Spiritual Power of Healing

June 2017 SRI AUROBINDO SOCIETY VOL 31.06 Singapore Permit No. MCI (P) 071/01/2017 NEWSLETTER Spiritual Power of Healing Opening and Receptivity to the Divine influenceBotanical Name: Petrea VolubilisCommon Name: Purple WreathSpiritual Significance: Spiritual power of Healing The Divine is present in the very atoms of our body. - The Mother A Power within her awed the imperfect flesh; The self-protecting genius in our clay Divined the goddess in the woman’s shape And drew back from a touch beyond its kind, The earth-nature bound in the sense-life’s narrow make. - Savitri, Sri Aurobindo

Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. June 2017. Guiding Light of the Month “I feel as though I have done nothing yet, as though I have not lived the spirituallife, only entered the path that leads to it, it seems to me that I know nothing, that I am incapable of formulating anything, that all experience is yet to begin.” The Mother, ‘Prayers and Meditations’ April 3, 1914 From the Editor’s DeskThis June issue of the Newsletter examines the But it cannot act effectively – or at least not atSpiritual Power of Healing as a follow-up to the once – if the doors are shut against it.”series on Well-Being published in the past twelve The spiritual power of healing and how far it canmonths. In the last issue on Integral Health, we help in the healing process is, as is clear from thelooked at the need in our being, to open above statement, dependent upon the opening oneconsciously, wherever possible and progressively, has to the force. What does an opening entail?all parts of the being to the influence of the Force Spiritual force belongs to one realm of Power, Light,from above. What is this ‘Force’? This Force is a Beauty, Purity and Truth, Love and Bliss. On thehelpful force from realms high above, or other hand, the “opening” is that which has todimensions which we may be able to feel, which manifest in the recipient who has not the force butmay descend or infuse and act on and have an has a need for it to prop him up, heal him and helpeffect on the receiving receptacle according to the him along the journey. The opening therefore callscapacity of its opening and capacity of strength to for an effort on the part of the aspiring individuality.bear the descent of that force of purity and light It has to be willed and not only that, the opening hasfrom above. On the other hand, there is some help to be so perfect that the incoming spiritual force canperhaps in contemplating upon this assurance of do its work perfectly. The opening or receptivityThe Mother too: “The Divine is present in the very rests on several attitude one has to take on andatoms of our body.” Here is a beautiful passage on actualise in oneself; trust and faith perhaps and thatthat which descends from above: too, unconditional. Or at least, the effort to open“In the whole manifestation there is an infinite must be sincere. Here is what Sri Aurobindo writes about the spiritual attitude that would help in theGrace constantly at work to bring the world out ofthe misery, the obscurity and the stupidity in which spiritual force to act in one:it lies. From all time this Grace has been at work, “Even in the ordinary life disquietude andunremitting in its effort, and how many thousands depression create an unhelpful atmosphere for oneof years were necessary for this world to awaken who is ill or in difficulties. Once you are a sadhak,to the need for something greater, more true, more then whether for yourself or to help others for whombeautiful.” you still feel, the true spiritual attitude of reliance onWe perceive that there is a power beyond us, the Divine Will and call for the help from above isabove us, around us that saves, guides and heals. always the best and the most effective course.”The attitude of “receptivity” has been mentioned It appears that the secret of health and healing restsin many of The Mother’s and Sri Aurobindo’s on us too. The onus is on us to aspire ardently forwritings as of paramount importance if one were health and to will an opening to receive the spiritualto benefit from the beneficence pouring from that force to restore harmony and peace where there wasForce. What Sri Aurobindo writes to someone none and collaborate with the Force in its healingcorresponding with him is most revealing as he process.simply states, “All I can do is to send you the Forcethat if received would help you to change yourconditions; it is what I have always done.www.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 2

Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. June 2017. Savitri Our lives are God’s messengers beneath the stars; To dwell under death’s shadow they have come Tempting God’s light to earth for the ignorant race, His Love to fill the hollow in men’s hearts, His bliss to heal the unhappiness of the world. I am the living body of his light, I am the thinking instrument of his power, I incarnate Wisdom in an earthly breast, I am his conquering and unslayable Will. The formless Spirit drew in me its shape; In me are the Nameless and the secret Name. (Book ten, Canto three) Certitude of CureWhen one is normal, that is to say, unspoilt by bad teaching and bad example, when one is born andlives in a healthy and relatively balanced and normal environment, the body, spontaneously, withoutany need for one to intervene mentally or even vitally, has the certitude that even if something goeswrong it will be cured. The body carries within itself the certitude of cure, the certitude that theillness or disorder is sure to disappear. It is only through the false education from the environmentthat gradually the body is taught that there are incurable diseases, irreparable accidents, and that itcan grow old, and all these stories which destroy its faith and trust. But normally, the body of anormal child – the body, I am not speaking of the thought – the body itself feels when somethinggoes wrong that it will certainly be all right again. And if it is not like that, this means that it hasalready been perverted. It seems normal for it to be in good health, it seems quite abnormal to it ifsomething goes wrong and it falls ill; and in its instinct, its spontaneous instinct, it is sure thateverything will be all right. It is only the perversion of thought which destroys this; as one grows upthe thought becomes more and more distorted, there is the whole collective suggestion, and so, littleby little, the body loses its trust in itself, and naturally, losing its self-confidence, it also loses thespontaneous capacity of restoring its equilibrium when this has been disturbed.But if when very young, from your earliest childhood, you have been taught all sorts ofdisappointing, depressing things – things that cause decomposition, I could say, disintegration –then this poor body does its best but it has been perverted, put out of order, and no longer has thesense of its inner strength, its inner force, its power to react.If one takes care not to pervert it, the body carries within itself the certitude of victory. It is only thewrong use we make of thought and its influence on the body which robs it of this certitude of victory.So, the first thing to do is to cultivate this certitude instead of destroying it; and when it is there, noeffort is needed to aspire, but simply a flowering, an unfolding of that inner certitude of victory.The body carries within itself the sense of its divinity. There. This is what you must try to find againin yourself if you have lost it. - The Mother(CWM, Volume 9, Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust, Puducherry)www.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 3

Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. June 2017. Imagination and FaithSweet Mother, what does “a Couéistic optimism” mean?Ah! Coué. You don't know the story of Coué? Coué was a doctor. He used to treat by psychologicaltreatment, auto-suggestion, and he called this the true working of the imagination; and what he definedas imagination was faith. And so he treated all his patients in this way: they had to make a kind ofimaginative formation which consisted in thinking themselves cured or in any case on the way to beingcured, and in repeating this formation to themselves with sufficient persistence for it to have its effect.He had very remarkable results. He cured lots of people; only, he failed also, and perhaps these were notvery lasting cures, I don't know this.But in any case, this made many people reflect on something that's quite true and of capital importance:that the mind is a formative instrument and that if one knows how to use it in the right way, one gets agood result. He observed – and I think it is true, my observation agrees with his – that people spend theirtime thinking wrongly. Their mental activity is almost always half pessimistic, and even half destructive.They are all the time thinking of and foreseeing bad things which may happen, troublesomeconsequences of what they have done, and they construct all kinds of catastrophes with an exuberantimagination which, if it were utilised in the other way, would naturally have opposite and more satisfyingresults.If you observe yourself, if you… how to put it?