Self Improvement Site
On The Internet! Take the Self Improvement Tour
On The Internet! Take the Self Improvement Tour
Self Knowledge Articles
We are currently looking for an Official SelfGrowth.com Guide to "Self Knowledge". If you have expertise in Self Knowledge and your own website and/or product for this topic, please review this form for complete details. The Official Guide Position is part of our Premium Placement Package
- Epilepsy and Insanity Under Pressure of the Spiritual Quest for an Unprepared Seeker - by Submitted on Dec 17, 2021 from santosh krinskyThe divine Force that descends is not a theoretical event, but a real experience with consequences for the mind, life and body of the seeker. The seeker must be prepared mentally, vitally and physically for the action of this force in the being. The story of the unbaked jar, which cannot sustain ...
Views: 530 - Equality: the State of Inner Peace in the Face of Provocation - by Submitted on Jan 31, 2023 from santosh krinskyHow do we typically respond to the situations that we meet in the world? We want to fulfill our desires, have our wishes and ideas carried out, and have a modicum of control in our lives. When things do not go as we wish, we become frustrated, angry, resentful or otherwise upset. On the other ...
Views: 478 - Escaping the Conflict and Battle of Thoughts in the Mind - by Submitted on Jun 15, 2022 from santosh krinskyThrough the process of affinity and filtration of thoughts, when we remain in the plane of the mind, we experience the struggle and resistance of competing thoughts that appear to be in many cases chaotic in nature. Fighting with these thoughts, struggling, suppressing, all turn out to be ...
Views: 513 - Escaping the Little Ego-Consciousness Through Concentration on Infinite Space and Eternal Time - by Submitted on Oct 14, 2022 from santosh krinskyWe are usually so busy focusing on the day to day lives we are living that we rarely take the time to reflect on the larger significance of the universal manifestation and what role we, as individuals play in this development. The concept of maya, the cosmic illusion, is based on our ...
Views: 445 - Establishing a Foundational Basis of Sattwic Qualities Is Important in Protecting the Seeker During the Yogic Development Process - by Submitted on Apr 10, 2023 from santosh krinskyThe importance of the development of a habit of quietude and reflection cannot be over-emphasized. The preliminary purifications of Patanjali’s yoga works to create this kind of foundational support to avoid imbalances and dangers that can arise when the seeker experiences openings to forces ...
Views: 413 - Establishing the Psychic Being as the Central Organizing Principle and Overcoming the Dominion of the Vital Nature and the External Being - by Submitted on Jul 03, 2025 from santosh krinskyAs long as we identify ourselves with our external personality, the body-life-mind complex we inhabit and project into the world, we are subject to the responses, reactions and motivations that they express, based on the developments of the entire past evolutionary history of consciousness on ...
Views: 97 - Even a Brief Glimpse of the Spirit Is Sufficient to Direct the Seeker to the Spiritual Path - by Submitted on Dec 03, 2022 from santosh krinskyWhen an individual turns his attention to the spiritual path, he may experience along the way certain doubts as to his suitability, his capacity, and his ability to attain the truth described by those who have experience along the path and who describe various steps and stages. The way is long ...
Views: 395 - Every Yogic Practitioner Must Develop Along His Own Path and Face His Own Difficulties - by Submitted on Apr 09, 2023 from santosh krinskyWe like to have certainty, safety, and fixed map that provides us directions, steps, milestone markers and which will lead us to the goal of our seeking. Spiritual development, however, is not quite the same as an automobile or train trip from one city to another. The complex nexus that is ...
Views: 427 - Everybody Is The Best - by Submitted on May 04, 2012 from Frans LangenkampOpen letter to everybody: Did you ever notice that every single individual on earth feels himself or herself in a way superior to everyone else? What about you? Do you also have a subtle, deep, but convincing feeling that in a way, you are better, nicer, smarter, deeper or more intelligent ...
Views: 1240 - Everybody Practices Occultism, Whether They Realize It or Not - by Submitted on Sep 12, 2024 from santosh krinskyPeople proudly deny occultism with a laugh and a smirk about how unreal it is, and how people are taken in by the occult sciences. They state their dependence on what is “real” and “solid” and palpable to their senses. Seeing is believing, they say! They frequently pound on the table to prove ...
Views: 223 - Evolution of Consciousness - by Submitted on Oct 25, 2022 from santosh krinskyNature takes a long time to effectuate substantive evolutionary progress in manifesting higher, more complex and more powerful forms of consciousness. The shift from the realm of Matter took countless millennia. The first appearance of Life was simple and, again, the time required was far beyond ...
