Despite the holiday Saturday the discussion on the second session on the Nation Soul was lively, and more spontaneous. But they all agreed upon to go back to basic text of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo to find the starting point of the research. The double, philosophical aspect on the subject lies within the nature of the Mother's world about it, and the nature of it by itself. We need to dwell into pshychic being of each nation, to grasp the fundamental genius, in order to bring it into the contact with the true spirits of other countries, and start the interaction of mutual respect and understanding. Read more

Christmas weekend passed in real spirit of light, sharing, joy, and peace with many different events on various locations, of which all of them weren't connected to the Christmas. In today's news we feature Rod talking about the National Soul, from the second session on exploration on it at the Unity Pavilion. Second excerpt is from the Youth Center - Christmas fair, which was lively, colorful with so many different activities, concerts, jam sessions, theater play, acrobatics, fire juggling.... beside the stalls and objects to play on.

L'Avenir D'Auroville invites the community to a General Meeting today at 5pm at SAWCHU to update us on : where we are and were we are not...yet. On Thursday at 8pm at Bharat Nivas Emergence is giving a concert, and the same day at Udavi School will be a Cultural Program of odissi dances, two plays and a flute recital. Gumpa-A-Lumpa Christmas fair at Youth Centre will start on Saturday 25th at 2pm with a very wide and interesting program for children and older children. The fair will continue all the way to Sunday night with more games, more music, bonfire... Read more

The Christmas fair – Gumpa Lumpa – was postponed due the rainfall, but at Youth Centre numerous audience could listen to over three hours concert by Johnny and the band, and by the Brand New Band. The energy were high, and also those we don't see so often on the events, came, and support the spirit of evergreen rock'n'roll. Special attention was also on the Brand New Band – youngsters of Auroville – who expressed lots of talent, and love for music. It was a one of those special nights, and amongst others was a farewell to Jan, dear friend, a brother, talented musicians who was volunteering at Swaram for over a year. Read more

A special day for a special lady – Marlenka – who's turning 75 today, and work with us since almost the beginning of the Auroville Radio. We talked with her shortly about her life, which was full of excitements, joy, passion, and she is very grateful to be here, at this time, and for the blessings of the work the Mother and Sri Aurobinod did. Her advice for life is to live simply, be happy, and do the work. Saddhana Forest is also celebrating birthday – seven years of that interesting, and fast growing community. They prepared the whole day of events, and surprises. Christmas fair at Youth Centre is postponed on next weekend, but on Saturday they will host two concerts Read more

Tamil Heritage Centre in collaboration with Sahitya Akademi present one day Symposium to mark 150th anniversary of the great poet and Nobel prize winner Rabindranath Tagore by Tagorian literary personalities, poets and academicians. At Verite we can join the play shop CELBRATING LIFE given by Dariya on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Ashesh Joshi will give an inner workshop tomorrow at Savitri Bhavan about The Integral Yoga of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. Genius Incorporated is organizing a special public showing "The DVD-Season1”. Read more

The first attempt of International Zone Groups about exploration of the national soul on Saturday at the Unity Pavilion was natural continuation of something that started with the work on the each panel for the exhibition opened two weeks ago about International Zone and its activities. “Yoga of the Nations” as they bravely named it should bring forward today's awareness of the Nation Soul as larger, collective soul. Discovery and integration will be achieved trough spiritual, religious, geographical, historical, racial, political and economical applied researches in holistic way. Read more

On Saturday 11 December 2010, Georges van Vrekhem gave the final lecure in a series of 10 which began in October. The title of this presentation was: 'Theodicy: ‘Nature KMakes no Mistakes.' Theodicy is the justification of the works of the Divine in his manifestation. The existence of ignorance, suffering and death is the main argument against a good or just God, or a God of Love, which every religion tries to answer. Nature is the work of the Great Mother, who is the Divine. How does Sri Aurobindo justify Her creation? Here is the recording of the presentation held in Savitri Bhavan.

What it started as a workshop for disabled people in merely three years overgrown to a project which tends to connect people from different countries, social and ethical backgrounds to express their creativity on a given unsymmetrical shape. Werner Gabriel, the project holder, and initiator brought this traveling exhibition to Auroville trough connections with Life Education Project and Harini. Girls from Life Education Project made a model of given shape out of cloth, and resembles on Indian woman. All 71 pieces that are on display at Gallery Square Circle at Kala Kendra until 21st of December, are indeed so different each from other, which also shows all the beauty of unity in diversity. Read more

This edition of the Aurovilian Portrait series meets Balu, a 12-year Aurovilian, originally from the surrounding area. Balu is co-founder and director of Mohanam Cultural Center, Lively Boutique and the Bamboo Research Centre. Listen in for details about all of the projects under Balu's co-creation, and click on "Read More” for links to the websites. Read more

