Mother's Chronicles - Book Three

13

Two Angry Cocks

What with this, that and the other, time imperceptibly slipped by. It was already a full month that Mirra had been in Zarif when Henri Morisset came to join her. That was on August 17. He went sightseeing with Mirra and Théon.

There were, and still are, many picturesque spots around Tlemcen. For example, the Cascades d' El Ourit are seven kilometres from the town and the road to them skirted Théon's park; a metal bridge that still clings to a mountain-side is said to have been constructed by none other than Eiffel! Another notable place they went to was the Cork Forest —the 'Forest of Ahrif' to give it its local name. It was some 30 kilometres away on a motorable road. Teresa, who sometimes joined the group, went this time with the other three, in spite of knowing what an unreliable

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driver Theon was! He rarely returned without upsetting the cab or the car he was driving. So, when they returned safe from their outing, she noted the event in her diary: "September 13, 1906 —Went with Theon & M. & Madame Morisset to the Cork Forest."

Teresa's diary,¹ its pages yellowed with age, has numerous entries; she kept in it a record of the comings and goings and doings of Theon and Théona and their guests.

Madame Theon, however, rarely went out with them. Her occult work left her too tired, as Mother said. Besides, when Mirra looked out of her window in the morning, she would often perceive a figure wrapped in a red shawl, for Madame Theon was prone to colds. Seated in a corner of the courtyard, she was already at work —writing. She wrote and she wrote. One felt her attention fully absorbed in an inaudible voice, as though she were taking a dictation. Unless, of course, she was writing down what her inner eyes were seeing in other worlds. Be that as it may, when

1. With the kind permission of Jackie Semenoff, we were able to procure some relevant data from this diary.

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she passed away, she left behind her more than 12,000 written pages, according to Pascal The manly.

Her own work with Theon was generally done after lunch.

The nature of Alma's work made her retiring. But her goodness of heart made her fond of the simple local folk, and she comforted them when they poured out their sorrows to her.

It is likely that Henri, as an artist, was much taken with the view the countryside presented and the colour full locals. But it is almost certain that he was less taken with Theon. Mother, while talking to Pavitra and Satprem about Madame Theon, recalled an episode figuring the above two.

"Madame Theon was an extraordinary occultist. She was a small woman, fat, soft almost, giving you the impression that if you were to lean against her, it would melt! I remember once ... I was there in Tlemcen with Andre's father —a painter, an artist — who had come to join us.

"Now, Theon was wearing a dark violet robe. So Theon told him, 'This robe is purple.'

"The other one replied, 'No, in French it is not

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purple, it is violet.'

"Theon bristled, 'When I say purple, it is purple!'

"When suddenly a flash came out of my head: 'No, it's too ridiculous!' I didn't utter a word, you know, but it came out of my head —I saw the flash.

"Madame Theon got up, came and stood behind me. Neither of us had spoken a word. The other two were glaring at each other like angry cocks. Then she put my head on her breast —I had exactly the feeling of sinking into eiderdown!

"Well then," Mother continued, "never in my life have I felt such peace, never. It was absolutely luminous, and soft . . . such a peace, you know, so soft, so tender, so luminous. Next, she bent over my ears and murmured, 'You must never argue with your master!' I wasn't the one who was arguing!

"She was a wonderful woman, wonderful.

"But he . . . well."

Teresa noted in her diary, "October 15, 1906: Mr and Mme Morisset left.''

*

* *

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The Morrissets returned to France.

Mirra continued translating Madame Théon's work for the Cosmic Review and getting the magazine printed. Only this time, that is, from 1906 onwards, Mirra herself became one of its regular contributors. "I also wrote a thing or two. . . ."

She went on with her life of artist on the one hand, and on the other she busied herself with a group she had already formed with a small number of like-minded men and women —people, who, in spite of the dazzling triumphs of physical Science, believed "it was a mistake to think that we live physically only," as said Sri Aurobindo. The group was named 'Idea' and it assembled once every week or every fortnight in the house of one member or another, including the Morissets' Atelier at 15 rue Lemercier. The meetings were held at night. Generally philosophical ideas were discussed. The subject for the meeting was often decided beforehand and the members read out their papers. Apart from this, Mirra also noted down special happenings which occurred during the meetings. Thus we have Un Chef¹

1. Later published in Words of Long Ago.

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('A Leader'), describing the visit of a Russian revolutionary in January 1907.

André Morisset never forgot how he had peeped at the on-going meeting one night. He had stationed himself at the top step of the stairway which went down from the bridge to the Atelier. Though the five-to six-year-old boy understood nothing he listened. He was discovered and ran back to bed. Next morning his mother told him that there was no need to get up from his bed and go there to see what was happening. "You have only to get out of your body and come." Mirra explained to her son that a human being is not limited to his physical body alone, but can go to other places and see what is going on. We don't know what the child understood, but it struck him as so extraordinary that he remembered it till the end of his days.

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