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The 'Psychic Mirror' and Its Power of Transformation of the External Nature · Sri Aurobindo Studies

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  One of the powerful techniques which Sri Aurobindo describes
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  for the spiritual aspirant is the separation of the witness
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  consciousness from the active external nature.
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  Creation of a mental witness awareness is not quite the same
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  thing, although it may be a helpful step along the way.
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  This is still the play of the nature in the mental plane.
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  What is intended here is not a mental approach, but development
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  of a standpoint that is outside the normal action of body, life
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  and mind, residing in the spiritual consciousness.
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  The Mother has described what she calls the psychic mirror,
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  which is a form of witness awareness that is not mental,
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  but which is holding up the energetic vibrational pattern of
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  the soul presence, the psychic being, as a means of determining
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  whether any particular aspect of the external being conforms with
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  the psychic beings focus or not. In other words, is there
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  coherence between the psychic being and the activities of
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  body, life and mind? Some people think that what is
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  intended is their conscience. However this is not the case.
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  Conscience is based in moral and ethical training along
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  guidelines set in the social structure.
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  What is moral or ethical in one society may be considered
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  immoral or unethical in another. Even if something is considered
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  immoral or unethical in every society, it is still a rule
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  based judgment, not the intended psychic mirror approach the
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  Mother describes. For the spiritual seeker
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  awakened to the stirrings of the soul, there comes a point in
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  time when he can recognize the vibrational field created by the
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  psychic being. He feels the aspiration, the
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  consecration, the surrender of the ego, the experience of
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  bliss, ananda and other vibrations associated with the
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  soul. What the Mother proposes is that
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  whenever there is a thought and emotion, a feeling, a need, that
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  the seeker place that vibration side by side with the psychic
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  vibration and see if there is coherence or whether there is
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  distance or disturbance between the two.
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  When we are focused on external activities and we experience
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  greed, jealousy, anger, grasping, attachment, these each
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  have their own vibrational signature and wavelength, so to
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  speak. Many people in fact assign
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  colors to these varying vibrations such as green with
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  envy, red with sexual energy, yellow with fear, etcetera.
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  The pure psychic flame is a flame of white light.
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  If you can begin to refer all the external responses,
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  reactions and reflections to this psychic mirror, one quickly
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  can distinguish those things which interfere or disrupt the
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  psychic vibrational field and those which enhance and support
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  it. It is not a matter of thought.
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  It is not a matter of emotion, It is not a matter of moral
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  judgment. It is simply a reflection of how
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  we are vibrating and whether that energetic field is
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  compatible with the true psychic energy.
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  The power of this approach is that over time we begin to
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  adjust our acceptance and rejection of energies which
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  approach us as well as those that trigger something still
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  within us in seed form. From past experiences, the
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  mother recommends that if one looks back over time after
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  adopting this practice, one will see the substantial difference
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  in reactions, responses, thoughts, and feelings that have
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  taken place. People frequently ask whether we
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  can intervene successfully in our external nature or whether
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  this will bring about reactions that are actually going to set
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  us back. This approach comes from the
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  idea of the abandonment of life as the goal, the liberation from
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  the earthly life, whether we call it moksha, Nirvana,
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  cessation of birth, ascent to heaven, or some other
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  terminology that implies the same thing.
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  For those interested in the transformation of nature through
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  the evolution of consciousness, a different view must be
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  considered. That view is that as
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  consciousness develops, it can effectuate changes in the
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  preceding stages of consciousness.
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  Just as the life energy changes dense matter into living matter,
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  and just as the mental force rearranges both the life energy
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  and matter, so the next stage of conscious evolution will be able
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  to modify and change mind, life, and body.
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  In that case, the question then comes down to method of
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  implementation. Forceful suppression is found to
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  be counterproductive, but gaining conscious adherence and
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  acceptance, willingness to change through the promptings of
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  the psychic being, is a potential mechanism to effect
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  change. In his book The Mother, Sri
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  Aurobindo identifies the role of the spiritual seeker as one of
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  aspiration, rejection, surrender.
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  This implies an intervention in the external nature as the
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  psychic being assumes its role as the guide and organizing
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  force for the changes that are intended as the next stage of
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  evolution takes place. The Mother notes quote.
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  There is but one remedy. That signpost must always be
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  there. A mirror well placed in one's
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  feelings, impulses, all one's sensations.
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  One sees them in this mirror. There are some which are not
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  very beautiful or pleasant to look at.
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  There are others which are beautiful, pleasant, and must be
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  kept. This one does 100 times a day if
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  necessary, and it is very interesting.
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  One draws a kind of big circle around the psychic mirror and
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  arranges all the elements around it.
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  If there's something that is not all right, it casts a sort of
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  Gray shadow upon the mirror. This element must be shifted,
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  organized. It must be spoken to, made to
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  understand. One must come out of that
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  darkness. If you do that, you never get
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  bored. When people are not kind, when
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  one has a cold in the head, when 1 doesn't know one's lessons and
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  so on, one begins to look into this mirror.
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  It is very interesting. One sees the canker.
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  I thought I was sincere. Not at all.
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  Not a thing happens in life which is not interesting.
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  This mirror is very, very well made.
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  Do that for two years, 3-4 years.
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  At times one must do it for 20 years.
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  Then at the end of a few years, look back, turn your gaze upon
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  what you were three years ago. How have I changed?
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  Was I like that? It is very entertaining.
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  I could speak like that. I could talk like that, think
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  like that. But I was indeed stupid.
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  How I have changed, Isn't it very interesting?
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  Isn't it? End Quote Reference Sri
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  Aurobindo and the Mother, the psychic being soul, its nature,
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  mission and evolution. Section 2.
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  Role, function and Action of the Psychic.
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  Pages 68 to 69.