Matrimandir & I : ‘Matrimandir is a hug, a safe place…she is mum.’ - Serena | Auroras Eye

#auroville #matrimandir #intentionalliving In this series we interview Aurovilliens about their personal experiences with the Matrimandir in Auroville. Today it is Serena. The first time Serena saw Matrimandir was in a magazine at London Airport. She was flying to India and coincidentally she was also visiting Pondicherry. While in Pondicherry Serena rented a bicycle and rode to Auroville. She saw the Matrimandir from the viewing point and rode back. Little did Serena know that it was the beginning of a bond, where the Matrimandir became a part of her being… This Web series is a human experiment, looking into how the aurovilliens relate to the soul of Auroville - the Matrimandir. Hoping that this is the common ground for human unity. The dream is to interview all citizens of Auroville. At the very centre of Auroville one finds the 'soul of the city', the Matrimandir. The name 'Matrimandir' literally means 'Temple of the Mother'. According to Sri Aurobindo, the 'Mother' concept stands for the great evolutionary, conscious and intelligent principle of Life, the Universal Mother, - which seeks to help humanity move beyond its present limitations into the next stage of its evolutionary adventure, the supramental consciousness. The Matrimandir can be viewed as a large golden sphere which seems to be emerging out of the earth, symbolising the birth of a new consciousness. Situated in a large open area called 'Peace', from where the future township will radiate outwards. Since the past 50 years, Matrimandir's slow and steady progress towards completion has been followed by many. The atmosphere is quiet and charged, and the area beautiful. The Matrimandir is in the midst of a garden divided into 12 individually named parks such as "Harmony", "Bliss", Perfection", Progress", "Consciousness", etc., each with their variety of flowers, shrubs and trees. The Mother envisaged the Matrimandir as the "symbol of the Divine's answer to man's aspiration for perfection" and as "the central cohesive force" for the growth of Auroville. Auroville is a universal town where men and women of all countries can live in peace and progressive harmony above all creeds, all politics and all nationalities. The purpose of Auroville is to realise universal human unity. #spirituality #india #intentionalliving #ecovillage #pondicherry #sriaurobindo #meditation #peaceofmind #peace #humanunity