Blessings of the Grace

ASPIRATION

OPENING TO THE NEW CONSCIOUSNESS

…You know that this year (1969), a New Consciousness has descended upon earth….

Yes, Mother….

What is it…? You would like to have a little of this New Consciousness? That’s what you were … thinking?

Yes, Mother: make me ready to participate.

You see! But it depends on you; if you are receptive and modest, you will have it. If not, that’s too bad! But modesty is essential; without modesty one cannot receive of the New Consciousness. And if one thinks that one has become someone important, someone with exceptional powers, someone with spiritual realisations — then it is over. You may be sure that the New Consciousness will not touch you. If you remain modest and receptive, then the Consciousness is everywhere so that you may absorb it. It is up to you to do what is necessary to be receptive. It is up to you, if you want it.

It also depends on You, Mother, if You give it to me.

What I do is not your lookout. If you want it, be receptive, and you will have it. It is for you to remain receptive. That is not my work.

All the same, it is You who will give it to me.

That is another matter. I do not forbid anyone from receiving it if he wants it. And there is more than enough for everyone to receive it. It is not something limited. There is plenty for everyone and even more if the whole world wants to have this New Consciousness. But one must want it, prepare oneself to receive it. To be receptive. It does not come like a stroke of lightning: you want it and immediately you have it! No, it is not like that. One must work for it. To want it constantly and to be receptive. A mental receptivity is not sufficient. This mental receptivity is hardly anything, it leads nowhere. It is incapable of doing anything. One has to be receptive here (indicating the body), physically receptive. It is this which is difficult, you understand? To open all this to the New Consciousness, to make it vibrate in the cells. It is this that I mean by being receptive. It is very difficult. One has the impression that one is reborn in a New Light, to a New Life. It is so beautiful. It is like the path that advances….

If you want the New Consciousness, be receptive and above all, modest. It is for you to decide, there is no restriction, whoever wants it will have it as long as he opens himself. It is very simple. Have you understood?

Yes, Mother. (Mother concentrates)

It is all right. Do not worry. It is working well. My help is always there for those who want to advance. I have kept it wide open up there, and I lead all those who are prepared to strive to advance on the path. It is for you to choose if you want it or not….

Naturally, I want it, Mother….

You can have it; remain calm and receptive and you will have it. Persevere and you will have it.

March 18, 1969

(On yet another occasion Mother spoke about the New Consciousness)

… You understand, to be ready to receive the New Consciousness which has descended this year (1969), the first indispensable thing is to conquer desire. No desires. The desires… evaporated! If you really want to profit and participate in this great phenomenon which is within our reach, the only thing you should do is to rise above your desires. No desires whatsoever (Mother makes a gesture with her hands as if something is flowing out and the desires are being got rid of) It is only in a consciousness free of desires that this New Consciousness can get established. It is a marvellous thing which is trying to form itself, which is trying to work in the atmosphere. And it is within the reach of all those who want it, but the only necessary condition is that one must conquer desire, because it is the desires which deform things.

One has to be free of one’s desires — to drop them like this — something which has no value for us. To make them evaporate, throw them out of you. In fact, this is nothing compared to what awaits to descend in us, this Consciousness which can do everything, accomplish and realise everything. If you wish for this consciousness which is so easy to receive now, purify yourself of your desires. Dissolve them like this and you will see the splendour of this Consciousness which waits for us to receive it. It is something above human desires. If you want to participate, purify yourself of all desires, (same gesture) It was because of the desires that the marvellous things which descended from time to time upon the earth were destroyed and deformed. And what are these desires — nothing in comparison to what is before you. It is phou! … evaporated!

My child, if you want to profit fully from this occasion which is before us and now that this New Consciousness wants to manifest, conquer your desires in order to receive it. It is a real occasion when things move fast and become more easy. It is for this reason that I give so much importance to your preparing yourself to receive it.

You know, this New Consciousness which has descended this year and has begun to work here, has need of a proper surrounding through which it can intensify its work; and now that it has descended here, its power of manifestation must become more intense, its kingdom become broader in order to establish itself firmly. For this it needs ādhāras who will be capable of manifesting the Consciousness. And as it has descended, it must intensify the work, otherwise what is the use? And to receive this Consciousness one must rise above desires. No desires. Nothing, nothing but a complete surrender in His hands, like this: “I give myself to Thee, O Lord, without reserve, Thou alone, no existence without Thee, nothing but Thee. It is Thou who acts through me, Thou, Thou, nothing but Thou. Let Thy will be done through me.” If you can have this attitude, that “there is nothing of me, it is Thou alone who exists and acts”, then, you will be free of desires and ready to receive this Consciousness. I tell you, this is the moment, it is worth the trouble if you want to profit from this unique occasion.

I ask myself why people do not try. What is there more interesting than this? Men give their lives for terrestrial and material adventures and cannot throw themselves into this spiritual adventure which is so marvellous and glorious, when I have traced the whole path and have made the work so easy; I have removed all the obstacles so that one can advance freely.

I invite you … it is something unique…. Try, and you will see what this New Consciousness is!

It is floating there (indicating a region above the head) to descend here below.

April 8, 1969

THE NEW CONSCIOUSNESS MESSAGES AND PRAYERS

It is true that there is a new world or rather a new Consciousness manifested upon earth since the first of January.

January 24, 1969

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“Give me the power to open myself entirely to the new consciousness.”

January 1969

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“Let me be born into the New Consciousness.”

March 1969

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Open yourself to the New Consciousness.

March 1969

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“Purify me of all the much too human weaknesses so that I may acquire the necessary calm to receive the new Consciousness.”

“Make me worthy of it.”

April 1969

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The result of all this inner work should be the disappearance of desires; for it is in a consciousness devoid of desires that the New Consciousness can manifest itself.

