When we move to a deeper consciousness, when we gain a more profound knowledge, when we consciously direct the course of our lives instead of leaving it to the whims of Nature, progress occurs from positive to positive, not from positive + negative to positive. When we move our consciousness into the depths of our being, away from the surface, and move into the stillness and silence within, even touching the evolving soul beneath these, we see the world as it truly is. Thus, at every moment we perceive the right thing to do, which causes us to make choices that tend to be far more positive and effective. Thus, though our own inner, soul-state we progress through the way of Soul instead of Nature -- i.e. coming to the new positive only through the positive.

Also, these positive-only results that come from our higher consciousness and the choices we make from there, tend to occur instantaneously; i.e. vast positive results move towards us in no time, avoiding Nature's difficult and lengthy course. This "instantaneous miraculousness" that brings sudden good fortune through acts of higher consciousness, I call it "Life Response." It is a life of continuous wonder and joy, as sudden good fortune continuously moves in our direction.

12/28/05  Society's Growth, The Way Life Works

Beyond the Political Opposites in Society, Enabling Rapid, Vast, Smooth, Creative Progress

In the USA as elsewhere, there is a two-party system. It is an indicator of democracy, as opposed to the oppression of monarchy and aristocracy. And yet it is flawed relative to what it can be. The Democrats are passionate about ending poverty, and many of their policies are very helpful, but many are flawed. Their hearts are in the right place, if not all of their ideas. The Republicans want to cut taxes, which is one of a series of fine ways to stimulate the economy, and yet behind is a virulent selfishness and greed in that approach that is cut off from the social aspirations of people. Each side has positives that are wrapped in negatives, or negatives wrapped in the positive. When you also add in the political instinct, it can turn poisonous, as useful policy is abandoned for doing what is expedient and in the interest of that party.

One of the ways America and similar countries progress is through the opposition of parties that are each flawed. And yet we now progress through the interaction of these two conflicting and flawed opposites. This is Nature's way of progress through complementary contradictions, here expressed in governance. She also expresses elsewhere -- in fact everywhere. E.g. in business through a traditional opposition of executives and the remainder of the staff. Through conflicts between nations; through conflicts between lovers; even of ideas. Everywhere we look, we will see such complementary opposites that appear to be in opposition, in duality.

As we rise in consciousness, the dualistic nature of progress dissipates, and there is growth and development in society through unity that is also exceedingly diverse. We release ourselves from a particular side to embrace the Whole. (Where is the Whole? It is the sum of all the truths of an object, and then some.) Life progresses in this more conscious way through positive energies only, not through an incessant mixture of positive and negative. Even the appearance of the negative in this new consciousness is seen as positive in disguise. As a result, progress is exceedingly fast, is exceedingly smooth, is vast, and infinitely creative -- replacing the slow and difficult way of Nature that is our current way.

What is this consciousness that sees the world in this new way? It occurs when we take to rationality certainly, moving away from our superstition and falsehood. More than that it has the spiritual touch, which expresses several ways: (1) a movement out of ego and separateness; (2) a giving up of exclusive points of view and the tendency to take sides; (3) a connection within that sees harmonies instead of dualities outside one's self; that even sees the unity emerging from conflicting opposites; (4) that acts in such a way that opposition is never created. It is for the future life, but we can each begin now by connecting with the calm and serenity and joy and love of our inner being and True Self. We discover this spiritual Being by moving away from the surface of life and connecting with the silence within.

12/27/05  Society's Growth

Harlan Cleveland and Coinage of "Rising Expectations"

Harlan Cleveland coined the phrase "revolution of rising expectations" to describe this phenomenon which he observed in Eastern Asia in the early 1950s. Spurred by the end of colonialism and the diffusion of democracy, since then this revolution has circled the globe and ignited a clamor for education, higher levels of consumption and opportunities for advancement among billions of people. The universal awakening of this urge for progress is another compelling reason why the speed of development is increasing so rapidly. (MSS)

12/26/05  Society's Growth, The Way Life Works

Nature Drives Out Society's Physical Consciousness through Calamity

The individual and collective express their consciousness from the lowest to the highest levels. The lowest is the physical consciousness, which expresses through inertia, unwillingness to change, insensitivity, brutality, superstition, dogma, falsehood, and other anachronistic tendencies. Actions of Nature overcome that physical consciousness through natural disasters and calamities, through attack and invasion by enemies, and through other means She deems fit. The individual too suffers the consequences of his own physicality through the tragedies that come in his own personal life.

The Tsunami of 2005 in Asia is one example of this phenomenon, indicating the limited physical consciousness of the people affected there. Another is the 30 million Russians who died during WWII, which matched an equal number of citizens the Soviets had just killed of their own. Even when the nations of Europe were annihilated by the Nazis, it was because of the limited physical consciousness of those nations who were unwilling to pull together in the years leading up to the war. Many other events demonstrate this intent of Nature to overcome the unyielding physical consciousness, including the recent 9/11 attack of on the US, indicating apart of her physical nature. We see earthquakes in Iran and other locations shaking up the physical consciousness of backward thinking areas. Of course, those that hand out such "justice" -- including fascists, terrorists, and other oppressors -- are often virulently physical too, and invariably suffer the consequences as well.

12/24/05  Personal Growth, Society's Growth

Religion vs. Spirituality

-First, an individual has a profound realization of the spirit. (E.g. Jesus, Buddha, Mohammed, Krishna, etc.)

-That individual brings a new level of spiritual evolution into society. (E.g. Jesus of Love, Buddha of suffering and salvation.)

