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The Mother was born Mirra Alfassa in Paris on 21 February 1878. A pupil of the Academie Julian, she became an accomplished artist, as well as a talented pianist and writer. Interested in occultism, she visited Tlemcen, Algeria, in 1906 and l907 to study with the adept Max Theon and his wife Alma. Her primary interest, however, was in spiritual development, for from an early age she had had spiritual experiences. In Paris she founded a group of spiritual seekers and gave talks to various groups there. In 1914 the Mother voyaged to Pondicherry to meet Sri Aurobindo, whom she at once recognised as the one who for many years had inwardly guided her spiritual development. After a stay of eleven months she was obliged to return to France due to the outbreak of the First World War. A year later she went to Japan for a period of four years.
In April 1920 the Mother rejoined Sri Aurobindo in Pondicherry. When the Sri Aurobindo Ashram was formed in November 1926, Sri Aurobindo entrusted the full material and spiritual charge of it to the Mother, for he considered her not as a disciple but as his spiritual equal and collaborator. Under her guidance, which covered a span of nearly fifty years, the Ashram grew into a large, many-faceted spiritual community. During this period she also established a school, the Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education, in l952, and an international township, Auroville, in 1968. The Mother left her body on l7 November 1973. |
