughts. (life response)

↵ getting in touch with the inner forces of life that can release infinite possibility
in life. (infinite potential of life)

If we practice evolution as a way of life, i.e. we utilize all of these approaches on an


on-going basis, then we are sure to grow, develop, and evolve as a person. That in
turn can only lead to unimagined levels of success, accomplishment, happiness, and
joy in our lives.

Beyond these approaches we can also make evolution a way of life by making a
spiritual effort.

↵ Connect to Soul/inner Being -- We can come in contact with the spirit within
us, i.e. our souls. At this level we are not caught up in the surface of life; we live in
the depths of our being. In this way our consciousness is withdrawn from the surface
action of the mental, vital, and physical realm. We can see our limitations at these
planes, and understand how we can make improvements in those areas we are
lacking in.

↵ Aspiration for Higher Power -- We can also aspire to connect with the great
effectuating force of the universe, the Truth Consciousness or Supramental force,
which is the dynamic power of the Divine.

↵ Calling Higher Power to Overcome Limitations -- We can also call in the force
into our being to help us overcome our mental, vital, and physical limitations.
↵ Consecration and Other Spiritual Techniques -- We can connect to this force
through various techniques, such as prayer, meditation, calling, aspiration, and
consecration.

By utilizing these approaches we begin to not only overcome our limiting capacities
but we bring in the peace, force, power, and bliss of the divine spirit in our lives.
Furthermore, by coming in touch with the force we gain the positive cooperation and
sanction of life -- in the events, circumstances, and situations we participate in, and
we begin to unleash the infinite potential and possibilities in life. We become the
masters of life, opening us up to infinite accomplishment, success, and joy.

When we have reached an even more advanced stage, we come to perceive and feel
that it is the spirit itself that provides the central meaning in his life. We perceive
that is the spirit's own purpose that is working its will though our lives. We become
instruments of the divine unfolding and intention in the universe. At that point we
become a spiritualized, evolutionary individual, a harbinger of a new species and a
divine life on earth.

Measuring Up Our Consciousness at Each Plane


The following list describes the planes of life we come in contact with and an
indicator of a high relation to that plane. Thus it can serve to help us determine
where each of are at each of these planes

Physical - how orderly the things we use- are kept.


Vital - how self-restrained are we in not interrupting another person's talk.
Mental - how mercenary are we in having an opinion that decides.
Spiritual - how prone are we in expressing or not expressing.
Drishti - how careful we are in taking note of visions and
realizing what they indicate..
Intuition - how much we honour our inner promptings.
Overmind - how strong we are in preventing the interference of ignorance.
Supermind - how much we are able to see the other man's point of view.
Consciousness - how united our will is with our knowledge (Consciousness-Force)
Being -- how much we are above being conscious. (MSS, with additional intro)

The Present Human Condition vs. What Mother is Offering: (MSS)

The present human condition What Mother is Offering


1. Man is after pleasure 1. She is offering Delight
2. Man organises his life around a petty ego 2. She is offering to organise his life around a
splendid Psychic Being.
3. He is after money and material comforts. 3. She is offering spiritual splendors.
4. He values mental knowledge that is 4. She is offering spiritual knowledge that is
partial and divisive. comprehensive and integral.
5. He tries to grow by taking from others 5. She offers to help him grow by giving to
others.
6. He values outer action and sees his life as 6. She is offering to help him control his life from
determined from outside inside.
7. He is in the grip of money. 7. She is offering to make him master of money.
8. He values sensory knowledge. 8. She is offering him intuitive knowledge.
9. He is a slave of his desires and keeps 9. She is offering him total liberation from the
striving to satisfy one desire after another in clutch of desires and the permanent possession
a never ending attempt. of delight.
10. His vision is partial and momentary. 10. She is offering him a global vision that covers
past & present and future all at the same time.
11. He is subject to space and time 11. She is ready to equip him with a spiritual
limitations. power that will help him defy space and time
limitations.
12. He goes out towards life in order to get 12. She can make life come towards him in order
what he wants from it. to give him what he wants. (MSS)