-A religion then adopts and then expands in the social sphere on the realization of the pioneering spiritual founder, i.e. the Avatar.

-The followers of the religion are compelled to follow the precepts of the founder.

-Religion develops ritual, dogma, and superstition to organize the founder's experiences in ways to develop and maintain its organization. After some benefit, it creates an institution of Darkness out of the spiritual realization of Light of the founder.

-Spirituality is to one's self have the spiritual experience. Within a religion it can said to be to have the experience of that founder. Instead, the religion advocates worshipping the founder through the methodologies advocated by the religious institution. Anachronistic tendencies and Darkness begins to move in. Its actions lead to actions that are false, bordering on evil. (Some aspects or individuals remain in the light.)

-Even the Avatar, religious founder, though great, only expresses one or several rays of the truth; nothing near the whole truth of the Spirit.

-True, integral realization of the spirit is to connect to the spirit in all its aspects; Knowledge, Truth, Love, Beauty, Oneness, Peace, and Bliss, etc. It is beyond religion. It is even beyond the experience of one ray/aspect of the spirit.

-Religion has passed its time. It has for the most part become an anachronisms. Spirituality is now fully available for Man in the present for his full realization.

-Each person can know the Divine, become It, and bring It fully into the Becomings of life, thereby divinizing all life on earth.  [ep for overriding older kb items]

12/23/05  Personal Growth

Taking the Other Person's Point of View

Are you willing to take on this spiritual challenge? In the next few days, when you are in conversation or discussion or debate with another, switch your point of reference, and take the other person's point of view. Accept it completely in your mind. If you are able to do that, you have in essence had a spiritual experience. Taking the other person's view is to shift out of ego, and away from the exclusivity of mind, which sees one part of the whole and takes it to be the entire whole. It is instead a movement toward unity and oneness of being; a movement toward integral perception and knowledge, as we recognize that there are other parts of the truth we are unconscious of, that express through others, no matter how much in the wrong they appear in our minds to be to be. You will be startled at the turn the conversation takes thereafter, and you may get a glimpse at the real power that we have within to change the course of life around us.

12/22/05  Personal Growth

Holding Opposites in Our Mind to Know the Whole Truth

It has been said recently that blacks in America have substantial opportunities to rise, but have become complacent and self-satisfied. If one is honest, one must see that this is true in the current environment (2005). It is said by others that blacks in America are being ignored by the society, indicating a virulent contempt and callousness of the government and the people. If one is honest, one must accept that this too is true. Then which is it: one or the other? They appear to be contradictory beliefs.

Is it not possible that both are true, but that the human mind cannot hold these contradictory opposites together at once. The human mind, supported by a irrepressible negative vital/emotional being takes a side -- holding its one truth in opposition to all others, despite the wider understanding of the whole that includes all truths. This is unfortunately the way the mind of man functions. It is exclusive to all other possibilities other than its own. It takes one side out of a myriad of truths, and takes delight in REINFORCING its opinion whenever possible.

On the other hand, the person of higher consciousness moves out of the exclusivity of mind and embraces the full truth, whatever that might be; even, as in the example above, where the truths appear virtually opposite one another. The higher spiritualized mind embraces all truths because it seeks them; even what appears as contradictory opposites. In the lower consciousness, however, one is adamant about one's own position. In this world, all is divided existence, opposites opposing one another; me vs. you. In the higher consciousness, opposites, contradictions are complementaries, i.e. they work together to make a fuller, more whole, more integral truth. As man evolves, he will move to the spirit in mind that that can hold all truths, including contradictory ones. Then he will take a big leap on the road to his further evolution and transformation.

We can begin that process by moving to our deeper consciousness within, away from the surface bubblings, to silence; and then deeper still to the evolving soul. There one sees beyond the contradictions, embracing all sides, seeing to the True Truth that lies beyond the surface view. From there, all decisions made will be great ones, that inevitably benefit all. 

12/19/05  Society's Growth, The Way Life Works

Callousness of the West and Negative Life Response

12/18/05  Society's Growth

Fundamentalism that Dissolves with Prosperity

Wherever life opens prosperity, religion goes to the background. Equally, the rising enlightenment of the mind prevents religion from having an intoxicating hold on it that leads to rabid fanatical behaviour. (MSS)

COMMENTS:
-We know that whenever rabid fundamentalists confront prosperity, their reason d'etre diminishes and eventually disappears. That by the way is true for the zealots of ALL major religions.
-Prosperity does not overcome spirituality however. Those who are taking to the deepest truths of life that come through spirit are supported by financial well being. In fact, prosperity is a great support for spiritual progress in life. It is even one of its goals.
-Of course, as the mind becomes more rational, thoughtful, insightful, it leaves religious fundamentalism behind. If that mind is inquisitive and determined to grow further, then it moves to the spirit, which is certainly beyond religious dogma, ritual, and superstition, even beyond religions best qualities.
-In fact above rational mind that generates thought-based conclusions, is the more subtle form of insight through direct illumination and intuitions of knowledge; which moves one directly to the true truth of things. It is a step on the road to continually having the multi-sided knowledge of an issue, -- as opposed to the narrow, one-sided, exclusive, ego-supported ordinary functioning of mind, even rational mind -- which is an indicator of the spiritual dimension of Knowledge. Other dimensions include the experience of Oneness, Peace, Delight, Truth, Power, Goodness, Beauty, Love, Infinity, Etc.

12/15/05  Personal Growth

The Nature of Romance/Romance of Life

-Civilisation as well as its whole, the creation, is sustained by the evolutionary energy generated by the eternal aspiration for the Eternal. [The eternal is the Spirit, the Divine.]
-Romance is then the Eternal seeking the Eternal Eternally. [It is the Divine Spirit seeking out the Divine in our lives.]

