EWS #154: Developing Individuality (Evenings with Sraddhalu)

Developing Individuality

In this section, Shadow discusses the concept of developing individuality in education and as sadhakas. He explains that the cosmos is infinitely diverse and creative, bursting out to play infinite possibilities. The larger whole becomes the stage for the play, with each unit representing the whole and its possibilities.

The Unfolding Play of the Whole

• The totality of the cosmos is a Oneness infinitely diverse.

• Something inconceivable before now appears at every step.

• Emergent out of what was before, opening to new possibilities.

• Always building to something more complete.

Units of the Whole

• Each unit represents the total whole but in its journey representing full range of possibilities from being practically nothing to becoming entire whole.

• All these possibilities have to be played out for full play of delight.

• Each unit becomes an individual actor representing unique different possibilities.

• Nature struggles to build these individual units from the whole which is always complete drawing out as if what seems to be a part which is almost nothing infinitesimal.

Three Stages of Journey

• There are three stages in our journey: growing into our own as a conscious player, opening up to greater possibilities of fullness of whole, realizing completeness and becoming representation of whole.

The Three Stages of Growth

This section discusses the three stages of growth and how nature builds individual units.

Nature's Struggle to Build Individual Units

• Nature struggles to build individual units, starting with atoms and progressing through plants, animals, humans, and greater variations of humanity.

• Nature creates possibilities for each form to open out into the full richness of experiences relevant to that level.

• The slower the evolution, the more rich and diverse it becomes.

Finding Ourselves Through Yoga

• We are waiting for something more wonderful than what nature can currently offer us.

• Yoga is a concentrated process that aims at integral perfection.

• Our aim is to be as complete a representation of the whole as possible.

Building the Whole in an Individual

This section discusses how we participate in creation by building ourselves as complete representations of the whole.

Two Parallel Processes

• There are two parallel processes ongoing: one is nature's process where she builds a form and creates possibilities; the other is our own process where we build ourselves as complete representations of the whole.

Discovering Our True Self

• Through introspection, we discover that we are not just our body but also something deeper which we call soul or center of consciousness.

• We can go even deeper to discover our psychic being or true soul which reflects in our mind, emotions, and body but is not directly touched by nature.

Relationship Between Nature and Psychic Being

• Nature can only work on its machinery (biology, emotional vital energies, mind) but cannot directly touch the psychic being.

• The psychic being can only put suggestions and show preferences to nature, which may or may not accept them.

Conclusion

Through yoga and introspection, we can discover our true self and build ourselves as complete representations of the whole. Nature's process of building individual units is parallel to our own process of building ourselves. As we grow more mature, we become more conscious of our relationship with nature and our psychic being.

Evolution of the Psychic Being

This section discusses the evolution of the psychic being and its relationship with nature. It also explores how the psychic being develops its power to exercise freedom.

The Alignment of Interest

• The interest of the psychic being is aligned with that of the self.

• The preference of the psychic being is aligned with that of the self, which reflects in nature.

Direct Selection

• There is a period where choices are made, leading to greater direct selection.

• As nature builds outer personality and machinery through which the psychic being experiences and engages with the world, it gains a capacity to act, intervene, influence, modify and mold nature.

Two Lines of Evolution

• There are two distinct lines of evolution: one where nature pushes building forms for growth and another where true soul evolves into mastery over its own nature.

• Nature builds an individuality that can be a true representative of the whole while helping grow conscious spiritual evolution.

Intermediate Poise

• Most people have an intermediate poise between mind or heart's devotion or aspiration reflected from their psychic beings.

• This in-between poise can turn outward or inward or become a bridge between both.

Awakening to Intimacy with Divine

• All those who seek familiarity, closeness, intimacy with divine do so because they are drawn by their psychic beings' urge and impulse.

• This thing within us awakens by reflection in our emotions even if we have strong habits of outward turns.

The Importance of Turning Inward

This section discusses the importance of turning inward and reversing the negative effects of external education on the psychic being.

The Harmful Effects of External Education

• Modern education is harmful to the psychic being because it reinforces an externally turned personality.

• If there has been sufficient support from childhood or an awakening later in life, one may feel a deep influence pushing them towards an inward awakening.

• The real journey is an inward awakening, but for many people, this is more like an idea than a living experience or practice.

The Urgency of Inner Growth

• For those with a strong inner call, external satisfactions eventually become exhausting and the need for inner growth becomes urgent.

• A regular conscious inward turn is necessary to reverse the wrong effects of outward turning education and habit.

Starting Your Inner Journey

• Starting your inner journey can begin with a very short concentration every day. Even just a minute is a good start.

• Find a time in your routine when you are not too distracted to turn inward and become conscious of the deep call and aspiration within you.