How Mother Comes towards us

Area of Life How Mother Comes to us


1. Life & Yoga -- Progress and Transformation
2. Income -- Unlimited growth.
3. Job -- Accomplishment and Fulfillment.
4. Work -- Perfect execution.
5. Family Life -- Love and Affection.
6. Marriage -- Romantic Fulfillment.
7. Education -- Knowledge improvement
8. Physical fitness -- Perfect Health
9. Human relationships -- Harmony.
10. Problems -- Solutions.
11. Travel -- Protection.
12. Disputes -- Justice.
13. Employment -- Security
14. Soul -- Love, Joy, Light, Sweetness.
15. Mind -- Creativity, Understanding.
16. Heart -- Love, Affection, Self -giving.
17. Body -- Energy, Health
18. Form and Appearance -- Beauty
19. Sleep -- Good Rest
20. Help -- Instantaneous Support (MSS)

Guidelines for Safeguarding our Alignment with Mother


1. His Faith in Mother must be total and he should believe that Grace can
solve his problems more effectively than human initiatives and human factors
like money, power and influence etc.

2. His natural impulse should be to handle problems through prayer and


consecration rather than through human initiatives and agencies.

3. He should believe in the truth of life response and accept that what comes
to him from life is in response to what he is inside.

4. If he wants to correct the situation outside he must come forward to make


the corresponding changes inside and thus be able to control the outside from
the inside.

5. He must want the flowering of his soul more than anything else. He must
accept the goal of integral transformation as the main aim of his life.

6. He must know how to apply spiritual principles in the conduct of ordinary


life and by integrating spirit and ordinary life he must turn his life into a
synthesis which can be called yogic life.

7. He must come forward to surrender his ego and let the spirit take control
of his life and govern his activities.

8. He must aspire for unceasing progress and never rest satisfied with what
he has achieved. Physically he must be willing to work for a minimum of 8
hours a day and believe that work is the way the body offers worship to the
divine.

9. He must resist the temptation to act on an impulse and remember to


always step back and reconsider before responding to any outside stimulus or
provocation.

10. He must take great efforts to achieve psychological equality so that he is not
excited or disturbed by what will affect a normal man.

11. He must allot enough time and effort to read the major works of Sri
Aurobindo and Mother so that he is well-versed in their teachings and
principles.

12. He must not let his mind interfere with the working of grace by demanding
that the actions of grace be compatible with the laws of reason, science and
nature.

13. He must be strong and brave enough to resist social opposition if society
blocks his attempts to do what he thinks will bring him closer to Mother.
14. He must keep his surroundings very clean and orderly. He must keep his
personality also clean and fit for Mother’s habitation by removing impurities
such as fear, greed, sex and anger and jealousy etc.

15. He must wean himself from lifeless and deadening rituals and conventions
that keep one bound to the past and waste our energies and lower our
consciousness.

16. Whenever his ego receives a blow he must recognize that it is good for his
soul and take the blow as a blessing in disguise.

17. He must accept all that goes wrong with his body as indications of
psychological imperfections and come forward to cure physical maladies with
psychological corrections.

18. Whenever he is afflicted with a problem or affected by danger his first


thought should be to remember Mother and call for Her grace to act.

19. Whenever he takes a major initiative he must come forward to refer the
initiative to Mother inside and get her clearance before starting to act. If that
is too difficult he must at least refer the initiative to his guru if there is one
and get his clearance before acting.

20. He must wean himself from the clutches of habits and routine as much as
possible and be able to act in a fresh and spontaneous manner.

21. He must come forward to do his best and maximum even if it is difficult and
painful. He must constantly fill his life with challenges which he should take
step to conquer.

22. If troubles arise in the lives of those he deals with and if problems arise in
those places where he goes to he must be humble enough to accept that he
has a part in their problems and must come forward to remove his
contribution.

23. By following the Mother’s principle that the divine is there wherever a smile
is there he must try to be always cheerful and smiling.

24. He must come forward to give his love and help to others without expecting
anything in return just as The Mother gives her love and grace to us without
expecting anything in return.

25. He must strive for harmony with others around as much as possible and
must know that quarrelling, abusing and slandering will take him far away
from her circle of protection.
26. He must not take her protection for granted and must be sensible and
careful not to do anything that takes him out of her circle of protection.

27. He must achieve a steady prosperity and be free of debts and liabilities and
take his prosperity level as a sign of the extent of his alignment with Her
Grace.

28. If he needs help he should make life come to him with offers of help by
exercising the power of Silent Will rather than by openly asking others for
help.

29. He should value Mother and his relationship with Her more than his earnings,
career and family and friends etc and see to it that these do not weaken his
relationship with Her in anyway.

30. He should welcome rains and actively pray for rains to come and should in
no way take rains as inconveniencing his movements or functioning.

