Selections from the Agni Yoga Series
Presented before the Agni Yoga Society, November 4, 2014
1. Let us count the days we spend unworthily and be stricken with remorse. Let us count the hours not given to the Teaching and bewail. Can the hour given to the Teaching be sold for a sack of gold? Can one be satisfied with a garment of ignorance after beholding a chiton of beauty, adorned with the flowers of the Mother of the World? How can we devote our days to ordinary routine, when treasures are strewn along our path? One must become accustomed to the unusual manifestations of life….
According to the law of the interchange of matter, it is necessary to create a steady current of receiving and giving. One should not think that whatever is read once stays in the mind. The gardener is not worthy who visits his garden only once. Agni Yoga, 377.
2. I rejoice to see how the lightning flashes of foresight regarding the people's welfare sparkle amidst your thoughts. These thoughts have to be launched into space. If you could daily spare half an hour for the future! Verily, the bonfire of your thoughts would receive Our welcome.
Let the things of everyday life vanish, but let the country of the future be embodied in thought. And what cleanses the spirit more thoroughly than the thoughts about the welfare of others? And what tempers the armor of steadfastness better than the wish to lead others to Light? And what weaves a better smile than a desire to see the very last child laughing? I urge you to think thus about the future, to place daily a pearl into the necklace of the Mother of the World.. And so, concisely and simply think how to adorn the Hearth of the World. Illumination, III: III: 10.
3. It has been repeated again and again--know how to find joy in eternal labor and in eternal vigilance….
It is impossible to glut oneself with knowledge; incalculable are the ascents of creativeness. In this infinity lies the stimulus of eternal labor. The worker may be saturated, and the watch is for him just the joy of conscious vigilance. One's being quivers in spirals of light, and light rings out.
Indeed, creativeness is diffused throughout all labor, and some sparks of great “Aum" direct the current of life. That manifestation of creative power forms the nodes of evolution, and through it is fastened the thread of the Mother of the World, fastened in a labor of eternal action. Community, 224.
4. The new must be seen as urgent and useful. Inapplicable abstractions have no place. We are weary of air castles. Even the far-off worlds must be mastered in their physical reality….
There are moments of evolution when the walls we erect to contain conventional knowledge become obstacles. The time has come for the emancipation of knowledge, and the assumption of personal responsibility for its use.
A free mind has the privilege of searching out new designs based upon unusual combinations. These hitherto undetected threads will lead it to more exalted layers of matter. Beholding play that is timid and limited, the free mind is right to point out new and better combinations.
Rejoice in the Great Play of the Mother of the World! Agni Yoga, 20.
5. One will ask why the Teaching is strewn like seeds. Answer that only out of a variety of threads can one create a complex pattern.
One will ask why the Teaching has no completed tenets. Answer that because in completeness there is death.
One will ask why the parts of the Teaching cannot be connected logically. Answer that it would be ugly to grow only a head or only a hand.
One will ask why there is not pronounced first the formula of Heaven and later the conjuration of the Earth. Answer that each thread of the garment of the Mother runs throughout, from the top to the bottom, and vice versa. Illumination, II:VI:5.
6. Urusvati knows the true meaning of self-testing. …
An intelligent person can discern the tests, whether without or within. He gives himself a task and, as long as the task brings good, he does not fear it, no matter how difficult it may be. At any time, when necessary for the good of humanity, he will willingly put his life at risk.
Throughout history the legends about the Play of the Mother of the World have been known. The courageous self-tester will also reach a level of participation in Her Play. When facing difficult tasks, the only way to approach dangers fearlessly is through self-renunciation. Then the dangers crumble as if under a hero’s sword. Truly, the one who tests himself can be called a hero. He prepares for himself a glorious entrance into the Supermundane World, where he will strive at once for new quests. Supermundane IV, 895.
