Read Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 in this four-part series
Sri Aurobindo & the Mother’s vision of the future of humanity and Hollywood’s take
In conclusion of this three-part essay, I will discuss how many of Sri Aurobindo’s and the Mother’s visions and ideas of the future have infiltrated the mental consciousness of humanity either directly or subconsciously. Many movie makers in recent times have developed concepts in their movies that are reminiscent of these visions. Let’s look at a few examples.
In the movie Tron: Legacy, the protagonist Kevin Flynn creates a digital frontier to reshape the human condition. He creates a ‘perfect programme’ but while he’s in the grid, another ‘life form’ manifests called the ISOs (isomorphic algorithms). These are explained as having perhaps manifested from another dimension because conditions were right. They hold the key to the future perfection of mankind; and they are the answer to man’s long search for answers in every field.
Tron: Legacy explored some concepts that bore an uncanny resemblance to some of the discussions recorded in the Mother’s Agenda, a massive multi-volume record that contains the conversations between Mirra Alfassa (The Mother) and one of her key disciples Satprem. The almost accidental creation, rather, appearance, of ISOs who are perfect in every way, and are an answer, a cure to all the maladies of humanity and earth-life is strangely similar to the deliberate descent and creation of a Supramental race of beings in the subtle-physical plane of the Earth (the subtler physical realm just ‘behind’ the gross one we live in) and preparation for their eventual manifestation into the terrestrial life on Earth. The Mother is recorded to have said:
“The two [the ordinary physical and the subtle physical] seem to be fusing more and more ‘It’s not merely a degree of subtlety, it’s a change in the internal composition. Ultimately, this action probably has an effect on the atomic level. And that’s how the practical possibility of transformation can be accounted for.”16
The Mother and Sri Aurobindo also stated that the subtle-physical, much like Kevin Flynn’s grid, serves as the place for preparation of the new species, the new race of perfected beings that will cross over to our world (through occult-yogic or spiritual-divine means and not via a quantum teleportation which, interestingly enough, uses light or laser) at the chosen time. This is the much awaited apocalypse. Further confirmation of this is given in these passages:
I think that as the Supramental descends, the subtle physical will have a greater and greater action on earth, because it is the world where the new creation will be formed before it “descends,” before it becomes absolutely visible and concrete.
I often have a sense that it would take only a very tiny thing – which is hard to define – a very tiny movement of materialisation to make this new creation concrete to us as we are. And it is probably – it will probably be formed completely in that subtle world before it materialises.
The supramental world exists permanently and I am there permanently in a supramental body. I had the proof of this even today when my earth-consciousness went there and remained there consciously between two and three o’clock in the afternoon. Now, I know that what is lacking for the two worlds to unite in a constant and conscious relation, is an intermediate zone between the physical world as it is and the supramental world as it is. This zone remains to be built, both in the individual consciousness and the objective world, and it is being built. When I used to speak of the new world which is being created, it was of this intermediary zone that I was speaking. And similarly, when I am on this side, that is, in the field of the physical consciousness, and I see the supramental power, the supramental light and substance constantly penetrating matter, it is the construction of this zone which I see and in which I participate.”16
This world behind the world was such an ideal place to pursue the great work once the gross physical body had to be shed. One could organise one’s life there almost as it existed in the material world for after all, the subtle physical is a subtler albeit more perfect form of the physical. Sri Aurobindo himself retreated there after he realised that the time for the complete material transformation hadn’t come yet and used it like his own lab and workspace. Eventually, once the Supramental did descend, it descended into the subtle-physical of the Earth and the Mother saw the future world being prepared, a bridge being built. Some of these visions of the Mother that have been recorded, are spectacular.
“I am sure the Movement has begun. It would appear to be the onrush of the new species, the new creation, or at any rate a new creation. How long will it take to emerge as a concrete, visible and organised realisation? I don’t know. A terrestrial reorganisation and a new creation.
For several hours, the landscapes
were wonderful, of a perfect harmony.
For a long time, too, visions
of the inside of immense temples
and of living godheads.
Each thing has a precise reason
and a purpose to express nonmental
states of consciousness.
Constant visions.