31. If he gives offerings he should immediately forget them no matter how big
the amount is and be always aware of only what he gets from Her grace and
not what he gives to Her by way of money or physical service.

32. He must always take the way life treats him as the way he relates to Her and
if the way life responds to him is very unsatisfactory he must understand that
he is to that extent estranged from Her.

33. If devotees come to his house as visitors he must feel it a blessing to offer
them food and refreshments.

34. He must not waste his time, money or materials as waste of any kind is
abhorrent to Her and he should certainly be in no way responsible for wasting
other’s time, money or materials.

35. He must adapt himself to the requirements of the work or service that comes
to him rather than try to make the work or service suit his convenience.

36. He must cultivate his relationships only with those who are aligned with
Mother and not enjoy the company of those who are inimical to his
relationship with Mother and who have an obvious false dimension to their
personality.

37. If something goes wrong he must take steps to correct himself as a way of
correcting the situation rather than going about blaming others and asking
them to correct themselves.
38. He should never force others to come into Mother’s fold if they do not show
an inclination in this direction. His life should be such that it automatically
inspires those around him to take to Mother on their own after seeing how
She has changed and improved his life.

39. He should always be aware that She is there all the time looking at him and
watching his movements so that he should not do anything that She won’t
approve of.

40. He should always be alert and conscious enough to keep progressing and
moving forward without life having to put pressure on him through difficulties
and ordeals that serve to wake him up.

41. He should make use of flowers that foster spiritual vibrations and also use
such things as incense and camphor to keep the household atmosphere pure
and uplifted.

42. If there is a pooja room in the house it should be used for meditation and
reading only and its spiritual atmosphere should be safeguarded as much as
possible by not allowing non-spiritual activities like sleeping or eating or
chatting there.

43. He must believe that spirit can have an impact on matter and that spiritual
power can make him achieve in life what is not possible for others who do
not believe in the power of the spirit.

44. He must believe that if he is fully open to Mother he can achieve instantly
what others take years to achieve in terms of income and career
accomplishment.

45. He must know that since Mother’s grace is supramental in nature it is


beyond the control of space, time and form and that these are no
impediments for grace to act and deliver results.

46. Once he has surrendered a problem to Mother he should not worry about the
problem anymore and instead of worry he must start feeling happy and
cheerful that the solution is definitely on the way.

47. Whatever positive activities he initiates must grow and expand and thereby
show that The Mother’s touch is there in his functioning.

48. He must carry so much of Mother’s luck with him that all those who interact
with him regularly in a positive manner must enjoy a rise in their prosperity
level also.
49. He must know that since all is in each and each is in all his doing the correct
thing by correcting himself will correct the whole situation even if many
others are involved.

50. If his faith tells him one thing and his reason tells him something else he
must lean towards his faith and not towards his reason. (MSS)

Supramental Freshness and Youthfulness.

The supramental consciousness of Mother is unique in the sense that it carries


supramental freshness and spontaneity. That is why many mother's devotees look
much younger than their actual age warrants. Here are a few tips to retain that
youthful freshness.

1. Keep your surroundings always clean as that helps to energise the atmosphere.

2. Keep your outlook on life positive and optimistic. They will keep your energies on
the higher side always.

3. Be always cheerful and self-confident.

4. Seek out adventure and challenges in life instead of security and safety. Be
worthy of the nobility of your soul. An adventurous spirit aligns you with Mother's
majestic movements.

5. Do not organise routine in your life. Inject some spontaneity in even such routine
acts as bathing, eating and doing yr daily work.

6. Try to learn something new every day and keep your spirit of curiosity alive by
asking what, why and how every

time you come across something new.

7. Laugh at your troubles with the strength of your soul energising you from behind.
They will melt away like dew under the touch of morning sun.

8. Free yourself from rituals and conventions that have a deadening effect and do
things in a way that will win Mother's appreciation.

9. Seek the company of other adventurous and optimistic people and avoid the
company of conservative and timid and security-oriented people.

10. Look at your past mistakes and failures as learning lessons that equip you with
knowledge instead of as something to be regretted and ashamed of.