April 8, 1969

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The new consciousness has itself given the condition required to manifest itself without deformation:

“One must be able to stand in the light of the Supreme Consciousness without casting a shadow.”

This signifies the abolition of the ego.

April 15, 1969

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A new creation will take place upon earth.

May Thy grace permit me to take part consciously in this new creation.

August 1969

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The first condition is to know in an absolute way that one knows nothing. Then in all simplicity and all sincerity, to aspire for the true Consciousness and to open oneself to the knowledge which is coming from above.

November 1969

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Bonne Année

With the nobility of character which makes one capable of responding fully to the new Consciousness.

January 1970

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Keep yourself in readiness, the new consciousness is working intensely to hasten the transformation.

January 6, 1970

IN SEARCH OF THE PSYCHIC BEING

…Generally, the psychic is represented as a very small child who is sprightly, joyous and always smiling and who is doing something with an indifferent and carefree air, — indifferent and carefree, because he does not participate in the demands and the desires of the vital and the mental. But when the vital is very strong and the mental is very obstinate and they exert their authority on the psychic, then the psychic, having nothing to do with them or trying to dominate them, experiences, — as it is very well expressed in English, — ‘a divine pity’, and a sadness lingers on its face. These are the consequences of the misdeeds of the vital and the mental that fall on it and dominate it by their reactions, and the inherent joy and the carefree liberty of the psychic vanish. And how it sulks! And the whole system becomes heavy, sluggish and lifeless. The psychic does not like to be subjugated by the vital and the mental, it loves the joy of freedom, the flight without end in blissful worlds. It is this that the child seen in the vision represents. It is symbolic.

Such experiences and visions lead one to the region of the psychic, the sanctuary where the soul dwells. This gives one a glimpse of what the effect of the psychic is. It bathes one in an inexplicable sweetness, a sovereign peace, a joy, or rather an invariable ananda which seizes the being, and a perfect equanimity without admixture, completely indifferent to all that is happening outside.

In fact, the psychic itself does not suffer like the vital and the body; it does not have or does not feel the pain, the anguish, the torment, the despair; — but it experiences a sorrow, a sort of affliction like a distress which is completely different from what we usually imagine. It is a sort of sadness which is peaceful or somewhat lovable, which sighs when things go wrong and the mind and the vital are adamant in pursuing their path towards falsehood, ignorance and obscurity, or really speaking, going against the Divine.

In fact, when the psychic sees that its work of so many years and its effort to uplift the consciousness, to purify it gradually and to make the receptacle ready, is being spoilt … and that a harmful, rather disdainful and perverted breath of the vital or the mental destroys in an instant of inconscience the work so well conceived, then the psychic feels a sadness and does not understand how the mental and the vital, which were moreover collaborating so well to have the contact, have suddenly reacted in a revolt. This happens and also many unexpected things which one never foresaw…. But suddenly there is a fall, or, without knowing, one slips down from a consciousness which was vibrating with joy and one loses the contact. But it is at this very moment that one must persevere without getting disheartened, and remain as calm as possible and call me, to re-establish the contact.

You know, one thing which one must do, is not to lose faith, and one must remember to call me; as Sri Aurobindo has often repeated, “In these circumstances, the most important thing is to call the Mother. It is She alone who can help you; — to have this conviction that ‘the Mother is with me and she shall arrange everything’.” And at once the contact comes back.

My child, I’ll tell you one thing: this psychic contact is more true, more gripping, more enduring and more interesting than all that this world knows or does not know even, all that man knows or does not know. It surpasses all comprehension. It is the search for the soul, the finding of one’s psychic which is the support, the Divine manifested in man…. All that man has imagined, written, invented, pursued or that he possesses is nothing in comparison to what he can have when he has the psychic contact. It is more interesting or more fascinating than reading adventure books or any other book. One must be a thousand times more intrepid to find one’s soul than to go to the moon, or climb the mountain or to explore the depths of the ocean. At each step one must be able to take the inexorable decision, whether to continue or not, if it is worth the trouble, because it is filled with mystery, full of suspense, full of unexpected things, things without warning, things that man has never known. At each step death lies in wait. The tempest or the hurricane pursue you, you are smitten by misfortune and pain, by the force and hatred of the formidable hostile forces. You will be tormented at each step. There is no compromise. Fear and doubt invade and subjugate you. A false step and you slip into the abyss. Suddenly an unscalable wall bars your way where there was nothing but the vast horizon: it is impossible to climb! The terror and the horrors of the world stifle you; you are close to death and to the annihilating consequences. But if you are even more intrepid, if you are able to come out of the psychological world that you have created for yourself, if you still have the faith and the confidence that “whatever may happen to me, the Divine is my guide, I must have confidence in Her,” then She will pull you out even through all these misfortunes, all your weaknesses, yourself, your small fears and your mental, vital and physical misconceptions. Moreover, each one has his own way and his own load of difficulties to surmount and to conquer. It depends exclusively on his attitude towards the Divine, and also on himself, his own attitude. If you still have the intention and the aspiration to pursue, then you are projected into a world which cannot be compared, a world of delight and of splendour, of beauty and of harmony, of peace and of sovereign power, of compassion and divine love and the transforming consciousness, — a state where suffering and misfortune, hatred and envy, pain and passion, desire and fear, doubt and deviations cannot live, cannot exist, where ignorance and obscurity transform themselves into knowledge and light. This is the path which leads to the Divine. But to be able to enjoy this unalloyed joy, you must sacrifice and abandon many of your egoistic movements, many of your so-called desires, your passions, your obscure and ignorant conceptions, your habits and unhealthy and useless customs which still cling to the past and still obstinately refuse to change.

