Agustina Thorgilsson is The Official SelfGrowth.com Guide to "Spiritual Growth". You can find complete information on Agustina Thorgilsson and her products by visiting www.lifenavigation.com.
Physical forces take physical forms. Vital forces take vital forms. Even though they may act upon the physical existence of the being, they are not physical forces. Similarly, mental forces take mental forms on the mental plane. Once again, they may act upon vital forces and physical forces, but ... Views: 137
We tend to accept the limitations of the sense organs and the mind as if they are axioms, unable to be altered. We accept that blind people cannot see and that deaf people cannot hear. We believe we cannot interact using the mind alone to communicate or to experience things at a distance. We ... Views: 134
People proudly deny occultism with a laugh and a smirk about how unreal it is, and how people are taken in by the occult sciences. They state their dependence on what is “real” and “solid” and palpable to their senses. Seeing is believing, they say! They frequently pound on the table to prove ... Views: 132
In the movie Sixth Sense, a psychiatrist meets up with a young boy who claims to see dead people and interact with them. The psychiatrist spends the better part of the film trying to understand the boy and bring him out of his delusion. In the end, it turns out that the psychiatrist gains the ... Views: 132
When an individual undertakes tapasya, the concentration of conscious force, in any manner, it is certain that the results will bring about new powers for that individual, whether an accentuation of powers that the individual already possessed and exercised to some degree, or the development and ... Views: 132
We tend to associate the process we call ‘thinking’ with the linear sequence of words that organize our understanding in our mind. We thus associate thinking with language and indicate that our thinking is limited by the language. A language that is rich in words and nuances will yield more ... Views: 132
The genius of the Rishis of ancient India was their ability to focus on the essential core of knowledge, will and existence. They reminded us that we can obtain many forms and types of knowledge, but each of these is but a fragment, an isolated fact or event, if we have not identified that ... Views: 130
People constantly ask whether they should concentrate focused in the heart, between the eyebrows or above the head. The short answer is “yes”. Each centre of concentration relies on a different power of action. In the end, what is more important is the action of concentration itself. An ... Views: 129
The power of visualisation has been recognised as an aid in healing from illness, in excelling in sports, and in helping an individual achieve results in the external world. The spiritual seeker also can put this power to work to achieve results in the inner world. Practitioners of Tibetan ... Views: 128
The human propensity to set up ‘either/or’ scenarios leads us to believe that we either have to focus on ‘perfection’ or ‘speed’ in the things we do. This is actually a false choice because it leaves out the factor of concentration which can accomplish actions with speed while not sacrificing ... Views: 127
What is the will of the Divine, and how can we know it? The usual answer is some prescription from one religion or another with a doctrine supported by that religious persuasion as being the correct interpretation. In some cases, the Divine Will seems thereby to be in conflict from one religion ... Views: 125
Many people hold the idea that science is ‘fact based’ and focused on the external world solely, while the artistic focus is based in the use of imagination and is not as tied to external facts. The difference, however, is not necessarily one of a lack of imagination by those with a scientific ... Views: 125
A woman recounted her experience of living in a small intentional community during her 20’s. The community arranged to get broken bags of cement from a nearby production facility at no charge. She was tasked with driving a van, loading up the 40# bags, and bringing them back to the location ... Views: 125
The mind has a tremendous power to influence the physical body, for good or ill. In some cases, mental ideas can lead to extraordinary imbalances in the body, which can lead to weakness, illness and even the death of the body. Many times we will push the body beyond its limits without concern ... Views: 124
There are any number of ways to develop concentration. Concentration is also developed progressively, such that the power to concentrate increases with practice and continued use. In their writings, both Sri Aurobindo and the Mother describe a number of ways to develop the power of ... Views: 124
The ego-consciousness lives within the illusion of having free will and making its own independent decisions. A closer examination shows us that the individual is not an ‘island’ unto himself; rather, he is a result of innumerable factors from genetics, to pre-natal influences, to interactions ... Views: 124
Most people have had the experience. They decide to try a new diet or exercise regimen. They stick with it a few days or weeks and then it seems to get overlooked, forgotten or abandoned. Other things got in the way, or else, the impulses caused them to weaken their resolve. How many times ... Views: 122
“By askesis do thou seek to know the Eternal, for concentration in thought is the Eternal.” Thus spoke Varuna to Bhrigu in the Taittiriya Upanishad [Sri Aurobindo’s translation].