11. Move towards the future with a certitude that future potentials can be turned
into actual accomplishments. It is your certitude that will keep you energised.
12. Believe Truth is stronger than falsehood. The light of truth will shine on your
face always and bend the circumstances to your will and thereby add to your joy and
freshness. (MSS)

Results from Opening to Mother


Among the results that have witnessed when people open to The Mother/The Force
are-

HEALTH SUCCESS

• your health improves • you rise in life earlier


• diseases disappear • your income trebles
• your life prolongs after • new rules come to bestow
decreed years to live unexpected gains
• one's lost speech is restored • you get employed
• sickness disappears from the • rewards come your way
family • recognition is greater
• accidents disappear from • constantly people exclaim,
vehicles and factories "Where you are now is
• sight lost 20 years ago is unimaginable!"
restored in full • intimidating management
• retarded children improve becomes soliciting superiors
enough to marry • coercive partners quit, miserly
partners buy you shares with
CHARACTER their money
• abandoned projects come to life
• incorrigible bad habits fall off • a nobody becomes a VIP
• clumsiness is reduced • a mere volunteer becomes a
• the mind is clearer chief minister
• one feel happier • the greatest of dangers turns
• you become a better person into the greatest of
• you acquire new capacities opportunities
• vain people become sober • lost wealth is restored in
• you become dominant in greater measure
situations where you were • properties offered for sale get
submissive thrice the price
• annual incomes become
OTHER monthly income and later daily
income
• you are treated better by • low level employees rise to be
others top level executives
• quarreling in families abates • lowest level worker rises to
• tempers calm down become a CEO
• irresponsible children turn • you end up buying 300 acres
around having aimed at owning one
• final tragedies in life disappear acre
in seconds catapulting you into • record prices greet your
the limelight produce
• complicated arrangements • unforeseeable help brings in
work out smoothly unimaginable abundance
• uncultured relations put up • unrealized ambitions given up
acceptable behavior decades ago come to life
• hostile society toward one yielding results
calms down into an admiring • life brings in the whole when
one you aspire for a part
• neglected children become • employers lose the attitude of
popular exploitation
• copious rain comes in the • bankrupt divisions come to life
middle of summer to save the • truant children become regular
crops from a pump breakdown and rise to the top
• you get a house in hours in a • arch enemies acclaim your
city where it takes months accomplishments
• opposite lawyer discloses • longed for posts are now
favorable facts offered to you
• a plot turns against those who • invitations come from heads of
hatched it administration and heads of
• letters with no address reach state
safely • journals solicit articles from one
• money lent to rogues is who has never published
recovered • rewards given at the end of
• offensive spouse becomes career are offered at its
pleasant companion beginning
• poor father is able to conduct • timid men turn into respected
three marriages in three years leaders, low level workers
become community leaders
• a thief is reformed and
becomes a wealthy trader
• offensive boss is compelled by
his superior to write favorable
reports canceling bad reports
• strikes are forgotten by your
workers

