http://feeds.feedburner.com/SelfgrowthcomArticlesForConsciousnessAndAwareness The #1 Self Improvement Site On The Web, as Ranked by Google and Yahoo en https://selfgrowth.com/articles/ghosts-their-existence-and-their-interaction-with-living-human-beings <!--7809d7e227d74f2cb6edb1ca2739d10d-->The experience of ghosts, spectres, poltergeists, apparitions and spirits has haunted human existence since time immemorial. We can find references to these beings, if we can call them that, throughout the world. The ancient Greeks referred to them as shades who maintained more or less the form ... santoshk@msn.com Sun, 26 Jul 2026 8:07:52 pm https://selfgrowth.com/articles/the-soul-does-not-suffer-in-the-process-of-rebirth <!--7809d7e227d74f2cb6edb1ca2739d10d-->We generally evaluate situations from our external standpoint. We see the pain of labor during childbirth, and we extrapolate from that a similar pain for the child being born. We create scenarios of a fetus, peacefully growing within the mother’s womb, receive comfort, warmth and sustenance ... santoshk@msn.com Sat, 25 Jul 2026 4:17:27 pm https://selfgrowth.com/articles/timing-of-the-psychic-being-entering-into-the-human-individual <!--7809d7e227d74f2cb6edb1ca2739d10d-->We expect Nature to follow our rigid mental rules, but our observation of Nature is that it creates abundance through a profuse variation and wild abandon that seems disorderly to our minds. While there are general principles that govern each type of being or formation, they allow variations in ... santoshk@msn.com Fri, 24 Jul 2026 9:30:18 pm https://selfgrowth.com/articles/the-meaning-behind-the-process-of-rebirth <!--7809d7e227d74f2cb6edb1ca2739d10d-->The idea of a reward or a punishment after death for the actions in a particular lifetime is ingrained in the thinking of most people. Whether it takes the form of a residence in heaven, or hell, or it takes the form of some kind of karmic consequence that follows an individual soul across ... santoshk@msn.com Thu, 23 Jul 2026 10:11:54 pm https://selfgrowth.com/articles/the-soul-and-the-process-of-taking-a-new-birth <!--7809d7e227d74f2cb6edb1ca2739d10d-->Some people believe that the soul enters the body at the time of birth; others at the time of conception; others at some later stage after the body has had some time to develop after the birth has occurred. This leads to serious arguments and even policy decisions about contraception, abortion, ... santoshk@msn.com Wed, 22 Jul 2026 7:56:31 pm https://selfgrowth.com/articles/the-psychic-being-and-the-phenomenon-of-avatars-vibhutis-and-emanations <!--7809d7e227d74f2cb6edb1ca2739d10d-->The psychic world is defined as an interlude during which the psychic being, in a timeless status, assimilates the experience of the past life as it prepares for taking a new birth in the world. By definition it is not involved with activity in the world or with any particular human soul. The ... santoshk@msn.com Tue, 21 Jul 2026 7:01:44 pm https://selfgrowth.com/articles/the-psychic-being-has-periods-of-assimilation-between-successive-incarnations <!--7809d7e227d74f2cb6edb1ca2739d10d-->The entire process of conscious evolution involves periods of ascent, outreach, growth and development, followed by periods of rest and assimilation when the fruits of the former efforts are allowed to settle in the being and provide a basis for the next stage of development. All through ... santoshk@msn.com Mon, 20 Jul 2026 6:46:27 pm https://selfgrowth.com/articles/nirvana-and-the-paths-of-return-to-the-life-in-the-world <!--7809d7e227d74f2cb6edb1ca2739d10d-->The Buddhist tradition describes a path that leads to complete liberation from the world, which is called Nirvana. They describe crossing the ocean of Samsara (the illusions of the external life and its enticements, and rewards) to achieve final exit from this world. This is different than ... santoshk@msn.com Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:01:05 am https://selfgrowth.com/articles/the-psychic-being-and-the-interlude-between-death-and-rebirth <!