Bringing the Light of Consciousness to the Subconscient Levels of the Being

When the seeker recognises the difficulties attendant upon gaining control and mastery of the subconscient, he looks for leverage to both become conscious of what is currently subconscious to his awareness, and to find ways to change the response and reactions that arise from the subconscient.

With respect to gaining awareness about what goes on in the subconscient, the link between the subconscient planes and the dream state provides a window for the seeker to gain some insight. Dreams have frequently been the subject of review and interpretation as people naturally feel that they have a meaning and significance that may point to something that they need to become aware of. Western psychology has created an entire discipline of dream interpretation, and even the Old Testament of the Bible gives dream interpretation an important role with the story of Joseph and the Pharoah of Egypt and the interpretation of the dream of the 7 fat cows and 7 lean cows. The interpretation of this dream brought Joseph to a place of prominence and power in the Egyptian government.

There are a number of mechanisms that have been developed to influence the consciousness of the sleep state. Preparation for sleep, quieting the mind, devotional reading, prayers and mantra recitation have all been put forward as methods of influencing the subconscient layers of awareness. In the end, however, the subconscious is so deep and so pervading that these methods, as helpful as they may be, are insufficient for a complete transformation.

Psychotherapy tries to explore the subconscient and raise up hidden issues. This has tended to backfire and in many cases, increases the difficulties. Sri Aurobindo and the Mother recommend an approach that leverages the powers of the higher, superconscient levels to bring light into the darkest recesses of the being. This is not just a process of enlightenment of the mind, of the emotions, of the feelings, but eventually, it implies bringing light down into the very cells of the body so that the cells themselves can respond in a conscious manner. For most people, the idea of bringing the light of consciousness into the cells of the body is something to be regarded as whimsical or impossible, yet seekers from time to time have experiences that validate the possibility of such a transformation of the cells. In the end, unless the physical body in all its parts, at the cellular level, can respond to the higher force rather than carry out its habitual reflexive response to the subconscient promptings, no complete change of the subconscient is possible. While it may take time, and perseverance and receptivity on a consistent basis to the higher forces, it is the method that the seeker eventually finds is required to complete the needed changes to human nature.

A disciple asks: “Can one learn to control one’s subconscient as one controls one’s conscious thought?”

The Mother observes: “It is especially during the body’s sleep that one is in contact with the subconscient. In becoming conscious of one’s nights, control of the subconscient becomes much easier. … The control can become total when the cells become conscious of the Divine in them and when they open themselves voluntarily to His influence.”

Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, Our Many Selves: Practical Yogic Psychology, Chapter 2, Planes and Parts of the Being, pg. 56-57