The Consciousness of Auroville

Auroville, I experienced a profound shift in my understanding of consciousness and community, which challenged my western interpretation of these concepts.

During my stay, I learned that consciousness is not an intrinsic part of us but rather a skill that can be practised and honed. I also realized that to develop deeper consciousness, one must be aware of one’s own intentions and how they manifest into behaviours. Collective consciousness is an extension of this awareness of how aligned intentions manifest into collaborative behaviour.

Living in Auroville, I experienced a unique sense of community, where every interaction yielded insight into living. The idea of everyone staying young here manifests as a societal structure of everyone being both a teacher and a student consciously. I found myself distanced from the collective, seeking attunement to my mind, but the moments I shared with my fellow students were some of my favorites. We found collective unity in a shared purpose of exploring Auroville’s geography and mental, emotional, spiritual, and metaphysical nature.

The constant integration, collaboration, and sharing of ideas borne of differing
perspectives, experiences, and levels of understanding were core to our collective reason for being there. The lesson we were collectively learning was how to live harmoniously within our environment. Auroville has established this as a bedrock foundation within its existence. It challenged my perspective because, within my western understanding, I had not given much thought to the impact of our behaviour on our environment.

In conclusion, my time in Auroville was a deeply profound experience that allowed me toquestion my beliefs, expand my understanding of consciousness, and experience aunique sense of community. Auroville showed me the importance of living harmoniouslywith our environment and how much we stand to gain by being both teachers andstudents of life. My journey towards deeper consciousness has just begun, but Aurovillewill forever remain a beacon of hope and inspiration in that journey.

Talbot, Huw Taylor

Global Short Program Student (Faculty-Led)

New Colombo Plan Mobility Grant Recipient