Question: I have sometimes awakened in the middle of the night with a strong feeling of elation and joy. Is there something that takes place while we are sleeping that we are not aware of?

Sri Chinmoy: If you can remember it, then you are aware of it. If you were not aware of it, you could not have told me about it now. After you had the experience, you came down through various descending rungs of consciousness. Because you are a beginner in the spiritual life, there is no link between the first rung and the rung where you had the experience. If you remain in the physical consciousness during the day, then the experience that you have had in the inner world cannot function properly. The physical consciousness does not have a free access to that particular plane of consciousness where you have had the experience. The physical consciousness must be surcharged with the divine light; then only will it be able to have a free access to all the planes of consciousness.

When you sleep, the soul moves from this plane to that plane like a bird. But if the physical wants to observe what the soul is doing, then the physical has to be moulded and guided by the soul's light. You were conscious at the time, but afterwards you could not bring the experience back because you were not aware of all the stages that exist between that plane and the physical plane. So the best thing is to always try to be conscious and open and to spend more time in meditation. If you right now meditate for one hour a day, then try to spend two hours a day. God has given you twenty-four hours. Out of this time you can spend more time in meditation. In silence you can speak more, in silence you can act more powerfully.