--7809d7e227d74f2cb6edb1ca2739d10d-->The Tibetan Book of the Dead describes the progression from death, through an intermediate realm called the bardo and the eventual liberation, or alternatively, the choosing of a new birth. For those who are awake and conscious or who follow the directions and guidance provided by the text, an ... santoshk@msn.com Sat, 18 Jul 2026 11:30:19 pm https://selfgrowth.com/articles/the-occult-mechanisms-behind-birth-and-death-0 <!--7809d7e227d74f2cb6edb1ca2739d10d-->From the viewpoint of the external being, we see a physical process of birth and death. With deeper investigation, we then identify processes and encoded information in the genetic code that tell the physical body how to develop. When we die, we see the departure of the vital force from the body ... santoshk@msn.com Fri, 17 Jul 2026 5:35:07 pm https://selfgrowth.com/articles/the-meaning-of-existence-a-work-in-cosmic-time <!--7809d7e227d74f2cb6edb1ca2739d10d-->If we want to understand the meaning of existence, and the significance of our own lives within that larger framework, we need to appreciate the significance of perspective or standpoint. We can observe that impressionist painters, such as Vincent van Gogh used perspective as one of the defining ... santoshk@msn.com Thu, 16 Jul 2026 8:33:39 pm https://selfgrowth.com/articles/the-continuity-of-consciousness-across-the-boundaries-of-death-and-rebirth <!--7809d7e227d74f2cb6edb1ca2739d10d-->Can something come into existence out of pure nothingness? There is nothing in our experience in the world that supports the idea that nothingness, a blank void, infinite darkness is the origin of all that we experience, of life and growth and development. Darkness is not the origin of light. ... santoshk@msn.com Wed, 15 Jul 2026 6:29:45 pm https://selfgrowth.com/articles/button-up-t-shirts-dressing-sharp-without-losing-the-edge <!--7809d7e227d74f2cb6edb1ca2739d10d-->There's a common assumption that dressing up means abandoning the bold, no-nonsense style that defines patriotic and tactical-inspired fashion. Button-up t-shirts prove that assumption wrong. Done right, they let you look sharp for an event or outing while still reflecting the same personality ... alexnick203@gmail.com Wed, 15 Jul 2026 3:36:45 am https://selfgrowth.com/articles/two-ways-to-overcome-suffering-the-way-of-the-self-and-the-way-of-the-psychic-being <!--7809d7e227d74f2cb6edb1ca2739d10d-->Sri Aurobindo provides a detailed overview of the causes and types of suffering we experience and how to transcend the suffering through a shift in standpoint away from the external nature to the Self above or the psychic being within. Sri Aurobindo writes: “It is not the soul that suffers; the ... santoshk@msn.com Tue, 14 Jul 2026 9:19:25 pm https://selfgrowth.com/articles/the-shift-of-standpoint-to-the-psychic-being-provides-leverage-for-the-change-of-the-extern <!--7809d7e227d74f2cb6edb1ca2739d10d-->It is a general axiom that one cannot fully see and understand the framework within which one is embedded. We treat the actions, reactions, responses, perceptions etc. as a given fact and thus, do not fully recognise all the implications and facets of life that are taking place. These become ... santoshk@msn.com Mon, 13 Jul 2026 11:22:53 pm https://selfgrowth.com/articles/the-sunlit-path-of-yoga-is-based-on-the-lead-role-of-the-psychic-being <!--7809d7e227d74f2cb6edb1ca2739d10d-->When the external being through any of its constituent parts, the mind, the vital being or the physical body, as well as the ego-personality formed around them are predominant, they focus on needs, desires, ideas, wishes that are relevant to their specific unique characteristics and situations. ... santoshk@msn.com Sun, 12 Jul 2026 6:43:02 pm https://selfgrowth.com/articles/active-compared-to-more-passive-development-of-the-yogic-sadhana <!