As part of the last residential programme organized by Uditam: Institute for Integral Healing, Sri Aurobindo Society, Dr. Beloo Mehra, Director, BhāratShakti, was invited to facilitate a group discussion session on Saturday, October 26, 2024. For her session, Dr. Mehra focused on the topic – Becoming Conscious of the Psychic Being.

The session began with a small meditation with music provided by one of the participants who played the flute. Dr. Mehra began with a small Upanishadic story which led to a brief introduction to what is Psychic Being in the context of Integral Yoga. She also talked about how it is different from what is known as Atman in the Indian tradition. She shared with the group two pictorial representations which helped participants understand the term Psychic Being in relation to other parts of our being.

Dr. Mehra had compiled a few simple quotes from various works of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother which were distributed to the participants. With the help of these she led the discussion on the role of Psychic Being in an individual’s evolution. She emphasised that the Mother had spoken of “The Great Discovery” which is an individualized process through which one tries to contact the psychic.

The bulk of the session was kept interactive. Each participant was asked to reflect on one of the several practices Dr. Mehra had included in the handout. These practices were based on the Mother’s writings on Psychic Education and “The Great Discovery”. Through a sincere and honest sharing, a nuanced understanding emerged as to how we can walk the path of sadhana of the psychic. The group began to appreciate how an attitudinal shift is critical to begin the conscious discovery of the Psychic presence within.

This interaction was followed by a more general sharing of the life-affirming nature of Integral Yoga as a spiritual path. The aspect of transformation of one’s outer nature in the light of psychic realization was also explored briefly through examples and discussion.

The participants appreciated the session which lasted for about 1 hour and 45 minutes.