A Podcast Featuring Sri Aurobindo Studies
May 28, 2026

The 'Psychic Mirror' and Its Power of Transformation of the External Nature

The 'Psychic Mirror' and Its Power of Transformation of the External Nature

reference: Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, The Psychic Being — Soul: Its Nature, Mission and Evolution, Section 2 Role, Function and Action of the Psychic, pg. 69This episode is also available as a blog post at https://sriaurobindostudies.wordpress.com/2026/05/26/the-psychic-mirror-and-its-power-of-transformation-of-the-external-nature/

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#Sri Aurobindo #yoga #integral yoga #spirituality #soul #psychic being #psychology #transformation #The Mother #psychic mirror

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One of the powerful techniques
which Sri Aurobindo describes

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for the spiritual aspirant is
the separation of the witness

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consciousness from the active
external nature.

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Creation of a mental witness
awareness is not quite the same

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thing, although it may be a
helpful step along the way.

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This is still the play of the
nature in the mental plane.

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What is intended here is not a
mental approach, but development

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of a standpoint that is outside
the normal action of body, life

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and mind, residing in the
spiritual consciousness.

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The Mother has described what
she calls the psychic mirror,

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which is a form of witness
awareness that is not mental,

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but which is holding up the
energetic vibrational pattern of

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the soul presence, the psychic
being, as a means of determining

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whether any particular aspect of
the external being conforms with

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the psychic beings focus or not.
In other words, is there

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coherence between the psychic
being and the activities of

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body, life and mind?
Some people think that what is

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intended is their conscience.
However this is not the case.

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Conscience is based in moral and
ethical training along

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guidelines set in the social
structure.

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What is moral or ethical in one
society may be considered

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immoral or unethical in another.
Even if something is considered

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immoral or unethical in every
society, it is still a rule

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based judgment, not the intended
psychic mirror approach the

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Mother describes.
For the spiritual seeker

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awakened to the stirrings of the
soul, there comes a point in

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time when he can recognize the
vibrational field created by the

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psychic being.
He feels the aspiration, the

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consecration, the surrender of
the ego, the experience of

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bliss, ananda and other
vibrations associated with the

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soul.
What the Mother proposes is that

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whenever there is a thought and
emotion, a feeling, a need, that

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the seeker place that vibration
side by side with the psychic

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vibration and see if there is
coherence or whether there is

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distance or disturbance between
the two.

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When we are focused on external
activities and we experience

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greed, jealousy, anger,
grasping, attachment, these each

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have their own vibrational
signature and wavelength, so to

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speak.
Many people in fact assign

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colors to these varying
vibrations such as green with

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envy, red with sexual energy,
yellow with fear, etcetera.

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The pure psychic flame is a
flame of white light.

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If you can begin to refer all
the external responses,

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reactions and reflections to
this psychic mirror, one quickly

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can distinguish those things
which interfere or disrupt the

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psychic vibrational field and
those which enhance and support

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it.
It is not a matter of thought.

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It is not a matter of emotion,
It is not a matter of moral

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judgment.
It is simply a reflection of how

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we are vibrating and whether
that energetic field is

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compatible with the true psychic
energy.

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The power of this approach is
that over time we begin to

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adjust our acceptance and
rejection of energies which

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approach us as well as those
that trigger something still

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within us in seed form.
From past experiences, the

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mother recommends that if one
looks back over time after

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adopting this practice, one will
see the substantial difference

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in reactions, responses,
thoughts, and feelings that have

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taken place.
People frequently ask whether we

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can intervene successfully in
our external nature or whether

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this will bring about reactions
that are actually going to set

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us back.
This approach comes from the

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idea of the abandonment of life
as the goal, the liberation from

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the earthly life, whether we
call it moksha, Nirvana,

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cessation of birth, ascent to
heaven, or some other

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terminology that implies the
same thing.

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For those interested in the
transformation of nature through

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the evolution of consciousness,
a different view must be

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considered.
That view is that as

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consciousness develops, it can
effectuate changes in the

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preceding stages of
consciousness.

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Just as the life energy changes
dense matter into living matter,

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and just as the mental force
rearranges both the life energy

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and matter, so the next stage of
conscious evolution will be able

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to modify and change mind, life,
and body.

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In that case, the question then
comes down to method of

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implementation.
Forceful suppression is found to

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be counterproductive, but
gaining conscious adherence and

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acceptance, willingness to
change through the promptings of

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the psychic being, is a
potential mechanism to effect

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change.
In his book The Mother, Sri

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Aurobindo identifies the role of
the spiritual seeker as one of

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aspiration, rejection,
surrender.

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This implies an intervention in
the external nature as the

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psychic being assumes its role
as the guide and organizing

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force for the changes that are
intended as the next stage of

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evolution takes place.
The Mother notes quote.

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There is but one remedy.
That signpost must always be

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there.
A mirror well placed in one's

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feelings, impulses, all one's
sensations.

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One sees them in this mirror.
There are some which are not

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very beautiful or pleasant to
look at.

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There are others which are
beautiful, pleasant, and must be

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kept.
This one does 100 times a day if

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necessary, and it is very
interesting.

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One draws a kind of big circle
around the psychic mirror and

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arranges all the elements around
it.

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If there's something that is not
all right, it casts a sort of

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Gray shadow upon the mirror.
This element must be shifted,

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organized.
It must be spoken to, made to

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understand.
One must come out of that

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darkness.
If you do that, you never get

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bored.
When people are not kind, when

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one has a cold in the head, when
1 doesn't know one's lessons and

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so on, one begins to look into
this mirror.

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It is very interesting.
One sees the canker.

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I thought I was sincere.
Not at all.

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Not a thing happens in life
which is not interesting.

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This mirror is very, very well
made.

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Do that for two years, 3-4
years.

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At times one must do it for 20
years.

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Then at the end of a few years,
look back, turn your gaze upon

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what you were three years ago.
How have I changed?

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Was I like that?
It is very entertaining.

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I could speak like that.
I could talk like that, think

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like that.
But I was indeed stupid.

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How I have changed, Isn't it
very interesting?

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Isn't it?
End Quote Reference Sri

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Aurobindo and the Mother, the
psychic being soul, its nature,

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mission and evolution.
Section 2.

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Role, function and Action of the
Psychic.

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Pages 68 to 69.