When you have the will to surmount your defects and your weaknesses, when you want to become the master of your existence, to go beyond your life of slavery and division, when you want to become the master of yourself, conscious of the self which is always in union with the Divine, then you will be ready to taste the essence of the terrestrial existence — the supreme Ananda. My child, this is the beginning of life; this is what I call “to live a life”. Yes, all depends upon the attitude one has and the will to go on up to the level you want to reach, the aim which you have fixed. With this comes all the help, the Divine help or the Grace which pushes you and keeps pushing, or really speaking, which carries you like a child in a cradle to the Mother — the Mother of all.

My child, this is the mystery, this the miracle, this the adventure towards the Unknown. What is going to happen? No one knows. What will be the consequences? No one can say. What will be the path? No one can envisage! What must be followed? One knows nothing about it! How to arrive? how to cross over? Impossible to guide. But where then is the goal to be reached, the end of the pursuit? Cannot be guessed. For there is no end. There is always something more to realise, yet to discover, still more to be united with…. It stretches till the infinite, till the eternal — more and more vast, more and more beautiful, more and more true. It is unlimited. The reward is to become one with the Divine, with all his qualities of Beatitude, of Consciousness and Supreme Knowledge. Oh! to be, to become and to realise the Unique Adorable … the ‘I’ dissolves in the Truth of our existence. What a marvel! What a happiness!

But how to find Him? Though He is hidden in everything, even in the atom, everywhere in the universe, everywhere in the creation, He gives us the sign, the indication of His Presence, of His minute and constant working behind all the expressions of His Becoming, of His unfolding Himself. Though the world and men are covered with ignorance and inconscience, there is also, behind, the luminous ray of His Presence. Though there is evil, suffering, ugliness and decay, hatred and the vain inutility of existence, there is also behind this appearance, Joy, Beauty, Light, Peace, Truth, the Consciousness, and the Joy of living, the ecstasy in expectation. It is this which gives the conviction, the assurance that all is not in vain, that there is a greater power which sustains, which animates, which vivifies, which gives the élan, that behind this appearance which we see, which we feel, which we live or which we imagine, there is a formidable Presence, all-powerful, which guides all the actions in this world and in this creation. It is like the ocean of ecstasy which courses through the infinite, and the eternal support in the depths and the tranquility in all that is, in all that exists.

How to find this ecstasy? How to find the support? How to find this tranquility? It is not necessary to go far. You have only to enter within yourself to find it. It is in oneself that this ecstasy is, the support and the perfect tranquility. You have to dive with an ardent aspiration into this universe which exists within you and move towards this eternal flame of existence. The means are at your disposal. The path? Each one has his own path which leads with more or less detours towards the goal to be attained. And the methods are as varied as there are individuals. But if one has a true attitude with a profound aspiration and no conflict in his nature, then there will not be so many difficulties, dangers, obstacles and vicissitudes on the way.

Firstly one must will, — will ardently, will sincerely, will constantly, — that all in you becomes an expression of the Divine, solely a vessel for the divine Truth and the divine Love and that His light may course through you without any obstruction or conflict, in its purity, in its clarity, in its grandeur and in its essence. And the first step necessary towards its accomplishment is to have a complete self-consecration, a complete self-purification, a complete self-abandonment; to be constantly open to the Divine — rejecting from oneself all that bars its fulfilment. Constantly to call the divine help to facilitate the work against all these difficulties, — these struggles and persistent resistances, the harassing contradictions which trouble you with painful remorse, which stand in the way like stumbling blocks. For all these inconveniences there is but one remedy: it is only my grace which can lead you out of all these difficulties — just to have faith in me — and to call me to surmount all these mishaps which are, moreover, outside you. Your desires, your impulses, your so-called difficulties and the obstacles on the path which trouble you are things which fall on you from outside, which come from outside. Nothing is within you, only your vital, mental and physical invite them and make you believe that it is within yourself that this misfortune exists and has its origin. But no, — you are outside all this admixture, above all these circumstances and their consequences. You have only to detach yourself and look within and you shall find the self which has nothing to do with this turmoil which has been thrown upon you to create a conflict without your wanting it. But deep within you is an immutable peace, an invariable calm, an unalloyed joy and a revealing knowledge. And, high above, above you, waiting to descend, is the Divine Presence, — the Peace, the Calm, the Purity, the Force, the Light, the Joy and the Vast.

It is this that one has to be conscious of, this that one has to open oneself to and make the connection with — so that these establish themselves in you.

And once the contact with the inner being is established, then everything changes, the perspective, the attitude, even the way of living. This is what is essential, the thing to be done. It is this the raison-d’être of our existence.

But how to establish the inner contact, the contact with the psychic being, the soul which is the master of our existence, but which is veiled by the thick layers of our ignorance, by the effects of the inconscience, of desires, of impulses and of the wrong sensations, and above all, by the ego which dominates, which falsifies our lives, corrupts it and drags it down into the mud, or claims that there is nothing outside it, nothing that surpasses it, nothing which is worth the trouble looking for or worth finding — this is the problem. For as soon as you decide to reject a false movement or an impulse, whether it is to be detached and become indifferent or to be purified, then comes ‘Mister Ego’ to proclaim his authority by announcing just the contrary movement and to undo — by all sorts of revolts, chaos and the decision not to cooperate, and implanting in the being doubt and despair — the good work accomplished. For all these effervescences and these unnecessary bubblings, one must know how to take a true attitude — first of all, to understand, then an introspection and a self-analysis to deduce the cause and the effect; then one must be able to explain what is the thing which could be good, useful and permanent from the material point of view, — and what counts for the spiritual life is the progress, the amplitude, the attitude and a sincerity and surrender in order to contain the new light. This is the base and the ideal.