Swami Vivekananda’s lectures on Raja Yoga, expounding the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, with an extensive commentary, ... Views: 121
Sir Bernard Arthur Owen Williams (September 21st, 1929 – June 10th, 2003) was an English moral philosopher. His authored the books Problems of the Self, Ethics and the Limits of Philosophy, Shame and Necessity, and Truth and Truthfulness.
He was a Knightbridge Professor of Philosophy at the ... Views: 120
One of the key elements of Raja Yoga, based on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali is the practice of samyama, which is a one-pointed concentration that is so complete that it merges subject, object and the process of knowing into one unified whole. By this practice, one knows everything about the ... Views: 116
Most people have very little idea about how to utilize will-power effectively, because they don’t fully understand what will-power actually is and how it needs to be focused and concentrated. Essentially will-power is the function that concentrates the ‘signal’ while reducing the ‘noise’ in a ... Views: 116
If we reflect on our own efforts to change things in our lives, whether a resolution to follow a diet, exercise regularly, create a work-rest balance, spend more time with our families, or carry out some effort in our religious or spiritual focus, we will quickly see that our resolve does not ... Views: 115
We speak generally about exercising will-power, particularly when it relates to overcoming an impulsion or attempting to achieve some particular result. We may want to overcome an addiction, or follow a particular diet and we struggle to carry out our resolve. We make ‘new year’s resolutions’ to ... Views: 114
If you looks deeply at one’s attempts to utilize will-power to accomplish any task, to bring about some change in one’s being, or to develop in some direction, it quickly becomes apparent that there are elements within our own being that are not supporting the focus, intensity and direction that ... Views: 113
Traditional paths of yoga describe the various chakras, or subtle energy centers, that act as collecting and disseminating points for various specific vibrational patterns related to the action of that specific chakra. Certain paths, such as various Tantric disciplines as well as the well-known ... Views: 112
Each part of the being has its own form of endurance. Endurance is essential for any true and lasting development. Change tends to be mostly incremental. When it comes more rapidly it is usually accompanied by major disruptions to the status quo. In either case, one form of endurance, or ... Views: 112
The Mother draws a clear distinction between the individual who is in contact with his own deepest inner truth of being, his swadharma, and the individual who does not pay attention to this deepest truth but lives what we may call a “transactional” existence focused on the aggrandisement and ... Views: 111
By now most people have heard of the ‘placebo effect’. Yet, they have not gone into the significance of what this implies. Studies have shown that as much as 30% of a group given an ‘inert’ treatment have similar healing outcomes to those given an actual targeted treatment. The individual given ... Views: 111
Sri Aurobindo describes the very traditional understanding of the awakening of the yogic force in the being and its ascent upwards from the Muladhara Chakra to the crown of the head where it meets the Divine Consciousness and thereby brings into the being the higher force to transform the life ... Views: 109
There is a discipline that asks an individual to focus on conscious attention to each thought, each emotion and each movement he makes, through a process called ‘mindfulness’. This is intended primarily to center the individual’s mind and attention and focus the person on the present moment ... Views: 108
For a spiritual seeker, there is a major difference with regard to prayer and aspiration. Prayer is, generally, and in many cases, a more formalized, external activity, primarily based in the outer nature. Aspiration is centered in the soul, or psychic being, and represents the spiritual flame ... Views: 108
Many people formulate their prayers in the form of thoughts, and they are repeated according to a strict formula and ritual. In that case, if the mind is actively engaged in the prayer, it carries the power of the mental focus to tune the being to the frequency of the being who is the object of ... Views: 107
We are habitually conditioned to try to solve problems with our mental capacity. We are taught to observe, organize, classify, compare and contrast, and examine similar past circumstances in order to determine a solution to whatever we are facing. This is the normal pattern for a mentally ... Views: 106
A devotee reported the following incident: He had visited a researcher at Jipmer Hospital in Pondicherry, India who was using Kirlian photography in his research. The researcher showed him several stones. One of them was an ordinary stone. The other one had been in an active temple for a ... Views: 106
