Mother, how can I open myself to you?
By quieting the mind and vital, by concentrating more on the Mother and by calling for her Force to enter and work in the being.
Sri Aurobindo – The Mother with Letters on The Mother: CWSA, Vol. 32, p160
Keep yourself open to the Mother in the right attitude of surrender and you will receive from her gradually all that you need within you.
Sri Aurobindo – The Mother with Letters on The Mother: CWSA, Vol. 32, p154
…. Trust in the Mother and will only to be open to her always and as quietly confident as may be. The work to be done is too great for the outer mind to understand how it is to be done; it is only by growing light and experience that one day it begins to understand—it is also too great and difficult for it to do by itself,—it can only help the Power that is working by its readiness, aspiration, faith, quietude. But in no sadhak are these things constant—the aspiration gets suspended, the faith wavers, the quietude is disturbed or shaken—but still the Mother is there at work and one has only to persevere,—finally the perseverance will be justified by the result. To give up is the one thing one must never do.
Sri Aurobindo – The Mother with Letters on The Mother: CWSA, Vol. 32, p157
Open what is closed. The Mother does not withhold her force from anyone—it is there for all in abundance. Her pleasure is in giving her force, not in withholding it. But if you keep your mind filled with thoughts and your needs and grievances, you shut yourself up in that and there is no room for the higher consciousness and its force to come in.
Sri Aurobindo – The Mother with Letters on The Mother: CWSA, Vol. 32, p220
What is the best method to find the Divine who is in each of us and in all things?
Aspiration.
Silence.
Concentration in the solar plexus region.
If need be, a prayer addressed to the Divine:
I belong to You and I want to know You so that all that I do is nothing but what you want me to do.
The Mother – Words of the Mother: CWM, Vol. 14, p41-43
The Mother is never far from you. If you keep open, you will always feel her with you.
Sri Aurobindo – The Mother with Letters on The Mother: CWSA, Vol. 32, p159
Our human consciousness has windows opening on the Infinite. But generally men keep the windows tightly closed. We must open them wide and let the Infinite penetrate us freely to transform us.
Two conditions are required to open the windows.
1) Ardent aspiration.
2) Progressive abolition of the ego.
The divine help is assured to those who set to work sincerely.
The Mother – Agenda : Vol. 12, p323
It is a mistake to exercise the mind about these things and try to arrange them with the ordinary mind. It is by confidence in the Mother that the opening needed will come when your consciousness is ready. There is no harm in arranging your present work so that there will be time and energy for some meditation, but it is not by meditation alone that what is needed will come. It is by faith and openness to the Mother.
Sri Aurobindo – The Mother with Letters on The Mother: CWSA, Vol. 32, p156
Openness is not always complete from the first—a part of the being opens, other parts of the consciousness remain still closed or half open only—one has to aspire till all is open. Even with the best and most powerful sadhak the full opening takes time; nor is there anyone who has been able to abandon everything at once without any struggle. There is no reason to feel therefore that if you call, you will not be heard—the Mother knows the difficulties of human nature and will help you through. Persevere always, call always and then after each difficulty there will be a progress.
Sri Aurobindo – The Mother with Letters on The Mother: CWSA, Vol. 32, p156-57
Transparency can come only as a result of perfect sincerity.
***
Illumined transparency: an effect of the Divine Grace.
***
Integral transparency: it is the result of perfect goodwill and sincerity.
The Mother – Words of the Mother: CWM, Vol. 14, pp 174-75
Once Mother spoke to me about total sincerity. What does transparent sincerity mean?
Sincerity is compared to an atmosphere or a sheet of glass. If the one or the other is completely transparent, it lets light through without distorting it.
Similarly, a sincere consciousness lets divine vibrations through without distorting them.
The Mother – Some Answers from the Mother: CWM, Vol. 16, p382
It is certain that one’s own effort is necessary, though one cannot do the sadhana by one’s own effort alone. The Mother’s Force is needed, but the sadhak must open himself to it, reject what opposes the Force, put his full sincerity, aspiration, will power into the sadhana. It is only when all is open and there is the full surrender that the Divine Power takes up the sadhana so entirely that personal effort is no longer necessary. But that cannot happen at an early stage—one must go on opening oneself, consecrating oneself, making the surrender till that later stage comes.
Sri Aurobindo – The Mother with Letters on The Mother: CWSA, Vol. 32, p220
How to open to the Mother? The following are the means:
(1) To remember You constantly or from time to time―Good.
(2) By taking Your name through Japa―Helpful.
(3) With the help of meditation―More difficult if one has not the habit of meditation.
(4) By conversation about You with those who love and respect You―Risky because, when talking, often some nonsense or at least some useless things can be said.
(5) By reading Your books―Good.
(6) By spending time in thoughts of You—Very good.
(7) By sincere prayers―Good.
***
Three things indispensable to begin with:
Absolute sincerity in the whole being and all its activities.
Complete self-surrender without any reservation.
Patient work on oneself and at the same time a steady conquering of perfect unshakable peace and equanimity.
The Mother – Words of the Mother: CWM, Vol. 14, pp 40-41
In the ordinary condition of the body if you oblige the body to do too much work, it can do with the support of vital force. But as soon as the work is done, the vital force withdraws and then the body feels fatigue. If this is done too much and for too long a time, there may be a breakdown of health and strength under the overstrain. Rest is then needed for recovery.
If however the mind and the vital get the habit of opening to the Mother’s Force, they are then supported by the Force and may even be fully filled with it—the Force does the work and the body feels no strain or fatigue before or after. But even then, unless the body itself is open and can absorb and keep the Force, sufficient rest in between the work is absolutely necessary. Otherwise although the body may go on for a very long time, yet in the end there can be a danger of a collapse.
