{"id":4170,"date":"2013-07-13T01:53:55","date_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:53:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/?p=4170"},"modified":"2013-07-13T01:53:55","modified_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:53:55","slug":"34-arts-vol-12-on-education-volume-12","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/02-works-of-the-mother\/01-cwmce\/12-on-education-volume-12\/34-arts-vol-12-on-education-volume-12","title":{"rendered":"-34_Arts.htm"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
\n
\n

 <\/span>Arts<\/span><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

On the physical plane it is in beauty that the Divine expresses
\nHimself. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In the physical world, of all things it is beauty that expresses
\nbest the Divine. The physical world is the world of form and the perfection of
\nform is beauty. Beauty interprets, expresses, manifests the Eternal. Its role
\nis to put all manifested nature in contact with the Eternal through the
\nperfection of form, through harmony and a sense of the ideal which uplifts and
\nleads towards something higher. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Let beauty be your constant ideal. <\/span><\/p>\n

The beauty of the soul <\/span><\/p>\n

The beauty of sentiments <\/span><\/p>\n

The beauty of thoughts <\/span><\/p>\n

The beauty of the action <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>      <\/span>The beauty in the work<\/span><\/p>\n

so that nothing comes out of your hands which is not an expression
\nof pure and harmonious beauty. <\/span><\/p>\n

And the Divine Help shall always be with you. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Supreme art expresses the Beauty which puts you in contact with
\nthe Divine Harmony. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

If art is to manifest something in the divine Life, there also <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 234<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

<\/span><\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/span>a vast and luminous peace
\nmust express itself. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Spiritual beauty has a contagious power. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Beauty is the joyous offering of Nature. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>True art means the
\nexpression of beauty in the material world. In a world wholly converted, that
\nis to say, expressing integrally the divine reality, art must serve as the
\nrevealer and teacher of this divine beauty in life. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In art also we must remain on the heights. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Good taste is the aristocracy of art.  \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\n                           <\/span>
\nPainting<\/span><\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

The true painting aims at creating something more beautiful than
\nthe ordinary reality.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n\u00a0<\/span><\/i>3
\n April 1932<\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/p>\n

Would you like me to draw birds or animals sometimes? <\/span> <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n                      <\/span>
\nPage \u2013 235<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

<\/span><\/div>\n

If you like \u2013 but drawings from
\nnature<\/span> are best for learning.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n\u00a0<\/span><\/i>23
\n December 1932<\/span><\/span><\/i>
\n<\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/p>\n

I tried to copy the drawing You sent me today. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

For learning, it would be better to enlarge the drawing so as to
\nbring out the details.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n\u00a0<\/span><\/i>5
\n January 1933<\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/p>\n

I have done this picture without anybody’s help. How is it? Will I
\nbe able to learn? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

To learn means months and months of study before any picture can
\nbe done; studies from nature, drawing first for a long time, painting only
\nafter. <\/span><\/p>\n

If you are ready to study hard and regularly, then you can begin,
\notherwise it is better not to try.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n\u00a0<\/span><\/i>6
\n January 1933<\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>I would like to know if
\nlooking at pictures is harmful. <\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Naturally it depends on what the pictures are. Most often, they
\nare about the things of the ordinary life, and therefore pull down the
\nconsciousness towards them. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n


\n\u00a0<\/span><\/i>10
\n December 1934<\/span><\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCubism\u201d and Other Ultra-Modernism<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

If these painters were sincere, if they truly painted what they
\nfeel and see, the picture would be the expression of a confused mind and an
\nunruly vital. But, unhappily, the painters are not sincere and then these
\npictures are nothing else than the  <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 236<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

<\/span><\/div>\n

expression of a falsehood, an artificial imagination based only on
\nthe will to be strange and to bewilder the public in order to attract attention
\nand that has indeed very little to do with beauty.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n\u00a0<\/span><\/i>27
\n March 1955<\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/p>\n

The largest of the flower-paintings is the best because it is more
\nspontaneous and free. You must feel what you paint and do it with joy. <\/span><\/p>\n

Copy many beautiful things, but try even more to ca h the emotion,
\nthe deeper life of things.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n\u00a0<\/span><\/i>12
\n August 1962<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/p>\n

