Flowers and Their Messages as given by The Mother
Flowering Vines
The beauty, the colours, the great variation in size are some of the major qualities of these exceptional flowering plants. Thee is much more, however, since we now have from Mother the ‘Messages’ with which the flowers vibrate and, if we can go deeply enough into ourselves, we can receive and progress within by allowing their vibrations to enter and assist in the transformation of our being.
Where to begin one wonders with so many vines from which to choose? For Part One of this series I have selected those significances that will guide us to the ultimate victory. Also included are some new varieties I photographed in Thailand that one day will reveal their significances.
Wherever possible I have included Mother’s comments on the significances given by her, in Her own hand. To begin . . .
Aspiration for the Right Attitude
Energetic, willing, determined
There are actually two forms of ‘Aspiration for the Right Attitude’. The second form is Clerodendrum thompsoniae and it is very lovely.
For this initial article on flowering vines I have chosen significances which are among those requisite for progress towards ultimate Victory.
Part One
Right Attitude
Harmony – three with specific names and the General Significance
Unselfishness
No quarrels
Faithfulness
Joy of Integral Faithfulness
Aspiration for the Right Attitude – 2nd form
Harmony
Harmony
Let us strive that the day may come
when this will be the means and the goal.
Harmony in the Vital
To harmonise the vital is a psychological masterpiece;
happy is the one who accomplishes it.
Harmony in the Material Vital
No disputes, no quarrels – the sweetness of a life
without clashes
This manifestation of beauty and harmony
is part of the Divine realisation upon earth,
perhaps even its greatest part. 1
The Mother
And a constant insistence on Harmony, Harmony, Harmony....
A harmonious balance: harmonious balance of nations,
harmonious balance of people,
harmonious balance of inner faculties,
harmonious balance ... like that. 2
The Mother
We want to be messengers of light and truth.
And first of all, a future of harmony is waiting
to be announced to the world.
The time has come for the old habit
of ruling through fear to be
replaced with the rule of love. 3
The Mother
Integral Harmony
Harmony between things, harmony between persons, harmony of circumstances and, above all, Harmony of aspirations – all leading to the supreme Truth
…The condition of immortality and freedom is neither a disappearance of the individual into the universality of being nor an annihilation of him in some indeterminate existence. It is to live not to ourselves in the ego, but for God in ourselves, and for God in man, and in the integral harmony of the One Universal Spirit. 4
Sri Aurobindo
... And first of all, a future of harmony is waiting to be announced to the world. The time has come for the old habit of ruling through fear. to be replaced with the rule of love. 5
The Mother
No Quarrels
A very important condition to fulfill in order to facilitate the advent of the Supermind
Note the beautiful change in colours
as the flowers age
You must never forget that I disapprove of quarrels
and always consider that both sides are equally wrong.
To surmount one's feelings, preferences, dislikes and
impulses, is an indispensable discipline here. 6
The Mother
All quarrels proceed from egoism which pushes its own
opinion and affirms its own importance, considering that
it is right and everybody else wrong and thus creates anger
and sense of injury, etc. These things must not be indulged
but rejected at once.7
Sri Aurobindo
As for ill-will, jealousy, quarrels and reproaches, one must sincerely
Be above all that and reply with a benevolent smile to the bittersweet
Words; and unless one is absolutely sure of oneself and one’s reactions,
It would e better, as a general rule, to keep silent.8
The Mother
Unselfishness
Unselfishness
Deeply open so as not to refuse anything
Faithfulness
We can count on You; You never fail us when we need You.
Earlier comment by The Mother
This is faithfulness, to admit and to manifest no other movements
but only the movements prompted and guided by the Divine. 9
When I spoke of being faithful to the light of the soul and the divine Call. . . . I was simply affirming the great need in all crises and attacks, - to refuse to listen to any suggestions, impulses, lures and to oppose to them all the call of the Truth, the imperative beckoning of the Light. In all doubt and depression, to say, “I belong to the Divine, I cannot fail”; to all suggestions of impurity and unfitness, to reply, “I am a child of Immortality chosen by the Divine; I have but to be true to myself and to Him – the victory is sure; even if I fell I would rise again”; to all impulses to depart and serve some small ideal, to reply, “This is the greatest, this is the Truth that alone can satisfy the soul within me; I will endure through all tests and tribulations to the very end of the divine journey”. This is what I mean by faithfulness to the Light and the Call.
Sri Aurobindo10
Silence
The ideal condition for progress
Silence is the condition of the being when it listens to the Divine.11
In peace and inner silence you will more and more become conscious of the constant Presence.
In peace and silence the Eternal manifests. Let nothing trouble you and the Eternal will manifest.
The Mother
Integral Silence
Constant Remembrance of the Divine
Question from a disciple:
Is constant remembrance of the Divine the beginning of union?
A beginning of union comes even before constant remembrance. When the remembrance is constant, one often feels a Presence that imposes itself on the remembrance.
The Mother
The constant remembrance of the Divine is indispensable for transformation.
The Mother
Botanical Notes
Aspiration for the Right Attitude – First form: Clerodendrum Xspeciosum - Java Glory Bean, Pagoda Flower
Aspiration for the Right Attitude – Second form: Clerodendrum thompsoniae – Bleeding Heart Vine, Glory Bower
Harmony – Antigonon Leptopus
Integral Harmony – Antigonon Leptopus ‘Album’
No quarrels – Gloriosa superba – Flame lily, Glory lily
Unselfishness – Beaumontia jerdoniana – Easter Lily Vine, Heralds Trumpet, Nepal Trumpet Flower Very close in form to Beaumontia grandiflora but the cup opens wider.
Faithfulness – Quisqualis indica – Rangoon Creeper
Silence – Passiflora ‘Incense’ – A hybrid (P. incarnata x cincinnata) that is large and attractive with flower colour and shape somewhat variable. The common name is ‘Passion Flower’ and its eastern and western symbolism will be covered in another article.
Integral Silence – Passiflora ‘Constance Elliott’ – the flower named by Mother initially is a wild flower seen in many of he local fields, especially in Auroville but the flower pictured above is the same color (white – Integral) and a bit larger.
Constant Remembrance of the Divine – Lonicera Japonica – Japanese Honeysuckle
Footnotes
1 Collected Works of the Mother – Questions and Answers – Vol. 3, July 28, 1929
2 Mother’s Agenda – Vol. 8 – Page 37, May 6, 1967
3 Message of November 5, 1970
4 Sri Aurobindo – Birth Centenary Library Vol. 27, Supplement – Yoga and its Part in the Divine Plan5 Mother’s Agenda – Vol. 11, November 5, 1970
6 Collected Works of the Mother – Centenary Edition – Words of the Mother – Vol. 14
7 Sri Aurobindo Birth Centenary Library - > Letters On Yoga Volume-23 - Human Relationships In Yoga, Page 824
8 Collected Works of the Mother – Centenary Edition – Words of the Mother – Vol. 15, Page 56, Oct. 6, 1960
9 Collected Works of the Mother – Centenary Edition – Words of the Mother – Vol. 14, Page 164
10 Sri Aurobindo Birth Centenary Library - > Letters On Yoga Volume-24, Page 1423
11 Collected Works of the Mother – Centenary Edition – Vol. 14, Page 150