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Clarity: why it’s a vital antidote to this mad world

October 26, 2019 by Andrew Marshall Leave a Comment

Clarity? In this crazy world of ours that seems rather remote, doesn’t it? Yet the parlous state of affairs we humans find ourselves in is down to one thing: our collective consciousness.

Loss of clarity is down to inner pollution

The natural quality of consciousness is pure but, like water or air, it can easily become polluted. Everything we think, say or do arises from it and contributes to the collective pool of humanity. As individuals, we cannot change the world, perhaps, but we can take care of our own consciousness. If life seems a bit of a jumble at times, it’s because we have a muddled state of mind. So what can we do?

Fulfilment and peace come through clarity

We have to restore clarity. Once we take a step in that direction, our lives immediately start to become a little more orderly and more pleasant. Well begun is half done, as the saying goes. A peaceful and clearer mind then actually becomes quite an attractive proposition. We find we don’t need to keep looking for things to do.

Stop looking

Constantly needing to be occupied is just habit. In fact, it is far better to identify what we don’t need to do. Doing less actually often does accomplish more. Seeking recognition or approval in any form is pointless. Yet so much energy is wasted on posting mundane activity on social media and wanting to be liked. It all just adds to the clutter, as do all those inspiring quotes and negative political messages. Let’s just enjoy some clarity instead. That will certainly help us, and it may go towards helping the world.


From the book The Art of Not Doing

Free guided meditations

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Filed Under: The Art of Not Doing Tagged With: blame, cause and effect, collective consciousness, compassion, consciousness, ego, happiness, humanity, loving kindness, mindfulness, positive thought, self-realisation, wellbeing, world peace, zen

Simplicity – the root cure for all problems?

April 28, 2019 by Andrew Marshall Leave a Comment

Simplicity-mindSimplicity is a wonderful word, I think. It has a ring of freedom about it. Deep down, I suspect that we all have a secret yearning for simplicity in life, to some degree at least. The basis for how we experience life is consciousness – the sum total of our thoughts, sense impressions, beliefs, memory and, particularly, the capacity to observe. It is this last that we tend to forget, yet it is simplicity itself. Being free from judgment, it is also the key to the higher aspects of our minds and to inner peace.

Simplicity of living or of thinking?

There is a wonderful saying in the Dzogchen tradition of Tibetan Buddhism: “May you be filled with comfort and ease.” This has nothing to do with living a comfortable or luxurious life but with having a perfect state of mind. It is the direct experience, the realisation, of simplicity within ourselves. When we have that, it doesn’t matter what our job or responsibilities are because everything is crystal clear. Nothing can faze us and whatever we do or say will be correct because it arises from pure mind.

Gradually, softly is the way

That perfect simplicity is not somewhere else. It is already present. You and I are simplicity now but it is difficult to see that because we all suffer from mental fog. Just as it would be extremely foolish to drive fast along a foggy road, so our progress towards finding inner clarity also needs to be gradual. Soft, not grasping. There is a great deal wrong in our human world but real change for good depends on collective consciousness. That can only happen if we as individuals change, moving towards our own inner simplicity. Then the outer changes will come.


More on simplicity can be found in The Art of Not Doing – How to Achieve Inner Peace and a Clear Mind

Our next evening workshop, Managing Life, is on Monday 10th June 2019.

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Filed Under: The Art of Not Doing Tagged With: attachment, cause and effect, collective consciousness, compassion, consciousness, energy, happiness, letting go, love, self-realisation, truth, world peace, zen

Love: why cosmic glue stops us falling apart

November 25, 2017 by Andrew Marshall Leave a Comment

Love is cosmic glueLove is an amazing expression of cosmic glue – the innate universal force that binds everything together. That may not sound very romantic but romance is not the same thing. Don’t we say that we feel a connection with someone we love? When we talk of such matters, we usually try to describe a mixture of feelings or emotions and a state of mind. But that’s simply because we can. Birds and animals, on the other hand, probably don’t discuss the finer nuances of relationships – they just get on with things. Either way, whether we have the capacity to analyse or not, sentient beings – animals and us humans – generally thrive in groups.

Sticking together is essential for humanity

We depend on society and society depends on cohesiveness. Despite being riddled with imperfections, imbalance and injustice, humanity survives and carries on. As though there were an invisible magnet, we stick together. That’s how life has always worked, and probably always will.