While most people are quite insulated from direct confrontation with extremes which the body is asked to endure, our modern media makes it possible to see and relate to some of these extreme situations. Far beyond the pressure of training for and running in a marathon race, there are ... Views: 106
In the yoga sutras of Patanjali, the power of concentration is extolled. In particular, the one-pointed concentration on any particular object unites the seeker with the object such that they become one. At that point, all of the secrets of the object are delivered up to the person undertaking ... Views: 105
We try to control or dominate other people generally through various methods. It is customary in many cultures to subject children to strict discipline and education so that they do things the way the parents or educators like, or they get subjected to some kind of punishment, whether it be ... Views: 105
In order to be most effective in its action, the external nature must have the capacity of concentration of its efforts. Whether this is a mental concentration, or a vital or physical concentration, the focus must be total, without distraction, or it will yield less than the optimal ... Views: 104
An experiment some years ago showed that stones that came from a temple where ongoing worship had been taking place, held and radiated an energy not found in stones that had not been subjected to the influence of constant prayer. Just as stones absorb heat vibrations and then radiate them back ... Views: 103
The idea that one can receive guidance in response to a question, or aspiration, one is holding within oneself, from a randomly chosen page of a book is not based on some idea of magic, but is grounded in an understanding of the unity of consciousness and the interactive nature of consciousness ... Views: 102
While there is a real difference between prayer, as an external action and aspiration as an inner status of being, there is also connection between the two which can be extremely potent in terms of bringing forth the aspiration into the external world and making it a living and real thing. When ... Views: 102
The Mother provides a practical example of the ‘power of immobility’, albeit as applied in the external world and society. There is an apocryphal story from the time of the Mahabharata. Drona, the preceptor of the sons of Dhritarashtra and the sons of Pandu, princes and future king of the ... Views: 100
The mind cannot comprehend experiences with which it has no familiarity. Sri Aurobindo describes a spiritual status that is experiential in nature. When there is such an experience, the mind tries to describe or transcribe that experience into its normal process of linear thought expressed in ... Views: 100
When we reflect on what we mean by prayer, and what expectations we have for it, we can determine both the limits and the uses of prayer in navigating our way through life, and obtaining results aligned with our aspirations. In the USA it is common for people to send “thoughts and prayers” for ... Views: 98
We train the physical body with intense repetition to create what is called ‘muscle memory’. This allows the body to respond, instantly, without thought, when certain circumstances occur. Not all circumstances require the instantaneous response of the body, or even if they do, the body may not ... Views: 98
It is frequently noted that certain individuals seem to accomplish more, and despite enormous commitments, they seem ready to take on more and do even more than they are doing. On the other hand, there are individuals who seem to have a low threshold of action and they seem to never have the ... Views: 97
When most people are asked about the nature of prayer, they respond that it is a formulation in words of a specific request to God, for some result or benefit they desire to see come to fruition. Prayer is much more than that, and need not be formulated in words. Each level of the being actually ... Views: 96
The Bhagavad Gita has an interesting verse that provides a clue to the secret of action and inaction, between ‘static’ and ‘dynamic’ power, if you will: “He who in action can see inaction and can see action still continuing in cessation from works, is the man of true reason and discernment among ... Views: 96
We operate on multiple levels at the same time. There is the external level comprised of actual physical, vital and mental actions we undertake. We speak, we express ourselves through gestures and body language. We undertake physical activities. At the same time however, there is the unspoken ... Views: 96
When we consider the ‘awakening of the Kundalini Shakti at the base of the spine, we frequently imagine some kind of dramatic experience, some palpable energy, some noticeable force operating and moving up through the experiential body. And in some cases, this actually does occur this way. For ... Views: 94