• admission to medical college is


secured without effort
Other Points

• Mother's Consciousness is universal. Any act done in it spreads. That can be


our understanding. Even to confirm that understanding one has to look at his
life earlier.
-- As a thought, it becomes public opinion.
-- As an emotion, it stirs up the population.
-- As an action, Govts. act accordingly.
• Mother's cells thirst for Truth. What do we thirst for? At what center?
• Whatever life has denied you, Mother's Life gives you at a higher level. Long
for affection, get devotion. Hide VIPs from yourself; they come to you. Shut
yourself away from samadhi. She comes.
• Mother's Protection follows even in these cases to a great extent. Only when
the personal insistence overtakes the benevolent protection trouble arises.
• Calling down Mother's Peace disperses a quarreling crowd as well as calms
down a nation troubled by war.
• Those who have once come to Mother, even those who abandoned HER, when
they examine their life in its subtleties, will find HER at every landmark of
their life. In the measure they have accepted Her, She will be there in their
lives unfailingly.
• Attachment that is sweet is coarse in Mother.
• Yoga is conscious evolution. Even our faith in Mother is unconscious. It is
worthwhile making it conscious.
• Man seeks the greatest enjoyment in each act. Seeking to enjoy Mother in
each act is a yoga siddhi.
• Calling Mother: First move away from your personality traits and then call. It
is full, rich, energizing and enjoyable. Calling Mother from the personality trait
is exhausting, tiring and frustrating.
• As society advances, what only adventuring individuals can attempt becomes
possible for other ordinary men. Society even fashions institutions for that
purpose. MOTHER is an 'institutionalised' consciousness for ordinary men to
accomplish the Supermind.
• When you move towards Mother, the world moves towards you.
• It is with Mother we start an activity. It is with Her we finish it.
• Calling in Mother into a problem brings in all the Divine energies required to
solve it even as a repairman brings all the tools and skills needed to set right
a broken machinery.
• The devotee reaches his maximum in LIFE when he integrates himself at his
maximum with Mother's consciousness in LIFE.
• The devotee's maximum is the sadhak's minimum.
• The sadhak integrates with Mother for HER in Yoga as Life and not in life for
individual purposes.
• The sadhak's maximum is Mother.
• While you are a devotee, only good things in life will come to you. When you
take to yoga, all that happens to you must be received as good things by you.
• Mother offers to those who have faith in Her, the capacity to act from HER
consciousness, i.e. the Supramental consciousness, if they call Her and
concentrate on Her and deny their own impulses. It may last only a few
seconds, but She makes it possible.
• Surrender to Mother is surrender to the values important for Her.
• Even as universe comes to us as values, Mother comes to us as values.
Accepting Mother's values fully will give us Mother fully.
• To accept Mother it is not enough to outgrow the society one is born in but
the evolutionary phase of one's birth must be outgrown at least in thinking.
• On scrutiny, it will be clear that all the problems one has had since coming to
Mother are created by one's going insistently back to his own old habits that
have to be given up.
• Surrender is an attitude of the SOUL and therefore more difficult to acquire.
Once a little of it is acquired, ego begins to dissolve by the touch of Mother to
whom our surrender is offered. Man's effort to dissolve his ego is egoistic.
• Mother's moments come to us on their own by our intense aspiration. In any
field it takes us to the acme.
• It is always Mother who comes to us. She lies dormant inside and is
periodically pushing towards us. Each time She stirs, life responds positively
and pleasantly towards us. Instead of seeking Her who makes for us, we
respond to the pleasant externals. What comes, stalls. Moving towards the
external response is irresistible. The inexorable LAW acts.
• Just as we read only when we are interested, so we should read Mother's
books only when there is aspiration.
• It is better to seek Mother inside instead of simply turning inward. Seeking
Mother inwardly by the soul can be blissful; seeking Mother by the inner
movements of the mental and physical parts will be delight.
• There is an evolutionary creation at any given moment. That movement is
THE MOTHER for us.
• Mother's Grace is always available if only some deep sincerity is there in one
form or another.
• Utilizing the Mother in Life -- An insane person unfortunately made a man
his target and harassed him. The man was at his wit's end and complained to
Mother. She advised him to call Her. By following Her instructions, the poor
man was relieved of the attentions of the madman at the first call.

She has also advised devotees to send 'Mother' to their work. A wife was in
great tension when her husband was to tour India for 20 days in a month.
She started sending Mother to all his destinations ahead of his visit.

She was free; his work was smoother. The figure of the Mother imagined has
all the spiritual faculties concentrated in it. One who goes for an interview can
send HER to the interview. If you have a speech to deliver, try sending
MOTHER to the speech in the head. It will flow out smoothly.

If a child is naughty, send Mother to the child or better still to the


temperament of the child continuously, and the child will cease to put up its
nasty behaviour. The very best is to send Mother to yourself, your inmost
Being. (Karmayogi)
• Before going to sleep, refer your anxiety to Mother in great detail. Mother
entering anxiety changes the character of anxiety. Even the reference will
lighten the heart. Pray for its transformation. If you continue to do so, one
morning it will present itself as the First Waking Thought. From that day, it
will disappear. (Karmayogi)
• Mother Overcomes One's Lacking Temperament
-If we divide men into two categories of capacity and incapacity, capable men
succeed and the incapable fail. [Taking to] Mother makes the incapable
capable.

-Capable men in life or business choosing a negative alternative meet with


failure. Their work can never be revived unless they change their character to
the positive. Indians call it one's rasi, psychologists call it temperament,
philosophers name it negativity. Life offers no solution to them. When they
come to Mother, in spite of their negative character, She offers the same
boost as She gives others. She does so acting through any good characteristic
in them. She can act thus even without that opening.

Now, they must choose NOT to insist on their negative traits. If they do, they
call back their failures. She waits till they change and offers them all they
have missed in the interim period. She does NOT support the negative
behaviour. When Mother gives a man what Life has refused [because of his
lacking qualities/temperament], it is for him to change over to the right side.

Instead, if he goes back to his old habits and destroys what came in, the only
thing he can do is to maintain a regular habit of monthly offering and plead
with his own inner personality to change for the better. Offering will do what
he refuses to do. (MSS)

Below is a table that compares how one normally lives (non-bold) in life compared to
living Mother's Life/Path (bold).

