David L. Mitchell, President, Divine Mission, a Satyachetana organization (satyachetana spiritual movement), board member of the Order of Universal Interfaith (Home – Order of Universal Interfaith), and Associate Research Professor emeritus (David Mitchell | Atmospheric Sciences | University of Nevada, Reno)
Over the last several decades, the “temperature” of USA politics has arguably been rising. Differences in deeply held viewpoints derived from central core values have divided families. For some, such differences were unthinkable several decades ago. There must be reasons for this, and some viable psychological explanations have been offered. What follows is a partial spiritual explanation that may be most relevant to the collective social consciousness.
Albert Einstein said that one cannot solve a problem by using the same mentality (or consciousness) that created the problem. Perhaps the answer lies beyond the mechanics of the human mind. If one contemplates on one’s mind, one can see that a given incident in one’s surroundings can deliver multiple mental responses, depending on one’s mood, energy level, etc. There are many mental trajectories that a given experience can elicit, and the trajectory selected often does not conform with reason. But what determines this selected trajectory? From this, one may gain some insight into the teachings of two enlightened masters, The Mother and Sri Aurobindo, who state that the mind is not an instrument of knowledge but rather is mostly influenced by our feelings and emotions, and sometimes (but rarely) the indwelling soul. It is the soul that is the true knower.
To better understand the polarity of our times, verses 109 and 110 of the Bhagavad Gita (also listed as verses 2.62 and 2.63) may be helpful. They describe the process of downfall for a yogi (i.e., one who has ascended to a higher level of consciousness). While Verse 109 states that from attachment comes desire and from desire comes anger, an English translation by Swami Mukundananda of Verse 110 (BG 2.63: Chapter 2, Verse 63 – Bhagavad Gita, The Song of God – Swami Mukundananda) states that “Anger leads to clouding of judgment, which results in bewilderment of memory. When memory is bewildered, the intellect gets destroyed; and when the intellect is destroyed, one is ruined.” It is proposed here that the key to understanding this verse is understanding the word used for memory, which is smriti. Smṛti is a Sanskrit word, from the root √smṛ (स्मृ), which means the act of remembering. It is generally understood to refer to scriptural wisdom texts from ancient India, but on a deeper spiritual level, it can be understood as the act of recollection of cosmic truth by the soul as expressed through the psychic being (which manifests the soul in Nature). This process is subtle and intangible, like intuition. When linked with the buddhi (i.e., the intellect), smriti yields discrimination between right and wrong. In both its outer and inner meanings, smriti helps provide a basis for dharma (literally “that which holds”, but practically one’s spiritual duty and purpose in life). More deeply, in terms of the collective human consciousness, Dharma is a primal spiritual Force that pervades all things and is responsible for the evolution in Matter (i.e., Nature) towards higher consciousness. Moreover, Dharma sustains the harmony in society. On an individual level, dharma is known as swadharma, which holds the spiritual blueprint of one’s life purpose (which is supported by swabhava; one’s innate nature).
Thus, on an individual level, when smriti is compromised through anger, one’s buddhi (intellect) lacks the essential ingredients to form a conclusion and cannot discriminate, and without the ability to discriminate between right and wrong, one’s consciousness can no longer be of service to the Divine. What is possible for an individual is also possible for a society through its collective consciousness. When smriti is compromised on a collective level, Dharma and society are also compromised.
The concept of smriti may appear abstract and theoretical, but its reality can be felt by reading or chanting the epic poem Savitri by Sri Aurobindo. This poetry targets the psychic being and the jivatman (above the head), and it often evokes the corresponding remembrance. Savitri Immersions conducted by Rod Hemsell in Crestone Colorado also invoke smriti[1], which can catapult the seeker to higher levels of awareness such as the illumined mind or the intuitive mind. One might say that smriti is “the ring of truth”.
Regarding the above question concerning “what determines the mental trajectory?”, if smriti is functioning properly, it will work with the buddhi to formulate action that tends to be in alignment with divine principles. And smriti functions properly when the influence of the psychic being bathes the mental and vital (i.e., emotional, feeling) planes of consciousness. Thus, spiritually awakened people having their psychic being in the “forefront” tend to perform action more in alignment with divine principles. Symptoms of this condition are inner harmony, peace, and divine Presence. But if anger enters one’s system, it has a veiling and clouding effect on smriti and the buddhi, and one’s inner compass goes afoul.
It is postulated here that the level of collective anger in society has been increasing over the last three decades. Social media, various types of phone communication, email, and more, externalize our awareness, giving less time for inner processing of information through discrimination, contemplation, and self-inquiry. Under these conditions, communication tends to be more impulsive and may inadvertently assault another’s ego, activating the lower nature. These media can also fuel conspiracy theories, which can spread rapidly when there is a deep-seated distrust in government and its institutions (sometimes justifiably), and the status quo in general. This environment of distrust provides a breeding ground for anger, which further impairs our ability to discriminate, and conspiracy theories go viral. This has produced an erosion of our shared sense of reality. It seems that our shared inner compass that has held us together as a quasi-unified society has now been seriously degraded.
