ON BOWIE´S DEATH

DAVID BOWIE 1947-2016

Mother in the Agenda mentioned "this crazy people" which were somehow the hope of humanity,  it surprised Satprem and they both made some hilarious comment about it, later agreeing to keep the conversation private so not to "scandalize" the asharamites!  
She was referring to the colorful generational up lift mainly promoted and agglutinated by the music, as in Occident during the 60-70ies. 

David Bowie, as many artist-musicians of his generation, had an enlightened vital, that is why he powerfully  attracted masses, especially  individuals of his own generation, which, -because of a generational, collective turn- shared his vital enlightenment at some extent. 

This shows how the Mind of God,   or Supermind, works in its progressive  self-revelation. 

Modern  musicians have often this capacity, acting with their music as amplifiers  in levels of the vital and releasing them, as the music were a kind of  mantram of the vital world, unconsciously or subliminally acting on the mass, so to say the planetary vital. 

Sharing identity and  consciousness means sharing the vital of the race too, so it makes of it a general implication, tiding the individual to the collectivity, the unavoidable connection  mentioned by S ri Aurobindo: this is not our yoga, this is the yoga of the earth. 

Generational turns make many individuals of a similar age  answer to and share a common evolutive progress, which manifests itself and is manifesting always, whether we are conscious of it or not. 

Evolution has not reach an end, generation after generation the species keeps presenting new features and prerogatives of the race, a more evolved concept of life and relation with the environment, whether a natural or a social one. Of late we can observe a generational shift towards healthier habits of life, a healthier environment, society and healthier governments too.

 The process, thanks to the highways of communication  takes place almost at real-time, as in the case of a common empathy towards who leaves representing, as Bowie did, a generational discomfort and dissatisfaction with a degraded and suspect moral, and the searching for  newer fields of expression and experimentation.

Often Bowie took it to a very extreme "mis en scene", a paroxysmal spectacle,  where everything could be questioned, even a male-sexuality, as in his androgyn look, or the  futuristic projection of his music as a breaking off with the past. 
A questioning circus tied to reality and individuals by means of an excellent music and interesting experiments. 

Enlightenment, whether in the heart, the mental or in the vital has always an innate power of attraction, because the human being is "codified" to sense  it consciously or unconsciously, empathy is innate to humans, a direct perception which has been called "knowledge by identification" (SA, M,) when is consciously perceived, but it is effective in both cases. 
All such things that empathy awakes,  do not necessarily need to be conscious, they can actuate simply by "resonance", as the individuals of a given generation were connected to what we can call a collective identity, all sharing at some extent similar experiences and information.

Liberation, release or enlightenment of the vital takes to a re-dimensioning of it, making at the end a more disciplined instrument for the individual and for the collective soul of humanity.

The below  transcription of a vision in the Agenda about that same years shows how authentic is the concept of a generational up lift, and gives an idea of the beings and forces involved in subtle levels:    

 

(Mother): I was seeing that tall being from above, like a great transformative power in the vital. A huge being, very calm and powerful - with no violence in it of course, but utterly indomitable, and: " Enough waiting, enough shilly-shallying, enough vacillating: IT IS TIME." June 23, 1962

Collective Consciousness

We are not here to discuss the sex of the angels. We try to lend information which we -sense- useful but of which there isn't a lot of literature about, because it is -the Collective Consciousness- a growing phenomena which at this -very- moment is internally preparing a fuller manifestation of itself outwardly. A new and unrecorded phenomena, so our effort is to consider it objectively, without any doctrinal prism, as much as a scientific investigation would be held.
The fact here, is that it is based a lot on inner perception, and it has a reason to be so because after all, collective consciousness itself is growing towards inner perception.
But we cannot say there is not any outer, visible progressive manifestation at all and all is inner, because it is not true. The facts are there even on a material level, if we look at them.
We need to have some leading coordinates, and we have to assume the concept of evolution as "evolution of consciousness". We have to assume too that evolution is a dynamical thing which is affecting us at this very moment, and it has not reached already its happy conclusion. I'm only conveying on this point the opinion and knowledge of Sri Aurobindo and Mother themselves.

In the mechanic of things, an individuality cannot start a reconnaissance of collective consciousness till it has reached at least a certain degree of reconnaissance of himself. The degree enough to see that there is a relation between individual and collective consciousness, an invisible, even subtle relation, but not totally unobservable as to affirm it do not exists, in fact, all single consciousness is linked in a mass of collective consciousness, but it goes on unperceived, subliminal, as the flow on information would be so conspicuous to completely saturate our mind.
Even senses acts many time in this way, sublimating parts of the whole perception so to not overcharge the brain. Or else the brain filters the amount of information.