-We seek this Romance in another person, through a soul to soul connection, a reflection of the  Eternal Seeking the Eternal.
-Each person has a soul, the spark of the Divine. It has entered us to fulfill a purpose, the Soul's purpose through our growth and evolution.
-Romance is therefore the play of one soul with another.
-Romance is also aspiration of the unattainable. It cannot be found in one individual because that person is only a part (of the truth). Still we try. It is romance. The Whole is what the soul seeks through the part of the individual.

-The Eternal eternally presents itself to the ephemeral for its valid acceptance. [I.e. the spirit seeks itself in the lives of Man, between partners as well as in the adventure of life.] That is why Romance rears its head all the time at all ages. It knows no death. Romance never dies. It cannot die. It has never died in the history of man.
-Romance is permanent. Eternal romance is an ever-living ideal of the human heart and the human soul.

-Romance is the sensation of adventure in an ever-fresh atmosphere.
-The seeking is the adventure. Attaining is the fulfillment.
-To seek an emotional adventure of the highest type for the love of danger and the possibilities of destruction – of the body or the ego or status – is romance.
-Romance emerges to give life to death and dead habits.

-Romance is irresistible sweetness, charm, and attraction issuing from a delight of union, of integration of consciousness.
-The charm of Romance issues from its Divine character of universal attitude and infinite dimension.

-People of the level of Eternal Romance are very serious, of immense Patience and unshakeable calm. Life never troubles them. No trouble troubles them. Their very calm calms the opposing disturbances. Wherever they are, they make their mark unmistakably.

-Romance is the spirit of evolution. It originates in the body, goes to the mind, crosses the Spirit, and spills over to the 3rd dimension of evolution. (Paraphrase of MSS ideas on Romance, with comments in brackets)

12/12/05  Personal Growth

In Love We Are Attracted to a Complementary Nature

Often what we seek in another is that which we don't have; i.e. a complementary nature. E.g., an emotional individual will seek out a staid, solid character, even as a mental, calm person will seek out someone with emotion; or an energetic person will seek someone without much energy, or an energyless person will seek an energetic person, etc. etc.

We can learn from that person and take on that missing attribute in yourself or be self-satisfied with our own condition. In that way, we can grow from these relationships.

By the way, the same is true for friendship; i.e. often they have complementary nature to our own, which we find attractive. 

12/9/05  Personal Growth

Human to Divine Love

Human love of partner is the ordinary love we see between two individuals. It is special but fleeting or unfulfilling. True human love of partner (i.e. true romantic love) is a very special form, a rarer form of love for the partner. It is the linking of souls. Few have it because we are satisfied with lesser love. It is marked by romance, i.e. romance of life. True love of anyone is selfless giving without any expectation in return. It is beyond any form of human love, including human true love. It is spiritual in nature as it is in essence a movement from soul to (any) soul. The highest love of all is the love and surrender to the Divine Spirit itself. Self-giving to the Divine opens us up to the infinite potential of life, and ultimate Joy and Delight of being. It is a path that enables a vast leap in our evolutionary possibilities. 

12/5/05  The Spiritual Reality, Spiritual Growth, The Way Life Works

The Process of Evolution that Humans Can Accelerate

Sri Aurobindo, the Indian sage and seer spent decades trying to fathom the true nature of existence. He came to see that the universe came about through an involution of the Spirit; i.e. through a conscious decision of the Divine Will, there emerged a Force and then an Energy out of which all forms in the universe were created. At the point where the Force/Energy emerged form a Divine Source and coagulated into the first forms of creation, there began the evolution of the universe, which began as unconscious matter, evolved an animus of life, including life forms, and the development of mentality expressed predominantly through primate and especially man.

While philosophers and seers like Sri Aurobindo have attempted to explain the involution part, scientists like Darwin have tried to explain the evolution part; the movement from matter to life to intelligence. Unfortunately, these explanation have focused on the surface realities, and the outer material processes of evolution, as explained in such concepts as survival of the fittest, natural selection, spontaneous mutation, and so forth. Though there is considerable truth in these conclusions, especially at the material level, Sri Aurobindo believed that they elicit only a superficial understanding of the processes that enable evolution to move forward. He instead focused on the inner processes of evolution that enabled life to emerge from matter, and mind to emerge from life. His interest was to try to explain why these successive planes emerged from out of one another.

Sri Aurobindo explains it this way: There is a process of unfolding that occurs from one plane to the next plane; e.g. from matter to life to mind. The reason one plane emerges from the previous because it is already involved there as potential in the previous plane, not unlike a seed that has the potential to develop into a tree. When the existing plane becomes fully organized at its level, then the next plane emerges out of it. So the animus/life (in plant, lower life, animal, humans) that emerged from pure matter (material rock, gasses, et al.) were involved as potential to begin with, and emerged when the material level was organized enough to move to the next level. The same with the emergence of mentality from out of animus/life. (There are actually many subplanes and stratas in between.)

Sri Aurobindo goes on to say that what really compels the emergence of the next plane is the underlying (original) spirit that is embedded in each plane, pushing that plane's potential to emerge from its current plane into the next plane. (In the involution the Spirit was self-absorbed and hidden beginning in the Force and Energy and then the matter that emerged in the universe.) Since spirit, which is really the same spirit that created the universe in the first place, i.e. the Divine spirit, is infinitely creative, what emerges in the next plane is always dynamically new and creative; it is always an unexpected manifestation of new forms of consciousness. After all, who could have conceived a thinking being from the plant, or perhaps a future spiritual being from the current mental-based man?