… if you catch yourself thinking – well, if you do itsuddenly, if you look at yourself thinking all of a sudden, spontaneously, unexpectedly, you will noticethat nine times out of ten you are thinking something troublesome. It is very rarely that you are thinkingabout harmonious, beautiful, constructive, happy things, full of hope, light and joy; you will see, try theexperiment. Suddenly stop and look at yourself thinking, just like that: put a screen in front of yourthought and look at yourself thinking, off-hand, you will see this at least nine times out of ten, andperhaps more. (It is very rarely, very rarely that one has in the whole day, suddenly, a dazzling thoughtabout what is going to happen or the state one is in or the things one wants to do or the course of his lifeor world circumstances – it depends, you see, on your preoccupation). Well, you will see, it is almostalways foreseeing a bigger or smaller, more or less vast catastrophe.Say you have the slightest thing that is not getting on quite well; if you think of your body, it is alwaysthat something unpleasant is going to happen to it – because when everything goes well, you don't thinkabout it ! You will notice this: that you act, you do all that you have to do, without having a singlethought about your body, and when all of a sudden you wonder whether there isn't anything that's goingwrong, whether there is some uneasiness or a difficulty, something, then you begin to think of your bodyand you think about it with anxiety and begin to make your disastrous constructions.Whereas Coué recommended… It was in this way that he cured his patients; he was a doctor, he toldthem, “You are going to repeat to yourself: ‘I am being cured, gradually I am getting cured' and again,you see, ‘I am strong, I am quite healthy and I can do this, I can do that’.”I knew someone who was losing her hair disastrously, by handfuls. She was made to try this method.When combing her hair she made herself think, “My hair will not fall out.” The first and second time itdid not work, but she continued and each time before combing the hair she used to repeat with insistence,“I am going to comb my hair but it won’t fall out.” And within a month her hair stopped falling. Latershe again continued thinking, “Now my hair will grow.” And she succeeded so well that I saw her witha magnificent head of hair, and it was she herself who told me this, that this was what she had done afterbeing on the point of becoming bald. It is very, very effective. Only, while one is making the formation,another part of the mind must not say, “Oh, I am making a formation and it is not going to be successful”,because in this way you undo your own work.(CWM, Volume 7, Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust, Puducherry)www.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 4

Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. June 2017. Widen OneselfSweet Mother, how can we make our consciousness vast?Vast? Ah, there are many ways of doing this.The easiest way is to identify yourself with something vast. For instance, when you feel that you are shut upin a completely narrow and limited thought, will, consciousness, when you feel as though you were in a shell,then if you begin thinking about something very vast, as for example, the immensity of the waters of anocean, and if really you can think of this ocean and how it stretches out far, far, far, far, in all directions, likethis (Mother stretches out her arms), how, compared with you, it is so far, so far that you cannot see the othershore, you cannot reach its end anywhere, neither behind nor in front nor to the right or left... it is wide,wide, wide, wide... you think of this and then you feel that you are floating on this sea, like that, and thatthere are no limits... This is very easy. Then you can widen your consciousness a little.Other people, for example, begin looking at the sky; and then they imagine all those spaces between all thosestars, and all... that kind of infinity of spaces in which the earth is a tiny point, and you too are just a verytiny point, smaller than an ant, on the earth. And so you look at the sky and feel that you are floating in theseinfinite spaces between the planets, and that you are growing vaster and vaster to go farther and farther. Somepeople succeed with this.There is a way also by trying to identify yourself with all things upon earth. For example, when you have asmall narrow vision of something and are hurt by others' vision and point of view, you must begin by shiftingyour consciousness, try to put it in others, and try gradually to identify yourself with all the different ways ofthinking of all others. This is a little more ... how shall I put it?... dangerous. Because to identify oneself withthe thought and will of others means to identify oneself with a heap of stupidities (Mother laughs) and badwills, and this may bring consequences which are not very good. But still, some people do this more easily.For instance, when they are in disagreement with someone, in order to widen their consciousness they try toput themselves in the place of the other and see the thing not from their own point of view but from the pointof view of the other. This wide the consciousness, though not as much as by the first ways I spoke about,which are quite innocent. They don't do you any harm, they do you much good. They make you very peaceful.There are lots of intellectual ways of widening the consciousness. These I have explained fully in my book.But in any case, when you are bored by something, when something is painful to you or very unpleasant, ifyou begin to think of the eternity of time and the