Plumbago indica

Red Leadwort, Scarlet Leadwort, Indian Leadwort

Message of the Flower

Organisation of the Being around the Psychic

The Mother’s Comment

The first stage of transformation.

Spiritual Message by the Mother/ Quotes by Sri Aurobindo

The psychic being is the soul developing in the evolution.

Sri Aurobindo, Letters on Yoga - I: Classification of the Parts of the Being

The true soul of man is in the true invisible heart hidden in some luminous cave of the nature: there under some infiltration of the divine Light is our soul, a silent inmost being of which few are even aware; for if all have a soul, few are conscious of their true soul or feel its direct impulse. There dwells the little spark of the Divine which supports the obscure mass of our nature and around it grows the psychic being, the formed soul or the real Man within us. It is as this psychic being in him grows and the movements of the heart reflect its divinations and impulsions that man becomes more and more aware of his soul, ceases to be a superior animal and, awakening to glimpses of the godhead within him, admits more and more its intimations of a deeper life and consciousness and an impulse towards things divine. It is one of the decisive moments of the integral Yoga when this psychic being, liberated, brought out from the veil to the front, can pour the full flood of its divinations, seeings and impulsions on the mind, life and body of man and begins to prepare the upbuilding of divinity in the earthly nature.

Sri Aurobindo, The Synthesis of Yoga - I: The Ascent of the Sacrifice - I

It is the very nature of the soul or the psychic being to turn towards the divine Truth as the sunflower to the sun; it accepts and clings to all that is divine or progressing towards divinity, and draws back from all that is a perversion or a denial of it, from all that is false and undivine. Yet the soul is at first but a spark and then a little flame of godhead burning in the midst of a great darkness… It is only when the life turns towards the Divine that the soul can truly come forward and impose its power on the outer members; for, itself a spark of the Divine, to grow in flame towards the Divine is its true life and its very reason of existence.

Sri Aurobindo, The Synthesis of Yoga - I: The Ascent of the Sacrifice - I

The first step of self-realisation is the discovery of the soul, not the outer soul of thought and emotion and desire, but the secret psychic entity, the divine element within us. When that becomes dominant over the nature, when we are consciously the soul and when mind, life and body take their true place as its instruments, we are aware of a guide within that knows the truth, the good, the true delight and beauty of existence, controls heart and intellect by its luminous law and leads our life and being towards spiritual completeness. Even within the obscure workings of the Ignorance we have then a witness who discerns, a living light that illumines, a will that refuses to be misled and separates the mind's truth from its error, the heart's intimate response from its vibrations to a wrong call and wrong demand upon it, the life's true ardour and plenitude of movement from vital passion and the turbid falsehoods of our vital nature and its dark self seekings. This is the first step of self-realisation, to enthrone the soul, the divine psychic individual in the place of the ego.

Sri Aurobindo, The Life Divine - I: The Origin and Remedy of Falsehood, Error, Wrong and Evil

In order to strengthen the conscious contact with one's psychic being and aid, if possible, the development of the conscious psychic personality, one should, while concentrating, turn towards it, aspire to know it and feel it, open oneself to receive its influence, and take great care, each time that one receives an indication from it, to follow it very scrupulously and sincerely. To live in a great aspiration, to take care to become inwardly calm and remain so always as far as possible, to cultivate a perfect sincerity in all the activities of one's being—these are the essential conditions for the growth of the psychic being.

The Mother, Some Answers from the Mother: 10 September 1959

Colour

Pinkish-red, dark red

Family

Plumbaginaceae

Flower Size

Small, around 1-3 cm in diameter

Flower Texture

Smooth, delicate

Number of Petals

Five

Floral Symmetry

Radially symmetrical

Fragrance of Flower

Minimal to no fragrance

Leaf Texture

Smooth with a slightly sticky surface

Leaf Arrangement

Alternate

Leaf Color

Green

Structural Variation (Shrub or Tree)

Shrub

Life Cycle

Perennial

Blooming Period

Varies with climate, often summer through fall in temperate zones

Climate

Tropical and subtropical

Water Requirements

Moderate, drought-tolerant once established

Soil Type

Prefers well-drained soils

Temperature Ranges

Warm, frost-sensitive

Sun or Shade

Full sun to partial shade

Susceptibility to Insects and Diseases

Susceptible to spider mites and whiteflies under stress; fungal diseases in overly wet conditions

Pollinators

Attracts butterflies and other pollinators

Habitat

Native to Southeast Asia; used in gardens for ornamental purposes

Role in the Ecosystem

Provides nectar for pollinators

Ornamental

Highly valued for its vivid flowers and as a ground cover or border plant in gardens

Uses in Other Aspects of Life

Mainly ornamental

Endangered Status

Not listed as endangered; widely cultivated