You might ask at this point, how does this all relate to me? Well Sri Aurobindo goes on to say that from time immemorial Nature has led this process of ascendance upward from matter to animus/life to mind. It is the slow and painful method by which life normally progresses. Now however the human being, the self-conscious, self-determining mental human can now take the evolution further. By connecting to his inner being, to his spiritual soul within, or to the Divine above, he comes in contact with the very spiritual powers and forces that enabled the current planes of matter, life, and mind to emerge. He then has the capacity to collaborate with spirit to enable further planes or sub planes to emerge, as well as the perfection of the current planes.

Thus man, through his conscious collaboration with the dynamic spiritual essence, becomes the enabler for the further evolution of the species. He enables new possibilities to rise in life; such as new perceptions, insights, and ideas; new inventions, products, and services; and new ways of living and acting and interacting. Ultimately, through an individual's connection to consciousness and spirit, he becomes an instrument of human evolution. In that way, rather than Nature being the leader of our evolution, the self-conscious human individual becomes the pioneer and leader of our future evolution, further releasing the infinite potential and further (spiritual) planes of life.

12/1/05  The Spiritual Reality, The Way Life Works

Why There is Ignorance, Falsehood, and Evil in Creation

Why is there ignorance, falsehood, evil, etc. in the world is a subject that has bee discussed throughout the ages. No one has come up with an adequate answer, except modern sages like Sri Aurobindo who have the advantage of bridging evolutionary theory with spiritual experience. He explains that out of a Divine Source emerged a universe of divided forms including us. From an original Force/Energy, we eventually emerged as ignorant, divided beings, reflecting the positive and negative energies in the universe. Then why is there positive and negative in creation?

First, a little background of creation. The immutable, infinite, unknowable Reality, extended itself into a universe of forms so that those forms could experience the same Delight of Being that It knows. The static Joy of the Infinite would therefore be complemented by a dynamic joy through those forms, including us. E.g., when an individual rises in consciousness or otherwise become more aware, he has the joy of discovery of his true nature, which is the experience of the Delight that the Divine Source intended in our creation.

Then why the negative in creation? In order for the Delight of the Spiritual Source to extend into the greatest quantity/multiplicity of the forms, it had to enable a universe of unlimited possibilities, including the possibilities of the negative. The Divine, through its deputy of Nature (as opposed to Soul) also allowed for difficulty, pain, division, duality, ignorance, falsehoods, and evil so that the greatest Delight of the immutable Divine can enter the greatest multiplicity of forms in the most varied way, i.e. through the greatest possibilities in the universe. This is the secret reason of ignorance, falsehoods, and evil in life.

As we evolve to our highest nature, we will then overcome our ignorance, falsehood, and evil, which will create an even greater richness to life in the future, as all possibilities (including the movement from the current good to the greater good), are now included, create an even more joyful, blissful, yes Divine life on earth.

11/28/05  Personal Growth

Commentary on the TV series 'Lost'

The TV series 'Lost' has become popular in the US and other parts of the world. At Growth Online, we have developed a site to explain the meaning of this show in terms of our unique consciousness approach to life. Please visit if you are a fan of the program, or even if you are curious about the principles of life at work in the story. The information could dramatically change the course of your life; which in its own way is what happened to the survivors of 'Lost.' 

11/25/05  Personal Growth

Howard Roark, a True Individual and Personality

In Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead we see one individual, Howard Roark, expressing his true individuality by thinking for himself, not being swayed by the herd. We can say that such a person is in contact with his inner Personality and True Self, as opposed to others who rely on the social imperative. When that inner force is weak though true, relative to the world around him, society tends to crush him and his ideals. If it is strong, as it was in the case of Roark or a Churchill or a Gorbachav, it can change the course of the world around them.

How many of us think for ourselves, instead of being determined by the herd around us, the social view, the collective views expressed by media and popular culture? How many of us seek to know the true truth, the many sided truth, instead of the part and convenient truth that the world presents to us on the surface or that we are attached to within ourselves.

The true Individual in that sense is spiritual because he seeks identity with the full object of knowledge, which the limited normal mind of man cannot perceive. Limited, normal mind perceives an exclusive truth, whereas the logical and better-still illumined and intuitive mind are powers of spiritualized mentality that seek the inherent truth in the object of inquiry. There is knowledge by identity with the object. There is no separation between the knower, the knowing, and the known. The influence of the social herd clouds that identity, as does the normally divided mind of man. Only when we seek the deeper consciousness within, do we move to the wider truth by identity.

11/22/05  Personal Growth

False Social Condemnation of Harry Potter

In the fourth episode, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, we see the falsehood of society at work, when he is mistakenly ostracized by the student body for being picked to represent his school in a tournament held there. The student body believe that Harry has somehow allowed himself to be selected in order to elevate himself for his own greater glory, when in fact he had no hand in the selection. Despite their condemnation, he persists and lives out his truth and performs in the tournament.

We even see a humorous life response in the course of these events. His best friend joins the herd and rebukes him as well. However, just before a ball is to be held at the school, the friend receives what he believes to be an effeminate-looking coat that his parents have sent him to wear at the dance. That causes him great embarrassment, since he must wear it in front of all of his peers at the ball. It is a negative response to his irresponsibility in joining the student body's ostracizing of the innocent Harry Potter. His social condemnation of Harry attracts the coat which in turn brings social condemnation of others upon him.

Harry meanwhile continues to live out a life of psychological and physical courage, showing that he is a true personality and individual, unfettered by the false accusations of those around him.

