The Psychic Being

In the Synthesis of Yoga, you have written, “As the Supreme Shastra of the Integral Yoga is the eternal Veda secret in the heart of every man, so its Supreme Guide and Teacher is the inner Guide, the World Teacher….” A friend said that this Supreme Teacher is the psychic being.

It is not the psychic. It is the Divine within — the psychic is only an instrument.

If desire is rejected and no longer governs the thought, feeling or action and there is the steady aspiration of an entirely sincere self-giving, the psychic usually after a time opens of itself.

It is impossible to become like a child giving oneself entirely until the psychic is in control and stronger than the vital.

It is true of every soul on earth that it is a portion of the Divine Mother passing through the experiences of the Ignorance in order to arrive at the truth of its being and be the instrument of a Divine Manifestation and work here.

I am told that the psychic even when it unites itself with the Mother keeps its separation. It is the individual self that merges entirely like a drop of water in the sea.

If the psychic unites itself, it cannot be separated; separation is non-union. The psychic realisation is one of diversity in unity (the portion and the whole); it is not one of dissolving like a drop of water in the sea — for then no love or devotion is possible unless it is love of oneself, devotion to oneself.

Between psychicisation and spiritualisation there is a difference. The spiritual is the change that descends from above, the psychic is the change that comes from within by the psychic dominating mind, vital and physical.

Of course the ego and the vital with its claims and desires is always the main obstacle to the emergence of the psychic. For they make one live, act, do sadhana even for one’s own sake and psychicisation means to live, act and do sadhana for the sake of the Divine.

If things go on like this, how am I to fulfil the promise of psychicising my nature before the Darshan of the 15th August?

Why a “promise”? The nature has to be psychicised, but dates are not binding.

If dates do not bind one, what meaning remains in the resolution?

A resolution means the will to try to get a thing done by the given time. It is not a binding “promise” that the thing will be done by that time. Even if it is not, the endeavour will have to continue, just as if no date had been fixed.

When the sadhana of an average sadhak goes on well, does it take long before the inner being is psychicised?

It takes some time to be fully psychicised.

Are my intellectual mind, middle vital and emotional being psychicised?

I don’t think it can be said definitely yet. There has been a change and growth of consciousness in these parts, but it has been due partly to knowledge and force from above, partly to the action of the psychic fire. It has not been done by the psychic coming forward and governing and guiding mind and vital which is a very distinct and tangible process. There has been a certain amount of psychicisation, but subordinate to the growth of consciousness which seems to be the main movement.

It is said that if a disciple receives his Guru’s touch or grace, his difficulties very often disappear.

All that is popular Yoga. The Guru’s touch or grace may open something, but the difficulties have always to be worked out still. What is true is that if there is complete surrender, which implies the prominence of the psychic, these difficulties are no longer felt as a burden or obstacle but only as superficial imperfections which the working of the grace will remove.

When one has become conscious of one’s inner being and lives there, why even then is it so difficult to come into direct contact with the psychic being? The psychic is supposed to be just behind the inner being.

The psychic is behind the veil and deep inside.

Now my self and soul are progressing together. But why is there no love, joy and devotion?

It depends on how the soul progresses.

Why does my soul not progress in love, joy, happiness?

Too much activity of the mind and vital — not enough self-giving.

Is there no element of love and joy in my nature?

There may be, but it must be free from ego and vital mixture — it must be the psychic kind.

People say that an average human being starts first with vital love, joy, etc. and afterwards it changes into pure psychic love, joy, etc. For if he does not begin this way, how will he proceed?

He doesn’t usually. He begins and ends with the vital love except when the vital changes into vital dislike, hatred, revolt, repugnance, contempt or indifference. Why should it change into pure psychic love etc.? And why should a man not start with psychic love, joy etc.? There are very extraordinary theories that reign in the Ashram. People seem to take a pleasure in inventing theories that justify their not following the ideals of the sadhana.

You said that the peace, silence and knowledge come from above the mind. Do not love and joy also come from there? But then why are they said to be part of the psychic experience?