To make my
\ndifficulty clear to you I am sending You my two latest paintings. One I have
\ncompleted, but not to my satisfaction. In the other, where the centre is
\nunfinished, I know what I want to do, but I cannot manage it. I want to ask You
\nwhether I would make more progress by studying in <\/span><\/i>Paris<\/span><\/i>, or if it
\nis better for me to try here. I shall willingly follow Your decision.  <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

My dear child, <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>I have seen your paintings \u2013
\nthey are almost perfect. But what they lack is not technique \u2013 it is consciousness<\/i>.
\nIf you develop your consciousness you will spontaneously discover how to
\nexpress yourself. Nobody, and especially not official teachers, can teach you
\nthat. <\/span><\/p>\n

So to leave here and go anywhere else, to any of the \u201c<\/span>Art<\/span> <\/span>
\nAcademies<\/span>\u201d. Would be to leave the light and step into a pit of obscurity
\nand unconsciousness. <\/span><\/p>\n

You cannot learn to be an artist with tricks<\/i> \u2013 it is as if you wanted to realise the Divine by imitating
\nreligious ceremonies. <\/span><\/p>\n

Above all and always the most important thing is Sincerity<\/i>.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Develop your inner being \u2013 find your soul, and at the same<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 237<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

<\/span><\/div>\n

time you will find the true artistic expression. <\/span><\/p>\n

With my blessings. <\/span> <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>25
\nMay 1963 <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

  <\/span><\/p>\n

Why do you want to do the details? That is not at all necessary.
\nPainting is not done to copy Nature, but to express an impression, a feeling,
\nan emotion that we experience on seeing the beauty of Nature. It is this that
\nis interesting and it is this that has to be expressed, and it is because you
\nhave the possibility of doing this that I encourage you to paint. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>1963 <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

  <\/span><\/p>\n

I have seen your paintings and certainly there has been progress
\nover the last year. <\/span><\/p>\n

Modern art is an experiment, still very clumsy, to express
\nsomething other than the simple physical appearance. The idea is good \u2013 but
\nnaturally the value of the expression depends entirely on the value of that which
\nwants to express itself. <\/span><\/p>\n

At present almost all artists live in the lowest vital and mental
\nconsciousness and the results are quite poor. <\/span><\/p>\n

Try to develop your consciousness, endeavour to discover your
\nsoul, and then what you will do will be truly interesting. <\/span><\/p>\n

This is the programme I am giving you for the year which starts
\nfor you today. \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

12 August 1963<\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

I am sorry to have to say that in the paintings, I do not see much
\nimprovement on last year. They lack sincerity and spontaneity; it is not seen<\/span>, it is thought<\/span> \u2013 and thought in a childish way. What I said last year
\nhas yet to be achieved. The consciousness must grow in light and sincerity and
\nthe eyes must learn to see artistically. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

12 August 1964<\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 238<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

<\/span><\/div>\n

I was not able to look at your paintings until today. Certainly
\nthey represent an effort, and the one which is framed is pleasing to the eye.
\nBut you think<\/span> too much and you
\ndo not see<\/span> enough. In other
\nwords, your vision is not original, spontaneous or direct, which means that
\nyour execution is still conventional and lacks originality an imitation of what
\nothers do. <\/span><\/p>\n

There is, behind all things, a divine beauty, a divine harmony: it
\nis with this that we must come into contact; it is this that we must express.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n\u00a0<\/span><\/i>12 August 1965<\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/p>\n

\nM<\/font><\/span>usic<\/font><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

To all those who took part in today’s singing and music: Sri
\nAurobindo and myself have felt that there was a great progress this time. It
\nwas not only from the external point of view of execution, but in the greater
\naim of the concentration behind and in the inner attitude. May the day bring
\nits benediction to all. <\/span><\/p>\n


\n\u00a0<\/span><\/i>24 April 1932<\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I do not know who is spreading the rumour that I do not like
\nmusic. That is not true at all \u2013 I like music very much, but it should be heard
\nin a small circle, that is, played for five or six people at the most. When
\nthere is a crowd it becomes a social gathering, more often than not, and the
\natmosphere that is created is not good. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

To keep yourself occupied with music and writing is always good;
\nfor your nature finds there its inborn occupation and that helps to maintain
\nthe vital energy and keep the balance. <\/span><\/p>\n