Whatever one achieves, whatever one tries, one must have faith. If you give yourself and if you have confidence in the Mother, that she alone can help you, lead you towards realisations, towards a complete transformation — then the first steps are already taken. Be it to find the psychic, or to control your desires or your impulses or to liberate yourself from ignorance or inconscience, or to become pure and calm, or to establish the peace, or to become conscious, — for all these there is but one way: to depend and take refuge in me. Then the work will be done a hundred times faster and more effectively, as Sri Aurobindo has said. And you will have the consolation of having nothing which comes back to you, because the Divine absorbs all that you reject and provides you at once with all that you need. He walks with you, sustains you — and He fills you with the aspiration and the will according to your capacity for launching yourself towards Him — who is our goal.

First of all, to begin with, one must know, understand and distinguish the different parts of one’s being — the sensations, the impulses and the vibrations, the thoughts, the formations, the mixed ideas, the quasi-moral or benign developments — all these things that touch you, you must distinguish them and know from where each one comes, what is its role, and if it helps in your development; or if it is harmful, then you must reject it. In fact, to take each thing at its actual value. Then you must detach yourself from all these events, the circumstances, the activities that are produced at each instant, the movements at each moment of your life and remain outside all this, so that Nature, the world, the actions and the reactions of all that exists and moves do not fall on you, and to look at all this turmoil and noise as something in which you do not participate and to which you give no importance — for these are things that happen outside you and do not touch you. Only a calm and perfect tranquility within as well as outside, detached, disinterested,… you observe the things moving in front of you as if on a screen — but you do not participate. With this attitude, you must aspire silently towards the Divine and remain open upwards — not passive, nor trying to pull, but calm and in a positive equanimity that all that is to be done will be done. If you try to pull, it will have a contrary effect. But to remain calm, open and receptive, in a self-giving, with the inner certitude that “the Divine will do what is necessary, will give me what I need”… to remain like this in this state of peace and tranquility, calm and serene, where nothing moves, nothing makes an impression. Not to get agitated, not to be tormented by all that takes place in front of you or around you or even which seems to come from within you or happens in you, because you have the habit of thinking that it is happening within you and reacting to it. But after some time, you will see that you are nothing but a blank page without stain, water without any ripple, without any impression, like a crystal, where the light can pass without being deformed, where the exterior movements cannot leave a mark, because there, there flows a peaceful sweetness that nothing can disturb, that nothing can trouble. You are free, detached, and you see the world passing before you — with its excessive activities, its trepidations, its tensions, the bad and the good, sorrow and joy, force and inertia, beauty and perversity, in fact all the contrary movements, which are only the external world passing before you like a cinema in which you do not participate. You observe the events and the things, you survey them, you are the master — and you have control over all the circumstances.

Then starts the inner life. You plunge within yourself, to the very depths, — moreover there is no end, — to discover, to feel, to absorb, to realise and to rejoice in finding an inconceivable new world which cannot be expressed by your language or your mode of expression, or which cannot be labelled by your sense of values or your so-called attitude, but it can be lived, and which is the truth of your existence, the ineffable Beauty, the stable Peace, the unalloyed Joy, and the all-puissant Power. It is this and something more still. The very substance of what you conceive, of what you have, is transformed; the air that you breathe changes, is transmuted and divinised. But in order that you may feel this effect in you, much work has to be done — an untiring effort to purify yourself, to become conscious, conscious of the Self, conscious of all the parts of your being.

How to become conscious? That is the problem. By the will, — and it is not difficult. It is only a form of application, to do it rigorously and regularly, as you study to learn a language, as you exercise to develop your muscles, or learn to play. In the same way one must apply oneself, one must concentrate, one must work with a constant effort, with a determination to know the whole process of that which is happening within or outside, and how the body, the mental and the vital react. Why does this have a certain effect in you and why not another? How does one react, and why in this manner? What is it that reacts within oneself, who is it that directs, who is it that controls all these phenomena? By which habit does one feel that it is this that has to be done, what will be the best? Which actions will produce these reactions? Who presides, who determines what would be the best for us? What is this consciousness which works to teach us the attitude which changes the perspectives of all our actions?

One must enter within, to the very depths — there where is found a certitude that it is the good, where one feels a peace and a joy, where conflict and doubt disappear, where one bows down to be guided to find the truth of our existence, where the illusion and the futility of all our labour disappear, to find the remedy of all this pain and suffering of the inconscience and the ignorance, — to be guided, and to find the solution to all that pulls one down like a burden which becomes more and more heavy and which chains one in a morass of inextricable difficulties.

How to get out of these fetters, of this slavery, these circumstances which engulf one at each moment and to which, moreover, we have willingly submitted ourselves by our wish or by our preference because it corresponds to the inclination of the vital and the mental?

The best way or the most direct thing is to concentrate here (indicating the heart), to find the inner contact. As long as we have not found this that is to say the inner contact, we grope, we stumble, we fall, we jostle and we search in vain. It seems so fugitive. Then we begin again, with a little more ardour, but end up with the same story: it disappears farther and farther away. It is then that one must have patience. However, with each effort something is gained, we grow a little wiser and somewhere the light of the consciousness which we have absorbed begins to work, begins to get established. Then it radiates here and there to find a hold. And little by little, little by little, with the will, with an aspiration that one has acquired and the ardour to progress, one begins to feel that one is no longer a plaything at the mercy of circumstances, of all that governs the outside world, its excitations, its impulses, its actions and its reactions, — but that one has a control over oneself, that one can direct one’s will according to an inner call, that one can see all things passing before oneself, without being touched, without being moved, without being irritated, without having any reaction, that one begins to detach oneself, to become ‘dispassionate’ as it is said, to have no taste for all that is happening outwardly like an illusion, and which has no sense or reality. That does not mean that one ceases to work or to exist because it has no value for us. But no, remaining in the movement, entirely in the work, to do the work as perfectly as possible, offering the result and everything to the Divine, without desiring to satisfy one’s own ego, or for personal gain. One remains detached, disinterested without being affected. That which is to be assimilated in the being for the progress, that is done naturally.