Given the subtle and tenuous nature of the soul in the human system, this phenomenon may be as old as the hills. That is, it is relatively easy for the soul to become untethered from the other components in the human system (buddhi, mind, vital, and physical). Periodically, this may occur on a collective scale, such as in Germany in the 1930’s. While the collective human consciousness is a mixture of divine and undivine attributes (Ch. 16 of the Bhagavad Gita), this mixture can be overtaken by the forces of ego (e.g., fear, anger, hatred, anxiety, desire, greed, attachment, identification), resulting in a collective ego consciousness (as with Nazi Germany). With the destructive power of modern warfare, this condition would be extremely dangerous.
If this is the problem, what might be the solution?
The obvious social remedy is for a society to promote activities that help restore the link between one’s outer consciousness and the soul or psychic being. But what are these activities?
For those not actively pursuing a spiritual path, taking frequent walks in nature can be helpful. Nature embodies a divine harmony that promotes a harmony within us, and this harmony allows the soul’s radiance to touch our thoughts and feelings. Over time, one is less ruled by fear, anger, anxiety, desire, greed, attachment, identification, and other tools of the ego, giving the soul more freedom to influence our thoughts and feelings. The National Park System has had a powerful positive impact on the collective consciousness, helping to promote the soul’s influence.
For those who are actively pursuing a spiritual path, to address this question, I will first draw from my experience as a board member of the Order of Universal Interfaith, or OUnI. As an OUnI board member, I read the autobiographies of those applying for ordination through OUnI. Many times, a theme can be discerned of having a conservative religious upbringing, later being exposed to other faith traditions, and then experiencing a deeper sense of divinity in life that motivates them to explore certain faith traditions and/or spiritual paths more deeply. When one discovers certain spiritual principles that one is familiar with echoed in other faith traditions, this provides greater confidence that this is a universal truth, and one may also discover new principles shared by multiple faith traditions. One may also discover certain spiritual practices that bring one closer to Divine experientially. Exploring other faith traditions and practices might be one way of deepening the connection with the inner Light.
As a yogi who has benefited from the guidance of a spiritual master (Swami Sri Atmananda), I have learned many spiritual principles and practices that have enabled me to be grounded on the psychic being. By applying these principles to life, a spiritual journey unfolded, leading to solar techniques of transformation that invoke the descending energy that enters through the crown chakra. One can learn such solar techniques through this academy link: https://cosolargy.org/. Contrasting the energetics of these solar practices with those of the traditional yoga, it became evident that the traditional methods were effective at clearing blockages to the ascent of the kundalini Shakti that purifies the human system. This led to an embodied realization of the Divine, but in general I was less aware of a flow of Consciousness from outside my system. The solar practices were different in that they invoked a descending energy coming from above the head, entering my system through the crown chakra. This is arguably a key objective of Integral Yoga. However, other yogis report experiencing comparable amounts of descending and ascending forces during their yoga practices. As Sri Aurobindo has stated in The Integral Yoga, “It is true that the more the lower nature is purified, the easier is the descent of the higher Nature, but it is also and more true that the more the higher Nature descends, the more the lower is purified.” This suggests that a transformation to divine nature tends to occur more rapidly through the action of the descending Force, which carries an Intelligence vastly higher than our own that can effectively divinize our system.
Moreover, Sri Aurobindo states “Between psychicization and spiritualization there is a difference. The spiritual is the change that descends from above, the psychic is the change that comes from within by the psychic dominating the mind, vital, and physical.”[2] By emphasizing practices that invoke the descending Force, a yogi can become a more effective channel of divine Consciousness to the collective consciousness, thereby raising the collective consciousness since he or she is a part of that collective consciousness. However, the timing on this appears critical. If the yogi invokes the descending Force before purifying the lower nature, the action of the descending Force will be met with much resistance (depending on how much purification has taken place). Overall, the rate of transformation may be optimal if one first realizes the psychic being (i.e., one is established in that state) before invoking the descending Force. This preliminary purification will allow much more spiritual energy from above the head to enter and transform one’s system, making one a more effective agent in transforming the collective consciousness. Sri Aurobindo also states in his book Savitri that “One man’s perfection can still save the world.” This is because the divine Power invested in one who has attained the highest Supramental state can effect a global transformation and salvation.
[1] At the Sri Aurobindo Learning Center in Crestone, Colorado, the mountain retreat environment, combined with the immersion in readings from Sri Aurobindo’s Savitri that activate smriti, the consciousness is able to rise above our routine daily preoccupations and expand into higher planes of reality where the memory of our universal connectedness can be recovered.
[2] The Integral Yoga, p. 210