Anything in life is limited - resources, energy, material etc. The


most characteristic of it is the longevity.
In Mother's life, nothing is limited unless we put a limit on it.
One can decide the length of his own life.

The ruling power of life is falsehood.


Truth rules, truth alone rules.

Man is subjected to his past Karma


No Karma need bind him if he is willing to give up those
habits through which Karma has a hold on man.

Status, wealth, Power matter.


What matters is consciousness and that alone.

External social life, movements of Nature are beyond the control of


man.
The outer reflects the inner. All life outside is under man's
control.

A certain amount of violence, cruelty, and injustice is inevitable.


Mother's life is full of compassion and justice.

Waste of material, energy, and Time is a part of life.


There is no waste, real waste as Nature accomplishes several
things at one stroke giving the appearance of waste.

Blood is thicker than water.


There is something thicker than blood.

Success and failure alternate.


This is a life of unfailing success.

Human nature will not change.


To transcend nature is our aim.

Money, property, women lead to crime.


They lead to stronger affinities.

Scarcity of one thing or other is inescapable.


Abundance is the rule. Scarcity is what we create.

Man is selfish and mean.


Self-giving and generosity are the rule.

Destiny rules.
Man fixes his life.

Love, romance, friendship, loyalty are ephemeral.


They are the only lasting values of life.

Ideals are not practical.


The greater the ideal, the more practical it is.

A sound mind in a sound body.


Mind rules the body.

Education means degree.


Neither degree nor knowledge is complete education.
Education is the experience of the mind.

We have to do as others in the society do.


It is not the society, nor even conscience that we have to
follow. We must follow the soul.

Every man born should work with his hands and body.
Work must be done by the mind or the soul through the
body. (MSS)

↵ It is the experience of sadhaks and devotees that whatever he does


consciously or unconsciously, spreads all over the world after a fashion, maybe after
the fashion of his own personality.

↵ His working for his organisation to make it prosperous by ways of Truth will be
a channel for the Force to descend on his country as Prosperity.

↵ The method is the conscious ways of an unconscious devotee.

In spite of our soul-unconsciousness, let us consciously choose Her ways of


life -- Truthfulness.
Generally good people are more interested in being good than in Mother, even when
they are devotees. (MSS)

Opening of the Being to its Depths


by Karmayogi

A devotee visited Balcony Darshan of The Mother at 6:15 am. At 8 am, he again had
Her darshan, coming in a queue before Her with the sadhaks and visitors. At 5:30
pm the same day She was at the playground where again, sitting in the audience, he
saw Her. He returned to his town. Work made him pass through Pondicherry the next
day. He availed of this to be at the Balcony Darshan. On his return from work, he
had to pass through Pondicherry again. For a third day he had the Darshan of The
Divine Mother at the Balcony. His first visit was August 15th, a darshan day. It was a
Sunday. People around him commented that there was a change in him since he had
visited the Ashram. They noticed he spoke less than usual. He was quiet. There was
a calm about him which was mistaken for dullness. On Friday, he too noticed the
change in himself.

Standing before The Mother, his being was split open down to the body
consciousness. He unconsciously received the Force She was pouring into him. His
mind had gone blank during those days. It was unable to think, except for
responding to questions. He was not aware of the response his being gave Her to
Her touch. Nor was he conscious that at that moment, unconsciously, his being
committed itself to Her fully. There was no question of any description in his mind or
being. There was nothing to choose. There were no two options before him. His
being went to Her without his knowledge or consent. The consent was automatic. In
one sense, such a thing happens to all who come to Her sooner or later. Most of us
are unaware of how our being leaps to the Divine at Her Touch. This was an
impersonal response, though full.

To a personal call, the devotee responds with a speechless wonder. When the call
strikes the ear, the faculty of hearing is robbed. The mind itself disappears. The
touch goes down to the body consciousness evoking a sensation of sweetness that is
the result of human gratitude from the substance of the body. Someone's business
jumped fifteen-fold in seven months as a result of service and he lost it in the next
one year because of insistent human behaviour. He decided to go within. There he
saw seven blocks. He worked on them to remove them. In a matter of days, all that
was lost came back and from there opened a further potential of ten-fold expansion.
At such moments, the being of the devotee experiences an opening as the devotee
at the Balcony Darshan felt. It is a moment of Spiritual Truth, an occasion when the
ONE touches one of the Many. Opening, receptivity, sincerity, consecration,
surrender, transformation, Being of the Becoming are key ideas in the yoga of Sri
Aurobindo.

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