June-July Sunday Activities at the Centre - A glimpse

June 17th – Self-Dynamising Meditation using Savitri and Huta Paintings

We continued with our dive into Book 3, ‘The Book of the Divine Mother’, Canto 3, ‘The House of The Spirit and The New Creation’. Though it was a repeat, our view this time was from the integral of the Time infinity and the Timeless infinity – the 3^rd dimension indeed; it was as if we were unearthing new knowledge from this whole view – the Triune of ‘The Knower Knows the Knowledge’, ‘The Lover Loves the Beloved’ and so on. We also virtually experienced the delight of being at the gardens and the petal rooms of the Matrimandir.

July 1^st – Q&A 1954, The Mother, 8^th September 1954

Question- Sweet Mother, what are the adverse powers of the subtle physical?

Mother says there are countless adverse forces as there are elements in the world. They all exist in the vital world as thought, impulses desires and wills. Only with the psychic influence we can be away from the bad ones and be a collaborator in the divine work.

The mind and the heart should be one pointed and concentrated in the single aspiration to the Divine.

July 8^th – The Future Poetry with On Quantitative Metre, The complete works of Sri Aurobindo

The Character of English Poetry-1

Jared guided us in the journey of the reading and understanding a few pages from the above. The glimpse as follows:

Character of poetry of a nation is better understood in relation to the mental and dynamic makeup of its people. Sri Aurobindo has identified gaps in the English contribution towards arts especially in the field of music, artichitecture, painting in comparison to those of the rest of Europe (Italy, France, Holland). Similarly, the English lack any profundity in philosophical tradition & scientific culture. However, England has proved herself to be a world leader when it comes to industrialization and exploration.

The influence of Anglo Saxon, Scandinavian, Celtic elements was highlighted. Anglo Saxon provides the Teutonic strength and practicality dealing with facts while the Celtic qualities highlight inherent spirituality and imagination. This juxtaposition of characteristics creates a chaotic fusion that defines both the greatness and limitations of English poetry.

July 15th – Self-Dynamising Meditation using Savitri and Huta Paintings

We concluded our prolonged journey into the upper hemisphere of the Unknown, the Supramental Light, the symbol OM and the creator Flame with a small glimpse of Grace of our infinite Mother – all these through Book 3, ‘The Book of the Divine Mother’. Aswapati obtains The Vision and The Boon

“… one shall descend and break the iron law,

Change Nature’s doom by the lone Spirit’s power”

To experience this all-powerful Savitri, at the conclusion of Her yoga, we commenced our journey into the Canto 6 (Nirvana and the Discovery of the All-Negating-Absolute) and 7 (Omnipresent Reality and the Discovery of the All-Fulfilling Godhead) of Book 7: The Book of Yoga.

July 22^nd – The Future Poetry with On Quantitative Metre, The complete works of Sri Aurobindo

The Character of English Poetry-2

Jared guided us to the next level in Character of English Poetry.

The gist as we understood is as follows:

Sri Aurobindo believed that English poetry is richer than the poetry of other European languages. He adds that this superior quality contributed to 'a long continuity of poetic production'.

Shaped by various European influences, early English verse was energetic and vigorous. It continued to evolve into greater forms through the Elizabethan, the Romantic and Victorian periods. 

He reiterates that English poetry is great because it is a reflection of life and holds the mirror up to nature, thereby making the thought deeply personal. Such sentiments could be expressed in a style full of rhythm, vision and beauty. 

- Jayalakshmi & Ramadoss