11/21/05  Personal Growth

Social vs. Individual Directed Accomplishment

One person may fit in well within the social conventions of the time; another may not. If the person who fits in well with the social conventions has the skills, knowledge, energy, organization, attitudes, values, and aspirations in life, he can accomplish fully within the constraints of the social environment in which he partakes. We can say that this individual has a developed social character. He is one with the social aspirations, goals, rules, functionings, etc. of the social institution he partakes in. (Whether he makes full use of this environment is a separate issue.)

Assuming the society around him allows for it, a person with social character can establish his own business, raise a family, and accomplish a substantial work in the society. On the other hand, if an individual with social character also has a noble or weighty character, he may even be able to accomplish to the level of becoming a philanthropist or a CEO. 

On the other hand, the individual who has developed individual character has the potential to accomplish at a far greater level. This person thinks for himself (i.e. "beyond the box"), which in turn opens far greater vistas, and a greater scope for accomplishment, achievement, and success. That's not to say that he rejects the society he is a part of. On the contrary, he has fully absorbed and assimilated the present social environment and its conventions and ideas. The difference is that he has taken these a step further by personalizing, individualizing them with his own values, attitudes, and energies. An example of this would be Steve Jobs when he first developed Apple. There his desire to make a computer that people were not afraid of or intimidated by to use, was something that went beyond conventional wisdom. Other examples are Fred Smith, founder of Federal Express, and Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon. The person with individual character rises to the level of his personal ideals and values; values such as being flexible, open-minded, and resourceful; demonstrating character that might not normally be associated with society or the social institutions in which he partakes. 

11/17/05  Society's Growth

Society's Support of the Full Emergence of the Individual

The individual in our world is left to fend for himself. If he develops the skills and has the necessary drive, he can succeed for himself in the wider world. Society in that sense offers a wide scope of possibility for each person. When we are born unto this world, we function within the values, influences, and institutions of society. But does society actively support his efforts? In America there are safety nets like social security and unemployment. There is also the free education that comes to all youngsters. But beyond these does the society really support the emergence and full flowering of the individual? When She respects the individual and does everything to support the prosperity, health, psychological happiness, and personal growth of the individual, then the society will have reached an evolutionary milestone. At that point, whenever the individual looks around, he will see that all of his life efforts -- from the material to the vital and mental -- are truly supported in some manner; that he is not left to merely fend on his own. He will see that he can take any risk, initiate any venture, seek to discover the fulfillment of all parts of his being. He will be encouraged to move upward at every plane of his being. When society values the individual in this way, the individual will work for the All that is society, further strengthening it in return.

This is the support of the individual person, and then there is a further stage where society supports the True Individual. The True Individual is the soul spark of that person that can flourish in the world, capable of attracting the infinite potential of life. If society opens itself and supports not only the economic fulfillment of Man, but also the psychological and spiritual development, then She will be an existence more worth being born into. Man will be born into the Vast Boon of this wider and deeper social framework. That potential True Individual can then look around and sense the society fully supports his attempt to be fulfilled at all planes -- physical, vital, mental; as well as the spiritual. He will feel encouraged to explore the psychological richness of life. He will also feel that connecting to the spirit within and the spiritual Force above is a natural part of being human; that in fact society encourages it. That will enable him to move within to the depths, to the very soul, which will give him an overwhelming power to invoke good fortune for himself, as well as the society around him. By being psychological and spiritually encouraged, the True Individual will create infinite benefit for himself and the world around him. At that point, the individual and the society move into a state of hyper progress and personal and societal growth, which is evolution, that can culminate in transformation of life on earth to a New Way of Living. 

11/10/05  Personal Growth

Oblivious Selfishness 

If MAN is totally ignorant of anything, it is that he is selfish. Men are selfish and mean, says Sri Aurobindo. The only thing we can do about it is to cure it in ourselves. There is an index for being extremely selfish. That person will ceaselessly complain about every other person that they are selfish. There are affectionate families that are utterly selfless. In such families, men and woman never mention what they own, or how useful they are to others.

Property, jewels, money, things will be used by anyone without reference to the individual rights. Occasionally an utterly selfish person will be born there. He will spread his empire without anyone standing in his way. Shamelessly he will expect everyone to serve his own purpose. His expectation will be abundantly fulfilled. Selfishness is dynamic, and can reach proportions of the infinite. A time will come when such men accuse all the others of selfishness. It happens when he has crossed his limits at all points of functioning.

Selfish members of a selfless family will rule the roost, as no one in the family will bring themselves to speak about it. His friends will constantly caution him and warn him of its consequences, of its unfairness, of the injustice. His one reply will be that he is serving the family to his utmost capacity. No amount of explanation will make him see the truth, as he is vital and the arguments are mental. His one grievance will be that no one around him knows his own needs and no one is selfless enough to meet them. What is blatant to every other person will not be seen by him. He will be oblivious of it. There are persons who are not selfish; nor does anyone else perceive them to be selfish. They are unselfish and in some areas they are self-giving.

Suppose such a person begins to examine himself from the point of view of selfishness, he can find several areas where he is fully selfish and many other acts where he can legitimately be accused of being selfish. It is so because selfishness is all-pervasive. The very human being is created around a self, an ego. The Rishi who takes to tapas moves from his human self to the divine Self within him. Modern life in the urban areas frowns upon the ego-trips of individuals. It is a great, good sign. Active psychological Self-giving practiced as an article of faith brings one’s Spirit to the surface of his life. (MSS)
 

11/8/05  Personal Growth

Grow by Giving

Perhaps the single most powerful way to succeed in life is to have more concern for our fellow human beings.  Normally, we are overwhelmingly concerned about ourselves, driven by our own personal motives and ambitions.  However, the happiest people literally lose themselves in the feelings, thoughts, and aspirations of others.