In its first collective experiences the individual base them on emotional links, as the familiar, and is in the family where first is experienced some degree of collective consciousness. Which evolves and enlarges in time including a group of individuals which share common language and a series of other factor which sums up to a national identity or identification. The individual, all the individuals, create this kind of collective soul which is the national identity. This is what historically has happened, from family to clan, to city and nation, the consciousness has grown into a self perception of belonging to a wider self. And the planet has reached a point where nations are, with more or less success,
collective bodies of consciousness, it is not difficult anymore for the individual, to identify itself with a wider national self. So at the moment what we have are those collectivity called nations already formed and an indisputable tendency to create even wider collective groups as the groups of nations. those movements from individuality to collective are not decision taken on the surface.

The consciousness answers to its own purpose and by its own natural laws which are not dictated by the mind but to which the individual is compelled to answer, whether consciously or unconsciously.
And so the societies and nations they grow compelled by that same purpose. The point of the situation seems to be that collective consciousness is growing at present in a wider perception of itself as a -body-, not just a national body or an association of nations but at a larger scale, a planetary one.
The  sum of the consciousness on earth is acquiring perception of itself as a collectivity, which bents it to act as a single will.

This plural will at work we are just witnessing with the Arab Spring, and such other citizen's movements all around the world, which are creating a sense of self-consciousness even out and above the nations themselves, and we see it for the reciprocal support they lend themselves and for the similarity of their requirements. We can really say that humanity is growing into levels of awareness of itself.
And most of it is a subliminal process of which we do not have always a direct and immediate evidence, but needs to be deduced and willingly observe if we want to see it in spite of the seemingly confused direction of modern society.
None could discuss that this growing collective consciousness is at the same time a growth into a more ethical collectivity. In fact this is just what the citizens are asking to the political class. So that this growth into collectivity is a growth into ethical principles in the social, economical and environmental relations.
An awakening to a planetary way of thinking, it is not the nation anymore, or the group of nations, but the  whole planet.
In this, we have unfortunately to admit that the citizens are far more ahead  then the politician.

Evolution, the Yoga of Nature II

The fact that Sri Aurobindo ties so intimately Evolution, Life, and Yoga it hasn't a precedent on yogic literature, in fact, the references of canons on Yoga as that of Patanjali and other important works on the matter, rather look at earthly existence with the eyes of the sadhu and the ascetic, to which life in the body is but a provvisional ill. Least would be an ascetic worried about evolution of that life.
By this plural tiding, we have a reassessment of the concept and role of older yoga connecting it to a more scientific perspective and in accordance with the requirements of a modern inquiring mind, together with a "spiritualization" of the scientific, evolutionist point of view.

Sri Aurobindo not only tied yoga to evolution, but even made that yoga evolve. A fuller life in the body was never the aim of the older yoga, which always saw the body as an obstacle and a proscript from diviner spheres of existences. Sri A. shacked that belief in its very foundation, and re proposed the body as worth to share  the spiritual adventure. This is the most remarkable and progressive difference between  his Yoga and the previous ascetic or religious tradition searching for salvation in the "after-life", a Yoga definitive in its postulate: it is here and into this body that the spiritual realization has to be achieved.

"We have turned space into a gulf of peace
And made the body a Capitol of bliss.
What more, what more, if more must still be done?”

And we can really say that from that moment, Yoga was definitively transformed, revitalized and will never get back on its previous bases. As a result of his intervention, we have a quite modern positioning of his yoga, its tiding with evolution is due to the fact that in contradiction with the evolutionist, Sri Aurobindo considers evolution as a process which has not reached yet its purpose.
We have seen above that Sri Aurobindo considers the present times as the moment in evolution when the human race finally starts to perceive the driving forces of Life and Yoga.
It is more of a supposition, as there exist written registers of commentaries of Mother on the beginning of a -factual manifestation- upon earth of the Supermental Consciousness, the name they coined for that approaching possibility and Force.