--7809d7e227d74f2cb6edb1ca2739d10d-->There is a paradigm noted in the yogic literature about the different types of seekers and the way they advance in their spiritual development. The baby monkey actively works to hold on to the mother, having to exercise its own capacities to move forward while the baby cat surrenders to the ... santoshk@msn.com Sat, 11 Jul 2026 6:25:33 pm https://selfgrowth.com/articles/the-characteristics-and-qualities-of-the-realisation-of-the-psychic-being <!--7809d7e227d74f2cb6edb1ca2739d10d-->The nature of the psychic being’s action is founded in aspiration, devotion and self-consecration to the Divine. The role of Agni in the Rig Veda illustrates the power and role of the psychic being. Agni is the mystic fire that leads and brings forth the gods, the divine powers, into the being. ... santoshk@msn.com Fri, 10 Jul 2026 9:16:51 pm https://selfgrowth.com/articles/three-focuses-of-concentration <!--7809d7e227d74f2cb6edb1ca2739d10d-->Sri Aurobindo describes a triple tranformation of consciousness. The first transformation is what he calls the psychic transformation, the conscious contact with and bringing forward of the soul element in the nature. The second transformation is what he calls the spiritual transformation. This ... santoshk@msn.com Thu, 9 Jul 2026 5:23:05 pm https://selfgrowth.com/articles/converting-a-mental-seeking-into-a-living-spiritual-experience-part-3 <!--7809d7e227d74f2cb6edb1ca2739d10d-->The initial steps of the discipline involve a concentration, either in the heart centre or in the mental centre, as entrance pathways to reach the psychic being or the higher mental and spiritual regions above the mind. These represent a movement away from the demands, desires and motives of the ... santoshk@msn.com Wed, 8 Jul 2026 6:19:47 pm https://selfgrowth.com/articles/converting-a-mental-seeking-into-a-living-spiritual-experience-part-2 <!--7809d7e227d74f2cb6edb1ca2739d10d-->In Savitri: A Legend and a Symbol, Book I, Canto 4 The Secret Knowledge, Sri Aurobindo describes a spiritual experience: “It is the origin and the master-clue, A silence overhead, an inner voice, A living image seated in the heart, An unwalled wideness and a fathomless point, The truth of all ... santoshk@msn.com Tue, 7 Jul 2026 6:44:56 pm https://selfgrowth.com/articles/converting-a-mental-seeking-into-a-living-spiritual-experience-part-1 <!--7809d7e227d74f2cb6edb1ca2739d10d-->Most people are trapped in the paradigm enunciated by Rene Descartes, i.e. ‘I think, therefore I am.’ They equate the thought with the reality. If we think we are sincere, then we are sincere. If we think we can swim, then we can swim. We see this frequently in religions where people believe ... santoshk@msn.com Mon, 6 Jul 2026 6:30:15 pm https://selfgrowth.com/articles/changing-human-nature-requires-the-manifestation-of-a-new-power-of-consciousness-based-in-t <!--7809d7e227d74f2cb6edb1ca2739d10d-->As long as we remain within a specific framework of vision and understanding, we remain locked in that frame and our actions are formed from the capacities held by that framework. In order to escape the limitations of that level, an individual needs must find a way to move his awareness outside ... santoshk@msn.com Sun, 5 Jul 2026 10:04:34 pm https://selfgrowth.com/articles/opening-to-the-psychic-being <!--7809d7e227d74f2cb6edb1ca2739d10d-->We draw to us and interact with whatever draws our attention. The external being is motivated by the forces of desire and fear. Each of these creates a link to objects that we desire or that we fear. We thus live in a world of constant distraction from the inner truth of our being. When an ... santoshk@msn.com Sat, 4 Jul 2026 6:18:56 pm https://selfgrowth.com/articles/stages-in-the-spiritual-development-of-the-individual <!--7809d7e227d74f2cb6edb1ca2739d10d-->There seems to be a very common progression in the spiritual development for most individuals. While individual cases can, and will, vary somewhat, and rare exceptional cases may follow a totally different development, the general case is common enough in its occurrence to create what may be ... santoshk@msn.com Fri, 3 Jul 2026 4:15:37 pm https://selfgrowth.com/articles/spiritual-liberation-mukti <!