Landscapes.
Buildings.
Cities.
The whole thing was immense and very diverse,
covering the entire visual field
and expressing states of consciousness of the body.
Many, many building sites,
huge cities in the process of being built.”
Yes, the future world being built. I couldn’t hear, couldn’t see, couldn’t speak. I lived within all the time, night and day.”17
A more recent example of a Hollywood movie that appears to have been inspired by the Mother is Midnight Special where a world is built on top of the one we live in and which reveals itself towards the climax of the movie in the form of strange futuristic structures appearing in the middle of our urban city, much like the vision described by the Mother in the passage above.
Close Encounters of the Third Kind was yet another movie that seems to have been partially successful in expressing this vision and idea of the Supramental world and the intermediate zone connecting that world to ours. The last part of the movie is especially similar to the Mother’s vision where several military pilots and sailors are dropped off by the spaceship as if their lesson is complete – the spaceship then takes with them a new group of selected individuals. This closely corresponds to the several semi-transformed human beings in her vision (partially Supramentalised) on a huge boat the size of a city (instead of a spaceship) which is a symbolic representation of the region where the work is ongoing, where those destined for the Supramental life are being prepared, trained and educated. Similar to the depiction in the film, in the Mother’s vision the ship reached ashore and the first group of people disembarked, received by very tall beings who were not human and who inspected all those who arrived. Those who weren’t ready were to continue their training.16
Now it’s interesting that this vision of the Mother occurred only a few years before the movie released and the movie has captured several elements of that vision almost exactly which is quite surprising and remarkable.
Another recent movie is the Nicolas Cage feature, Knowing, which also had a similar ending where a spaceship descends from the sky and takes the protagonist’s children away. They are ‘alien-angels’ taking chosen children from several parents across the planet to another earth-like planet where they begin a more beautiful life whilst our earth gets destroyed by solar flares. Despite the gloomy apocalyptic ending, the idea of another world where perfect life is being conceived is consistent.
The idea of a world behind ours where one may survive the grosser physical death and live on in a subtler physical form has also influenced another very popular franchise which borrowed freely from eastern philosophical and spiritual concepts as it is. Towards the end of Star Wars, Episode 3, The Revenge of the Sith, Master Yoda, while providing reassurance to Obi-wan that they will indeed meet again, also mentions in passing that his old master Qui-Gon Jinn has contacted him from the other side and has apparently discovered the secret to immortality. This is confirmed further in Episode VI, The Return of the Jedi, when in the end, all the old Jedi masters appear to him in etherealised versions of themselves. In occultism this is quite possible even in our world by consciously developing one’s subtle-physical body which resembles the gross physical body but can perform a thousand things that this body cannot and is an ageless body (neither young nor old, just ageless).
The preservation of consciousness after death of the body is nothing new to India, with its rich Yogic and spiritual heritage. Sri Aurobindo himself continued living via this body in which he looked a much younger version of himself yet brimming with the descending Supramental light and life. Many had even seen the Mother in this form, while she was still living in the grosser body, where she appeared taller and ageless; something strong that is likely to replace the grosser sheath when conditions are right.
We have barely scratched the surface of the fundamental differences between the thought processes of the East and West – specifically between the ancient Indian view and the modern Western one, which are the two ideas of life that are currently at loggerheads. The ideal scenario would be one where India rediscovers her ancient spirit and wisdom, her timeless Yoga and Dharma and applies them once again to every aspect of life. Where it takes up the reins of science, commerce and material organisation that have been led astray by the Asuric forces of the world and bring them back into the service of the Light and Truth and use them to aid man in his greater conquests and deeper aspirations. In any case, there is a battle going on at the moment and India needs to come back revived and resurgent and establish her reign once again, claim the world-throne and wield the universal sceptre.
Read Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 in this series.
References:
[16] Satprem, The Mother’s Agenda.
[17] Sujatha, Notebook on evolution.
Disclaimer: The facts and opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author. www.livingwiseproject.com does not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, completeness, suitability, or validity of any information in this article.
Read also: The Need for India’s Spiritual Light: Invoking Sri Aurobindo’s Vision by Shruti Bakshi