Our own wellbeing, too, depends on love

Where there is altruism and cooperation, society not only functions but flourishes. On an individual level, our mental and emotional health, and very often the physical, too, improves when we love. That’s because caring for our environment and being compassionate for both ourselves and others helps us to feel whole. We flourish rather than exist. Even the cells in our body can vibrate happiness! Yes, love is very practical. Everyone benefits. It’s good stuff, this glue. And it’s free.


The importance of love and compassion in society are explored in my book Awakening Heart – The Blissful Path to Self-Realisation

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Filed Under: Awakening Heart, Health Tagged With: altruism, awakening heart, body, collective consciousness, compassion, emotions, falling in love, happiness, healing, health, humanity, living, love, loving kindness, selflessness, society, universal love, vibrate happiness

Knowledge can be seriously bad for your health

November 11, 2017 by Andrew Marshall Leave a Comment

Knowledge or facts
Too much information?

Knowledge is good. Of course it is. But knowing a great deal is not the same as being wise. Thanks to technology, we have a plethora of information at our fingertips. Social and news media keep churning out all manner of assertions that are sold as facts. Whether they are true or not is one thing. More of an issue is the strain on our consciousness of digesting all this information. As our bodies become ever more obese, our minds, too, are becoming overloaded. We have mental indigestion and this affects our wellbeing. Knowledge of this modern ilk is seriously bad news for health.

Real knowledge is fact-free

Real or pure knowledge is completely different. It is like a cosmic computer. We can only access it when the mind is still. The route to it is through the intuitive faculty of the mind. When the intuition is awake, knowledge comes as and when it is needed. We know how to act, what to say and when to remain silent. Love and compassion are natural bedfellows of this way of knowing, so we respond with warmth and, at times perhaps, with fire. This is Actual Intelligence, as opposed to Artificial Intelligence, and it comes from learning to practise stillness. A short fact-free diet could do us the world of good. Who knows?


Read The Art of Not Doing for more on this

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Filed Under: Health, The Art of Not Doing Tagged With: cause and effect, compassion, consciousness, ego, emptiness, health, living, mind, news, peace, positive thought, self-realisation, tranquillity, transformation, wisdom

World peace is fragile – it’s no joke but we can all help

September 17, 2017 by Andrew Marshall Leave a Comment

World peace is on a knife edge. The Secretary General of NATO has described the current state of affairs as “the most dangerous point in a generation“. That’s alarming, but it certainly isn’t hopeless.

World leaders need a hand, and it’s down to you and me, kidworld peace children

When things are this volatile, we look to the world’s national leaders for solutions. Like children, we turn to mum and dad to sort out the mess we have made. But the leaders are human beings, too. They have weaknesses as well as strengths, as do we. Their positions of power and authority come not from some divine right but from the people who place them there, whether by election or by default. From that point alone, we all bear some responsibility for world peace. Looking more deeply, there is the question of collective consciousness, and that’s where we really can do something effective.

Consciousness is the key to world peace

In spite of all the time and energy national leaders put into their work, we’re still in trouble. Why? Because humanity’s consciousness as a whole is immature. We’re still in kindergarten. Living with the attitude “what’s in it for me and my friends?” will no longer hack it. Looking after number one does not create stability. A touch of selflessness and kindness, on the other hand, can cure a great deal.

A more altruistic society is essential

Governments know this but struggle because they reflect the consciousness of the country they represent. Altruism may be an ideal but it is impossible for a nation even to move in that direction if its millions of citizens have no taste for it. But we can choose to be kinder and more compassionate. We can choose to live ethically. Many do so already but it is an attitude that needs to become mainstream rather than a niche fashion. Then a more altruistic society becomes possible and world peace more than a pipe dream.


The importance of loving kindness in society is examined more deeply in the book Awakening Heart: The Blissful Path to Self Realisation

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  1. Clarity: why it’s a vital antidote to this mad world
  2. Motivation: how using Nature’s power can change your life
  3. If home is where the heart is, we must learn to be there
  4. Love: why cosmic glue stops us falling apart

Filed Under: News Tagged With: cause and effect, collective consciousness, compassion, consciousness, happiness, humanity, kindness, loving kindness, peace, society, transformation, world peace

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