The news today features an excerpt from Jyoti's introduction of the symposium 'Exploration of the National Soul' plus the insights of B on this profound topic. Also featured is the pond-like condition of the Auroville Library, again flooded due to the rains, due to the lower confines of the space housing the Auroville Library; a yearly occurrence for the last 15 years. Announcements include the 150th anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore to be be commemorated through the Tamil Heritage Centre and, NOW: the Nomadic Orchestra of the World presented by the Italian Pavilion. Read more

The Transition School teachers chose “Peace” as the special value this year. Loretta was invited to speak to four different classes of 9-10 year old children on Mother and Peace. She brought photographs of Mother with the Ashram school children and read a text of Mother teaching on how to find peace. This talk brings stories of Mother and the Ashram children and Auroville in the early days. Mother's teaching on Peace is useful for people of every age. Read more

The latest talk of Georges van Vrekhem on Thursday December 9 was about Sri Aurobindo's take on the Big Bang theory. Sri Aurobindo’s works are seldom approached for their scientific contents, yet he has followed the evolution of scientific thought up close. He wrote at the time of Einstein and the quantum mechanic revolution. In Savitri, his ‘testament’, Sri Aurobindo takes a clear stand for the Big Bang theory, even before the general consensus it has today.

On Saturday, December 4, Georges van Vrekhem’s talk was on “Sri Aurobindo’s Descent into Death”. Georges recounted that soon after the Second World War, the world, in Sri Aurobindo’s words, was “worse than worst”. In fact, Sri Aurobindo’s and the Mother’s work was in jeopardy -- and it was not his intention “to give his sanction to another fiasco”. This is one of the most dramatic episodes in spiritual history and the history of humankind, documented hour-by-hour and commented upon by the Mother herself. Georges explained Sri Aurobindo’s voluntary descent into death, only six years later, the manifestation of the Supermind with its enormous future consequences.

Chrais an agricultural engineer gave a talk on food systems and planning processes in Auroville during the Green Practices workshop. He observed that whatever we do in the human system we cannot change that we are made of water, bacteria, microbes and more, so it is important to take these factors into consideration while planning. Chrais explained the various food systems being practiced in Auroville and their continuing experiments with newer systems.

Saturday 27 November Georges Van Vrekhem gave a lecture titled: “Being Human and the Copernican Principle”. The human being has always been considered as the crown of the evolution on Earth, and is even imaged as God. Materialistic science has, in the last three or four centuries, gradually eroded such conceptions and reduced the human from the centre of creation to an animal among animals. The view, idea, or the image of humanity as itself determines the choice of its ideals and actions.

The first major goal to attain in Sri Aurobindo's Yoga is to realize your own soul, called by Sri Aurobindo the “Psychic Being”, from the Greek (and French) word, “Psyche”. In July, 2010, at the Matagiri AUM Conference in New York, Loretta gave a lecture called “Finding the Psychic Being”, which presented recordings of Mother teaching the Ashram school children how to find their soul. That tiny portion of the One Supreme which decided to forget its universal totality in order to become an individual and to grow back into itself by successive realizations through many lifetimes is our individual soul. This lecture radiates the atmosphere of the Psychic Being and explains how to find it through Mother and Sri Aurobindo's teachings. Read more

Last few days very very intense for the members of the International Advisory Council, for the members of the Governing Board, and of course for the Working Committee, which organized, and help with the meeting all the way trough. Yesterday's meeting of the International Advisory Council with the residents on their report brought on light some interesting observations, reflections and conclusions. One thing they all agree upon is change – visible in many ways, and also felt beneath the surface. Read more

Sunday morning blessed by sunlight was a perfect frame for the official blessings of the appointed land for the Africa House – Pavilion of the African Culture. Meenakshi on behalf of Tamil people and Aurovilians officially welcomed Africa to stay in strong ties, Dr. Karan Singh sung a shloka at the occasion, Mr.Shimelis sees this act as the beginning, Mr. Doudou Dienne shared a piece of knowledge about linkage between Africa and Dravidian culture...trees were planted together, and Tamil drummers started with the beat, and soon African students joined them... Read more

The most interesting to Mr. Shimelis Adugna is the Auroville approach and active way on how to make this planet a better place to live in for all of us, as he emphasized – to go back to truth,to our inner strength, and to work on these to work together. He sees hope as a moving agent to create reality from the dreams and vision as the Mother envisioned. To him, and so many of us, this world has to be the world of sharing. Auroville could do better when it comes to the awareness of the Mother's vision in Africa, by going there and sharing these dreams. Read more