The soul’s love and joy come from within from the psychic being. What comes from above is the Ananda of the higher consciousness.

Love and devotion depend on the opening of the psychic and for that the desires must go. The vital love offered by many to the Mother instead of the psychic love brings more disturbance than anything else because it is coupled with desire.

Do love, devotion and surrender belong only to the psychic being? Have they nothing to do with the higher or spiritual planes?

The love that belongs to the spiritual planes is of a different kind — the psychic has its own more personal love, bhakti, surrender. Love in the higher or spiritual mind is more universal and impersonal. The two must join together to make the highest divine love.

We cannot be satisfied with experiences of the Mother’s infinite Peace and Silence: they are impersonal. We also want something of her personality — of her presence, love, joy and beauty. These experiences would be a sign of a true psychic progress.

That is one part of the psychic experience — the other is a complete self-giving, absence of demand, a prominence of the psychic being by which all that is false, wrong, egoistic, contrary to the Divine Truth, Divine Will, Divine Purity and Light is shown, falls away, cannot prevail in the nature. With all that the increase of the psychic qualities, gratitude, obedience, unselfishness, fidelity to the true perception, true impulse etc. that comes from the Mother or leads to the Mother. When this side grows, then the other, the Presence, Love, Joy, Beauty can develop and be permanently there.

Is this want a right one?

Yes, but it should not come in the way of other progress, spiritual and psychic.

What difficulty does the psychic being find in coming forward and governing my nature?

Your nature has always been very self-centred and the mind active — in such a nature it is easier for the higher mind to act than for the psychic.

You wrote, “It must be that it is easier for the nature to open the psychic from above than directly.” Is it not a defect in the nature not to be able to open the psychic directly? There are people who simply concentrate on the heart centre and get a psychic opening!

In using the expression “opening of the psychic” I was thinking not of an ordinary psychic opening producing some amount of psychic (as opposed to vital) love and bhakti, but of what is called the coming in front of the psychic. When that happens one is aware of the psychic being with its simple spontaneous self-giving and feels its increasing direct control (not merely a veiled or half-veiled influence) over mind, vital and physical. Especially that is the psychic discernment which at once lights up the thoughts, emotional movements, vital pushes, physical habits and leaves nothing there obscure, substituting the right movements for the wrong ones. It is this that is difficult and rare. More often the discernment is mental and it is the mind that tries to put all in order. In that case it is the descent of the higher consciousness through the mind that opens the psychic, instead of the psychic opening directly.

Cannot “the coming in front of the psychic” be brought about by a direct concentration on the heart? Why should it be done necessarily by the higher consciousness?

Nobody said it must be done necessarily from above. Naturally it is done direct and is most effective then. But when it is found difficult to do direct, as it is in certain natures, then the change begins from above, and the consciousness descending from there has to liberate the heart centre. As it acts on the heart centre, the psychic action becomes more possible.

The direct opening of the psychic centre is easy only when the ego-centricity is greatly diminished and also if there is a strong bhakti for the Mother. A spiritual humility and sense of submission and dependence are necessary.

Even when I make good progress, it seems to be limited to the development of the Self above. I thought that the spiritual realisation would help the psychic development, just as the psychic realisation helps the development of the Self.

It does not necessarily happen like that. There are people who develop the psychic for a long time before the higher consciousness begins to come down. There are others who get peace or force or knowledge from above, but the specific psychic development does not take place until the ego disappears and the love and psychic surrender are able to manifest.

Do you think that while realising the Self I pay no attention to the psychic development?

Some get the self-realisation first. It is not usually a result of personal choice, but the working of the nature.

If the dynamic descent reaches the heart, will it relieve the psychic being fully?

How do you mean relieve? It can help the psychic to come forward, but it does not always do so automatically — it at least creates better conditions for the psychic.

Our higher experiences or realisations bear a psychic stamp only when we materialise them.

Right.

My central consciousness has come down into the heart centre and left the sadhana to the psychic being. Was it this that you meant when you wrote: “It is of the greatest importance.”?