Action is essential, but one should not expect a result, a personal gain. But the substance of truth which each thing, each element contains, the essence that it represents, reveals something to us. This gives us the élan for progress, the power of concentration, a confidence in the aspiration and a sense of inner purification, of having accomplished a work.

It is this which has value, it is this which one must seek in action, in the work one does. Each event gives us an indication. Instead of pursuing the action of the work with its causes and its effects — that which one seeks in the outside world — instead, if one finds the lesson which is revealed behind the action, the essence that it contains, ‘why this work was entrusted to me, for what kind of perfection that my being needs’, then one begins to find the truth behind all action. It is this that you must try constantly, this equanimity in action. Then the action will bring you this state enabling you to rise to the summit of your consciousness, that is to say, the actual state of your attitude towards life. This is a great step in yoga.

With this attitude you can always count on yourself to receive the necessary divine help. This, if you pursue it sincerely, will lead you towards the truth of your being. Then begins a new life: when one begins to turn inwards, to see things not as they are on the outside, to feel in a way one has never felt, to hear voices or melodies which ring like divine canticles spreading an inexpressible joy in the being, acting in a rhythm which surpasses time which is confined by its nature, and one receives the vibrations from the Eternal. And also other things which exceed our comprehension: where does this sweetness come from? when and how and why?… and all our reasonings fall flat. It is there, and the next moment it has disappeared. It is more mysterious than thought, more evanescent than the foam on the waves of the ocean, miraculous in its action. Just a wind that blows and it is no longer there, just a breathing in and it has moved, just a lowering of the eyelids and the concentration strays. It is enough that a thought comes, that a sensation awakes you, you make a slight movement and you act — and your consciousness is no longer turned within. It is like this at each moment. Something pulls you, jostles you, comes to put an end to it. There is one thing that gives the impetus and the joy to pursue, and then there is something contrary which comes without your knowing, which puts you away from the path. From where it comes, where it goes, one knows nothing and one understands noticing. It is an inconceivable game.

This is what I say, if you have patience, perseverance, the will and the essential sincerity, then you can come to find Me there, where I am eternally. But do not have false hopes, do not have vain illusions, do not be disappointed even if life passes and you do not find me. Because life is not the end of your aspiration. It may take entire lives to arrive where I am. One must have this conviction to return each time in order to continue the work of the previous life.

But once you have started on the path of finding the soul, you must continue at all cost. The path may become difficult, depending on each person, according to his attitude, his aptitude, his sincerity, his surrender, but it is full of events unperceived on the surface, full of nourishment to satisfy the soul, full of revelations, of divine wisdom, His knowledge, and at each step, a certitude, and more and more a confidence which grows with the blossoming of the intimacy with the Divine who is so close, and feel His peace, His sweetness, His power and His Beatitude. Like a magnet this pulls you inwards to have the experiences which always affirm that the Divine is there to help you, and it is certainly worth the trouble to pass through these obstacles, difficulties and vicissitudes that man has called upon himself as a burden to prolong the misery of his life. In fact, it opens up for you horizons of another dimension, with immense possibilities and an unlimited comprehension of all that man cannot even conceive.

More one enters within, the deeper one goes, more is one astonished to see this miracle of things and the worlds that open before us, carrying the consciousness from one marvel to another, with an unforgettable experience of beauty, of the play of forces, of a serene peace, of a pure sweetness and a power of certitude in all our actions. One begins to see visions, have experiences, one hears voices, distinct directions to be followed, not with this ear, but in the depths of the being, it is transmitted, not with our inadequate language, but in another way, and yet is it succinct and clear. One sees lights and symbolic things which become like guides for moving forward on the path.

As the intensity of aspiration to find the Divine and to translate His modes of being into our life increases, more and more do we find that someone is guiding us invisibly and that all is being arranged automatically. Each one finds his support and help according to his sincerity and surrender, and his experiences vary according to the attitude which he can establish in himself. Sometimes one is bathed in a light, or else the body does not exist anymore, one becomes like a column of light; or a sovereign peace envelops you, a joy that vibrates with intensity seizes you. You become more and more conscious of your being and also of your surroundings. All kinds of play of forces enthuse you. Sometimes the Kundalini awakes and the centres that lie hidden within you open, to create a direct connection with the consciousness that exists beyond your being, above the head, the self which presides, directs and governs all in the universe.

This is only the beginning of one’s inward sight, of going within. And in the greatest depth is the psychic being where begins the influence of the Divine, or else the Divine participates directly, and the actions become pure, modest and transmuted by a divine alchemy. There, it is the sovereign joy that reigns. But to find it, an untiring effort is needed — sometimes for entire lives.

Not only must you go within, but you must concentrate all your consciousness, all your efforts, all your thoughts, all your will, all your actions and plunge deep within, without letting even a single strand of your entire consciousness or of your entire effort loiter here and there or go wandering, but being absolutely centred in a constant and invariable effort, calm and tranquil, you must enter within, going always deeper, going on and on, descending further and further, without any movement, without asking anything — no more thoughts, nothing at all, — but only remaining open towards the heights, like this, (gesture) with the consciousness turned within; awake and alert, patiently you must wait to find the inner contact.

You traverse regions of unforgettable beauty and splendour where peace reigns with a glow of light and joy, with a resplendence which makes you perfectly happy, and you believe that here is the refuge. But not yet! One must go on, continuing to descend as in an immense cave from which one sees a light at the end, as in an interminable tunnel. At times, one sees that one is walking on a wide avenue or that one is bathed with a sweetness in an immense expanse which stretches till infinity. In fact, this world which reveals itself when one plunges within is marvellous in its substance, even infinite in its revelations, eternal in its appeal, existing in its purity without stain and without shadow in the light of the serene and sovereign Truth. There, nothing opposes, and nothing contradicts; all is equal, silent and peaceful. It exerts its influence on us, at first indirectly, then more and more directly.

