The ego may usurp it, and feelings of being spiritually great and superior (spiritual ego) may take hold, above all, a lure for experiences that may lead the sadhaka to withdraw from the world rather than become a vessel and channel for the Divine Forces to pour upon the world. Hence, the experience comes as a promise and then retreats until the rest of nature is ready.
How do I prepare my vital, the body and whole human nature to be ready to receive the Light? You are right that I felt like liberating myself that moment and was very much content with that feeling of Joy. But sir, you mentioned above that “Of course one should ask for higher things and higher states”. So what should I do here?
The mind is purified and prepared by meditating upon and thinking of the Divine. Reading of Scriptures charged with spiritual force, like Sri Aurobindo and the Mother’s works, the Gita, Upanishads, Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna helps purify the mind and prepares it for higher truths. Reading Savitri especially makes the mind supple and vast to receive the integral, all-comprehending Truth.
Love for the Divine and loving the Divine element in people we love, loving without expectations or mixture of baser feelings such as anger, jealousy, hate etc, purifies the emotions. Bhakti, full of joyous remembrance of the Divine Mother and all that helps grow in devotion, purifies the heart.
Service of the Divine Mother, works done as nishkama karma as a consecration to the Divine, reading the life of the great and luminous ones, especially Sri Aurobindo and the Mother purifies and prepares the vital. Similarly, though in a different way Art, music and poetry refines and prepares the vital.
Physical work done for the Divine, restraint of speech and the physical instruments, physical exercises when done in the spirit of preparing the body for the Divine helps the body to open to the Divine, especially the Japa of Mother’s Name and reading Savitri aloud acts upon the body directly.
Naam Japa is indeed a most powerful way to prepare our being for the Divine Forces to act through and transform it.
I would suggest reading and practicing the Mother’s writing titled ‘The four austerities and the four liberations’ from CWM 12 On Education.
Affectionately,
Alok Da