No. It is the psychic opening and the action of the psychic on the mind, vital and physical that is important.

You wrote to me, “Naturally, it is the psychic being of which that can be said.” But I wanted to know if there was anything solid and practical in my writing about the inner and psychic being, or was it merely theoretical?

I don’t understand. What you wrote applies to the psychic being only. You say you feel something within you that is like that and that on the point of emerging a little more. If so, it is something solid and practical and cannot be only theory.

While I was writing to you about desires, something like a light touched a part of the vital which up to now has been indulging desires. It suddenly felt an irresistible need to give up its desires! My mind had said nothing to my vital regarding this, nor was there any pressure or force on it. It was a spontaneous feeling coming from the light above, that the desires had better be given up. Later I found that such a feeling is far more effective and decisive than human will-power.

Yes, because it is the light from the psychic.

I had just finished my Pranams to the Mother and was watching Purani go to her for Blessings. All of a sudden I experienced profound oneness with the Mother. For a moment I felt as if I was a part of her. This unity was experienced right up to her physical body. Then tears welled up which I could not check. Why the tears?

Psychic tears, I suppose. No harm in them.

During yesterday’s sleep I found myself moving in a world where I had a fine experience. It was not a dream or vision, but something like entering a plane or a world during waking meditation. But I have been told that there are worlds and planes that are dangerous to get into for an inexperienced sadhak.

Everything is dangerous in the sadhana or can be except the psychic change.

When I wrote that while reading your answers I experienced something coming out of my heart, you replied, “It depends on the nature of the movement. Something from the psychic?” Well, it was something from the psychic. But how did it get connected with the answers?

The psychic can be connected with anything that gives room for love or bhakti.

But more than love or Bhakti, I experienced a sort of psychic oneness with your answers. Will you please explain this?

You have explained it yourself — it is the psychic contact with what is in or behind the answers — what comes out into them from myself.

Just after making my Pranams to the Mother I experienced an unimaginable depth in the heart and as if a great fire was bursting out.

That is of course the psychic depth and the psychic fire.

Sometimes when concentrated on the psychic centre, I feel as if I am the psychic fire itself and can burn out whatever comes in the way of sadhana. Is this not an egoistic feeling?

It is egoistic if the ego thinks it is the psychic fire. If the consciousness feels identified with the psychic fire and becomes conscious that the fire can burn out all impurities, then it is a true experience.

When the surrender develops sufficiently, one discovers that it has its own delight and ananda, which no amount of satisfaction of desire can bring. A true and pure surrender is nothing but a movement of the psychic being.

All that is quite right.

I learnt a lot about myself yesterday, my birthday, on which Mother gave me an interview. It may be perhaps a kind of experienced knowledge aided by her Force. I no more feel myself so weak, helpless or a slave to my defects and imperfections. Rather there is a growing surety that I shall be able to get rid of my whole lower nature.

It is what we call growing conscious — a perception of which the base is the psychic though it may take place in the mind or vital or physical. No doubt the Force that woke it up came from the Mother.

Now a rapid flow of love and joy springs out from my heart centre. Is there any possibility of the lower vital misusing this flow?

It can be misused on a large scale only if there is a strong and vehement vital ego not accustomed to correction or else a vital full of the kamavasana (sexual desire). On a small scale it can be misused by the small selfishnesses, vanities, ambitions, demands of the lower vital supporting themselves upon it. If you are on guard against these things, then there is no danger of misuse. If the psychic puts forth psychic discernment along with the love, then there is no danger, for the light of psychic discernment at once exposes all mixture or misuse.

I feel the psychic fire and the Agni of the Self active and intense. If it were not so, an uninterrupted sadhana without any mental effort would not be possible.

These are usually supposed to be dynamic things.

I feel quite happy in my union with the Mother. It is self-existent and self-delightful; there is no mind and therefore no thoughts. What is unique is it grows deeper and higher and yet is centred on the same level of the being.

It is all that is necessary at present, — if it remains always.