Are you ready to "forget yourself" and be genuinely interested in the welfare of others?  Are you willing to be tolerant and kind to others, listen attentively and silently to their words, and be non-judgmental and open to their opinions and points of view?  If you are, you're an excellent candidate for great success in life, not to mention an ever-increasing personal happiness and joy.

Try a little experiment. When you meet with others, immediately put yourself in their shoes. Think only of what they want. Listen carefully to their thoughts and feelings, and show genuine concern and empathy. Do this for the entire meeting. Now watch how the interaction goes. Watch how the energy level of the other person increases. The other individual becomes more animated and involved.

In addition, if you watch closely, you may notice some interesting things starting to happen. An unthought of point of view or perspective may be raised in the conversation. New ideas or fresh new insights are suddenly revealed. Or, a new interesting idea, project or event might suddenly come out of the discussion. This all happens because you have shifted your concern toward the other person.

But there's more. If you pay very close attention, you'll see that there might be an added "response from life."  For example, during the conversation, someone might call in a great new project to you; or a dramatic new development might arise in some area of your work. This is life itself "responding" to your concern for another person. It is a hidden power that we have witnessed dozens of times in the past.  

11/3/05  Society's Growth

Emergence of the Spiritual Age & Divine Life on Earth

Beyond the physical-based social life of early man (marked by survival, fear, subservience, etc.), the vital-based social life of the past five hundred years (emerging through trade, travel, discovery, adventure, and the fulfillment of the individual needs, wants, and desires), and the currently emerging mental-based age (indicated by freedom, individuality, democracy, education, rationality, technology, and the common man) is the possibility of the emergence of a spirit-based age and collective existence.

In this highest form of social or collective life, the domination of the ordinary mind -- of surface preoccupation, of partial knowledge -- gradually wanes and is replaced with a mind and life dominated by the spirit. This transition to this age begins when a good number of individuals take to a higher orientation of consciousness, including an opening to the logic, rationality, and intuitions of knowledge; an opening to the spiritual Force in the atmosphere; and a connection to the spirit through our Soul and True Self within. As a result of that supra-mental orientation, one develops the capacity to move life outside one's self from within; one takes to the highest of human and spiritual values; one endeavors to purify, perfect, and elevate of planes of our being -- physical, vital, and mental; and one continually makes the deep soul to soul connection with others. As a result, a new spirit-oriented life on earth begins to emerge. When a critical mass of such pioneering spirit-oriented individuals forms, a collective life oriented around the spirit can emerge throughout the society -- culminating in a divine life on earth.  

11/1/05  Society's Growth

Movements Toward Human Unity

-Just as an individual can grow and evolve, so can an institution, a nation, and the world itself. In other words, the world, like the individual, is undergoing its own growth, development, and evolution. 

-Likewise, just as we as individuals can progress and evolve by creating a higher level of unity and oneness with others and the world around us, so can institutions, nations, and the peoples of the world. As the world moves in that direction, it is in essence moving towards higher levels of world unity.

-There are many levels of world unity, ranging from the political to the economic to the social to the cultural to the psychological to the spiritual. The European Union is a recent example of political and economic integration, as was the UN earlier on. We are for the most part now at a relatively early point of political and economic integration and unity.

-If we deeply bond with the social and cultural values of other peoples, we will be taking an even greater leap towards world unity. Look for that to occur in the coming decades. Beyond that is the psychological unity of the world, where the peoples of the world are so connected with one another that their shared purpose and emotional intensity toward one another is as great as one might feel towards members of one's own family.

At the spiritual level of world unity, there is the greatest bond and unity, as we have a shared experience of the Spiritual Reality, which reveals our ultimate purpose of life on earth, and an extreme delight and joy of being. 

10/31/05  Society's Growth

The Evolution of Individual Nations

Just as every individual is an amalgam of positive and negative attributes whose being is growing and evolving, so too each nation of the world has an evolving character that expresses both positively and negatively. Each nation can in fact be said to represent a different aspect of human consciousness and capacity. For example, France is said to represent "clarity of thought;" Russia "the brotherhood of man;" the USA "practical organization;" and India "the spiritual teacher (i.e. guru) of the world." Each nation then expresses a ray, or several rays of truth, knowledge, and capacity, reflecting the best of human character and consciousness. Similarly, every nation also expresses its own wanting propensities for falsehood, ignorance, and incapacity. By accentuating the former, and overcoming the latter, the growth, development, and evolution of nations is made possible.

10/30/05  Personal Growth, The Way Life Works

The Evolutionary Planes of the Individual (the Vertical Scale)

Over time, the individual human has developed a range of qualities, capacities, and planes that in many ways parallels the principles that occur in the unfolding of the universe and life on earth. Matter of the universe takes shape as the physical body in the individual; Life in the universe has become the life force and vital consciousness in the individual; Mind in the universe has manifest as the mental consciousness in the individual; and the Spirit in the universe is a spiritual plane of consciousness that the individual can rise to through the spiritualized mind, and deep within through one's evolving soul.

The physical, vital, and mental planes all exist and are simultaneously active in each person, though the extent of their relative development and the preponderance of the influence they exercise on the personality differs from person to person. Also, the physical, vital, and mental exist and function interdependently among one another. (The fourth plane, the spiritual occurs in only a very few individuals.)  