Views: 467 - Evolution of Consciousness and the Need for Rebirth as a Mechanism of that Evolution - by Submitted on Mar 01, 2022 from santosh krinskyWe observe an outer fact of existence, but we do not see the motive force behind it, nor the intention behind the motive force. Thus, Darwin identified an evolution of species, and researchers have identified families of species, development of specific characteristics within those families and ...
Views: 508 - Evolution of Consciousness, Rebirth and Overcoming Suffering - by Submitted on Mar 02, 2022 from santosh krinskyThere are many ideas about rebirth, how it works, and the relationship of suffering to an individual’s life and, through operation of karma, potential future lifetimes. Much of this is based on an underlying implicit assumption that the self-awareness that an individual holds in this lifetime ...
Views: 621 - Evolution: East and West - by Submitted on Feb 23, 2021 from santosh krinskyThere is a long tradition in the West that does not accept evolution in any form as an acceptable explanation for life on earth. This view is set forth in the creation story in Genesis where God created each form and being of its own kind and created human beings to act as stewards of the ...
Views: 674 - Evolutionary Change and the Process of Time - by Submitted on Sep 05, 2022 from santosh krinskyEvolutionary changes take place in what we may call “evolutionary time”, which measures major changes over millennia, certainly far beyond the span of any individual human lifetime. Thus, when we look at any attempt to modify human nature, not to speak of physical characteristics that are ...
Views: 498 - Exceeding the Limits Set By Our Minds to Harness Powers of Health and Fitness - by Submitted on Jun 16, 2025 from santosh krinskyWe generally remain locked within the framework of our past training and experience. We create walls around ourselves that circumscribe what we believe we can accomplish, what we can do, what is ‘real’ and what is possible. As long as we remain primarily fixated on the past, we limit our ...
Views: 111 - Exclusive Golf Information and Products - by Submitted on Apr 26, 2012 from Paul Bailey BaileyGolf is a ball and club sport in which golfers use clubs to hit a ball into a series of holes using the fewest number of strokes. The game is generally played on large areas which are known as golf courses. The uniqueness of golf courses is that, they are not standardized playing areas; instead ...
Views: 856 - Exercise of Will as Part of the Process of Yogic Transformation - by Submitted on May 09, 2022 from santosh krinskyThere remains considerable confusion about the role of will-power in the development of the spiritual life of the individual. On the one side, the seeker is asked to not give in to the force of vital desire, and the will is often confused with desire. Thus, the idea of acting without desire is ...
Views: 482 - Exercises for Anxiety - Strengthen All Four Quadrants for Optimal Relief - by Submitted on Jul 08, 2012 from Lorna AtkinsonMost of the general anxiety that millions of us suffer from is the result of making poor choices: poor choices in what we choose to focus on, what we give our attention to, who and what we issue our power to and poor choices about our own identity. These poor choices lead us into a mindset of ...
Views: 1777 - Experiencing and Understanding Infinite Worlds of Experience - by Submitted on Jun 12, 2024 from santosh krinskyScientists nowadays are speaking of infinite numbers of parallel universes, each one carrying out some different ‘choice’ that can be worked out. Not every world is based on the same set of factors and choices as the world we currently inhabit. There are also realms that are not physical in the ...
Views: 280 - Experiencing the Higher and Subtler Levels of Consciousness - by Submitted on Feb 17, 2024 from santosh krinskyWhen we are rooted in the body consciousness, we experience intensely the reactions of the physical body to circumstances and events. We may experience a feeling of pleasure, or pain, and as the intensity of that experience captures our focus, we are generally unable to pay attention to vital ...
Views: 279 - Experiencing the Shift of Consciousness from the Outer Being to the Inner Being - by Submitted on Mar 03, 2021 from santosh krinskyThere is a complete reversal of consciousness that occurs when the inner being opens and the awareness shifts inward. It may be experienced as a separation of an observer watching all the actions and events in the outer world, including the thoughts, feelings, perceptions and outer stimuli that ...
Views: 703 - Experiencing the Wideness of the Consciousness - by Submitted on Oct 12, 2022 from santosh krinskyThe Vedic Rishis sought the Truth, the Right, the Vast. (satyam, rtam, brihat). They understood that the awareness limited to the ego-personality, the individual body-life-mind complex, was incomplete and could not comprehend the truth or meaning of existence. They sought to identify with the ...
Views: 466 - Exploring Rebirth of the Soul into New Bodies and New Lives - by Submitted on May 05, 2023 from santosh krinskyWhile a segment of humanity does not accept the idea of rebirth, choosing instead to either suggest that this one lifetime is the entire frame and limit of an individual’s existence, or else, that after death they will be resurrected to go before a seat of judgment and either be assigned to ...
