Glossary of Philosophical and Psychological Terms The definitions of the terms below are based upon the writings of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. ADHAR. Support, receptacle; the mental-vital- physical system as a vessel in which the consciousness is contained. ADITI. The Divine Mother; the divine consciousness; the indivisible consciousness, force and Ananda of the Supreme. AGNI. Fire; the godhead of fire; the fire of aspiration, purification, Tapasya, transformation. AJNA CHAKRA. The centre of consciousness between the eyebrows which governs the dynamic mind, will, vision, mental formation. ANANDA. Deligh

Chapter 5 Road to the Divine Reveal, who know, the road that I must tread ... SRI AUROBINDO What I call "being on the path" is being in a state of consciousness in which only union with the Divine has any value - this union is the only thing worth living, the sole object of aspiration. Everything else has lost all value and is not worth seeking, so there is no longer any question of renouncing it because it is no longer an object of desire. As long as union with the Divine is not the thing for which one lives, one is not yet on the path. THE MOTHER It is true that the path is very long, but for one who follows it with sincerity, it is

Chapter 7 Spiritual Attainments If mankind could but see though in a glimpse of fleeting experience what infinite enjoyments, what perfect forces, what luminous reaches of spontaneous knowledge, what wide calms of our being lie waiting for us in the tracts which our animal evolution has not yet conquered, they would leave all and never rest till they had gained these treasures. But the way is narrow, the doors are hard to force, and fear, distrust and scepticism are there, sentinels of Nature, to forbid the turning away of our feet from her ordinary pastures. SRI AUROBINDO Spirituality is in its essence an awakening to the inner reality of our

Chapter 6 Bases of Spiritual Life The earliest preoccupation of man in his awakened thoughts and, as it seems, his inevitable and ultimate preoccupation ... is also the highest which his thought can envisage. It manifests itself in the divination of Godhead, the impulse towards perfection, the search after pure Truth and unmixed Bliss, the sense of a secret immortality. The ancient dawns of human knowledge have left us their witness to this constant aspiration; today we see a humanity satiated but not satisfied by victorious analysis of the externalities of Nature preparing to return to its primeval longings. The earliest formula of Wisdom promises to be its last,

-01_Publisher's Note.htm THE MOTHER The Spiritual Significance of Flowers Part I Test and Photograph Publisher s Note "Flowers speak to us when we know how to listen to them," the Mother said. "It is a subtle and fragrant language." As if to provide a key to this language, she identified the significances of almost nine hundred flowers. In this book, these flowers and their meanings are presented in -the light of her vision and experience. The book consists of two separately bound parts. Part 1, the text and photographs, is arranged thematically on the basis of the Mother's flower-significances. In each of the twelve chapters, flowers of related significance are

Index of Botanical Names The numbers below refer to the numbers of the flowers as they are arranged in Part 1. A Abelmoschus esculentus 702 Abutilon indicum 37 Abutilon Xhybridum 36, 38 Acacia auriculiformis 247 Acacia farnesiana 453 Acacia leucophloea 454 Acalypha 221 Acalypha godseffiana 225 Acalypha hispida 224 Acalypha wilkesiana 223 Acalypha wilkesiana 'Godseffiana 222 Acanthus ilicifolius 418 Acanthus montanus 773 Acer 120 Achimenes grandiflora 745 Acidanthera bicolor, see 731 Aegle marmelos 139 Aerva tomentosa 122 Aganosma roxburghii 860 Ager

Chapter 2 The Divine The Divine is that from which all comes, in which all lives, and to return to the truth of the Divine now clouded over by Ignorance is the soul's aim in life. In its supreme Truth, the Divine is absolute and infinite peace, consciousness, existence, power and Ananda. SRI AUROBINDO The Divine has three aspects for us: 1. It is the Cosmic Self and Spirit that is in and behind all things and beings, from which and in which all is manifested in the universe - although it is now a manifestation in the Ignorance. 2. It is the Spirit and Master of our own being within us whom we have to serve and learn to express his will in a

Glossary of Botanical Terms The botanical terms below are those that occur in the Descriptions of the Flowers. ADVENTITIOUS. Of organs or tissues developing in an abnormal position, e.g. roots developing from stems. ANNUAL. A plant that completes its entire life cycle in one year. ANTHER. The pollen bearing organ of a flower. AQUATICS. Plants that grow naturally in water (usually fresh water), either rooted in soil or free-floating. AURA. A ringlike area of colour that surrounds the centre of a flower. AXIL. The angle that a leaf or flower makes with the stem or branch that bears it. AXILLARY. Situated in or gro

The Spiritual Significance of Flower The Mother Part II Indexes, Glossaries and Description Publishers Note This reference volume contains indexes, glossaries, descriptions of the flowers and other information. There are three indexes giving the location of the flowers in Part 1: an Index of the Mother's Significances, an Index of Botanical Names and an Index of Common Names. The user should note that in all these indexes the reference numbers are those of the flowers as they are arranged in Part 1, not the page numbers of the book. Two glossaries explain technical terms used in the book. A Glossary of Botanical Terms define

Chapter 3 The New Creation The really new thing is that a new world is born, born, born. It is not the old one transforming itself, it is a new world that is born. And we are right in the midst of this period of transition where the two are entangled — where the old still persists all-powerful, entirely dominating the ordinary consciousness, but where the new one is quietly slipping in, still very modest, unnoticed — unnoticed to the extent that outwardly it doesn't disturb anything very much for the time being, and in the consciousness of most people it is even quite imperceptible. And yet it is working, it is growing — until the time comes when it will be strong