About sadhana I should like to ask you: why not do sadhana<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 239<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

<\/span><\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/span>through your music? Surely
\nmeditation is not the only way of doing sadhana. Through your music bhakti and
\naspiration can grow and prepare the nature for realisation. <\/span><\/p>\n

If moments of meditation and concentration come of themselves then
\nit is all right; but there is no need to force it.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n\u00a0<\/span><\/i>23 January 1939<\/span><\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/p>\n

Music follows the rule of all things on earth \u2013 unless they are
\nturned to the Divine they cannot be divine.  <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>25
\nMay 1941 <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Am I right in saying that when the Mother plays on the organ,
\ncertain chords of music create the necessary vibrations for the manifestation
\nof the higher Force which the Mother wants to establish on earth? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

When somebody lives in a higher consciousness, the vibrations of
\nthis higher consciousness are manifested in whatever this person does, says or
\nthinks. These higher vibrations are manifested by the very fact of the presence
\nof this person upon earth. <\/span><\/p>\n

Blessings. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

What is the significance of the tune that goes on repeating itself
\nin your music so often? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

You must have noticed that this tune generally comes after some
\ntrouble or chaos has been expressed. It comes as a solution to a problem. It
\nmeans an<\/span> <\/span>
\nadvancement, a progress, a step forward in consciousness. It comes as a
\nenlightenment. My music resembles the inner movements of the Sadhana. Sometimes
\na trouble, a chaos, a problem, a wrong movement which seemed <\/span>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 240<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

<\/span><\/div>\n

conquered returns with a greater force. But then, as an answer or
\nas an aid, the growth, the unveiling of the consciousness \u2013 and then the final
\nenlightenment. <\/span><\/p>\n

This music is very difficult to understand \u2013 especially for the
\nWestern mind. To people from the West it often means nothing; nor do they
\neasily feel in them the corresponding movements. Mostly those who can
\nappreciate the Indian Ragas can like that music; for there is some resemblance
\nwith the Ragas. But here too from the point of view of form, all conventions of
\nmusical laws and notations are broken.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n\u00a0<\/span><\/i>30 October 1957<\/span><\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/p>\n

 What
\nshould one try to do when one meditates with your music <\/span>at the Playground?
\n<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

This music aims at awakening certain profound feelings. <\/span><\/p>\n

To hear it one should make oneself as silent and passive as
\npossible. And if, in the mental silence, a part of the being can take the
\nattitude of the witness who observes without reacting or participating, then
\none can take account of the effect which the music produces on the feelings and
\nemotions; and if it produces a state of deep calm and of semi-trance, then that
\nis quite good.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n\u00a0<\/span><\/i>15 November 1959<\/span><\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/p>\n

Sweet Mother, how can one enter into the feelings of a piece of
\nmusic played by someone else? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

In the same way as one can share the emotions of another person by
\nsympathy, spontaneously, by an affinity more or less deep, or else by an effort
\nof concentration which ends in identification. It is this last process that one
\nadopts when one listens to music with an intense and concentrated attention, to
\nthe point of checking all other noise in the head and obtaining a complete
\nsilence, <\/span>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 241<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

<\/span><\/div>\n

into which fall,\u00a0 <\/span>by drop,
\nthe notes of the music whose sound alone remains; and with the sound all the
\nfeelings, all the movements of emotion can be perceived, experienced, felt as
\nif they were produced in ourselves.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n\u00a0<\/span><\/i>20 October 1959<\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

  <\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

X and I play the flute together. We have found a book whose songs
\nhave very beautiful, very simple and easy-to-play tunes. We should like to know
\nif the poems of love and death, which do not seem to go with our ideal in the
\nAshram, have a bad spirit in the tune. Are the Catholic religious pieces of
\nmusic, which are played in churches, bad to play? If so, we shall not play
\neither the tunes accompanied by vulgar words nor the religious compositions. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

You should eliminate the words<\/span>
\nand keep only the music in both cases. <\/span><\/p>\n

If you know how to write the music, make copies of the tunes you
\nwant to play (without copying the words). If you do not know how to write the
\nmusic, ask someone who does \u2013 Jo for example \u2013 to do it for you or to teach you
\nto do it. <\/span><\/p>\n

Do not keep the books with you, for these books can have a bad
\ninfluence. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