To Be Newcomer is not an easy task. The life in Auroville is so different in comparison with the experiences of most of us had “outside”. These series of meetings are helping aspiring new comers to understand how Auroville works. In this Newcomer Orientation Program Sonja, Shivaya and Ross explored the Auroville's economy and the entry process. Nothing is obvious in a place like Auroville and clear idea are fundamental in order to take the decision to move in. A long list of applicants (300 till date) are in queue waiting to be received by the Entry service in the coming months. Probably some of the participants will make the list longer. Welcome... Read more

The Mother has said explicitly that one of the reasons for her incarnation was to provide a safe passage to the deceased on their way to the psychic world through the vital and mental domains. She built these passages when she was still quite young. Since then more cases have been reported of ‘near-death experiences’, where people who return from such an experience describe it in ecstatic terms. In the lecture by Georges Van Vrekhem held on the November 18 at Savitri Bhavan, he re-accounted such experiences and related it to the passing and realisation of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother.

Another speaker at the Green Practice workshop held in August was Bhavana Dee, who founded the Auroville Village Action Group (AVAG) in 1983. When Bhavana arrived at Auroville in 1971 it was a barren wasteland and “it was not anything like a city”. She went on to describe how they all worked together, along with the local villagers to help, to build Auroville. Calling it a very colourful time, she said the community was a happy one despite the lack of many basic facilities. Bhavana said if people take up the cause many such barren lands can be restored to their past glory as “mother nature is right there, ready to cooperate”.

Intimate atmosphere at Pitanga on Saturday night was almost to small for those who wanted to listen to the last concert of New Creation Choir before they will leave on a tour in France and Concert in UNESCO in Paris. Choir of seven boys, conducted by Laurent, through carefully selected and orchestrated songs expressed their inner strength and beauty by singing them. We had a chance to travel on musical journey from Dvorak, Mozart, and French composers to very much know Silent Night and gospel Jericho. Young singers with their energy and love for the music were rewarded by long applause by the audience. Read more

Today's news takes note of the passing into the Light of Aurovilian Valeriy Kubarchuk on 17 November. Valeriy, Ukrainian, was a resident in Prayatna ...he succumbed after a long struggle with cancer at 64 years of age. Prayers for safe passage go out for Valeriy, and love and sympathy to his family. Announcements include a proposal for a General Meeting concerning the housing crisis, ongoing as a question for the entire Community. Also of note: L'Avenir d’Auroville invites one and all to 'Exploring Geometry: Facing Realities' (a planning vehicle) on this Sunday 21st November 2010 in the Town Hall Lobby from 10 AM onwards. Read more

The interesting presentation by the PondyCAN team given at Quiet on Tuesday second of Noveber 2010 with the analysis of the root causes of the problem on this Puducherry -Tamil Nadu coastline didn't bring any solutions, but surely gave a hope that this problem might be solved. It appears, though, that the implementation step by step of the required measures isn't likely to happen as soon as it could unless it is specifically asked for not only by PondyCAN but also by Auroville in a more massive way than has been done until now. Read more

In an interesting interview with Dominique from AVIS (see: www.auroville.org/education/avis/avis.htm) we can hear what are the difficulties they face to accommodate the flow of volunteers coming to Auroville on regular bases. As it seems Auroville, although it welcomes all the volunteers from all over, is not properly prepared for them. Luckily here are people as Dominique at AVIS who are dedicating lots of their time and energy to make volunteers welcome, and their needs meet. At Savitri Bhavan today – on the anniversary of the Mother's passing we can visit her chair from 9am to 6pm, and at 7pm we can see the film “The Mother – Darshan Photos”.

After recent evening of jazz standards we talk with Nuria, who is already an Aurovilian for almost 20 years. As she told us, that was the inner call, a strong connection with the Mother that brought her,and her partner here. Since music is her love, passion...life, Nuria is involved in projects or things that they got to do something with it. Music is to her also field of growth, and a spiritual experience. Beside leading the choirs – children and adult's one – she's actively involved in Kripa, which supposed to bring some more so needed space for the artist of three fields. Read more

The great Change is taking place now. If a new species has to come about, it has to happen through a series of miracles. The first ones must be the psychic and spiritual realizations - followed by ... the unexpected. It might be more practical to see our task of transitory beings as a preparation for the unexpected than as an expectation of an overmental or supramental realization. But, despite our ignorance, our dedicated effort is essential (as is Auroville) in the present turnabout. Our yoga is not for ourselves, but for humanity. Listen in for the third of Georges van Vrekhem's talks.

In the Hindu religion Diwali is the most important festival of the year and is celebrated with families performing traditional activities together in their homes. Auroville community will celebrate tonight with common dinner at Solar Kitchen, and cultural program afterward. Everyone are also invited to join Diwali celebration tomorrow at Upasana to share joy and light. Beside that we can see Savitri – Soul for Any Age, a theater play at Bharat Nivas by The Young Flame Theater Company from Udavi School at Edayanchavadi village