But that is later. It takes a long time. The most important thing is to remain calm and tranquil, transparent like a mirror or a lake without ripples, reflecting all the movements from the surface without being touched, without becoming involved, passive but conscious of all that is happening. Deliberately one remains detached from all this noise, its cause and effect that clash, the actions and reactions that oppose each other. But you, you remain immobile: only the essence or the lesson that they contain makes tiny imprints that help you to progress. It is this which is important, the lesson that they bring us. And later, much later, one understands why this force worked in this way and not in another way as one had expected, and how all had been conceived — in a manner one had never thought of — so as to render this circumstance the most favourable possible for the integral progress. It is always like this if one knows how to take advantage of each occasion which presents itself before us, without getting impatient, without getting excited for the result Then one sees that each thing, each circumstance that unfolds before us was actually the best means to make us progress. And one is astonished to find how each thing instructs us if we follow the clues, and who it is who arranges everything, who guides us without our knowing it at all. That is why one must know how to detach oneself; then one has the key.

All that happens, all that we feel, all that we see, all that we do, — if one asks oneself at each instant, — whatever it may be, even though it may seem hostile or may harm us, — one truly asks oneself so as to scrutinise and one says to oneself: “What is this grace that you send to me so that I have to pass through all this? You know everything and if your grace wants that it should be like this, I accept without complaining and without questioning why you sent this to me…” one sees always that after all, even after the painful moments, there was nothing better that could be expected; it is as if a new door opens and one comes out wiser, much more enlightened and the questions disappear of themselves in the light of the situation which reveals itself before us.

Or else, one says to oneself: “What is this privilege that you bestow on me, this grace that you send to me as a test so that I may pass through this ordeal even if it is hard, suffocating and terrible, and if I may emerge from it pure, equal and firm with the faith that does not question — that this experience which I had to pass through was only to liberate me of this fault or that weakness which existed in me, and that only this experience which seemed to me at first unfavourable, as if changes and becomes favourable and purges me of a cardinal defect.”

It is always like this. And if one takes this attitude: “All that happens, all that comes upon me, is nothing but an occasion, is nothing but a test to purify me further, to rid me of my defects, and I must remain calm and detached to undergo the consequences,” then one sees always that what apparently seemed contrary and ill-advised was nothing but the best situation in order to make the necessary progress. It is in this way that the work is done behind the veil.

My child, it is but the beginning…. And the more we go within, the more we find that it is a completely different world from the one we live in, a world with a rhythm and a harmony much superior to ours, very different from what we conceive, at least some octaves higher than what we know, where peace, beauty and joy reign always.

When one goes within and the mind is empty and one does not think any more, everything becomes calm and peaceful, and one follows a certain command which becomes more and more pronounced. When one begins to depend on that and one lets oneself be guided, then one feels that a power which seems hidden awakes and guides us, directs and teaches, step by step, from moment to moment, where one must go.

But one must have confidence and faith; then it will lead you from one summit to another with an inexorable rapidity, and, one after another, the barriers of your mind fall away, the attachments of your vital disappear and the bad habits of your physical drop off and you feel the need of a life impelled by the Divine, and you depend more and more on His will. Then it is no longer a march but a flight, from marvel to a still greater marvel, from beatitude to a greater Ecstasy, — and suddenly, in an unexpected manner, one is touched, and something opens in us and one is flooded… It is like a revelation or like an invasion. It seizes you and you become vast, and the infinite opens before you, and the mind loses itself in the spiritual substance.

Or even more mysteriously, one is invaded by a presence, by a power, or else by a form — the Mother who is looking at you, and your inner vision has suddenly opened to reveal Her presence. Then one comes across similar instances or one becomes responsive when one is touched by a marvellous scene in nature, enchanted by the creation of a music which seems celestial, or a message that a sentence or a word brings to you; for the inner vision has opened and one begins to see the hidden significance behind the beautiful landscape of Nature, behind the music that was — trying to express the Ineffable or the sentence which carries much more meaning or direction than it apparently had. In this way, all the things in the world can become doors which open inwards to reveal the hidden reality, all the expressions of life can be turned to a higher aim and then all the things which are capable of linking our consciousness to the Divine consciousness are transmuted and become sublime, and all things take on a different value, not because of their separate existence but because of the consciousness that utilises them, moved by a divine élan — for there is only one thing indispensable, one thing essential: to become conscious of the Divine Reality, and to live it… for ever.

Therefore, for this, one must find the inner contact. It is not only when one enters within and one turns the gaze inwards that one meets one’s psychic. No, far from these fantasies. Even if one has worthwhile experiences which open the inner doors and one acquires the essential knowledge, — for example, the body does not exist anymore, or one becomes like a column of light, or other similar experiences, — even then, it is only the beginning. When one can aspire constantly, when one wants the Divine, night and day, ceaselessly, when nothing interests us, and only the Divine predominates in our life, when in an intense aspiration, one feels isolated from all that surrounds us, one feels that one is nothing but a vibration coming from the depths, as with each beat of the heart, an aspiration rises in a rhythm that calls spontaneously, “Mother, Mother,” with the rhythm of the beating of the heart, without it being monotonous; or else with each breath, we feel the Divine approach or penetrate us as if to charge us with his vibration, or as we swallow, his power establishes presence leading us to aspire more, — in the same way one can feel through the pores the consciousness vibrating with an intensity of joy. It is in this way that we become conscious of the centres which are in us or become conscious of the functioning of the subtle world, of the inner mind, the inner vital and of the physical. It is moreover the essential principle: the beginning of the work of purification of these inner beings so that the psychic can govern when it comes to the fore.