FIRST SUPRAMENTAL MANIFESTATION
(During the common meditation on Wednesday the 29th February 1956)
This evening the Divine Presence, concrete and material, was there present amongst you. I had a form of living gold, bigger than the universe, and I was facing a huge and massive golden door which separated the world from the Divine.
As I looked at the door, I knew and willed, in a single movement of consciousness, that THE TIME HAS COME, and lifting with both hands a mighty golden hammer I struck one blow, one single blow on the door and the door was shattered to pieces.
Then the supramental Light and Force and Consciousness rushed down upon earth in an uninterrupted flow.
(English text in CWM, volume 15, "Words of the Mother 3", page 202 published by Sri Aurobindo Ashram - Pondicherry, diffusion by SABDA

The evening I told you about these things, I identified myself totally with Nature, I joined in her game. And this movement of identification provoked a response, a sort of new intimacy between Nature and myself, a long movement of a growing closeness which culminated in an experience which came on the eighth of November.

Suddenly Nature understood.
She understood that this new Consciousness which has just been born does not seek to reject her but wants to embrace her entirely, she understood that this new spirituality does not turn away from life, does not recoil in fear before the formidable amplitude of her movement, but wants on the contrary to integrate all its facets. She understood that the supramental consciousness is here not to diminish but to complete her.

Then from the supreme Reality came this order, "Awake, 0 Nature, to the joy of collaboration." And the whole of Nature suddenly rushed forward in a great surge of joy, saying, "I accept, I shall collaborate."
And at the same time, there came a calm, an absolute tranquility so that the bodily vessel could receive and contain, without breaking, without losing anything, the mighty flood of this Joy of Nature which rushed forward as in a movement of gratitude. She accepted, she saw with all eternity before her that this supramental consciousness was going to fulfill her more perfectly, give a still greater strength to her movement, a greater amplitude, more possibilities to her play.

And suddenly I heard, as if they came from all the corners of the earth, those great notes one sometimes hears in the subtle physical, a little like those of Beethoven's Concerto in D-major, which come in moments of great progress, as though fifty orchestras had burst forth all in unison, without a single false note, to express the joy of this new communion between Nature and Spirit, the meeting of old friends who come together again after having been separated for so long.

Then these words came, "O Nature, material Mother, thou hast said that thou wilt collaborate and there is no limit to the splendour of this collaboration."
And the radiant felicity of this splendour was sensed in perfect peace.
That is how the message for the new year was born.
The Mother
in CWM, volume 9, "Questions and Answers 1957-1958" pages 245-248  published by Sri Aurobindo Ashram - Pondicherry diffusion by SABDA

***

From: Evening Talks
Disciple: You said that in 1934 Supermind was ready to descend but not a single Sadhak was found prepared. So it withdrew. But you told me once that the descent of Supermind does not depend on readiness of Sadhaks.
Sri Aurobindo: If none is ready to receive how will the Supermind manifest itself? But instead of thinking of Supermind one has first to open oneself to Intuition.

 ***

Evolution, the Yoga of Nature

The fact that Sri Aurobindo gave attention and wrote about Evolution, a man otherwise  dedicated to yoga and  introspection,  it is not a secondary point all trough his writings, and should require our attention. Of course, for a man who has stated that: "All Life is Yoga", Evolution too would fall under this law.
And yet, life is for the evolutionist purposeless and circumstantial, while Yoga has the supreme aim to liberate the human being, so, if Life is Yoga they share a common purpose. At least, this is the logical conclusion of that statement. 
And Evolution, would became the trend, the material trend toward that freedom.A travel towards the Light starting between the darkness of a nescient Matter.
We can see, that if Sri Aurobindo took in consideration the Evolution, was to go farther beyond the laws that governs matter towards these which govern Life itself. The spiritual laws that governs Life and Yoga. Life intended as a motion of Matter and Mind towards the Spirit. Evolution, is the Yoga of Nature. As much Yoga is the Evolution of Man.


So that Sri Aurobindo gave attention to Evolution describing what it is beyond its more material laws, because Evolution is Life and Life is Yoga. From this point on the discourse of Sri Aurobindo definitely took distance from the evolutionist and proceeded further on, concerned on how that spiritual laws would benefit the individual and the collective, had they been able to keep in touch or consciously live with that  spiritual Forces which regulates Life and Yoga.
Because, under the evolutionist's circumstances and necessities, man soon or later would get consciously in touch with that Forces which before led him unconsciously. An unavoidable evolutionist necessity, a law of Nature.
Such a point in the walk of the human race would be one of transcendental importance, and unique in the whole of its history.
The most outstanding thing is that Sri Aurobindo didn´t place that point in a distant future but now, in the present days.

" In this vision of things the universe will reveal itself in its unity and totality as a manifestation of a single Being, Nature as its power of manifestation, evolution as its process of gradual self-revelation here in Matter".
(Sri Aravinda Gosh)