--7809d7e227d74f2cb6edb1ca2739d10d-->As we grow beyond the pure vital enjoyment of the growing child, we begin to recognise that we have demands being made upon us, subtly or overtly, from family, friends, peers, and society at large. There are expectations and pressures that come with living in a societal setting, or even, just ... santoshk@msn.com Thu, 2 Jul 2026 3:14:38 pm https://selfgrowth.com/articles/distinguishing-the-central-action-of-the-psychic-being-from-mental-vital-or-physical-format <!--7809d7e227d74f2cb6edb1ca2739d10d-->There is a vast difference between mental speculation and actual life-experience. We can speculate about what it means to swim in the ocean, but this does not prepare us for the actual experience when it occurs. It is similar for those focused on spiritual sadhana. Generally those individuals ... santoshk@msn.com Wed, 1 Jul 2026 7:30:08 pm https://selfgrowth.com/articles/the-emergence-of-the-psychic-being-takes-a-process-and-time-as-it-works-to-modify-body-life <!--7809d7e227d74f2cb6edb1ca2739d10d-->The process of nature, the development of the physical form, the vital force and its expression, the advent of mind and development of its powers, and the formation of the ego-consciousness and the self-awareness that comes with that, is a long, slow, steady progression that can takes tens of ... santoshk@msn.com Tue, 30 Jun 2026 1:07:37 pm https://selfgrowth.com/articles/the-psychic-being-provides-protection-from-the-desires-of-the-external-nature-and-the-sugge <!--7809d7e227d74f2cb6edb1ca2739d10d-->As long as we are established in the consciousness of the external being and personality, the body-life-mind complex aggregated around the ego-personality, we interpret and decide things based on the external relationships each of those elements has developed in their dealing with the external ... santoshk@msn.com Mon, 29 Jun 2026 5:20:29 pm https://selfgrowth.com/articles/the-management-process-of-the-psychic-being-with-the-external-nature <!--7809d7e227d74f2cb6edb1ca2739d10d-->Those who are involved in developing a business or other organised activity quickly learn that there are different methods that can be implemented, and which, when applied in the right time, place and circumstance, can bring about vastly different, and in some cases, much greater ... santoshk@msn.com Sun, 28 Jun 2026 2:55:01 pm https://selfgrowth.com/articles/development-over-time-of-the-soul-s-power-to-master-life-circumstances <!--7809d7e227d74f2cb6edb1ca2739d10d-->Since the central position of the soul to direct and guide life is the optimum result, we wonder, generally, why this is not the case from the outset and why we have to then experience the struggles and efforts needed to achieve that result. The question is pertinent both for the individual and ... santoshk@msn.com Sat, 27 Jun 2026 7:48:46 pm https://selfgrowth.com/articles/the-emergence-of-the-soul <!--7809d7e227d74f2cb6edb1ca2739d10d-->The poet, John Keats, in his famous poem Ode on a Grecian Urn, concluded with “Beauty is truth, truth beauty,—that is all Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.” We receive intimations of the soul and the spiritual reality through our minds, our emotions, our feelings and our physical ... santoshk@msn.com Fri, 26 Jun 2026 3:11:22 pm https://selfgrowth.com/articles/the-psychic-transformation-is-preliminary-as-essential-for-spiritual-development-before-exp <!--7809d7e227d74f2cb6edb1ca2739d10d-->The ego is allured and enamoured of spiritual experiences and the development of unique powers that may arise with various openings of the being to other ranges of mental, vital or physical activity than we normally live in. Certain spiritual disciplines actually advise the seeker to avoid ... santoshk@msn.com Thu, 25 Jun 2026 6:12:03 pm https://selfgrowth.com/articles/purification-through-the-psychic-change-of-the-nature <!