10/27/05  Personal Growth, The Way Life Works

The Evolutionary Planes of the Individual (the Horizontal Scale)

It is not too difficult to comprehend that we essentially consist of distinct aspects or centers of consciousness; a physical, a vital, a mental, and a spiritual plane. We can call this grouping the "vertical scale of human consciousness." However, there is another scale of human consciousness that is also part of our human makeup, though it is far less understood or even perceived as real. This other scale ranges from our outer surface consciousness to an inner consciousness in the depths of our being. One way to imagine this is a series of concentric circles expanding out from the center of our being to the outer surface. The outer circle would be the surface of life we experience at the most material level; the inner circle would be our deepest parts within. We can choose to live on the surface of life or be centered in the depths of our being. The more we are influenced by the positive elements of the depths there are also negative elements), the higher our consciousness; the more we live on he surface, i.e. the outer rings, the less conscious we are of the world. As we bring the higher consciousness of the depths to our surface life, replacing the current surface occupations of the outer material world experienced through our sense, the more we evolve. This movement is a key to our future growth and development as a species.

The inner consciousness (or being) consists of unconscious parts and very conscious parts. The unconscious parts include the inconscient and the subconscient (subconscious), while the conscious parts consist of the subliminal, or subtle physical, vital, and mental parts, and more conscious still, the personal evolving soul, the True Self behind the subliminal being.

As we move our consciousness away from the surface of life and more towards the inner positive Subliminal being and even greater still to the Personal Evolving Soul (the Psychic Being) we break the bonds of our limited nature. We begin to come in contact with greater forces and powers within, which enable us to have greater control of the outer live; which breaks down our limiting, separative ego-sense, which overcomes our fundamental Ignorance which prevents us from having true, integral Knowledge, open us up to universal forces and powers, and enables us to experience the greatest Delight of existence. 

10/25/05  Personal Growth

Moving to the Depths Within

We can move the focus of our consciousness away from the surface of life, from the bubblings and churnings of the outer existence, to a deeper poise within. Stationed in this deeper poise inside ourselves, we are able to shift our consciousness from preoccupation with the sense data streaming into our minds from the outside through our five senses, to a clearer and more rational state of mindfulness. As we move our concentration from the surface to the depths, not only do we withdraw our consciousness from the bombardment of surface visual and audible sense inputs to the clear rationality and logic of thought, but we move away from our ego sense, of our sense of separateness from others and the environment. As a result, we develop a wider view; and we are able to embrace the multiplicity and right relation of life unfolding around us, enabling perceptions of the true truth of the life before us. This in turn leads us to perceptions of the possibilities before us, which provides choices, out of which we can make the right decisions, resulting in actions that end in perfect success.

Let's take an example. An individual who is living in his surface consciousness is listening to a conversation that others are having. He picks up on one point that is particularly striking to him, which is to make sure that he downloads the latest updates to his virus protection software. The rest of the crowd responds loudly in agreement. This information is very helpful. However, had he truly listened to other aspects of the conversation; had he had the inner wherewithal to sense the deeper meaning between the words, he would have perceived other critical issues being addressed; issues so important that it could have changed the course of his career. If, through meditation, inner concentration, or other means, he had established a deeper poise within, he would have had the ability to perceive issues that were critical to his life. Thus, we see that establishing a poise that is untouched by the perturbations of the surface, centered in the quietude within enables us to have an even greater grasp of the unfoldings of life outside ourselves. We thus access a great power, as we are able to continually have more knowledge, which allows us to make better decisions, and thus take to the right actions that lead to great success in life. 

Sri Aurobindo's Vision of Future Life on Earth

Sri Aurobindo, the Indian sage and seer, said that humans may not be the final rung on the evolutionary scale. That we might witness the emergence of a new species, one that is above and beyond the present human race as we know it. Sri Aurobindo believed that if we could make the ascent to overcome our limiting nature, if we could further rediscover the hidden spirit in life, if we could come in contact and open ourselves to the spiritual Force, then we can change life as we know it. He invited us to take a journey on a path from our current human functioning to a vastly different superfunctioning that opens the doors to infinite accomplishment, success, and happiness in life.

10/21/05  Society's Growth, Personal Growth

Man Emerging into the Mental & Spiritual Dimension 

"A thousand years ago man was physical. His life was elementary. He survived. Today he has multiplied his comforts, enjoyment, reach, mastery a hundred or even a thousand-fold. The progress in one millennium has been phenomenal. This occurred because man moved from being physical to being mental. Though he has not yet acquired a fully formed mental life, a rational life, certainly he has moved away from the physical to the vital life. Both body and vitality accept the guidance of the mind, at least in material matters. Thus, we can say that man today is mental.

If this phenomenal expansion was the result of moving from the physical to the mental, moving from mind to the Spirit can bring another phenomenal expansion of similar magnitude. Today’s life will further expand in its richness, inner peace, outer security, harmony and, especially, in Prosperity a thousand-fold." (MSS) 

10/19/05  Society's Growth

Evolutionary Stages of Society

-Just as the universe evolved from matter to life to mind; and the individual parallels that development in his body, his vital, and his mind, so too the society has evolved from a physical state of survival beginning say 100,000 years ago, to a vital stage during the middle of the last millennium, focused on trade, and interaction with others; to a mental stage that he is now currently unfolding in which we see the emergence of freedom, democracy, higher organization, education, and individual self-fulfillment.

-The currently emerging Mental stage of social development is indicated by an increase in freedom, democracy, mental inquisitiveness, human fulfillment, and higher levels of organization.

-The Internet is reflective of the further emergence of the power of Mind. The Internet is an outer reflection, form of the Mental stage of human development.