The body can be sustained for a long time when there is the full influence and there is a single-minded faith and call in the mind and the vital; but if the mind or the vital is disturbed by other influences or opens itself to forces which are not the Mother’s, then there will be a mixed condition and there will be sometimes strength, sometimes fatigue, exhaustion or illness or a mixture of the two at the same time.
Finally, if not only the mind and the vital, but the body also is open and can absorb the Force, it can do extraordinary things in the way of work without breaking down. Still, even then rest is necessary. That is why we insist on those who have the impulse of work keeping a proper balance between rest and labour.
A complete freedom from fatigue is possible, but that comes only when there is a complete transformation of the law of the body by the full descent of a supramental Force into the earth-nature.
Sri Aurobindo – The Mother with Letters on The Mother: CWSA, Vol. 32, p258
The Truth for you is to feel the Divine in you, open to the Mother and work for the Divine till you are aware of her in all your actions. The physical presence here is not enough; there must be this consciousness of the divine presence in your heart and the divine guidance in your acts. This the psychic being can easily, swiftly, deeply feel if it is fully awake; once the psychic has felt it, it can spread to the mental and vital also.
Sri Aurobindo – The Mother with Letters on The Mother: CWSA, Vol. 32, p153
You have only to aspire, to keep yourself open to the Mother, to reject all that is contrary to her will and to let her work in you—doing also all your work for her and in the faith that it is through her force that you can do it. If you remain open in this way the knowledge and realisation will come to you in due course.
Sri Aurobindo – The Mother with Letters on The Mother: CWSA, Vol. 32, p154
… you have to make the opening always wider and the reception more complete; but that too will be done progressively if you remember and call the Mother’s force at all times and remain confident, vigilant and devoted…
Sri Aurobindo – The Mother with Letters on The Mother: CWSA, Vol. 32, p154
Keep open to the Mother—throw away the faults and defects of character you can change of yourself—allow the Mother’s power to work in you—then these difficulties can be made to disappear, the mind will open.
Sri Aurobindo – The Mother with Letters on The Mother: CWSA, Vol. 32, p155
To be open to the Mother entirely, you should be open both within and without. You should be perfectly frank and tell her everything—do not shrink from showing to her candidly all that is within you. That will at once enable you to be completely open and her also to help you fully.
Sri Aurobindo – The Mother with Letters on The Mother: CWSA, Vol. 32, p155
Keep yourself open, remember the Mother always—call for her help and guidance in your work. You must get into a condition in which not only the calmness remains always but the sadhana is going on all the time in work and rest as well as in meditation.
Sri Aurobindo – The Mother with Letters on The Mother: CWSA, Vol. 32, p156
The whole thing is to keep yourself open to the Mother. The preparation of the nature for the decisive experiences always takes time and should be a continuous self-opening without discouragement or impatience for immediate results.
Sri Aurobindo – The Mother with Letters on The Mother: CWSA, Vol. 32, p159
You should not allow yourself to get upset by these small things. If when the movements you complain of come, you remain quiet and open to the Mother and call her, after a time you will find a change beginning to come in you. Meditation is not enough; think of the Mother and offer your work and action to her, that will help you better.
Sri Aurobindo – The Mother with Letters on The Mother: CWSA, Vol. 32, pp 303-04
Yesterday I prayed, “O Divine Mother, how can I realise that I am always guided by Thee and that Thy presence is in all things and everywhere. I pray that I may love Thee and be Thy child and an instrument for Thy work.”
Yes. The more one is open to the Mother’s action, the more easily difficulties get solved and the right thing is done.
Sri Aurobindo – The Mother with Letters on The Mother: CWSA, Vol. 32, p304
Do not allow yourself to be troubled or discouraged by any difficulties, but quietly and simply open yourself to the Mother’s force and allow it to change you.
Sri Aurobindo – The Mother with Letters on The Mother: CWSA, Vol. 32, p218
When you decided to tell the Mother, it had the effect of opening something in your physical consciousness and the Mother’s Force acted. It often happens so—the action of the Mother’s Force depends on a certain power of receptivity in the mind or vital or body—and openness is the first necessary condition for the receptivity.
Sri Aurobindo – The Mother with Letters on The Mother: CWSA, Vol. 32, p218
How to become one with the Divine?
Open yourself to the Mother’s Force and aspire—in time you will become one with the Divine.
Sri Aurobindo – The Mother with Letters on The Mother: CWSA, Vol. 32, p218
The vital defects and difficulties are the same in all and also the shortcomings of the mind. One has to open in faith and confidence to the Divine; the Mother’s Force will gradually put everything right.
Sri Aurobindo – The Mother with Letters on The Mother: CWSA, Vol. 32, p218
I am overcome with disappointment and depression. After reading your last letter, everything crumbled down in a wave. You said you would increase the Mother’s light and consciousness in me, but I can’t receive them correctly when I feel like this. I used to believe that the Mother was always there to help, but now you have uprooted that blind faith of mine. Why did you write like that? A little encouragement from your side would make me stronger to reach the destination.
I wrote so because the action of the sadhana does not depend on the Mother alone, but also on the attitude, will and openness of the sadhak. That is a well-known fact of the spiritual life which everybody is supposed to know. The Mother’s Force can do everything only when there is a real and true and complete surrender and openness to the Mother.
Sri Aurobindo – The Mother with Letters on The Mother: CWSA, Vol. 32, pp 218-19
If one remains in full confidence in the Mother and psychically open, then the Mother’s force will do all and one has only to give consent and keep oneself open and aspire.
Sri Aurobindo – The Mother with Letters on The Mother: CWSA, Vol. 32, p219
Keep open to the Mother’s peace and joy—by living in it you will come to live in her.
Sri Aurobindo – The Mother with Letters on The Mother: CWSA, Vol. 32, p159
