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To Be Simple

“One must be spontaneous in order to be divine. One must be perfectly simple in order to be spontaneous. One must be absolutely sincere in order to be perfectly simple. To be absolutely sincere is not to have any division, any contradiction in one’s being.” (The Mother, CWM, 8: 283) How simple this all sounds; but is that really simple to walk the path of simplicity, spontaneity and sincerity? To be constantly on the watch for any little contradiction emerging in one’s being, to be constantly conscious of every little movement in any part of the being, to constantly keep purifying oneself of the numerous little and big imperfections and defects of our nature — this is the path of Integral Yoga that Sri Aurobindo and the Mother invite us to walk with them. Walking on the path requires that without any regard to any number of failures we may encounter on the way, we never lose faith, never lose trust in the Divine Grace, never lose the remembrance that The Divine is beside us, with us, h...
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Gratitude

Sweeter is the unconditioned gratitude that precedes redemption, Than the conditioned gratitude that succeeds it. In the eye of the storm, In the appearance of an approaching doom, There is a smiling gratitude That knows of the unseen deliverance That is already delivering. Gratitude that is grateful for sunshine, Even when it is invisible. Gratitude that senses love, Concealed behind every mask of hate. Gratitude whose sweetness softens the being Into the quenched waters surrendered to the knowing that the earth  carries them. Gratitude that is unconditionally grateful, To the grace that ever is. -  Anahita Sanjana  (India)
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Signs Indicating the Coming Forward of the Psychic Being

Seekers often ask the question (or some version of it): “How can I know that the psychic being contact is taking place and is real?” The external being is not generally familiar with the psychic being and its mode of relation to the mind, life and body; and there is a considerable opportunity for those who begin to have some kind of spiritual experiences to either doubt the authenticity of those experiences, the significance of those experiences, or to worry about the periods when the experiences have been withdrawn for a time, shorter or longer. There are actually some very clear and identifiable markers that show the psychic being is active, whether or not there are ‘headline’ experiences occurring at any point in time. This is based in the differing nature and characteristic qualities of the various aspects of the being, in relation to the qualities that the psychic being brings forward when it is activated. By examining the changing characteristics of the being over time, and revie...
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Vessel of Surrender

History hails Arjuna, the valiant and invincible warrior. His arrow followed the path of undivided concentration.  His unwavering gaze pierced only the bird's eye. Yet mastery alone could not contain the Infinite. Pride was his armor, bright and sure—until he saw his kinsmen in Ku rukshetra . Arjuna  stood—unarmed within, his body shuddering, the Gandiva slipping from his hand, his mind whirling in confusion. In that pause, vast and bare, the soul surrendered— becoming the vessel, ready for Krishna's nectar wine. Kurukshetra became the cradle for the celestial song of the Lord—the  Bhagavad Gita . His doubts dissolved in the Light Divine; the Gandiva rose with a will merging with Krishna’s Will. No longer the doer, but the instrument of the Lord, He fought, not for victory, but for Dharma. Divine wisdom is not received by power alone, nor by skill alone, nor by fame alone. Arjuna became the living vessel of the Supreme— aspiration rising from below; Grace descending from ...
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The Unconscious Drivers of Human Decisions and Actions

Most people believe they are in control of their actions, their decisions and their circumstances, at least until they find things not turning out the way they expected or wished for! When an individual takes up the spiritual path consciously, he begins to examine this assumption. First, he finds that much of what he thinks and does is the result of habit, automatic responses including what we call ‘instinct’, education, training, social pressure and expectation or the result of forced choices under existing facts and circumstances. Then he finds that in his aspiration to carry out the spiritual quest he brings in his mental being to try to develop some rules for living and acting that align with the spiritual intention. Thus a mental framework is built which dictates what he should think, what he should do, how he should act, and how respond to circumstances. At a certain point he may try to impose this mental framework as an overlay for everything he does. He then may determine when ...
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The Light and its Shadow

A light sings within, silent and sweet, Self-absorbed, immersed in its own delight, Oblivious to its own snarling shadows, Cast dull and black over its sunlit meadows. Surreptitiously it seeps through, The eerie serried milieu, Taking over the machinery of the mind, To spew out its own kith and kind. Dark angels assuming the capacity to bless, Hiss spells to shrink the consciousness, Till it buys into the smallness of seeing itself a poor threatened drop, Having nothing to stand on but reason’s unsteady prop. Yet the enamoured light in innocence sings, Unscathed by its shadow’s sterile stings, Pouring into the consciousness a smiling bliss,   Reminding the drop of the ocean that it is. - Anahita Sanjana (India)
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Deciding How To Act Amidst Conflicting Value Sets

People frequently have to wrestle with conflicting emotions, unclear and confusing thoughts and the need to balance duties, demands or considerations that appear to be opposed to one another. In some cases, we obtain facts which, if expressed to another person, will presumably cause them suffering, yet withholding that information can have negative consequences. How frequently we have to deal with someone who has a serious health issue or who has a relationship issue which we learn about but feel reticent to share. Is it better to speak with the individual, or to remain quiet? We see someone being verbally or physically abused, or bullied on the street. Do we intervene or walk by and not involve ourselves? We see an employer wrongfully browbeating an employee and we have to choose whether to intervene and perhaps endanger our own employment, or to let the ire fall on the other person and remain quiet and hope to not be noticed? We may hear a person being maligned and undercut behind th...
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