• By turning regularly to your inner call, it will grow stronger until it becomes constant.

Benefits of Turning Inward

• Regularly turning inward creates as if a fine link in consciousness that over time becomes wider, clearer, stronger, deeper until contact from outside going in begins to become more direct, complete, intimate and widely felt in all parts of your nature.

• With this conscious evolution of the psychic being, the double state of evolution (nature and soul) can join, accelerating your evolution enormously.

The Evolution of the Inner Psychic Personality

This section discusses the evolution of the inner psychic personality and how it grows across lives.

Growth of the Inner Psychic Personality

• MP Pandit's diary notes reveal that the mother was happy to see his progress, having grown several lifetimes in just a few weeks.

• The contact between the outer formation of mind, heart, emotions and the true person within is what causes this growth.

• Our psychic being brings tendencies, qualities, powers, capacities, aspirations and lived knowledge into our current life. These were developed before and infuse into our outer personality more directly over time.

Revolution as a Capital Step in Spiritual Life

This section discusses revolution as a capital step in spiritual life.

Revolution as a Capital Step

• Revolution is an important step in spiritual life but happens gradually.

• As we join with our inner psychic personality, things begin to change more rapidly.

Nature's Evolution vs. Evolution of Life Energies and Mind Consciousness Form

This section compares nature's evolution with the evolution of life energies and mind consciousness form.

Comparison of Evolutions

• Nature's evolution is largely seen in changes to physical form while life energies and mind consciousness form evolve behind that.

• Vital body and mental body also evolve like external biological bodies but can evolve much faster because they are more plastic.

• Nature made an effort to individualize biology sufficiently so that upon that plastic base other aspects could be built more rapidly.

• Nature builds specialized types, races, civilizations and cultures in pockets of civilization or entire civilizations to develop capacity psychologically with a necessary biological basis.

Crossing Boundaries

This section discusses the urge of nature within us to cross boundaries.

Crossing Boundaries

• The boundaries between races, cultures, civilizations and different types of human beings have suddenly opened up in the last hundred years.

• The urge of nature within us is as if to cross these boundaries.

The Missing Element in Personality

In this section, the speaker discusses how a rich and diverse personality can lead to complex problems due to the pulls and pushes of different parts of one's nature. The missing element is a unifying center that integrates these diverse powers and capacities.

Nature's Own Capacity

• Nature has its own capacity for supporting greater wideness and richness.

Something is Missing

• What is missing is Nature's own capacity to unify and integrate diverse powers and capacities.

• A simple-minded narrow base of individuality leads a simple life with simple problems. A rich, complex, diverse personality finds itself pulled in many different directions, struggling to unify and align different needs, aspirations, impulses, and capacities.

• The more rich and diverse the personality, the more complex its problems become.

The Role of the Psychic Being

• The psychic being plays an important role as a central principle that unifies the personality.

• As the psychic being evolves with growing experiences provided by nature, it builds its own capacity to influence, shape, and modify.

• Meanwhile, the psychic being draws from this experience in a very fine grade of substance of psychic material which nourishes its evolution.

Aligning Surface Personality with Psychic Aspiration

In this section, the speaker discusses how alignment between surface personality development/refinement with psychic aspiration can lead to nourishment in fine-grade substance of psychic beings' evolution.

Formation & Evolution on Surface Aligned with Psychic Vibration/Aspiration

• When formation & evolution on the surface is aligned to the psychic in vibration and aspiration, it nourishes the fine-grade substance of psychic beings' evolution.

• If the artist draws with great force, perhaps with great power of his art of vital energy, but a quality of expression which is crude, coarse, even violent to the psychic being, its influence would withdraw.

The Role of the Psychic Being in Evolution

This section discusses the role of the psychic being in shaping and assisting evolution, and how it infuses a fine mesh of psychic substance into our personality across lifetimes.

Infusing Psychic Substance

• The psychic being yearns to participate and infuses its consciousness to shape, help, lift, and assist in the process of evolution.

• It internally develops a refined grade of what may be described as a fine mesh of psychic substance filling the Mind, vital, and physical.

Building the Psychic Personality

• The fine mesh of psychic substance is held within us and becomes part of our true inmost personality.

• Across lives, every time there has been strong psychic influence or alignment with psychic aspiration, something is received and built up in this psychic personality.

• When we shed our physical body at death, only what has been infused and aligned with this fine grade drops off while everything else dissolves.

Reincarnation & Integration

• What is absorbed into the psychic being becomes an overall imprint of growth and evolution for that life. A new turn of nature is drawn out from the psychic nature for specific needs to grow or express certain aspects.