immensity of space, if you think of all that has gone beforeand all that will come afterwards, and that this second in eternity is truly just a passing breath, and that itseems so utterly ridiculous to be upset by something which in the eternity of time is... one doesn't even havethe time to become aware of it, it has no place, no importance, because, what indeed is a second in eternity?If one can manage to realise that, to... how to put it?... visualise, picture the little person one is, in the littleearth where one is, and the tiny second of consciousness which for the moment is hurting you or is unpleasantfor you, just this – which in itself is only a second in your existence, and that you yourself have been manythings before and will be many more things afterwards, that what affects you now you will have probablycompletely forgotten in ten years, or if you remember it you will say, “How did I happen to attach anyimportance to that?”... if you can realise that first and then realise your little person which is a second ineternity, not even a second, you know, imperceptible, a fragment of a second in eternity, that the whole worldhas unrolled before this and will unroll yet, indefinitely – before, behind – and that... well, then suddenly yousee the utter ridiculousness of the importance you attach to what happened to you... Truly you feel... to whatan extent it is absurd to attach any importance to one's life, to oneself, and to what happen to you. And in thespace of three minutes, if you do this properly, all unpleasantness is swept away. Even a very deep pain canbe swept away. Simply a concentration like this, and to place oneself in infinity and eternity. Everything goesaway. One comes out of it cleansed. One can get rid of all attachments and even, I say, of the deepest sorrows– of everything, in this way – if one knows how to do it in the right way. It immediately takes you out of yourlittle ego. There we are.(CWM, Volume 6, Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust, Puducherry)www.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 5

Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. June 2017. The Power of ThoughtThe power of thought on the body is tremendous! You cannot imagine how tremendous it is. Evena subconscious or sometimes unconscious thought acts and provokes fantastic results! ... I've studiedthis. I've been studying it in detail for the last two years - it's incredible! If I had the time one day toexplain all this, it would be interesting.Even tiny, the tiniest mental or vital reactions - so tiny that to our ordinary consciousness they don'tappear to have the least importance - act upon the body's cells and can create disorders ... You see,when you observe carefully, you suddenly become aware of a very slight uneasiness, a mere nothing(when you're busy, you don't even notice it), and then if you follow this uneasiness to see what it is,you perceive that it comes from something quite imperceptible and 'insignificant' to our activeconsciousness - but it's enough to create an uneasy feeling in the body.Which is why - unless you are intentionally and constantly in what here is called the Brahmicconsciousness - it is practically impossible to control. And this is what gives the impression ofcertain things happening in the body independently of ... not only of our will but of ourconsciousness - But it is not trueOnly, there is all that comes from outside - that's what is most dangerous. Constantly, constantly -when you eat, you catch it ... oh, what a mass of vibrations! The vibrations of the thing you eat whenit was living (they always remain), the vibrations of the person who cooked it, vibrations of ... Allthe time, all the time, they never stop - you breathe, they enter. Of course, when you start talking tosomeone or mixing with people, then you become a bit more conscious of what is coming, but evenjust sitting still, uninvolved with others - it comes! There is an almost total interdependence -isolation is an illusion. By reinforcing your own atmosphere (Mother gestures, as if building a wallaround her), you can hold these things off to a certain extent, but simply this effort to keep them ata distance creates (I'm thinking in English and speaking in French) ... disturbances.' Anyway, nowall this has been seen.(Agenda, Volume 01, Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust, Puducherry) Krishna’s Integral Play All the parts of the being respond to His influence. The mind, the life and the body must become and live what the Soul knows and is. - The Motherwww.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 6

Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. June 2017. At last I find a meaning of soul’s birth Into this universe terrible and sweet, I who have felt the hungry heart of earth Aspiring beyond heaven to Krishna’s feet. I have seen the beauty of immortal eyes, And heard the passion of the Lover’s flute, And known a deathless ecstasy’s surprise And sorrow in my heart for ever mute. Nearer and nearer now the music draws, Life shudders with a strange felicity; All Nature is a wide enamoured pause Hoping her lord to touch, to clasp, to be. For this one moment lived the ages past; - Sri Aurobindo The world now throbs fulfilled in me at last.(SABCL, Volume 5, Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust, Puducherry) Shrine of Mother’s Love Advancing amid tall heaven-pillaring trees, Sri Aurobindo, Savitri Apparelled in her flickering-coloured robe, She seemed burning towards the eternal realms A bright moved torch of incense and of flame That from the sky-roofed temple-soil of earth A pilgrim hand lifts in an invisible shrine. -(The above picture is a painting by Sandhya of the Shrine at Sri Aurobindo Ashram - Delhi Branch)www.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 7

Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. June 2017. May - June Sunday Activities at the Centre - A glimpseApril 16th – Secrets of the Veda, facilitated by Sri Krishnamurthy:Based on Sri Aurobindo’s commentary on the verses in Mandala 1, Sukta 4, a recap was done on:• How the ancient Vedic seers went about to establish perfection in each of their psychological realms and to establish harmony between various realms.• Their realization, that the above cannot be achieved without the active collaboration with several cosmic gods.• Importance of Indra - the ‘Lord of Mind &Intelligence’ to help seeker’s spiritual progress by preventing attacks from dark forces like Vritra, Vala, Panis etc.• Summary of the message conveyed by Verses 1 to 3 – Indra § as the ‘Fashioner of right or perfect forms’, § accepting the Soma drink and showering the rays of consciousness on the seeker § being requested not to transcend beyond the limited capacity of the seeker’s vision.Covered in detail the Verses 4 to 6 – containing Sri Aurobindo’s translation, commentary, as also word forword meaning of the verses. • Verse 4: Seeker seeing the spiritual progress of his comrades requests Indra to further his own. • Verse 5: Here are described that suits towards which the seeker aspires. With fuller Light opening, the dark powers of Limitation will be satisfied and themselves withdraw. • Verse 6: The seeker is appealing to the fighters to affirm that their task is completed by the fullness of human bliss accomplished. With this the soul shall rest in the peace of Indra.April 24th – The Mother’s final arrival in Pondicherry, Darshan DayThe program started off with Meditation music and reading of prayers.Some passages from the Book, Sri Aurobindo, THE MOTHER with Letters on The Mother was read.April 2017 Darshan Day message was read and as follows:“The Mother guides helps each according to his nature and need and where necessary, herself intervenes withher Power enabling the sadhak to withstand the rigours and demands of the Path.She has placed herself-with all the Love, Peace, Knowledge and consciousness that she is at the disposal ofevery aspiring soul that looks for help”. - Sri AurobindoApril 30th - Prayer meeting in memory of our late senior member Mr DhanaMr. Dhana (Mr. Dhanabalasingham son of Mr. Vallipuram Sinnathamby) who passed away on Tuesday,28/02/2017 in Singapore.It was a very touching session when Ms Dhana, Mr Sashilal Kashyap, Mr KV Rao, Mr Ramanathan andShanthi, daughter of Mr and Ms Dhana recollected how wonderful a person Mr Dhana was. He was a rolemodel for every one of us, in living a disciplined and time conscious daily routine. He was a great enthusiasticplayer of golf, cycling and hiking. Today we the members of Sri Aurobindo Society enjoy the Morning walksof every first Sunday of the month because of his initiative and strengthening the course to the core!Ms Dhana read the favourite prayer of Mr Dhana. From Prayers and Meditations, it is a very beautiful prayerdated February 15,1914.May 7th – Readings from AIM Magazine: Read a few passages from April 2017, All India MagazineThe Two Who are One, The first page has lines from Savitri , page 61-63. This issue revolves around thecentral truths of Sri Aurobindo’s yoga.www.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 8

Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. June 2017.There are Two who are One and play in many worlds;The Supreme Reality, the Divine is One. But for purposes of manifestation, the Wonder-Plan of Delight, theOne becomes the Two. It takes one poise as the Existent and another poise as Consciousness. They are notreally two different realities but the same Reality in two self-aspects who exists; . This biune reality is thedynamic basis of all manifestation; it reproduces itself at different levels of creation as Brahman-Maya,Ishwara- Shakti, Purusha-Prakriti. All World-play is a working out of their respective relations.The Two, the Being and the Power, carry their interplay through all the states of existence, in all conditionsof the manifestation. Also, one presides from his status in