On 5 January, 2019, students and friends of Thea gathered in the new Archive space at Skambha to ask her blessings on a new endeavour – assembling and preserving her Archives. At the same time, we offered her, at a special puja, the publication of her new book: The Chronicles of the Inner Chamber – Revealing the Profound keys of Knowledge contained in the Mother’s Vision of her Temple, the Matrimandir. These 12 Chronicles were first written by Thea, as convener of the Matrimandir Action Committee, in 2003-04 and nine updates followed in 2005 (see matacom.com).
The spacious and attractive new archive area is situated on the grounds of her centre, which Thea named Skambha. Nestled high in the mountainous area of the Palani Hills of South India, we have begun to collate and preserve all of Thea’s articles, correspondence and photos; these tell both the story of her extraordinary vision and her day to day yoga working with students and animals. It is all there, the excitement of finding and purchasing the pristine lands bordering the Gangavar River, the tough job of laying the long winding road through dry rocky hills down to the fertile valley space which would become her research centre; and the forming of Aeon Trust, a not for profit educational Trust which she registered with the government of India in 1987.
Head Archivist, Christine, relates that ‘Thea had a voluminous correspondence over the years with her students from around the world, and her journals and letters show how she took the foundations of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother’s integral yoga into the next phase of the Supramental.’
Thea is remembered locally in South India as much for her delicious Parmesan and Camembert Cheeses, and the business she developed to support Aeon Trust – Caroselle Dairy Products Pvt Ltd. Her archives document how the milk of the Cow (gau/light) and the energy of the Horse were the Vedic Pillars – or the foundations upon which she built Caroselle.
Most of Thea’s important research – which she called an Indocentric Cosmology – is already available in her books and websites. Thea’s archives follow the time-line of that unfolding vision and preserve the original documents from the first day when Thea arrived in India, 29 September 1971, through the day of her passing, on 9 October, 2016. Vijayadashmi was being celebrated on the day of her arrival in India, and Thea was cremated at Skambha on 11 October, 2016, again the very day on which Vijayadashami was being celebrated in Tamil Nadu.