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The Cycle of Development in Nature and the Focus of Attention · Sri Aurobindo Studies

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  We observe everywhere that nature has a development cycle,
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  with focus of attention on what needs to take place at each
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  stage of that cycle, rather than simply jumping ahead to an end
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  result of the development. Thus we see that plants undergo
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  a stage of sprouting from seed, and the first focus is on
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  putting out a root system in leaves, then stems and trunks
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  more leaves and eventually they come to a stage of flowering and
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  bearing a fruit, which then leads to a new seed generation
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  and repeat of the cycle. In human beings we can observe
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  that after the child is born, nature puts the initial primary
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  attention on the growth of the physical body.
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  As the child grows, there comes about development of the vital
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  powers of the being, and eventually a stage is reached
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  where primary attention is placed on the mental
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  development. Some educators indeed have
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  posited that there are specific time frames in the development
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  cycle within which each of these levels obtains the primary
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  focus. Rudolf Steiner and Maria
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  Montessori created plans of education around these stages.
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  Ancient Indian teachings held that there were specific time
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  frames within the scope of human life within which the being
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  should focus on various aspects of development.
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  These stages, known as ashramas, counseled the individual to
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  attend to the major aspects of human development within an
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  orderly sequence. We can consider that a
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  Caterpillar focuses its attention almost entirely on
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  eating leaves of plants. At a certain stage, it spins A
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  cocoon and embeds itself therein.
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  Eventually it emerges as a butterfly.
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  Just as the Caterpillar cannot focus its attention on flying as
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  a butterfly, so the child, the young adult, the individual in
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  the prime of life, cannot be expected to focus on or even
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  conceive of in most cases, a further stage that involves new
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  spiritual understanding and expression of powers and modes
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  of being that represent the development of the flower of
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  human existence, the emergence of the soul.
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  When the time comes, the mature individual naturally turns his
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  attention to the soul and the significance of his life.
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  This is a natural cycle of development.
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  Until that time, the existence of the soul is considered to be
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  a mystery, and its influence is primarily a pressure of ongoing
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  development of the physical, vital, emotional and mental
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  aspects of the life to prepare for the ultimate emergence of
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  the soul in a fully awake, prepared and competent human
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  existence, Sri Aurobindo observes, Quote.
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  If the psychic entity had been from the beginning unveiled and
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  known to its ministers, not a secluded king in a screened
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  chamber, the human evolution would have been a rapid soul,
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  outflowering not the difficult, checkered and disfigured
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  development it now is. But the veil is thick, and we
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  know not the secret light within us, the light in the hidden
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  crypt of the heart's innermost sanctuary.
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  Intimations rise to our surface from the psyche, but our mind
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  does not detect their source. It takes them for its own
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  activities, because before even they come to the surface, they
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  are clothed in mental substance, thus ignorant of their
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  authority. It follows or does not follow
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  them according to its bent or turn at the moment.
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  If the mind obeys the urge of the vital ego, then there is
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  little chance of the psyche at all controlling the nature or
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  manifesting in it something of its secret spiritual stuff and
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  native movement. Or if the mind is overconfident
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  to act in its own smaller light, attached to its own judgement,
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  will, and action of knowledge, then also the soul will remain
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  veiled and quiescent and wait for the mind's farther
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  evolution. For the psychic part within is
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  there to support the natural evolution.
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  And the first natural evolution must be the development of body,
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  life, and mind successively. And these must act each in its
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  own kind, or together in their I'll assorted partnership, in
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  order to grow and have experience and evolve.
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  The soul gathers the essence of all our mental vital and bodily
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  experience, and assimilates it for the farther evolution of our
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  existence in nature. But this action is a cult, and
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  not obtruded on the surface. In the early material and vital
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  stages of the evolution of being, there is indeed no
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  consciousness of soul. There are psychic activities,
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  but the instrumentation, the form of these activities, are
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  vital and physical or mental. When the mind is active, for
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  even the mind, so long as it is primitive or is developed but
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  still too external, does not recognize their deeper
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  character. It is easy to regard ourselves
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  as physical beings or beings of life, or mental beings using
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  life and body, and to ignore the existence of the soul
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  altogether. For the only definite idea that
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  we have of the soul is of something that survives death of
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  our bodies. But what this is, we do not
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  know, because even if we are conscious sometimes of its
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  presence, we are not normally conscious of its distinct
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  reality, nor do we feel clearly it's direct action in our
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  nature. End Quote Reference Sri
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  Aurobindo and the Mother, The Hidden Forces of Life, Chapter
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  2, Hidden Forces within pages 44 to 46.