Views: 426 - Exploring the Nature of the Dream State - by Submitted on Aug 26, 2021 from santosh krinskyDreams have kept researchers awake for the entire history of mankind. Where do dreams come from? Of what substance are they made? What significance do they have? The ancient Greek culture had oracles who interpreted dreams. The Old Testament of the Bible recounts the rise of Joseph in the land ...
Views: 560 - Exploring the Stages and Phases of Inner Growth of the Human Individual - by Submitted on Nov 19, 2022 from santosh krinskyWhen we read Sri Aurobindo’s aphorism noted below, we tend to focus on the second part of the equation, the “bar” to achieving the higher result. There is an implication thereby that we have already achieved the first part and that we are thus ready to proceed to the next phase or stage of inner ...
Views: 481 - Extending a Measure of Validity to Reports of Supra-Physical Perceptions and Experiences - by Submitted on Jul 01, 2024 from santosh krinskySri Aurobindo makes an important point. Various aspects of reports about subtle senses and supraphysical realities as they impact our external world, have been documented, and in some cases, extensively studied and verified. Once we accept the fact that there is a real and solid basis for these ...
Views: 299 - External Interactions Provide the Seeker a Mirror to His Inner Characteristics and Traits - by Submitted on Apr 02, 2025 from santosh krinskyWhat we see in others in many cases is a mirror to what we contain within ourselves. We understand what is taking place because we are able to receive the vibration and internalize it and translate it into something that resonates in our being. In Western psychology there is a concept called ...
Views: 101 - External Worship and the Practice of Bhakti Yoga - by Submitted on Mar 09, 2023 from santosh krinskyMany people are abandoning formalized religions while saying that the external rituals are simply missing any inner spirit or force, that they are simply empty and do not get to the heart of the matter. There is a keen insight here that is useful for those who wish to practice the yoga of ...
Views: 425 - F.A.Q.: The meaning of life and Spirituality - by Submitted on Jun 11, 2013 from Albert WagnerAs these articles pertain to spirituality and the meaning of life there are some questions that come up repeatedly. It does not mean there are definitive answers, but one can try to respond to them. A logical question would be to ask where the author gets his information. Here is a ...
Views: 1300 - Face and Conquer the Difficulties in This Life and in This Body - by Submitted on Dec 15, 2025 from santosh krinskyA human birth is prized as it is the gateway to evoution and development. In the Indian tradition, even the gods need to take a human birth if they want to achieve any new form of development or progress. The gods reside normally in a static world which does not have the impetus for ...
Views: 14 - Facing and Overcoming Self-Doubt and Internal Criticism - by Submitted on Jun 03, 2021 from santosh krinskyAs the spiritual seeker develops the internal witness awareness, viewing the actions and reactions of the various parts of the being, it is frequently noted that the closeness of the view leads the aspirant to become overly critical of one’s own flaws, weaknesses, habits etc. This same type of ...
Views: 555 - Facing and Overcoming the Dangers of an Opening to Forces of the Vital Plane Without Sufficient Foundation in Peace and Calm in the Being - by Submitted on Oct 05, 2025 from santosh krinskyThere are sound reasons to establish calm, peace and equality in the being as the foundation for the spiritual practice. When an individual takes up some form of concentrated practice, tapasya, it can lead to the uprising of powerful energies, as well as an influx of thoughts, emotions, feelings ...
Views: 64 - Facing Difficulties and Transforming Them at Their Source Is the Path of Integral Yoga - by Submitted on May 11, 2025 from santosh krinskyThere are implications for anyone accepting the mission to work toward the evolutionary change of human nature, speeded up by the yogic process. We think we should somehow have amazing spiritual experiences, and live in a world of peace, sunshine and joy. The reality is likely to be far ...
Views: 97 - Facing One’s Difficulties - by Submitted on Jun 05, 2025 from santosh krinskyIn the Bhagavad Gita, Arjuna asked Sri Krishna to place him between the two armies ready to engage in a civil war, with massive numbers of troops on each side, so that he could view the scene before the actual fighting started. At that moment he was struck by the magnitude of what was about to ...
Views: 90 - Factors depending on how much does it cost to move across country - by Submitted on Nov 08, 2019 from David BrownThousands of people move across the country every year. They may be moving because of job relocation, family emergencies or just looking for a change of pace. In any case, once you have decided to move, the very first question that comes to mind is how much does it cost to move across country. ...
Views: 1043 - Faith and Confidence - by Submitted on Oct 21, 2024 from santosh krinskyThere are countless stories of what may be called the “placebo effect” for confidence in action. Athletes sometimes believe they will perform better if they are wearing a specific shirt or pair of socks. People have their ‘lucky charms’ that they believe provide them success in certain ...
