Spring 2013 Journal of the Integral Yoga of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother Vol. 38, No. 1 Zackaria Moursi: Preparing for the winter journey • Ritam: The New World • Beloo Mehra: Search for a group-soul: The case of Indian-Americans • Ruth Lamb: Individuation: Activating the four powers • Richard Pearson: On the passing away of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother • Pravir Malik: Personal transformation and power • Current affairs • AV almanac • Source material • Poetry • AproposSpring 2013 Collaboration • 1 About the cover Title: Psychic joy in the U.N. This is a greyscale reproduction of a color painting (pencils with Table of contents Collaboration, vol. 38, no. 1, Spring 2013 watercolor) by Mirajyoti ([email protected]. in) who has lived in Auroville since 1989 and formerly lived in the Sri Aurobindo Ashram. It is part of a collection in soft pastels which has been set to music on a DVD which is avail- From the office ofCollaboration able from the artist ([email protected]). Mirajyoti is also an editor and she coedited the Notes on this issue ............................................................Larry Seidlitz 3 popular book The Hierarchy of Minds with Prem Sobel, among other works. Current affairs The authors and poets New study guides and e-books .................................. Santosh Krinsky 4 Mandakini Gupta is a newcomer Aurovilian Matagiri news ...................................................................... Julian Lines 4 who is on the editoral staff of Auroville Today. She Savitri Immersion at Lodi .................................................Lucie Seidlitz 4 may be reached at: [email protected]. Kailas Jhaveri is a long-time resident of the Sri FWE reaches milestone ................................................... Jerry Schwartz 4 Aurobindo Ashram. She has written an account of her life in two volumes of “I am with you.” Ruth Lamb, R.N., Ph.D. (amaruthama@ya- hoo.ca) coordinates the Advanced Integrative Ener- AV almanac gy Healing Program at Langara College, Vancouver. Developing entrepreneurs ....................... Interview of Chandresh Patel She is also an author and health care professional. Julian Lines ([email protected]) is presi- ..............................................................................by Larry Seidlitz 5 dent of Matagiri Sri Aurobindo Center and serves The Change-maker ..........Interview of Gijs Spoor by Mandakini Gupta 7 on the International Advisory Council of Auroville. Pravir Malik ([email protected])is an Organizational Development and Change Man- Chronicles agement leader and consultant. He is an author and Preparing for the winter journey ................................ Zackaria Moursi 9 works with the Stanford University Medical Center. Beloo Mehra ([email protected]), original- The New World ............................................................................. Ritam 15 ly from Delhi, lived in the US for 14 years and then returned to India where she works at Sri Aurobindo Essays Centre for Advanced Research in Puducherry. Zackaria Moursi ([email protected]) ressides Search for a group-soul: The case of Indian-Americans ..Beloo Mehra 19 at the Sri Aurobindo Sadhana Peetham ashram in Individuation: Activating the four powers ............................Ruth Lamb 25 Lodi, CA. He has started to translate some of Sri Au- On the passing away of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother ..Richard Pearson 28 robindo’s and the Mother’s writings into Arabic. Richard Pearson, a member of the Sri Auro- Personal transformation and power ....................................Pravir Malik 29 bindo Ashram since childhood, is an expert on flowers and plants, and a contributor to the book Flowers and Source material Their Messages ([email protected]). Ritam ([email protected]) is a Russian photogra- Reality and the Integral Knowledge ................................ Sri Aurobindo 30 pher, poet, and translator of Sri Aurobindo’s and the The divine Presence .............................................................The Mother 31 Mother’s works. He shares the story of his spiritual journey and work in this issue. Angelo Salerno ([email protected]) re- The poetry room sides at the Sri Aurobindo Sadhana Peetham ashram in Lodi, CA. He works in the ashram’s Ayurvedic busi- From Savitri ..................................................................... Sri Aurobindo 33 ness, Auromere, is a gardener, and writes poetry. The fane of the Himalayas ............................................................ Ritam 33 Jerry Schwartz ([email protected]) is the treas- To the spiritual muse ..................................................................... Ritam 34 urer for the Foundation of World Education and has served on its board for many years. Touch of the Lord ...........................................................Angelo Salerno 34 Larry Seidlitz ([email protected]) resides in A prayer and an answer .................................................... Kailas Jhaveri 35 Puducherry and works as an editor for Collaboration, Auroville Today, and on books related to Integral Yoga. Lucie Seidlitz ([email protected]) is associ- Apropos ............................................................................................... 36 ated with Sri Aurobindo Sadhana Peetham in Lodi, CA. She is an associate for Collaboration and also volunteers for Auroville-International USA. 2 • Collaboration Spring 2013 From the office of Collaboration The Photographers We have included in this issue several photos from Ritam’s exhibition at the Sri Aurobindo n this issue we have a quite a large assortment of articles. In our Current Affairs sec- Ashram which was entitled “The Beauty of In- tion, we bring news from several of our US centers. This is followed by AV Almanac, dia,” and featured panoramic views the Hima- which includes two articles which are based on interviews with two dynamic Auro- layas, as well as close-up shots of flowers and butterflies. Admittedly, these small greyscale Ivilians—Chandresh Patel, who lived in the US for many years, and Gijs Spoor from the reproductions do not do justice to the large, Netherlands. Both are creative entrepreneurs seeking to develop sustainable business exquisitely colored photogtaphs in the exhibit. activities in Auroville. Please see his website for color reproductions We follow with two feature articles in our Chronicles section. The first is by Zacka- of his photographs: http://www.savitri.su/ ria Moursi, an Egyptian by birth who has also lived in Auroville, Germany, and the US, and now resides at the Sri Aurobindo Sadhana Peetham in Lodi, CA. In this series of Publisher: Collaboration (ISSN 0164-1522) vignettes from his life he reviews the significant events through which he was being is published by the Sri Aurobindo Association guided in his spiritual development, with a theme, he says, “of love, and how it can be (SAA), a California nonprofit religious corpora- transformed from the merely human into a more divine form.” The second chronicle tion, 2715 W. Kettleman Lane, suite 203-174, Lodi is by Ritam, a talented Russian nature photographer, poet, and translator of Sri Auro- CA 95242 USA; e-mail: [email protected]. Editor: Larry Seidlitz, 39 Vanniar St., Vaithi- bindo’s and the Mother’s works, who is a regular visitor to the Ashram in Pondicherry. In kuppam, Puducherry 605101 India; email: lse- this article he writes of his spiritual journey, his work, and their interconnection. [email protected]. The opinions expressed in Col- In our Essays section, we have a deep and introspective analysis by Beloo Mehra laboration are not necessarily those of the editor about the Indian-American identity, and of Indian-Americans’ search for their group- or the SAA. soul. Beloo, who is from Delhi, lived in the US for 14 years before returning to India Copyrights: Copyright © SAA, 2013. Pho- tos of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, passages to reside in Pondicherry, where I have been fortunate to have her as a colleague for the from their works, and excerpts from the books last five years. Here she examines her subject in the light of her own observations and published by the Sri Auro bindo Ashram Trust are experiences, as well as in the light of Sri Aurobindo’s writings. © Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust unless otherwise We next feature an interesting essay by Ruth Lamb on the process of individuation, noted, and are used here with the kind permission which she defines as “moving beyond ego,” but requires as its foundation the develop- of the Ashram. Subscriptions: Send requests to: 2715 W. ment and integration of the ego until the point is reached when it can be transcended. In Kettleman Lane, suite 203-174, Lodi CA 95242 this chapter from her recent book, Human Becoming: A Guide to Soul-Centered Living, USA, or call Auromere (209-339-3710 ext. 2) with Ruth focuses on the development of four powers of the nature: knowledge and intel- your credit card information; A one-year subscrip- ligence, force and strength, harmony and adaptation, and work and service. She also tion (three issues) is $25 ($35 for airmail outside discusses the inner being and the witness consciousness and their importance in mov- the USA; a patron subscription is $50 or more). For India residents, send requests along with Rs. ing beyond the ego. Her work is squarely based on Sri Aurobindo’s spiritual psychology. 200 in the name of Larry Seidlitz to: Larry Seidlitz, We follow these with two shorter essays. The first is by Richard Pearson, who has 39 Vanniar