--7809d7e227d74f2cb6edb1ca2739d10d-->Many people question the value or importance of purification of the nature during the course of sadhana. They express the idea that purification is unnecessary, either because the external world is an illusion and should be disregarded entirely, or because the concept of ‘freedom’ implies that ... santoshk@msn.com Wed, 24 Jun 2026 6:43:10 pm https://selfgrowth.com/articles/the-psychic-being-protects-from-the-dangers-of-the-internediate-zone <!--7809d7e227d74f2cb6edb1ca2739d10d-->Goethe, in his famous poem Faust, recounts a scene where Faust conjures the Earth-Spirit. He is stricken with fear although he felt himself to be a god and a peer to the Spirit he called forth. “To view me is thine aspiration, My voice to hear, my countenance to see; Thy powerful yearning ... santoshk@msn.com Tue, 23 Jun 2026 1:18:16 pm https://selfgrowth.com/articles/consecration-conversion-of-consciousness-and-transformation-of-consciousness <!--7809d7e227d74f2cb6edb1ca2739d10d-->Consecration is a movement of the psychic being, based in the individual being, consciously focusing and tuning the consciousness to the divine consciousness and acting under its impulsion. The standpoint remains with the individual and while consecration is being perfected in the being, it ... santoshk@msn.com Mon, 22 Jun 2026 10:20:27 am https://selfgrowth.com/articles/the-psychic-conversion-the-shift-from-the-ego-standpoint-to-the-soul-s-standpoint <!--7809d7e227d74f2cb6edb1ca2739d10d-->A young individual recounted a tale of what he considered to be his own experience of a psychic conversion. He had a near death experience and when he awoke he suddenly knew there was a Divine Presence in the world and that he was meant to focus on that rather than the career he had been ... santoshk@msn.com Sat, 20 Jun 2026 5:15:43 pm https://selfgrowth.com/articles/the-discovery-of-the-psychic-being <!--7809d7e227d74f2cb6edb1ca2739d10d-->Major developments or milestones in the expression of consciousness in the being do not tend to appear suddenly on their own for most people. As the individual grows and matures, there sometimes occur glimpses, transient experiences, occasions where some capacity shows itself. It is then up to ... santoshk@msn.com Fri, 19 Jun 2026 4:36:50 pm https://selfgrowth.com/articles/becoming-aware-of-the-psychic-being <!--7809d7e227d74f2cb6edb1ca2739d10d-->If we look at the lives and the focus of the vast majority of people in the world, we find that they are primarily fixated on external measurements of survival, sustenance and success in some form or another. It may be having access to food and water at a basic subsstence level, or it may be the ... santoshk@msn.com Thu, 18 Jun 2026 5:36:07 pm https://selfgrowth.com/articles/the-triple-transformation-of-the-consciousness <!--7809d7e227d74f2cb6edb1ca2739d10d-->People have opinions and argue about what the best way to carry out religious or spiritual practices happens to be. Some believe in various forms of austerities, some concentration, some meditation, some prayer, some devotional service, some selfless work. Some take vows of poverty. Others ... santoshk@msn.com Wed, 17 Jun 2026 7:50:17 pm https://selfgrowth.com/articles/three-steps-of-self-realisation <!--7809d7e227d74f2cb6edb1ca2739d10d-->As long as we live in the standpoint of the external personality, the ego-consciousness, we look to external rewards and satisfactions, and the fulfillment of ambitions and desires, as the central objective towards which we orient our actions. It is only when we begin to feel and appreciate the ... santoshk@msn.com Tue, 16 Jun 2026 7:54:19 pm https://selfgrowth.com/articles/the-path-of-transformation-of-earthly-life-into-divine-life-through-unveiling-of-the-psychi <!