• When we take birth again, depending on how rich our personality is with infused content from previous lives, certain aspects are brought forward to be integrated into our new personality.

• If the material gathered for reincarnation is crude or coarse (e.g., biology), then it can still be refined by infusing it with higher sensitivity through rapid acceleration in this life.

Shaping Body Formation

• The psychic being can infuse and shape the body's formation from the fetal stage onwards.

The Role of the Psychic Being in Shaping the Outer Personality

This section discusses how the psychic being can shape and build the outer personality, but if there is a strong turn towards education or environmental influences, it may create a sharp conflict between these two layers. The psychic influence can align with the outer personality to bring harmony and alignment.

Alignment of Psychic Aspiration and Outer Personality

• The more awakened conscious the psychic being, the more mature it is able to infuse and shape the outer personality.

• If there is a strong turn towards education or environmental influences, it may create a sharp conflict between these two layers.

• When there is an alignment of psychic influence, surface personality tends to recover from sickness. When it falls out of alignment, it becomes sick again.

• The psychic personality holds a persistent influence waiting for the outer personality to be drawn back into alignment.

Strong Influence of Psychic Being

• If sufficiently developed, the power of self behind backing the psychic being can put a very strong influence on the whole personality and pull it together tightly.

• All distortions in any misaligned part in any distortion in outer personality can be set right by strong spiritual aspiration or inner influence with sincerity and plasticity of self-giving.

Importance of Aligning Psychic Influence with Outer Personality

This section emphasizes that aligning psychic influence with outer personality is critical for its development. It also discusses how all planes of consciousness must eventually be represented from physical biology to supramental.

Evolution through Planes of Consciousness

• Aligning psychic influence with outer personality is critical for its development.

• The psychic being is actually evolving through the planes of consciousness. As we open to higher ranges, it is in the psychic being finally that the fine evolution begins to take place.

• The psychic being has come to the level of mental evolution, but as we open to higher ranges, it can evolve through all planes of consciousness from physical biology to supramental.

Straightening Out Warped Distortions

This section discusses how a strong spiritual center or inner influence can straighten out warped distortions in any misaligned part of the outer personality.

Straightening Out Warped Distortions

• The strong influence of the psychic being or self can bring back harmony and alignment in any disrupted part, misaligned part, or distortion in outer personality.

• All distortions are fundamentally things which were straight which have got warped. When that influence fills, warping is automatically straightened out as long as there is a strong spiritual center or inner influence with sincerity and plasticity of self-giving.

The Supramental Body

In this section, the speaker discusses the nature of the supramental body and how it is formed.

Formation of the Supramental Body

• The psychic substance will merge with the outer nature and become denser, forming the supramental body.

• The supramental body unifies the outermost layer of nature with the innermost layer of soul, resulting in a single individualized substantial physical form.

• This body will be expressed, realized, and manifested here on Earth.

• Each person awakening to this reality will contribute to a divine collective that manifests in a collective consciousness.

Education for Evolution

In this section, the speaker discusses how education can assist in human evolution.

Three Stages of Education

• Psychic education involves completing true individuality by infusing or bringing forward psychic influence.

• Spiritual education involves opening up to infinite capacity and potential by expanding beyond limited divine individuality.

• Supramental education involves manifesting from supplemental consciousness and reshaping our entire being from top-down.

Current Education System

• Modern education is centered on surface-level personality traits rather than deeper ranges of mind, vital, or physical.

• Methods used are turning all possibility only to that very fine grade of surface coarsest layer densest layer of our personality.

Psychic Education

The transcript discusses the broad framework of psychic education and how to start the process.

Seeking Your True Self

• To begin, seek in yourself that which is independent of the body and circumstances of life.

• Find in the depths of your being a sense of universality, limitless expansion, unbroken continuity.

• Decentralize and extend yourself to live in all things and beings. Break down barriers separating individuals from each other.

Abstaining from Mental Opinion

• The mind is incapable of judging spiritual things.

• Abstain from all mental opinion and reaction to proceed on the path.

• Give up personal seeking for comfort, satisfaction, enjoyment or happiness. Be only a burning fire for progress.

Taking Pleasure in Progress

• Take pleasure in all you do but never do anything for the sake of pleasure.

• Remain perfectly calm in the face of all circumstances. Be always alert to discover what progress you still have to make and lose no time in making it.

The Great Discovery

In this section, the speaker discusses how to change one's nature and align oneself with a deeper sense of purpose. She provides simple exercises that can help in this process.

Changing One's Nature

• To change one's nature, it is important to understand what makes us act in certain ways.

• Instead of complaining about our nature, we should focus on changing it.

• Making small efforts towards aligning ourselves with our deepest sense of purpose can help re-prioritize our center from our surface ego tendency to the values which align to the psychic.

