In Integral Yoga, we are on a path of true change. No part of our being can be viewed and corrected in isolation. Everything has to be changed within the context of the whole, so we must learn to integrate ourselves. Every aspect of our nature ultimately has to be transformed. The process of integration goes beyond the one of wholeness because every aspect of our being has to be integrated around our true centre, what Sri Aurobindo identifies as the psychic being, our evolving soul. Everything must be referred to that. We have to discover our true integer. In the past, we attempted to integrate ourselves around our mind, which is a futile task. The mind, riddled with ego, is incapable of organising the chaotic stew existing inside. We need to look beyond the orbit of our ego and experience something in a different dimension and that is the psychic being. First, we have to purify our nature for the psychic influence to step forward. However, while the ego is present, we find ourselves polluted with ignorance and impurity. The paradox though is that we need the ego to initiate this work. What else can we refer to? The truth is, we need it for a long time and the ego will not disappear overnight. As Sri Aurobindo observes, the ego starts as a ‘helper’ and ends as a ‘bar’. Its influence means we have to apply personal effort. We have to offer every inner and outer movement, good or bad, to the psychic presence and the ego has to assist. But we always seek to hand over the reins to the torch light of our true consciousness, rather than the biased and distorted vision of our ego. However, it is not until our surrender is irrevocable that we can forego this entity. Integration is a gradual process. We move backwards and forwards from light to shadow. On this path, there are sublime moments when personal effort abates and the grace of psychic presence intervenes from behind the curtain. We learn to continually give ourselves to this presence. The practice proceeds initially in fits and starts and we move forward from experience to experience, almost as if each is a building block along the way. Over time, we plunge into the darkness of our nature and each motion of self-giving afterwards becomes a little less tainted. The power of integration does not come from coercion, but harmony. Harmony is a hallmark of the psychic presence. Over time, it harmonises the disparate parts of our being into a unified whole. The psychic being creates oneness through multiplicity. It has the capacity to harmonise every detail without losing sight of the whole. This inner work should always be shifted into our outer activities. Otherwise, our outer nature will remain unchanged. This sadhana is no part-time activity. It should be embraced with every breath we take. The secret is to never lose touch with the sublime presence once we have experienced something of it. –James Anderson