Knowledge while the other functions in thelimitations of Ignorance; the interaction of the two works, out the evolution of the world from the obscuritiesof Matter to the luminosities of the Spirit. Our pleasure and pain are their wrestle and embrace, Our deeds, our hopes are intimate to their tale; They are married secretly in our thought and life. The universe is an endless masquerade: For nothing here is utterly what it seems,What is seen in this universe is not the whole truth of it. All is a surface appearance of what truly existsbehind the veil of apparent form. What is observed by the physical eye, what is experienced by the physicalsenses, is not.The world-play is enacted by Kali, the Shakti, in the form of a Cosmic Dance, a gigantic whirl of her Energies.For this creative display of her powers, Shiva, the static partner, provides the stage on his immovable body.His willing person is the ground on which her feet stamp the steps. He supports the world-dance with his willof assent.This Dance of Kali is enacted not only on the universal stage, but also on the stage of each individual life.Each one is able to withstand the pressure of her movement because of the strength of Shiva that isindividuated in him and supports the corresponding kinesis. And in spite of all its stresses, none is willing towithdraw from the play because each tastes something of the bliss that the Shiva within derives from it.Source: Collected Works of Sri Aurobindo.Note: The Editorial passage says that Sri Aurobindo clearly and categorically stated that not only there is nodifference between The Mother’s consciousness and His consciousness but revealed that one of thefundamental steps in His Integral Yoga is to open to the Mother and take refuge in Her.May 14th – Talk on “General Overview of Indian scriptures through ages - in the Light of SriAurobindo”, by SundariThe talk began by showing a confession from Sri Aurobindo, as follows:\"When I approached God at that time, I hardly had a living faith in Him. The agnostic was in me, the atheistwas in me, the sceptic was in me and I was not absolutely sure that there was a God at all. I did not feel Hispresence. Yet something drew me to the truth of the Vedas, the truth of the Gita, the truth of the Hindureligion. I felt there must be a mighty Truth somewhere in this Yoga, a mighty Truth in this religion based on Vedanta” Sri Aurobindo”.The following points were sequentially covered during the entire session:• Hinduism as “Law of Life”. The most sceptical and the most believing too. While it has been greatly questioned and experimented, it has given the deepest experience of positive spiritual knowledge too.• “Bharatiya Scriptures” - A chart was shown covering Sections of Vedas, Upanishads, Vedanagas, Upavedas, Smritis, Darshan Shastras, Puranas, Itihasas and Gita.• “Major classifications” – like Shruti, Smriti, Samhitas and Shastras.www.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 9

Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. June 2017. • “Literary Structures” – as elaborated by Sri Aurobindo in SABCL Vol 10, The Secret of the Veda – page 501. • “Difference between Vedas & Upanishads” – the types and what each contains. • “Vedangas – Like Shiksha, Kalpa, Vyakarana, Nirukta Or Nighantu, Chandas, Jyotisha • “Six Darshanas” – Like Poorva Mimamsa, Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Sankhya, Yoga • Talk ending with mention of Tantra & Dharma Shastras, Major Puranas and Bhagavad Gita.May 21st - The Secret of the Veda session:A quick overview was done of the main message conveyed in verses 1 to 6 (of Mandla 1, Sukta 4). Thenrest of the verses (7 to 10) were explained in detail – covering, Sri Aurobindo’s translation / commentary,and word for word meaning of the verses given by Sri Kapalli Shastry / M.P.Pandit.• Verse 7: Here the emphasis is on Rishi Madhucchandas’ intent in making the ‘Divine Ananda’ (that is poured out earlier) to be made swift and intense in the system and to be offered back to Indra for the support of his intensities further. It is the profound joy manifest in the inner sensations that gives the ecstasy by which the man or the God grows strong.• Verse 8: Due to Indra’s continued support, the ‘Divine Mind’ in the Rishi gained strength leading to the destruction of all that opposed, as ‘Coverers or Beseigers’. Also this gave protection to the possessions already won in past battles from ‘Atris & Dasyus’ -devourers & plunderers.• Verse 9: Though the Rishi’s 'intelligence’ has already become rich and variously stored, he seeks to increase its force of abundance yet more – in order to remove the ‘Restrainers’ as well as the ‘Vritras’. This way full and assured possession of the riches can be maintained.• Verse 10: In this concluding verse, the Rishi praises Indra as ‘a continent of bliss in his vastness’ and ‘the friend of the Soma’ to whom one should rise the chant. Also this ‘Divine Light’ obtained in its entire greatness – free from limitation – befriends the human soul and carries it safe through the battle, to the absolute end of its march – ‘the summit of its aspiration’.• Thus ends Madala 1 Sukta 4. - Jayalakshmi PROGRAMME FOR THE MONTH OF JUNE 2017 DATE TIME DETAILS4th June 2017 8:00 AM Monthly Morning Walk* Sunday4th June 2017 Reading from AIM Magazine Sunday 6:00 PM Musical Offering of Devotional Songs by Padmini11th June 2017 6:00 PM Chandrashekhar and Daughter Lakshmi Sunday18th June 2017 An Introduction to ‘Awareness through the Body’ Sunday 6:00 PM Savitri – An unending Journey25th June 2017 6:00 PM Sunday* Please see below for details.www.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 10

Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. June 2017. June 2017 MORNING WALK – NO. 382Date: Sunday, 4th June 2017Time: 8:00 A.M. sharp for warm up exerciseWalk Venue: East Coast ParkMeeting Point: Car Park E1 along East Coast Park Service Road. Please see map below for directions. Car Park is marked ①Contact No: Mr S.Ramanathan (9138 5130)Directions to Drivingthe walk venue: Take East Coast Park Service Road and look for Car Park E1. Bus: Numbers 31,43,47, 48, 55,155, 196,197,853C. Alight at Marine Parade Road near Siglap MRT under construction. Walk via Siglap Link to reach underpass behind Laguna Park Condominium -> cross the underpass to reach Car Park E1Hosts: Mr. Anand and Vrunda Patel Block 3, Tanah Merah Kechil Road, # 02-05, The Tanah Merah, Singapore 466664 (very near Tanah Merah MRT Station) Email id: [email protected] HP: 98307621 (Anand) 98206389 (Vrunda)Note: All are encouraged to attend the Walk. Those, however, who are not able to join the Walk,the hosts would be very happy that they directly come and join in the brunch by 10:15 AM. Prayersand meditation will commence sharp at 10.30 A.M. All are requested to be punctual.www.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 11

Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. June 2017.PREVIEW OF FORTHCOMING SUNDAY MORNING WALKSWALK NO DATE PLACE HOST 383 02/07/2017 Pasir Ris Park Mr Sanjay Mehta and Family384 06/08/2017 Macritchie Reservoir Mr K.V. Rao and Family385 03/09/2017 TBA Mr. Arjun Madan386 01/10/2017 Gardens by the Bay Mr Shashi Lal Kashyap & Family387 05/11/2017 TBA Mr Kiranchandra Vasant Sule and Family Along the Way… May 2017 Walk ReviewI have never really associated myself as being a morning person but all that changed after the birth of mydaughter Anushna. After we moved to Singapore now almost 4 years back, we regularly attended the monthlybrunches but less so the walks. After Anushna came of a young age of 8 months or so, we made it a point toattend the center walks as a way of exposing Anushna to the beauty of Nature and to breathe in some freshair. In turn it was also a good way for us, her parents to stay fit. As we started to become regular members,Mr Ramanathan caught on me for writing my experience for this month’s May newsletter which is quite aspecial month. For the past 3 years, my parents have always been with us during this month as it is summerholidays in India. As they are also well acquainted with the hosts late Patel Uncle, and his family, my parentstogether with my family here makes it an even more memorable day.We promptly started the walk from the host's residence which has an underpass that connects us directly tothe East Coast Park. It was a beautiful morning; sunny but not hot with an occasional cloud cover and freshsea breeze. Anushna was excited and energetic. We constantly ensured to show her everything around: thetrees, the sea, the sand, people cycling and walking. After her initial enthusiasm, her sleep caught on with herand she dozed off. We continued along. My mother then made a remark on the numerable ships that weredotting the blue and we both reminisced about how when each of us were much younger during our schooldays at the Ashram school in Pondicherry, spotting even one ship was such an excitement and thrill for us.And now, it was next to impossible to keep count of these vessels as Singapore boasts of being one of thebusiest harbours in the world. Before we could realise, it was time to make our way back to the host’s house.A bit tired and expectant of a good meal ahead, the Patels menu and spread of dishes did complete justice.Even Anushna had a good fill and she enjoyed picking on the grape fruits. She mingled in a friendly mannerwith everyone.After thanking the hosts profusely, we made our way back home. I felt good and was really glad that I hadmade the effort to wake up early to attend this walk and am hopeful for continuing to do so for the manymore occasions that come. - Auropriya Reddy Printed and Published by The Sri Aurobindo Society of Singapore 2A Starlight Road 01-07, Singapore 217755.Saurab: 86559940 or [email protected]; Sanjay: 98750767 or [email protected]; Email: [email protected] Visit our website at: www.sriaurobindosociety.org.sgwww.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 12