When the seeker first becomes aware of the practice of separating the witness consciousness from the active external nature, he may naturally take his stance in the mental awareness and begin to observe his actions and reactions from the mental standpoint. This generally yields some kind of analytical process and inner dialogue, similar to what an individual may do in watching a motion picture and commenting on the actions of the characters and the story line that is unfolding.
This first step, however, is not the entirety of the witness consciousness. There are actually other witnesses that seat themselves outside the frame of the mental awareness and that can understand and observe the outer nature, including the mental nature and its sequential, fragmentary and limited processes. The awareness can either be positioned in the psychic being, or in the spiritual consciousness above the mind. While the mental witness is generally analytical and has a running commentary, the spiritual or psychic witness awareness will function in a quiet, silent awareness.
A disciple asks: ”What is the meaning of ‘the mental witness’?
The Mother notes: ”The witness we have spoken about several times already, only here it is in the mind.”
“There are witnesses everywhere. It is a capacity of the being to detach itself, to stand back and look at what is happening, as when one looks at something happening in the street or when one looks at others playing and does not himself play, one remains seated, looking at the others moving but does not move. That’s how it is.”
“In all the parts of the being there is one side which can do this: put itself at the back, remain quiet and look, without participating. This is what is called the witness. One has many witnesses inside oneself, and often one is a witness without even being aware of it. And if you develop this, it always gives you the possibility of being quiet and not being affected by things. One detaches oneself from them, looks at them as at a dramatic scene, without participating in it. This does not change things very much.”
Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, Our Many Selves: Practical Yogic Psychology, Chapter 6, Some Answers and Explanations, pg. 171
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 19 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.