Campaigns

‘For as long as I can remember, drawing has been my oxygen …. and my quest for Being has been ever-present since childhood.’ Discovering Auroville in 1992 was an extraordinary key, ‘a remarkable opportunity to explore and express every facet of my being in service of Consciousness.’ In this second article in Art for Land’s ‘Conversation with an Artist’ series, Aurovilian Marie-Claire shares her aspirations and approach to the creation of art in various media. In addition to her art and exhibitions, she is an early childhood teacher at Auroville’s Oli School and does art therapy with adults. She says, ‘Art is a living dialogue between Matter and Spirit’ – one that can ‘provoke a spiritual transformation.’ (In English and in French)

‘This taste for supreme adventure is aspiration – an aspiration which takes hold of you completely and flings you without calculation and without reserve and without a possibility of withdrawal into the great adventure of the divine discovery, the great adventure of the divine meeting, the yet greater adventure of the divine Realisation.’ We are pleased to present here The Mother’s many instructive messages on aspiration for the period 1934 – 1956. One of which was her 1955 message : ‘Keep the fire burning steadily and wait quietly for the sure result …’ the result which did come, on 29 February 1956.

In this, Auroville’s ‘Birthday Week’ for its 58th year, , Acres for Auroville is happy to announce that to date 274.56 once-missing Master Plan acres have been registered as new Auroville land – a plus of 42.42 acres since our announcement in our November newsletter just three months ago. In this new February issue, we continue to present the inspiring and impressive contributions of the many builders of Auroville. On our side, the goal of Acres for Auroville is to provide and contribute the means for Auroville’s vision to incarnate in matter through a consolidated physical base. We invite everyone to read this issue’s very inspiring articles … and we thank all those who support and join us in our aspiration! Version française en pdf … பிடிஎஃப்பில் தமிழ்ப் பதிப்பு

Toby came into contact with Sri Aurobindo & The Mother as a teenager in the Netherlands and quickly became involved with the Sri Aurobindo Auroville Society and Auroville International Netherlands. From that early point on, his life path was made of a series of significant points which finally connected and found their meaning when he settled in Auroville in 2006. His professional career as a CEO in Finance and with Dutch water companies gave him skills that he now brings to Auroville’s town planning and water service groups. He sees Auroville as ‘a spiritual creation’ whose elements ‘have a spiritual place and meaning’.

AgniJata (Katia) came to Auroville from Russia with her two children and has been an Aurovilian for the past 20 years. She writes: ‘Auroville for me is the place of intense growth and transformation in the loving hands of the Divine Mother. The challenging and interesting process of inner growth here is reflected in the fast changes in matter. I came here in 2004 to participate in this divine-human-material experiment and I have never been disappointed. It was hard, even painful sometimes, but each time the light found behind the darkness confirmed that this is the right choice for me – to be an Aurovilian.’

We are very pleased to start our Art for Land series of articles ‘Conversation with an Artist’ with this sharing by Auroville artist Pierre Legrand. In it, Pierre presents his unique path of creation, intersecting art with the spiritual. Starting with his creative tinkerings as a child, through his studies in Paris, his exhibitions in Europe and India, Pierre provides insights into his artistic research including the invention of his ‘alphabet’ and his discovery of ‘the little things’. The past year has been one of an unexpected harvest in his evolving creative sea. Speaking about his voyage – he says: ‘The first image which comes to my mind is that of Colombus in the middle of the Atlantic being asked about his journey. What could he say ?…’

Over the past eleven years, Art For Land has become a respected showcase for the works of Auroville artists and friends of Auroville. Our new AFL exhibition ‘The Golden Light’ brings together creative works from ten Auuroville and Ashram artists in diverse media in which the golden light shines through and inspires, including profound artistic interpretations of Savitri. All sales go to the Acres for Auroville campaign for acquiring Auroville’s missing Master Plan land. Viewing and purchase of many of the works by the featured artists and by the other AFL artists presented on our site is possible at Auroville’s Unity Pavilion and also online at artforland.in https://land.auroville.org/art-for-land-exhibition-the-golden-light/

The Mother’s New Year messages provide a sense of what is at stake with each new annual cycle. Here is a compilation of all of The Mother’s messages that she gave over the 40 years from 1933 till 1973. They are messages of guidance and direction in general, but they are also revealing in the context of the historical happenings at every new date. In 1933, the beginnings of the upcoming new World War were taking shape. Her messages in the 1940’s, ‘50s and ’60’s are in the context of the deep changes in world power relations and the menace of new wars. Her words remind us of the rôle that we humans hold and the need for our consecration and sincerity.