As the seeker begins to shift the consciousness inward, he becomes aware of forces, powers, and realms that are the native venues for our physical, vital and mental energies and activities, as well as existing in and by their own form of reality and under rules that do not necessarily match up with those we believe pertain in our external world. The opening to these realms can be extremely disorienting as the individual does not know what they are, what they intend, nor how, indeed, they act. These forces can also take advantage of the ignorance of the seeker, and, in fact, utilize the vital ego to drive the seeker in directions that meet their intention rather than carrying out his own stated goal. They can be alluring, misleading and confusing.
Sri Aurobindo terms the opening to these realms, which can occur when the seeker begins to attenuate or break down the walls separating his external being from the inner planes of existence, the ‘intermediate zone’. The best protection to the seeker during such a period is to have a solid, balanced, patient and ego-less standpoint, rooted in the psychic aspiration, so as to not be driven under the impulsion of forces that he cannot understand or control.
Sri Aurobindo notes: “the intermediate zone means simply a confused condition or passage in which one is getting out of the personal consciousness and opening into the cosmic (cosmic Mind, cosmic vital, cosmic physical, something perhaps of the cosmic higher Mind) without having yet transcended the human mind levels. One is not in possession of or direct contact with the divine Truth on its own levels, but one can receive something from them, even from the overmind, indirectly. Only, as one is still immersed in the cosmic Ignorance, all that comes from above can be mixed, perverted, taken hold of for their purposes by lower, even by hostile Powers.”
“It is not necessary for everyone to struggle through the intermediate zone. If one has purified oneself, if there is no abnormal vanity, egoism, ambition or other strong misleading element, or if one is vigilant and on one’s guard, or if the psychic is in front, one can either pass rapidly and directly or with a minimum of trouble into the higher zones of consciousness where one is in direct contact with the Divine Truth.”
Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, Growing Within: The Psychology of Inner Development, Chapter VII Growth of Consciousness, Inner Experiences, pp. 135-136
Santosh has been studying Sri Aurobindo's writings since 1971 and has a daily blog at http://sriaurobindostudies.wordpress.com and podcast at https://anchor.fm/santosh-krinsky He is author of 17 books and is editor-in-chief at Lotus Press. He is president of Institute for Wholistic Education, a non-profit focused on integrating spirituality into daily life.