The Mother

Agenda

Volume 9

April 20, 1968

(Mother holds out a note on Auroville)

(Question:) How dependent is the building of Auroville upon man's acceptance of spirituality?

(Mother's answer:) The opposition between spirituality and material life, the division between the two has no sense for me as, in truth, life and the spirit are ONE and it is in and by physical work that the highest spirit must be manifested.

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I got today a letter from a Swedish lady, I think (Swedish or Norwegian, I don't know), who bought a crucifixion.... A HUGE painting – huge, I forget its size, but it's fantastic, something like thirty feet high. She asks me what she should do with it! She wants to send it to me.... So I've told her (she paid a good sum for it, but she's a very rich woman; only she wanted to make a gift of it to me), I've told her to make an exhibition in a large hall, with, written under the painting, “The Past.” Then to put next to it, quite small, a photo of the galaxy, which is almost identical to Auroville's plan – a photo of the galaxy, big as this, and below, Auroville's plan big as this (gesture still smaller), and to write, “The Future.”

And she'll make people pay to come in and see!

Do you know that photo of the galaxy? It's really lovely. One of the plans for Auroville is almost identical, and they did it without seeing the photo of the galaxy.... They'll put those two photos, and if people ask questions, they'll be told, “Write there, you'll get an answer.”

I thought it would be an interesting symbol.

You understand, if I put anything else, I mean a photo of Sri Aurobindo, for instance, or books, it will look like... it will be as if we wanted to start a new religion – I don't want religions, an end to religions!

So it's an attempt to realize.

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(Mother then goes into a long contemplation that will last till the end.)

Do you have anything to ask?

Are things all right?

Oh, it's very interesting.... These days seem to be decisive ones.

All supports are done away with, there remains only That One.