From the Editor’s Desk

In this February issue of our Newsletter, we continue with the exploration of The Mother’s symbol in its detailed layout. For a start, we take upon the four inner petals emanating from the central point for the next four issues. These four petals denote four aspects of The Mother, or Mahashakti, namely Maheshwari, Mahakali, Mahalakshmi and Mahasaraswati, all of which are set forth into the Universal creation that She may lead it from Darkness into Light, from Falsehood into Truth, from Death into Life. For the great psychological transformation that we aspire towards, four great influences or powers or forces or qualities seem to be the need of the hour, namely, Wisdom, Strength, Harmony and Perfection. The four Shaktis are the embodiment of these Forces. The leap of Mahashakti, the formidable possessor of all these forces into this world of darkness and division, disillusionment and pain is said to be an act of sacrifice, out of the fathomless Love of The Divine Mother for Her children.

The first inner petal that we are taking a glimpse of in this series is that which represents the force of Maheshwari, or the embodiment of Wisdom. She is an imperial regal force that sits above the “thinking mind and will”, the One who “opens us to the supramental infinities and the cosmic vastness… tranquil is she and wonderful, great and calm for ever… In each man she answers and handles the different elements of his nature according to their need and their urge and the return they call for, puts on them the required pressure or leaves them to their cherished liberty to prosper in the ways of the Ignorance or to perish.” (The Mother, by Sri Aurobindo). 

We have included two articles in this issue, each a meditation of sorts on the petals of the symbol and on Maheshwari, by Sonia Dyne and Ramalakshmi, respectively. These articles introduce different ways in which those associated with The Mother and familiar with Her symbol envision or perceive its meanings in their consciousness and therefore, in their lives.

This month, we also await with joy, The Mother’s 137th Birth Anniversary, to be observed on the 21st of February. This period of time reverberates with a magic all of its own. Upheavals there are, turmoils both within and without, as if The Mother comes with her fiat to break and re-mould, to create and recreate that we shall see the light of a new day, with a new consciousness at once light and enlightened, open and free, vast and limitless, on the way to at last know who one is, actually, in truth. The observation is that usually, when that special day nears, one would find oneself cleared of the baggage of the old, rusty past and instead be in a subtle contact with something of The Mother’s Grace. The occasion of The Mother’s birth anniversary is a period that offers us signposts to remember Her, to remember our relationship with Her with a greater intensity, perhaps, to know Her as our Giver and Protector, to open to Her Grace. During such a time, the collective consciousness around one is somewhat uplifted, giving us an opportunity to gather ourselves and make an offering of oneself to The Divine, in silence, from the depths of our being. This surrender finds itself coming easily on occasions such as this one. Sundari shares her poem on her love for The Mother.

The month of February also celebrates the birth of The City of Dawn or Auroville that The Mother inaugurated one week following Her 90th birthday. 

Now and henceforth, may we open ourselves to the force of Maheshwari and aspire for the higher living that she wants in all of us, and collaborate with her.