The Nature of True Aspiration

Restlessness, impatience and disturbance of the vital nature are signs of weakness in the vital, an inability to hold the energy that is available to the vital. A strong vital nature will have the ability to remain calm and hold the energy without spilling it.

For the spiritual seeker, there are various states of aspiration that can mirror the status of the vital nature. Aspiration can be a struggle, an effort, be filled with restless impatience. While it arises out of the psychic being, it manifests through the vital nature in the exte
al being, and thus, even if the psychic being’s aspiration is pure and strong, it may be impacted by a vital nature that is weak or immature and thus, unable to keep a pure, strong flame active on a constant and unwavering basis.

As the seeker becomes aware of these variations in the nature and intensity of the aspiration, he can work to shift his standpoint more to the psychic center and from there work to bring calm, and strength to the exte
al being.

The process of spiritual growth is one that requires patience, clarity of purpose, and persistence, with the focus maintained even during periods of dryness or difficulty. This implies that trying to hurry the process, or becoming upset at every obstacle is counter-productive and a sign of the admixture of the rajasic energy of the vital being. Elsewhere the attitude has been described as one of having the focus and energy to accomplish the transformation in this very moment, combined with the patience for it to take many lifetimes for its completion. Sri Aurobindo and the Mother both counsel a cheerful serenity and receptivity as making the process easier to sustain and carry forward even during the darkest times.

Sri Aurobindo observes: “The impatience and restless disquietude come from the vital which brings that even into the aspiration. The aspiration must be intense, calm and strong (that is the nature of the true vital also) and not restless and impatient, — then alone it can be stable.”

Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, Looking from Within, Chapter 5, Attitudes on the Path, pp. 114-115