First of all, to remain calm and tranquil, peaceful and equal, and the consciousness turned inwards to find the inner support, with the receptivity and the power of assimilation of that which is up there, above the head, open like this, open to receive all the forces, the light and the peace which are constantly being showered on us. To open like this (gesture), and to wait patiently, to open like this, the consciousness turned inwards.

Gradually, very gently, discreetly, the work of the descent begins; we feel the force, the light descend in us and spread in our being with an imperceptible subtlety, at first to prepare the ground, to prepare the surrounding, to gather the diverse personalities in us, to make the necessary connections, so that the descent may be direct and constant. This takes time, sometimes a lot of time.

This opens first the inner centres and starts the work of harmonising one part with the other, of purifying them and making them more conscious. If the outer being does not intervene or does not impose itself, if it does not get agitated or does not demand, then the work is done quietly, the difficulties and the obstacles are turned into favourable movements for progress and everything moves as it should. And we feel as if we are led by a force which does not depend on any outer circumstances.

Only, one must remain calm, tranquil and open, and aspire intensely, aspire to light the inner flame and want the Divine more and more — in action, in sleep, in work, in short, in all the activities of life. And how everything changes in appearance, how everything seems as if someone is preparing all in advance, everything is well arranged, as it should be and at the moment when it should be.

Then we begin to take refuge in the inner support. The link or the relation between the two intensifies. More and more one feels the Presence, the Presence which effectuates everything.

Still, there are many things which happen and one has the tendency to take them as a response coming from the inner support, from the psychic. But, truly speaking, the inner mind, the inner vital, the subtle physical which are inside us and which give us the intimations which warn us in advance, the intuition of the things which are to come, guard us against the results of certain actions which could overwhelm or torment us. For these know well in advance the things which are unknown to our exterior mind or exterior vital or physical because these have a direct contact with the secret forces of Nature.

That is why we are warned in advance of what might happen, and we act according to the indication which we receive. But often we are confused and think that it was an indication coming from the psychic, it came from within like an intuition, and the result was certain: but no, it comes from the subtle regions.

You know, people often ask me: “Mother, does this experience come from my psychic? I am confused and I cannot distinguish.” And do you know what is my reply? “If one doubts or gropes to distinguish what is its effect, what is its expression, what is its way of working, what is its influence, how it expresses its intensity, its power and the truth that it represents,” then I tell them bluntly, “it does not come from your psychic. It may come from the inner parts of your mental or vital, but surely not from your psychic. For if it came from your psychic there would be nothing to doubt, or be confused. The experience of the psychic carries its own identification. It is and it exists by itself and indicates the truth that it contains, the influence and its mode of action and above all, the peace, the joy and the light it radiates by its presence. This cannot be confused or veiled.”

You see then what is the influence of the psychic, and it depends much on the state one is in. At first when you enter into this immense cave of your inner being and you begin to perceive it like a tiny support which is like a magnet that pulls you more and more within, and spontaneously by its influence the mind becomes quiet, — no more thoughts, no longer any sensations, only something that pulls you inwards, assembling all the parts of your being in a concentration of force which admits no vacillation, — when we become conscious of this, then the peace, the joy and the force that are there just above our head, waiting for our call, descend, that means the ground is ready and receptive enough to revive the light and bring it down into the being and spread its influence. The more the work of purification of the being is done, the more intensely the force can descend. Inversely, the more we throw our imperfections, our defects and our weaknesses in this cauldron where all our impurities mixed, the more the flame of purification bums and brings out pure gold. It is only an image to better express what happens inside, but in truth many perceive it like this. It depends upon the individual and his mode of aspiration. At first, the support seems hardly palpable and is so sensitive or fragile that just a turn of the key and it is already gone. A thought or a will comes and knocks at this door which seems to open a bit — and phou! nothing more exists. All passes away like the wind.

And again, with more effort and a greater intensity of aspiration, as in a calm and resigned attitude, one plunges once again and perceives something like a glimmer, the spark that scintillates in the obscurity of our inner being. Then, more and more, with persistence and a constant effort, we begin to see by an inner transmutation that it is a flame, no longer a spark, but a flame that bums but does not scorch, which is gentle, tranquilly peaceful, not insisting on anything, with a compassion and a benevolence which pervade all things, which exerts its sweetness to survive in a place which seems to awake in its beatitude. It is this, the psychic flame, — the flame that does not scorch but which purifies everything by its transmutation, by its contact, by its influence, by its radiance. Without constraint, without reaction, without violence, without obstruction, the whole being awakens, blossoms and opens spontaneously and finds the joy of liberty in its existence. We become vast, vast like the infinite.

And when the psychic comes in front and dominates all the actions, be it outward or inward, then begins the reversal of the consciousness and all is an expression of the Divine, of that which exists in the depths. All the actions, all the sentiments, all the emotions undergo a transmutation — and a new vision, a new sensation and a new hearing open, and we do not see or hear anymore in the ordinary way or feel the earthly type of pain and suffering. An inner vision, a more subtle and profound hearing, a more true and exact sensation awaken in us, and we begin to have an experience by identity; and we no longer see the exterior as it is, but we see the truth behind things, and the misery, the obscurity, this slavery to ignorance disappear. There, everything is hushed and we feel the perfect silence, and all things communicate in silence. It is not necessary to express in words in order to understand; but in another kind of language, with brief and clear vibrations, we understand spontaneously, instantaneously that which would take hours to express in our ordinary language. All the senses are transmuted and we experience the felicity behind things, — the truth they contain. We are moved about, as if on a string, in regions where all is beautiful, where harmony is found, where predominates.

