Mirra Alfassa, The Mother

One of the most remarkable women of the 20th century is Mirra Alfassa, also known as ‘The Mother’. She was the first Westerner to become an Indian guru and was worshipped as an incarnation of the Divine Mother.

Mirra was born on February 21st 1878 as the second child of an Egyptian mother and a Turkish father. She was a gifted child and soon became an accomplished painter and musician. She claims that at the age of five she realised that she did not belong to this world and very often she would fall into trance or experience a state of bliss. From the age of twelve she was practicing occultism, had out of the body experiences and gained mystical insights into the existence of God. In her twenties she studied occultism with Max Theon and began working with different spiritual groups. In 1914 she met Sri Aurobindo, who she recognised as her mentor. She had to leave India after the outbreak of the First World War, but she returned to Pondycherry in April 1920, never to leave again. Sri Aurobindo recognised in her an embodiment of the dynamic expressive aspect of evolutionary, creative force, which is recognised in India as the ‘Supreme Mother’.

Although Mirra Alfassa’s time of birth is recorded to be 10:15 am, I have slightly rectified her chart. The following chart and delineation is based on this rectified time of 10:12 am.    

 

 

 Mirra Alfassa’s chart shows a Gemini Ascendant with Mercury in Aquarius, in the 1oth House. This placement describes a born communicator with leadership capabilities and a progressive outlook on life. The mind is very quick and there is much room for intuitive responses as well. And indeed she organized the Sri Aurobindo Ashram and, in 1952, 2 years after Aurobindo’s death, she created the Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education. Later on, in 1968, she founded Auroville which was meant to be ” an universal town where men and women of all countries are able to live in peace and progressive harmony, above all creeds, all politics and all nationalities”.

Her Venus is placed in Pisces in the 11th house, the house of ambition, but as well as hopes and wishes and is cazimi. I would  suggest that Venus is the Lady of the Geniture in her nativity, as the whole life of the Mother seemed to revolve around this fundamental principle. This famous quote of hers may be useful for the better understanding of her burning, undivided love:

I belong to no nation, no civilization, no society, no race, but to the Divine. I obey no master, no rules, no law, no social convention, but the Divine. To Him I have surrendered all, will, life and self; for Him I am ready to give all my blood, drop by drop, if such is His will, with complete joy, and nothing in his service can be sacrifice, for all is perfect delight. 

 The outlet for this Venusian energy can be found in the placement of Jupiter in the 9th House, which is conjunct her Part of Fortune. It shows her deep interest in philosophy and religion, indicates her yearning for wisdom and enlightenment and explains, why she had to travel to find the location of her destiny. Saturn in Pisces emphasises the sacrificial theme in her life, which is indicated in the quote above. Mirra’s Libra Moon shows her gentle nature and her desire for harmony and combines beautifully with her communication skills.

A look at her primary directions, which were used to rectify her nativity, shows that in 1914, when she met Sri Aurobindo for the first time, her Midheaven was  sextile Sun, of which William Lilly says that it “promises honours, bestowed upon by some eminent person, whereby he shall lay the foundation of arising to great preferment” (Christian Astrology, part III). In 1920, when she decided to stay with Aurobindo in India, her Midheaven was sextile Moon, of which Lilly says: “It gives increase of fortune, estimation and honour from the people more than usual; it argues some journey beyond Sea, and public commands, and usually affords the Native such esteem and reputation, as he by birth or place is capable of“. (CA III)

The Mother and Sri Aurobindo worked all their lives for the manifestation of a mode of consciousness beyond mind, which Sri Aurobindo named “Supermind” or “The Supramental”. The full expression of this consciousness on earth would result not only in a new species, as far beyond Man as humanity is beyond the animals, but also in a modification of the whole terrestrial creation.

In 1960 the Mother’s dream was to create Auroville, or the City of Dawn; it was her dream to create a place where humanity could seek the Divine without having to be worried about everyday needs like food and shelter, a place where people, coming from all over the world, could live in peace. A look at her primary directions for that year shows that the Moon was sextile Saturn, of which Lilly says: “The native will be prone to building and re-edifying“. (CA III) In 1968, when her directed Moon was conjunct Jupiter, she inaugurated the new city and today about 2000 people are living in Auroville.

In 1971, on the 93rd birthday of the Mother, the foundation stone for Matrimandir, or sanskr. The Temple of the Mother, was laid. This is the ‘soul’ of Auroville, situated on a large open space, called Peace. This laying of the foundation stone coincided with her primary direction of the Ascendant conjunct Mercury, a perfect indicator. 

 

The Matrimandir is in the form of a huge sphere surrounded by twelve pedestals. The central dome is covered by golden discs and reflects sunlight, which gives the structure its characteristic radiance. Inside this central dome is a meditation hall known as the inner chamber – this contains the largest optically-perfect glass globe in the world. The Matrimandir, and its surrounding gardens in the central Peace Area, is fully open to the public by appointment.

The four main pillars that support the structure of Matrimandir, and carry the Inner Chamber, have been set at the four main directions of the compass. Sri Aurobindo said:

Four great Aspects of the Mother, four of her leading Powers and Personalities have stood in front in her guidance of this Universe and in her dealings with the terrestrial play.

 Maheswari (south pillar): One is her personality of calm wideness and comprehending wisdom and tranquil benignity and inexhaustible compassion and sovereign and surpassing majesty and all-ruling greatness.

Mahakali (north pillar): Another embodies her power of splendid strength and irresistible passion, her warrior mood, her overwhelming will, her impetuous swiftness and world-shaking force.

Mahalakshmi (east pillar): A third is vivid and sweet and wonderful with her deep secret of beauty and harmony and fine rhythm, her intricate and subtle opulence, her compelling attraction and captivating grace.

Mahasaraswati (west pillar): The fourth is equipped with her close and profound capacity of intimate knowledge and careful flawless work and quiet and exact perfection in all things…

All these qualities, as recognised by Sri Aurobindo, can be seen in the nativity of Mirra Alfassa. 

  

The Mother left the physical plane on November 17th, 1973, at the age of 95.

Satprem, a disciple of the Mother recorded the “Mother’s Agenda”, a 6000 page logbook of her exploration  in the cellular consciousness of the human body and her discovery of the cellular mind. More information and an online version of “Mother’s Agenda may be found here: http://www.auroville.org/vision/maagenda.htm 

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