The Psychic Being Does Not Depend on Mind, Life and Body to Express Itself

Every plane of consciousness has its own mode of action, independent of the other planes of consciousness. There is a vital world that is independent of the physical world. There is a mental world that is independent of the vital or physical worlds. And there is a psychic world that is independent of any of the other three. When they participate in a world that combines elements of each, they find ways to interact with each other and they begin to communicate their unique capacities to the other planes. To the extent that the knowledge, power or characteristic mode of action of any of the planes is outside the capacities of reception of the other planes, there is no actual communication on that level.

The psychic being works to exercise its influence in the external world through an increasing interaction that involves both a strengthening psychic action in this world and an increasing ability to receive and respond on the part of the mental, vital and physical levels.

The psychic is not dependent on these other planes, and carries out its action one way or the other. Whether or not the other planes of consciousness perceive and respond to this action is a matter of their capacity. We may understand the example of the electro-magnetic spectrum. Human beings perceive sounds within a certain range, and colours within a certain range. We know that the actual range of sound or light far exceeds the human range both with lower and with higher vibratory levels. These levels remain active even though human beings cannot perceive them directly. We know that certain animals respond to ranges above or below those that the human being can receive. This same principle helps explain the action of the psychic being even when we cannot perceive it with our human senses. The action does not depend on human ability to perceive.

A disciple asks: “Sweet Mother, can the psychic express itself without the mind, the vital and the physical?”

The Mother responds: “It expresses itself constantly without them. Only, in order that the ordinary human being may perceive it, it has to express itself through them, because the ordinary human being is not in direct contact with the psychic. If it was in direct contact with the psychic it would be psychic in its manifestation — and all would be truly well. But as it is not in contact with the psychic it doesn’t even know what it is, it wonders all bewildered what kind of a being it can be; so to reach this ordinary human consciousness it must use ordinary means, that is, go through the mind, the vital and the physical.”

“One of them may be skipped but surely not the last, otherwise one is no longer conscious of anything at all.”

reference: Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, The Psychic Being — Soul: Its Nature, Mission and Evolution, Section 6 More Lights on the Psychic Being, pp. 175-176