7. How can one attain success? Remember, through joy--not through despair, but joy. Do not for an instant believe that We ponder the probability or improbability of success. The thought is, Does your joy suffice to quicken the ascent? We always counsel joy. It is necessary to realize and remember that you have succeeded when you rejoiced. Certainly this is not the frisking of a calf on the meadow, but the creative joy which transforms all difficulties. The play of the Mother of the World is in joy. She enfolds the enlightened ones in Her veil of joy. Rejoice amidst flowers; and in the midst of snow--equally redolent--also rejoice! Fiery World I, 663.
8. The acceptance of Our Advice must be expressed by immediate, undeferrable action. The disciple must not be satisfied with good intentions, knowing that bad results follow inaction. Light-mindedness, negligence, and the demeaning of Our Instructions weigh heavily on the scales. Even the disciple will examine himself three times and say, "I see no mistakes in my actions."
"Do not lower your eyes to the lowlands, but turn to the heights of the Mother of the World, and thus judge your actions by the measures of the Infinite." Agni Yoga, 647.
9. Urusvati treasures thought about the Mother of the World. Women's movements have a special significance for the immediate future. These movements should be understood not as an assertion of supremacy, but as the establishment of justice. Much has been said about co-measurement and equilibrium; precisely for the realization of this principle must the full rights of women be strengthened. One should not think that this will benefit only women; it will promote world equilibrium, and thus is necessary for harmonious evolution. Supermundane I, 38.
10. To a certain degree, the propelling force of psychic energy can be directed. In healing, an uplifting or highly concentrated thought can be directed toward an ailing organ….
It can be said with certainty that the course of every illness depends upon the condition of the psychic energy, but people refuse to understand that free will is a strong factor in their dealings with it. The better one understands this, the better one can help oneself.
In ancient times, the force of energy was attributed to the Power of the Mother. People even prayed insistently to Her for help, and thus were able to intensify the energy. It does not matter whether a prayer is stormy or unshakably calm; the one essential feature is that it be a conscious call.
The Thinker said, “I can imagine how the call will reach the Majestic Mother! With one gesture of Her Hand she will direct our sorrow into a channel of joy. There is a temple of laughter in Sparta, and many diseases are cured there. Fortunately, there are no temples of mockery. Avoid blasphemy!” Supermundane II, 275.
11. Every structure has its outer walls and its unseen foundation. No structure can exist without walls, and walls cannot stand without a foundation. There are two ways of manifestation in everything: one is the walls, as a symbol of the Teacher, and the other is the foundation, as the manifestation of the Mother of the World. Which is of greater importance? Ponder! Agni Yoga, 326.
12. The very word “matter” is a good one and is akin to the great concept of Maternal Matter. At present, in the age of the Mother of the World, one should pay special attention to all that is related to this magnificent Foundation. Besides, it should be understood that it is this concept of matter that includes all possible properties of the substance out of which all is born….
It is time to return to the word “matter” its true meaning. He who considers himself a materialist must respect matter in all its forms. It is unfit to call oneself a materialist and deny the very essence of matter.
Indeed, it is wonderful to study matter and its relation to the evolutionary process. This is the only acceptable scientific approach. But even this can be distorted. A positive approach to study can never be limited. On the contrary, it must be governed by a principle of constant learning. Ponder the real meaning of many concepts and you will clearly understand how strong is Our desire to find a scientific approach to everything. For us, such a principle does not contradict, but supports, the freedom of the researcher. It only points to the beautiful matter, which is the Mother Herself.
The Thinker said, “Let us learn to revere the Mother, then we will understand the essence of Nature.” Supermundane III, 638.
13. The word materialism has assumed a monstrous significance. And yet, materialism should be based upon the all-pervading substance of the power of the Infinite. Why this perversion of cosmic power? The symbol of the Mother of the World, giving form and purpose to the entire Breath of Cosmos, transforming the kernel into incalculable manifestations, crowns our Earth with beauty.
The Mother of the World is the great creative force in our being. Infinity I, 38.