Simple Exercises for Aligning with Purpose

• Before eating, concentrate for a few seconds on the aspiration that the food you are about to eat may bring your body the substance it needs to serve as a solid basis for your effort towards the Great Discovery and give it energy for persistence.

• Before going to sleep, concentrate for a few seconds on the aspiration that sleep may restore your fatigue nerves and bring calm and quietness to your brain so that on waking you may begin again your journey on the path of the Great Discovery with renewed vigor.

Importance of Aligning with Purpose

• All things are equally important once you have set out on this great discovery.

• By putting this purpose as your priority, all aspects of life acquire meaning.

• Doing what you want at its most essential can be done in any activity or circumstance.

Finding Meaning in Life

In this section, the speaker discusses how finding meaning in life can make all aspects of life more fulfilling.

Finding Meaning in Life

• By aligning oneself with their deepest sense of purpose, all aspects of life acquire meaning.

• Doing what you want at its most essential can be done in any activity or circumstance.

• Those things which you hate to do now suddenly become a means for doing that which you really want to do.

The Absurdity of a Typical Life

• A typical life can be absurd when one thinks about it.

• People suffer in jobs they hate and struggle every day to earn enough money to retire and be comfortable, only to forget what they wanted to do by the time they retire.

• By aligning oneself with their deepest sense of purpose, all aspects of life acquire meaning.

The Importance of the Great Discovery

Mother explains that every action has a chain of consequence which either brings you closer or takes you farther from your deeper sense. She emphasizes the importance of keeping the will for the Great Discovery always above what you do and what you are, like a huge bird of light dominating all movements of your being.

Key Points:

• Internalize and put into practice the idea that every action should be in reference to the Great Discovery.

• Concentrate before speaking to ensure that only necessary words pass and those that are not harmful to your progress on the path.

• Remember the purpose and goal of your life, allowing it to dominate all movements of your being.

• With untiring persistence, an inner door will suddenly open, leading to a concrete experience of immortality.

The Psychic Life vs. Spiritual Consciousness

Mother explains the difference between living a psychic life and living a spiritual life. Living a psychic life means becoming conscious of your psychic being and living an immortal life with endless time, limitless space, ever progressive change, unbroken continuity in the universe of forms. In contrast, living a spiritual consciousness means projecting beyond all creation beyond time and space.

Key Points:

• To live a psychic life, abolish all egoism; to live a spiritual life, no longer have an ego.

• Practically take spiritual as widening and completing what is begun through psychic education.

• Supramental education progresses from above downwards until it reaches physical form.

• Supramental education results in transformation of nature, transfiguration of being in entirety, and ascent of species towards Superman.

Conclusion

Mother concludes by encouraging listeners to focus on the practice of psychic education. She emphasizes that every action has a chain of consequence which either brings you closer or takes you farther from your deeper sense. By internalizing and putting into practice the idea that every action should be in reference to the Great Discovery, one can live a fulfilling life with a deep sense of satisfaction.

Key Points:

• Focus on practicing psychic education.

• Every action has a chain of consequence which either brings you closer or takes you farther from your deeper sense.

• Internalize and put into practice the idea that every action should be in reference to the Great Discovery.

• With untiring persistence, an inner door will suddenly open, leading to a concrete experience of immortality.

Finding Purpose and Joy in Life

In this section, the speaker discusses how to find purpose and joy in life by connecting with the Divine through quieting emotions and thoughts. This connection can help align actions with a sense of purpose and lead to a fulfilling life.

Connecting with the Divine

• Connect with the Divine by becoming quiet, removing preconceptions, and being conscious of the part within you that knows and loves the Divine.

• Immerse yourself in this connection without words or mental ideas.

• Align yourself to this presence before sleeping, eating, taking action, or speaking.

• Hold onto this immersion as it includes everything needed for progress and growth.

Aligning Actions with Purpose

• When something is misaligned externally, feel it as misalignment and bring it back into alignment until it feels right.

• Make decisions based on what resonates with your psychic influence within you.

• Observe what nourishes or contradicts your psychic influence when making external choices.

• Effortlessly flow when aligned with your psychic influence.

Finding Meaning and Joy

• Spend time every day becoming quiet to turn inward towards your psychic influence.

• Find meaning and joy by aligning yourself around this true individuality within us.

Concentrating on Aspirations

In this section, the speaker encourages the audience to take a moment to concentrate on their aspirations and make a determination to put them into practice every day.

Practicing Aspirations

• Take a moment to concentrate on your aspirations.

• Reread the text of psychic and spiritual education written by The Mother for inspiration.

• Align yourself with these priorities and practice them daily.

Conclusion

• Namaste.