Question: Guru, are there negative forces, or is it just ignorance that we think of as a negative force, things that make us feel bad and things that seem to put obstacles in our way?

Sri Chinmoy: Undoubtedly there are negative forces in us and around us in the cosmos. But, again, the source of these negative forces is ignorance. Now, we can go to the source, but it is very difficult for us to do so, whether the source is the light or the source is the night. To go to the light is extremely difficult. To go to the night is comparatively easier because we are already in the mire of ignorance. But now the source is ignorance and from the source comes the negative force. The negative force means the destruction of one’s inner possibilities. The positive force which energises us is the force of our soul. The force which comes from the unconscious level within us is a negative force which will try to destroy all our inner possibilities. So, when there is a thought inside us looming large which says, “You cannot be God’s chosen child. Impossible. You have done many things wrong,” immediately we have to tell this negative force, “True, I have done quite a few things wrong, but it is none of your business. I am not taking shelter in you. I don’t want to be under your wings. I want to be under the protection of the Omnipotent, the Omniscient.” This way I can strike back at the negative force. The negative force will tell me that I cannot become the perfect instrument of God, or cannot grow into the very image of God. These two things the negative forces will tell me. The positive force will tell me that I am indeed the chosen instrument of God. Unfortunately, most of us are not aware of it, and we are suffering because of it. Another thing: we are growing into the very image of God because God Himself is evolving in and through us. Rest assured that the positive force will tell us that we are God’s chosen children.

Then every day, early in the morning, at least for five minutes, we have to exercise our positive thought, positive will, positive force. What do we mean by positive force? We mean that the Truth exists within us and is being realised. Then we try to feel that the Truth is already embodied. Finally we try to feel that the Truth has to be revealed and manifested in us and through us. Each aspirant has to feel that. Then there can be no negative force to disturb us or destroy our aspiration. Very often we allow the negative forces to attack us. If we don’t give them the chance, then the negative forces have to remain thousands of miles away from us.

Now, there is another process. If we constantly harbour good thoughts, divine thoughts, pure thoughts, then the negative forces cannot stay with us. If we cherish undivine thoughts, then the Divine Force cannot enter into us because it knows that the moment it enters into us it will be suffocated. But, unfortunately, human beings get immense pleasure in cherishing undivine thoughts. After cherishing divine thoughts for five minutes, they find it relaxing to cherish undivine thoughts. Now when we can recognise negative forces, that means we are already awakened. For an unaspiring person there is no such thing as either negative or positive forces. He cannot discriminate. And he has already surrendered to the dark forces which are around him most of the time: his fate. Here is the difference between an aspiring soul and an unaspiring soul. An aspiring soul will never surrender to fate; only to his Inner Pilot, the Supreme. But an unaspiring soul will surrender to his fate. What is fate? It is only the obstruction created by limitation. This limitation has come directly from darkness and this darkness is the child of ignorance. So now let us try, all of us, early in the morning, to welcome divine thoughts, divine Purity, divine Light, divine Truth. Then the negative thoughts, negative ideas, negative forces will not dare to enter into us. Later on, they will not even be willing to appear.

From:Sri Chinmoy,Earth’s Cry Meets Heaven’s Smile, part 2, Aum Press, Puerto Rico, 1974
Sourced from https://srichinmoylibrary.com/ech_2