Sri Aurobindo and the Mother on Beauty, Art and Yoga Beauty is as much an expression of the Divine as Knowledge, Power or Ananda.   *   Beauty is the special divine Manifestation in the physical as Truth is in the mind, Love in the heart, Power in the vital. Supramental beauty is the highest divine beauty manifesting in Matter.   *   Beauty is the way in which the physical expresses the Divine

ART AND CHILD Imitation And Imagination Every child has the gift of imitation and a touch of imaginative power. Use it to give him the groundwork of the faculty of the artist. Sri Aurobindo 17:215 The Hand The hand, for instance, should be trained to reproduce what the eye sees and the mind senses. Sri Aurobindo 17:207 The Hand And Eye It is also very desirable that the hand should be capable of coming to the help of the eye in dealing with the multitudinous objects of its activity so as to ensure accuracy. This is of a use so obvious and imperatively needed, that it need not be dwelt on at length. The practice of imitation by the hand of the

Foreword Calligraphy, the art of fine writing, is truly an art for all! Very little equipment is needed --- more needed is patience and practice! Results can be achieved remarkably quickly for those who really try. Beautiful writing is a universal hobby. Handwriting is accepted as a notable form of self-expression and more than this, fine handwriting is appreciated as a mark of respect to those to whom it is addressed. Character refinement in the person of the writer will always be evident in this expression of art and joy. A life without beautiful writing would be as empty as one without reading! Finally, the pleasure of calligraphy is accessible to anyone with pen, ink and paper.

ART AND SPIRITUALITY Sense Of Beauty To do this yoga, one must have, at least a little, the sense of beauty. If one does not, one misses one of the most important aspects of the physical world. There is this beauty, this dignity of soul- a thing about which I am very sensitive. It is a thing that moves me and evokes in me a great respect always. Yes, this beauty of soul that is visible in the face, this kind of dignity, this harmony of integral realisation. When the soul becomes visible in the physical, it gives this dignity, this beauty, this majesty that comes from one’s being the Tabernacle. Then, even things that have no particular beauty put on a sense

CALLIGRAPHY Skilful Fingers The skilful Penman's unseen finger wrote His swift intuitive calligraphy; …. Sri Aurobindo 29: 232 Curve And Line A conscious power has drawn the plan of life, There is a meaning in each curve and line. Sri Aurobindo 29: 460 Conscious Hand If you want to play, if you want to work, if you want to do anything at all with your hand, unless you push consciousness into the cells of your hand you will never do anything good – how many times have I told you that? And this is felt. You feel it. You can acquire it. All sorts of exercises may be done to make the hand conscious and there comes a moment w

ART AND YOU Find It, Develop It And Use It Every one has in him something divine, something his own, a chance of perfection and strength in however small a sphere which God offers him to take or refuse. The task is to find it, develop it and use it. Sri Aurobindo 17: 204 Genius There is a genius within everyone of us — we don’t know it. We must find the way to make it come out — but it is there sleeping, it asks for nothing better than to manifest; we must open the door to it. The Mother 9: 397 Artistic Faculty It is not necessary that every man should be an artist. It is necessary that every man should have his artistic faculty

ART AND MATTER Arts And Crafts The arts and crafts would exist, not for any inferior mental or vital amusement, entertainment of leisure and relieving excitement or pleasure, but an expression and means of the truth of Spirit and the beauty and delight of existence. Sri Aurobindo 19: 1066 Take Care I don't feel anything when I break or lose a material object. It is a fault. Not to take care of the material objects one uses is a sign of unconsciousness and ignorance. One has no right to use any material object unless one takes care of it. Now I understand that there is something of the Divine even in material things. Yes, and w

Human Relations HARMONY WITH OTHERS I would suggest that in your relations with others, - which seem always to have been full of disharmony, - when incidents occur, it would be much better for you not to take the standpoint that you are all in the right and they are all in the wrong. It would be wiser to be fair and just in reflection, seeing where you have gone astray, and even laying stress on your own fault and not on theirs. This would probably lead to more harmony in your relations with others; at any rate, it would be more conducive to your inner progre

Human Relations JUDGING OTHERS It is always better to keep a quiet mind and to abstain from rushing to conclusions before you have the necessary information. 12 April 1932 The Mother (Ref: Collected Works of the Mother, Vol 14, P: 291-294) Unless your vision is constantly the vision of the Divine in all things, you have not only no right but no capacity to judge the state which others are in. And to pronounce a judgment on someone without having this vision spontaneously, effortlessly,

Human Relations LONELINESS The inner loneliness can only be cured by the inner experience of union with the Divine; no human association can fill the void. In the same way, for the spiritual life the harmony with others must be founded not on mental and vital affinities, but on the divine consciousness and the union with the Divine. When one feels the Divine and feels others in the Divine, then the real harmony comes. Meanwhile what there can be is the goodwill and unity founded on the feeling of a common divine goal and the sense of being all children of the Mother.... Real harmony can come only from a psych