--7809d7e227d74f2cb6edb1ca2739d10d-->The question of transforming life on earth into something higher, deeper and more meaningful, aligned with the divine intention in the manifestation, is one that has occupied seers, religious leaders, theologians, scientists, thinkers and philosophers since time immemorial. Plato in his Republic ... santoshk@msn.com Mon, 15 Jun 2026 8:17:15 pm https://selfgrowth.com/articles/the-essential-conditions-for-the-growth-of-the-psychic-being <!--7809d7e227d74f2cb6edb1ca2739d10d-->We tend to judge circumstances and events based on how they impacted our external personality, the individual ego. We call things ‘good’ or ‘bad’ based on our perception of whether they satisfy our needs, wants and desires or not. What we fail to recognise, more often than not, is that the ... santoshk@msn.com Sun, 14 Jun 2026 7:45:27 pm https://selfgrowth.com/articles/each-individual-has-his-own-unique-relationship-with-the-divine <!--7809d7e227d74f2cb6edb1ca2739d10d-->People who are born into different cultures and religions may have a similar experience, but they interpret the experience through the lens of their specific background. Thus, people who have a specific spiritual opening may see Jesus or the Virgin Mary if they come from a Christian background, ... santoshk@msn.com Sat, 13 Jun 2026 11:55:49 am https://selfgrowth.com/articles/progress-and-development-of-physical-vital-mental-psychic-and-spiritual-elements-in-our-ear <!--7809d7e227d74f2cb6edb1ca2739d10d-->We all recognise the pattern. We are born, we grow, develop, reach mature adulthood, carry out our productive activities. Later, as we age, various elements of our bodies, our life-energies and our minds begin to decline, until eventually, the deterioration creates a break that leads to death ... santoshk@msn.com Thu, 11 Jun 2026 7:18:01 pm https://selfgrowth.com/articles/the-psychic-being-and-progress <!--7809d7e227d74f2cb6edb1ca2739d10d-->Until someone actively takes up the spiritual path, and consciously begins to focus on the significance of his life and the purpose of the manifestation, the question of progress for the psychic being does not even arise. The progress takes place, but it happens without appreciation or ... santoshk@msn.com Wed, 10 Jun 2026 7:06:15 pm https://selfgrowth.com/articles/what-happens-to-progress-at-the-mental-vital-and-physical-levels-when-the-psychic-being-dep <!--7809d7e227d74f2cb6edb1ca2739d10d-->The psychic being assimilates the essence of the experience of a lifetime, then leaves behind the body, life-force and mind of that lifetime and moves on into other lives, other experiences. However, a substantial effort has been made by the psychic being to enhance and develop the mind, life ... santoshk@msn.com Tue, 9 Jun 2026 6:43:35 pm https://selfgrowth.com/articles/conscious-rebirth-by-a-fully-developed-psychic-being-part-2 <!--7809d7e227d74f2cb6edb1ca2739d10d-->There is considerable skepticism about the question of rebirth. There are also questions about what exactly is reborn, and what happens to the existing current life experience and capabilities developed in a lifetime before death. There remains then, also, the mechanisms involved. There is a ... santoshk@msn.com Mon, 8 Jun 2026 9:25:42 pm https://selfgrowth.com/articles/conscious-rebirth-by-a-fully-developed-psychic-being-part-1 <!--7809d7e227d74f2cb6edb1ca2739d10d-->The Tibetan Book of the Dead describes the period from the time of death to the adoption of a new body in a new birth. The individual departs the physical body which begins to decompose. Next, the vital sheath dissolves, and following that the mental formations. All of these external instruments ... santoshk@msn.com Sun, 7 Jun 2026 10:03:43 pm https://selfgrowth.com/articles/the-conscious-psychic-being-choosing-its-next-incarnation-part-2 <!--7809d7e227d74f2cb6edb1ca2739d10d-->Sometimes a soul is born into the world with a sense of a pre-determined and destined path forward, based on focus and determinations made in the prior lifetime. Such an individual, in some cases very early in life, may know things, may feel like he has already known things that come before his ... santoshk@msn.com Sat, 6 Jun 2026 9:56:48 pm