And always we ask within, as if to get the answer: “Is it this that you want, Mother? Is it this that you ask? Is this verily the experience that to you?” And there is always an answer from within: “Yes,” if it is positive. “Yes, it is like this, it is correct. It is all right. Continue.” The answer rises, very short, very brief, positive; or if it is negative, then with twitch, it will tell you spontaneously what is to be done, what is to be followed. And always it is an absolutely correct advice. In this way we converse all the time, converse with the psychic to receive the true direction to decide things, to be sure that the next step is positive.

And then we are open to so many things, so many unknown worlds: we hear sometimes the power of vibration of the harmonies that constitute music, the vibrations of the subtle worlds, the nuances and the combinations of the vibrations which transmute matter. We feel the joy and the beatitude being transmitted in the cells, in the body. We begin to see the celestial beauty by the fusion of colours and the liberty of expression, unparalleled, without compare, which we never see on earth. We smell a heavenly perfume everywhere in nature as when we water the plants or the celestial aroma when it rains. Even in the taste there is a transformation, and constantly we rejoice in the joy of tasting nectar, as in His divine expression, in the multiplicity of His forms. In the largeness of His élan, in the purity of His manifestation, there exists a Presence.

Then, in this state, the psychic flame governs all the actions, but without constraint, without forcing, without compelling, and we feel a perfect liberty, as of a flight into unknown spheres, but marvellously close to us, very near to us. That which guides now is no longer a flame but the psychic being, a being that directs everything but never commands; instead, it suggests very gently, very sweetly, very discreetly, almost in a whisper, hardly audible, with an incomparable tenderness and benignity; truly, it is as if to advise us to follow the truth that He projects the thing that would be the best and without doubt the most preferable, the most exact and indispensable for the progress, conceived by the One who guides. He gives you the indications, He puts you on the path, He gives you the choice to follow this call which comes from the psychic being. But it is deliberate, with a puissance and a formidable power of execution, without being authoritative, and yet it is veiled and never imposes itself. It acts by an influence, by sending its feelers, or else spreading its antennas to receive the vibrations, the true vibrations, from the part that collaborates and works in unison with the perfect harmony, to be in agreement with it and to be guided by it.

The work of the psychic being is very subtle, very plastic, as if unexpected and unnoticed; it is as if all the parts of the being merge and dissolve in the beatitude of its presence, in the immutable truth that it represents. And then, in this state, there is no division in the parts of the being: everything obeys a central law, it is that of the psychic being. It is then that the psychic being comes in front and governs the person or the personality which is united in his psychic. By the inner contact the whole aspect of life changes, and his attitude towards himself and all those around him is a perpetual understanding in a harmony and a collaboration without restraint and without clashes or constraint because he knows already what the others want and ask for.

In this contact he feels a liberty and a vastness, a joy and a peace, a force and a power, a divine solicitude in the embrace of an all-conquering power to overcome and surmount all the difficulties that life brings. It is evident that the psychic being is all-powerful, master of all circumstances, knows everything and is aware of everything, and at the same time is full of compassion, full of love, full of peace and filled with humility; it does not impose itself at all, does not force its way, never does anything with violence, neither as a reaction nor in the human ways. But enduring patiently all the consequences, all the so-called human revolts with a tolerance and a magnanimity of the worlds beyond, it completes its work and leads the tormented hearts devoid of aspiration towards the sanctuary of the inmost being.

When we say that the psychic comes in front it means that first of all it arranges all the parts of the being, — the inner mind, the inner vital and the inner physical, — and the activities of their outward manifestation around the psychic being, harmonises them, coordinates them, classifies them, and to each part delegates its work and its mode of execution and controls all the activities by its influence. Or we may say that it infuses or infiltrates its consciousness into the mental to make it act as it should, into the vital as if to persuade it to obey what the psychic instructs and it consoles the physical and renders it conscious by its intimacy and its zeal which vibrates with joy and penetrates the cells and releases them from inertia and ignorance. As soon as it is infused by the enthusiasm which it had never felt before, the physical becomes the greatest collaborator under the command of the psychic being. It is then that all moves to a call that comes from the central being.

When we are equipped with this direct functioning which comes straight from the psychic being, then the outer things and circumstances arrange themselves and we go where we should, where the means are given for a perfect meeting, we speak what we should and what is necessary so that the consciousness rises towards the heights, towards the beautiful and that which enlightens by a knowledge which is an intuition. We act by a will which is all-powerful, and we are led as if by an invisible Hand which renders the work as perfect as possible. We are moved by a power before which we feel ourselves as conscious puppets and seem to be guided by an infallible Will.

At each moment we are as if surrounded or engulfed by a Presence which arranges everything discreetly and accomplishes the miracle of our existence.

But the psychic being is not a presence only, but a portion, a part of the manifested divine, the manifestation of the Immutable in the existence, the Soul that is within us.

This, in brief, is what the psychic being is — its function and its way of working.

Mother, with all these qualities and the power of the psychic, we become almost divine.

Oh, my child, far, far, very far from it; the contact with the psychic being is only the beginning of our yoga, the first step in our flight towards the Infinite. When the psychic comes in front and dominates all, then begins yoga. Next, you have to realise the Self which is one and the same for all. Its place is above the head, and at the same time everywhere. After that, you have to bring down the Force, the Light, the Ananda to transform or spiritualise the mind, the vital and the physical. Then comes the transformation of matter which is our aim. It is something completely different.

But first, find your psychic being and act from there. This, this is the work now before you.

Voilà, au revoir.

I have talked a lot, I do not have time now.

Go, hurry up!

Au revoir, Douce Mère.

May 1967

What the Mother sees in a person

Mother,

I do not know how this instrument is worthy of what You are doing for him, or how he will be able to realise all that You are expecting of him…

What I see in a person is always his psychic being and thus I know what he is capable of doing and being. Each one should make an effort to be in contact with his psychic being, and then all will go well.

March 7, 1951