1965 <\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

What is it we should look for in music? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

How to judge the quality of a piece of music? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

How to develop good taste (for music)? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

What do you think of the light music (cinema, jazz, etc,) which
\nour children like very much? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

The role of music lies in helping the consciousness to uplift
\nitself towards the spiritual heights. <\/span>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 242<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

<\/span><\/div>\n

All that lowers the consciousness, encourages desires and excites
\nthe passions, runs counter to the true goal of music and ought to be avoided. <\/span><\/p>\n

It is not a question of name but of inspiration \u2013 and the
\nspiritual consciousness alone can be the judge there.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n\u00a0<\/span><\/i>22 July 1967<\/span><\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Concerning a medieval love song<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

The words are ridiculous and even in bad taste. Generally, when we
\nstudied a song, if the lyrics were unbecoming they would be changed and only
\nthe music retained. <\/span><\/p>\n

Someone who has a sense of rhythm can do it very easily.  <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>February 1968 <\/span><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

  <\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

(Concerning the words of two Christian canons, \u201cHalleluia\u201d and
\n\u201cDona Nobis Pacem\u201d’, inscribed on a programme of vocal music} <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

It is all right on condition that it is not exclusive and that
\nother religions are also represented. \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

March 1968 <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

\nP<\/font><\/span>oetry<\/font><\/span> <\/span><\/font><\/p>\n

Poetry is sensuality of the spirit. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

For me true poetry is beyond all philosophy and beyond all
\nexplanation.  <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 243<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

<\/span><\/div>\n

\nP<\/font><\/span>hotography<\/font><\/span> <\/span><\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Modern photography has become an art and, like all other arts, it
\ncan effectively express the inner feelings and the soul, with a true sense of
\nbeauty. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Photography is an art when the photographer is an artist. \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\nC<\/font><\/span>inema<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

We see too many films these days and I do not see how they educate
\nus! <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

When one has the true attitude, everything can be an occasion to
\nlearn. <\/span><\/p>\n

In any case, this excess should make you understand that the
\nimperious desire of certain people to see films is as pernicious as all other
\ndesires. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>11 May 1963 <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

We would like to be able to show the children pictures of life as
\nit should be, but we have not reached that point, far from it. These films have
\nyet to be made. And at present, most of the time, the cinema shows life as it
\nshould not be, so strikingly that it makes you disgusted with life. <\/span><\/p>\n

This too is useful as a preparation. <\/span><\/p>\n

Films are permitted in the Ashram not as an amusement but as part
\nof education. So we are faced with the problem of education. <\/span><\/p>\n

If we consider that the child should learn and know only <\/span>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u00a0<\/span>– 244<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

<\/span><\/div>\n

what can keep him pure of every low, crude, violent and degrading
\nmovement, we would have to eliminate at a stroke all contact with the rest of
\nhumanity, beginning with all these stories of war and murder, of conflict and
\ndeception which go under the name of history; we would have to eliminate all
\npresent contact with family, relatives and friends; we would have to exercise
\ncontrol over all the vital impulses of their being. <\/span><\/p>\n

This was the idea behind the enclosed monastic life of convents,
\nor the ascetic life in caves and forests. <\/span><\/p>\n

This remedy proved to be quite ineffectual and failed to pull
\nmankind out of the mire. <\/span><\/p>\n

According to Sri Aurobindo, the remedy is quite different. <\/span><\/p>\n

We must face life as a whole, with all the ugliness, falsehood and
\ncruelty it still contains, but we must take care to discover in ourselves the
\nsource of all goodness, all beauty, all light and all truth, in order to bring
\nthis source consciously into contact with the world so as to transform it. <\/span><\/p>\n

This is infinitely more difficult than running away or shutting
\nour eyes so as not to see, but it is the only truly effective way \u2013 the way of
\nthose who are truly strong and pure and capable of manifesting the Truth.  <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>29
\nMay 1968 <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Mother, <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

How should one see a film? If one
\nidentifies oneself with the characters and if it is a tragic or detective film,
\none is so much involved that one weeps or is frightened. And if one keeps aloof
\none cannot appreciate it very well. What is to be done then? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

