Editorial

The past February saw the 40th Anniversary of the inauguration of Auroville, a day ahead of the commemoration of the Golden Day. In this edition of our Newsletter, we turn our gaze towards this City of Dawn.

Auroville has been known to be different from other cities around the world. It was consciously conceived by the Mother a long time ago and carefully planned and executed according to The Mother’s vision. Known as a City with a Soul, it was here that The Mother envisioned the actualisation of human unity and beyond this, to forge a harmony between heaven and earth, spirit and nature, body and soul, between this and that, right here on earth. The City is meant for those world citizens who are interested in finding their soul and collaborating in the actualisation of the grand Divine plan when,

“The Spirit shall look out through Matter’s gaze
And Matter shall reveal the Spirit’s face.”

To this city are invited all those who heed The Mother’s call for a change or a transformation in their very cells, let alone in the mind and the vital. The city itself belongs to no one in particular but humanity as a whole, that part of the humanity that would have its entire existence driven by the Divine Force or at least, aspires for that state of consciousness.

The Matrimandir (Temple of The Mother) stands in the middle of the city, a golden globe beckoning all who would heed that call. In her heart, sits a crystal globe, within an inner chamber - perhaps that same chamber “where the glorious enemies kiss” (Sri Aurobindo, Savitri). A single shaft of golden ray hits the crystal globe from above, illumining it, penetrating through it, transforming it. The essence of our climb, the human climb towards its next evolutionary phase is enshrined therein; encapsulated in a crystal clear symbol, the secret of the means of our ascent. The ray of the Supramental Sun streams down from high up and falls on pure matter and glorifies it, lit in golden abundance. The light penetrates deeper down and activates the twelve chambers below, representing the psychic or Supramental qualities of the twelve petals in The Mother’s symbol.

This is the city to watch for, in this millennium, it appears. Where there is an effort to forge human unity, let our gaze turn towards that; where there is a conscious effort to evolve out of our smallness in a simple and sincere self-abandonment and surrender, let our gaze turn towards that; where an adventure awaits, in the dark, without any scaffoldings, known answers and trodden paths, let our gaze turn towards that. It is only then that we can invite a revolution within and prepare the great paradigm shift, so needed in this Yoga of the future. Lohman (1986) sums it up thus: “Matrimandir is the symbol, the witness and the prime mover of this Mystery of Mutation of the coming age.”

Getting more and more acquainted with this Mover feels like the nagging need of the hour.