Sri Aurobindo
Letters of Sri Aurobindo
13. Opposition of the Hostile Forces
All naturally in these difficulties has its original
roots in the vital and its expectations of all kinds. When one wants to get rid
of them, the vital resists and is unwilling to part with them, but this by
itself would not be anything more than a work of change, adjustment,
re-arrangement which might take time but not cause serious conflicts and
upheavals. For once the mind and inner will are settled to be rid of these
movements, the will of the higher vital would also come into line and the rest
which is more obstinate against change because it is a thing of habitual
movements, supported on the subconscient and not governed by 
reason or knowledge, would yet be unable to resist permanently or vehemently the
pressure from the higher will of the being. Its force of resistance would
diminish and the habitual reactions wear out or fall away. But the prolongation
of the difficulty and its acuteness come from the fact that there are Forces in
Nature, not personal or individual but universal, which live upon these
movements and through them have long controlled the individual nature. These do
not want to lose their rule and so when these movements are thrown out, they
throw them back on the sadhak in strong waves or with great violence. Or they
create in the vital a great depression, discouragement, despair – that is their
favourite weapon – because it is losing its former field of desires and has not
yet in any certainty something that would replace it, the assured continuous
psychic or spiritual condition or experience. To prevent that is the whole
effort of these Forces. So they create these upheavals and the vital admits them
because of its own habit of response to the lower Forces. At the same time they
put in suggestions to the mind so as to make it also accept the disturbance,
discouragement and depression. That is what I meant by saying that these are
attacks from outside and must be rejected. If they cannot be rejected
altogether, yet one must try to keep a part of the mind conscious which will
refuse to admit the suggestions or share in the depression and the trouble,–
which will say firmly “I know what this is and I know that it will pass and I
can resume my way to the goal which nothing can prevent me from reaching, since
my soul’s will is and will always be for that.” You have to reach the point
where you can do that always; then the power of the Forces to disturb will begin
to diminish and fall away. Our Force is there with you and will not fail to
support and strengthen you. The suggestion that we are indifferent is obviously
nothing but a suggestion intended to help and fortify the depression. As such
you should regard it and not accept it as true or as your own thought; for it
could not possibly be true. Your success in reaching peace and light is as much
our concern as yours and even more so.