Views: 221 - Faith and Courage Represent the True Attitude For Facing Life and for Spiritual Progress - by Submitted on Jul 19, 2025 from santosh krinskyOne of the qualities that Swami Vivekananda emphasized as ‘fearlessness’. We may wonder why courage and fearlessness are such important elements in living our lives, if we live a relatively ‘safe’ external life and don’t engage in extremely risky behaviour. We may also wonder why they are ...
Views: 83 - Faith and Personal Effort - by Submitted on Oct 24, 2024 from santosh krinskyThere is a tendency in the human mind to create an artificial division between faith, based in the divine Grace, and effort, based in the mental, vital and physical being of the individual. Thus, if we have faith, we tend not to ‘worry’ about specific actions we can or should take. It is a type ...
Views: 228 - Faithfulness to the Divine Light and the Divine Call - by Submitted on Dec 19, 2025 from santosh krinskySpiritual seekers face a long and difficult road trying to sort out what thoughts, emotions, feelings, movements, actions and responses are expressive of and related to their spiritual calling, and which ones are part of the old ways of the external nature and the vital ego. They frequently ...
Views: 10 - Faithfulness to the Light and the Divine Call - by Submitted on Jun 03, 2025 from santosh krinskyPeople have an inner ‘commentary’ and ‘sound track’ going on virtually constantly in their heads. The ‘sound track’ may be a piece of music they heard which keeps repeating in their minds, what is colloquially called an ‘ear worm’. It may also be something of far less enjoyment such as a ...
Views: 92 - Fasting and the Practice of the Integral Yoga - by Submitted on Jan 26, 2022 from santosh krinskyAt some point in their spiritual quest, seekers are generally confronted with the question of ‘fasting’. Some paths recommend fasting as a method to lighten the heaviness of the ‘earth consciousness’ and make the being more receptive to higher vibrational energies. Some point out that fasting ...
Views: 506 - Fasting in the Sadhana of the Integral Yoga: Impact on Vital Energy and Physical Body - by Submitted on Jan 02, 2026 from santosh krinskyFasting has often been utilized by spiritual and religious practitioners as a way of gaining some measure of control over the vital desires, cravings and urges, as well as a means for increasing the vital and mental energy available to them. In some cases, it has been used to induce altered ...
Views: 1 - Fasts other than the month of Ramadan - by Submitted on Feb 04, 2022 from Marghoob Bin SafdarIslam is the most practised religion in the world. Muslims are present in almost every region of the world and practice its teaching in their daily day life. As it is the psychology of every Muslim to know about their religion and the things by which they can get virtue. As the fasting is the ...
Views: 1169 - Fear and Fearlessness in Life and in Yoga - by Submitted on Jan 15, 2022 from santosh krinskyFear arises in the lower vital, in some instances, as a direct vital response to an energy that threatens health and safety of the individual; in other words, it is part of the survival instinct. But it also arises through social acculturation, such as in issues of stage fright, or through ...
Views: 519 - Fear Is Based in the Limitations of Ignorance and Unconsciousness - by Submitted on Jun 29, 2022 from santosh krinskyIn The Life Divine, Sri Aurobindo describes the sevenhold ignorance which limits the human being. We live in a world about which we know very little, and we lack a complete understanding of the significance of our lives, the meaning of existence, or the processes of Time. As a result, we act as ...
Views: 637 - Fear Versus Faith - by Submitted on Feb 12, 2012 from Ken ThomI finished writing my first book not too long ago. I found it difficult identifying what my expectations were since I’ve never done this before. The entire process of getting the book in print and to being in your hands was an emotional roller coaster. I had to keep reminding myself “process ...
Views: 1577 - Fear: Its Effect on the Vital Sheath and As a Cause of Illness - by Submitted on May 01, 2024 from santosh krinskySeveral years ago there was a world-wide pandemic that affected many tens of millions of people, which was called the covid-19 pandemic. It provided us a clear opportunity to see the impact of fear on the reactions of people. Panic ensued. Stores closed, public access was shut down in many ...
Views: 261 - February New Moon 2017 Earth Spirit Journal: The New Begins to Take Form - by Submitted on Apr 22, 2017 from Gregory Reece-SmithWelcome to Shamanics in Portugal´s Journal. Our intention is to provide our readers, friends and connections with an overview of what is emerging in our much larger, ever evolving community as we bring balance between Father Sky and Mother Earth, and within ourselves. Very early on the 28th ...
Views: 1461 - Feel pain, heal and find love for the lost one - by Submitted on Feb 01, 2015 from Gordana StankovicI wanted to write this particular blog for two reasons. One is as a memory of my loving mum who died almost 6 years ago. And the second is to share my process of grieving, what I've learned from it and how it's helped my inner growth with hope that my story may also help others who are going ...
Views: 1165