It is the vital that is affected and moved. <\/span><\/p>\n

If you look mentally, the interest is no more the same; instead of
\nbeing moved or troubled, you can judge quietly the value of the film, whether
\nit is well constructed and well acted and whether the pictures have any
\nartistic value. <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 245<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

<\/span><\/div>\n

In the first case you are \u201cgood public\u201d, in the second you are
\nmore peaceful. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Blessings.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n\u00a0<\/span><\/i>30 January 1970<\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

(Concerning cinema in Auroville<\/i>)<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Children below fifteen years will see only educational films. <\/span><\/p>\n

Care should be taken in selecting films to be shown in Auroville. <\/span><\/p>\n

All that encourages the lower movements and actions must be
\navoided.1<\/sup> <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n


\n\u00a0<\/span><\/i>25 February 1972<\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/p>\n

Learn to be silent<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

The cinema is given for those who like to look at pictures and to
\nlisten to the music and the words, and they have a right to look and to hear
\nquietly. <\/span><\/p>\n

Those who cannot stop talking, chatting, laughing and making a
\nnoise or even running about, ought not to be there, because all what they do,
\nthey can do elsewhere without spoiling the pleasure of those who are not like
\nthem. <\/span><\/p>\n

So here is the decision: a silent audience \u2013 or no cinema.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n\u00a0<\/span><\/i>12 October 1962<\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Wizard of Oz\u201d<\/span>\u00b2<\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

A short explanation will surely increase the interest of the
\npicture to be shown to you tonight. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n


\n1<\/font><\/span><\/sup>The first
\ntwo paragraphs are based upon the Mother’s comments; when the notation was
\nshown to her, she wrote the final paragraph. <\/font> <\/span><\/p>\n

\n\u00b2 <\/font> <\/span>
\nThe Mother made this statement over the loudspeaker when this
\nfilm was shown at the Ashram playground.<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 246<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

<\/span><\/div>\n

This picture is in three sections, two black and one, the most
\nextensive, in colour. The two black sections (first and last) show how things
\nappear in the physical world; the coloured one expresses a similar sequence of
\nevents and similar characters in the vital world, the world where one can go
\nwhen the body is in deep sleep, when one gets out of the body. So long as you
\nhave a physical body, no true harm can happen to you in the vital world, for
\nthe physical body acts as a protection, and you can always return into it at
\nwill. This is shown in the picture in a classical way. You will see that the
\nlittle girl wears on her feet some magic ruby-red slippers, and so long as she
\nkeeps the slippers on her feet nothing wrong can happen to her. The ruby-red
\nslippers are the sign and the symbol of the connection with the physical body,
\nand as long as the slippers are on her feet, she can, at will, return to her
\nbody and find shelter therein. <\/span><\/p>\n

Two other details can be noted with interest. One is the snow
\nshower that saves the party from the influence of the wicked witch who by her
\nblack magic has stopped their advance towards the emerald castle of beneficent
\nvitality. In the vital world, snow is the symbol of purity. It is the purity of
\ntheir feelings and intentions that saves them from the great danger. Note also
\nthat to go to the castle of the good wizard they must follow the broad path of
\ngolden bricks, the path of luminous confidence and joy. <\/span><\/p>\n

The second is: when Dorothy throws water on the straw man to save
\nhim from burning, some water falls on the face of the wicked witch who lit the
\nfire and at once she gets dissolved and dies. The water is the symbol of the
\npower of purification and no hostile being or force can resist this power
\nhandled with goodwill and sincerity. <\/span><\/p>\n

Finally, when the good fairy teaches the little girl how to go
\nback home by knocking her red slippers one against the other, she says that
\nnothing is better than home; by \u201chome\u201d she means the physical world which is
\nthe place of protection and realisation.  <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 247<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

<\/span><\/div>\n

As you see, the subject of this picture is interesting and not
\naltogether devoid of knowledge. Unhappily the rendering is not as beautiful and
\nharmonious as it could have been. In the setup there are some serious faults of
\ntaste and many regrettable vulgarities.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n\u00a0<\/span><\/i>14 September 1952<\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 248<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

 Arts   On the physical plane it is in beauty that the Divine expresses Himself. \u00a0 In the physical world, of all things it is…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[118],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4170","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-12-on-education-volume-12","wpcat-118-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4170","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4170"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4170\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4170"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4170"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4170"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}