-The more complex and interrelated the systems of an organization is, the more development and evolution there is in society.

-Beyond the mental age of society is the spiritual age, indicated by harmony, unity, collaboration, peace, spiritual connectedness, unlimited infinite potential of accomplishment, success, and joy. There is also the utilization of the Divine Spirit, i.e. the Force (which can also be accessed even in the mental age) to create instant life response, accomplishment, and possibility in life.  

10/16/05  Society's Growth

Overcoming Western Limits of Mind & Its Evil by Embracing the Consciousness the East Knows

In 1830, China and India had 50% of the world's GDP. What happened thereafter? They failed to improve like the West. In Europe science developed, and then technology. She also shed much of her religious ignorance. The continent (and the US) boomed. Science and technology brought great prosperity to the West.

But then her science brought evil, in the form of Atomic weapons, and in other ways. The mind that had shed the dogma of religion and opted for the rationality of science, had fallen into a limited field of materialism based on science and technology. The consciousness of the new mind of the West was not broad enough to avoid these consequences.

China and especially India had the ancient knowledge of the broader nature of mind, of higher consciousness. The West avoided that knowledge and created destruction to match its vast positive construction. It did not respect and hence follow the wisdom of the East. Now India and China are using the technology of the West, and as a result, the West may begin to respect the East, and delve deeper into the knowledge of consciousness the East knows. It will give the West a deeper understanding of the nature of mind, so it can go beyond its current limited Mind, which is separative and non-inclusive, preventing knowledge of the whole truth, which in turns creates evil for every good it creates. This Broader Mind -- i.e. Spiritual Mind -- would embrace all truths of an object, not just the material truth -- including the subtle, the psychological, and the spiritual. 

10/7/05 Personal Growth

Rapid Progress in Life by Consciously Following a Process of Growth & Accomplishment

Normally when we make progress in life it is because life presses on us to move forward. Rarely is it as a result of our own conscious choice and initiative. Over the long course of our lives, such forced progress occurs in unpredictable ways, sometimes through happy, but often through unhappy experiences; even catharsis. Surely, this is not the most efficient way to progress in life. And yet that is the way the overwhelming majority of us progress in life. We call such inefficient, unpredictable, life-meandering progress "unconscious growth."

On the other hand, conscious growth is the ability to use the power of our minds to self-conceptualize that which we wish to become, and then follow a process that enables us to turn that wish into great results and achievement. If we understand this process, and ardently follow its methods in our lives, we can achieve at ten times the level we are now achieving and we can do it with one tenth the effort, and in one tenth of the time. That is the overwhelming efficiency of following the process of growth and accomplishment, as opposed to our current inefficiency of growth and progress. 

10/2/05 Personal Growth

Really Wanting a Thing Rapidly Achieves It

When you really want something, life tends to move toward you with good fortune. On the other hand, if you are indifferent, half-heartedly hoping for something to occur, then there is unlikely to be any substantive results. Therefore, if you manage to discover the intensity within to really want something, then life will immediately begin to cooperate, and bring your hearts desire in hardly any time at all. 

There is a wonderful scene in the British broadcast version of Pride and Prejudice in which Eliza Bennet wanders off into the countryside, climbs a remote hilltop, and suddenly comes upon, of all people, Mr. Darcy. While this scene might strike some as the artifice of a director trying to manipulate the story for dramatic effect, from a deeper perspective we see that this is precisely how life works! Because both have such strong emotions towards one another, and want to be with one another, they move toward the same place at the same time, enabling a simultaneous life response. Their intense longing for one another is so strong that their energies move out into the field of life and find a common point in space/time where they come together. It is a perfect illustration of how life responds to an intense aspiration and longing for something -- i.e. really wanting it.

The ancient Indian texts known as the Upanishads declare, “You are what your deepest desire is. As is your desire, so is your intention. As is your intention, so is your will. As is your will, so is your deed. As is your deed, so is your destiny.”  
 

9/25/05  Personal Growth

The Power of Personal Values

A value is a belief, a mission, or a philosophy that is meaningful. Whether we are consciously aware of them or not, every individual has a core set of personal values. Values can range from the commonplace, such as the belief in hard work and punctuality, to the more psychological, such as self-reliance, concern for others, and harmony of purpose.

When we examine the lives of famous people, we often see how personal values guided them, propelling them to the top of their fields. For example, one actor was motivated by his commitment to social justice, which led to important acting roles related to that value that made him world famous. Likewise, a well-known business CEO was motivated by the personal value that technology should be easy to use, which caused his company to spawn a technology revolution. Whatever one's values, when we take them to heart and implement them in the smallest details of our lives, great accomplishment and success are sure to follow.

-- Sears' commitment to trusting the customer. [From the 19th century onward, any product could be returned to the company with a money back guarantee, which engendered great trust in both directions, enabling booming sales, and, the great success for the firm that followed.]
-- Apple Computer's belief in the values of solving problems of society. [The company created the IPod player and ITunes online music store to overcome a conflict between those who sought to download copyrighted music for free and the music industry which sought to protect its artists and its revenues.]
-- Marriott's values of systemization and standardization. [The company created a standard model hotel, and then duplicated it hundreds of time around the world, enabling it to grow incredibly fast, and become the leader of its industry.]

The key point to keep in mind about values is that implementing them energizes everything concerned with it. For an individual, committing to and applying values releases fresh energies, which always attract success, achievement, and well-being. Likewise, when companies or other institutions adopt values, individuals working at the organization become energized, as do its customers, its products and services, and everyone and everything else associated with that organization.

9/16/05 Personal Growth,