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Looking for light is vital for our future

July 15, 2020 by Andrew Marshall Leave a Comment

looking for lightIs there light in a cup of tea, a blade of grass or a butterfly? There is, of course, and it is in everything if we choose to look, even in what we regard as unpleasant. Looking for light, particularly when it seems to be absent, can be very therapeutic. Nature tends to draw us out of darkness. Evolution is concerned with just that – the process of enlightenment.

Everything vibrates, and what we describe as light simply has a faster rate of vibration than darkness. Someone once said that all on our planet, and indeed the planet itself, is solidified sunlight. Between light and dark is where we may think we find ourselves now, in innumerable shades of grey – but, if we look, there is also an incredible spectrum of colour.

Recognising light

Looking for light has to do with recognition. In the human being, light is akin to our higher nature – our better, finer qualities. How we perceive the world around us, from our immediate environment to all that we see or hear, depends on our inner state. If our heart is heavy, everything we see or hear seems miserable, but if we see the good in the world and in other people, a magical change occurs.

Our world may seem to have been turned upside down but there appears to be a shift in the way many people are starting to think. Instead of a desire simply to return to life as it was, there is evidence of a growing desire for change, for goodness to emerge.

Increasing our inner light

Our own inner light, which has its source in our spirit or soul, is always ready to grow. We just need to give it some encouragement. When the world seems a little dark, which it can at times, recognising the inherent goodness in people and in things is vital for our emotional, mental and spiritual wellbeing. As we all contribute to the collective consciousness of humanity, that’s good not just for us but for the whole planet.


Awakening Heart – The Blissful Path to Self Realisation

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Related posts:

  1. Something to smile about
  2. How to live softly with ease and help the planet
  3. Love: why cosmic glue stops us falling apart
  4. Clarity: why it’s a vital antidote to this mad world

Filed Under: Awakening Heart Tagged With: awakening heart, blame, bliss, body, cause and effect, change, choice, collective consciousness, compassion, earth, environment, healing, humanity, loving kindness, mind, mindfulness, positive thought, self-liberation, self-realisation, spirituality, thinking, transformation, vitality, zen

Something to smile about

April 19, 2020 by Andrew Marshall Leave a Comment

Have you noticed how many people are smiling today? In spite of all the difficulties that are going on, and the sadness and distress that are affecting so many hundreds of thousands of families across the globe, so much goodness is emerging. Community spirit is growing as we realise we are all part of one family after all. We were asked by a driver the other day as he was delivering some groceries how we were doing. It was a sincere question, to which we gave a sincere answer – every day we count our blessings. He thought for a second, returned a kind smile and said, “I think that’s all any of us can do.”

Smile for today, and for the future

Nothing lasts forever, nor will this pandemic. We know that. There is light at the end of the tunnel, possibly more light than we might think. We don’t know for sure that the world will become a better place, but looking forward to that possibility can uplift us. When we are in the dark, a torch can be really useful. I think a smile is a bit like a torch – it lights up everywhere we are.

Photo by Omar Lopez on Unsplash


Thank you for reading. If you would like more, please take a look at my books.

Guided meditations

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Related posts:

  1. Looking for light is vital for our future
  2. How to live softly with ease and help the planet
  3. It’s not all bad news – love heals, both inside and out
  4. Love: why cosmic glue stops us falling apart

Filed Under: Awakening Heart Tagged With: awakening heart, balance, cause and effect, collective consciousness, compassion, earth, emotions, energy, environment, fear, happiness, hardship, healing, humanity, impermanence, joy, positive thought, transformation, wellbeing

It’s not all bad news – love heals, both inside and out

March 20, 2020 by Andrew Marshall Leave a Comment

Understandably, there is a great deal of anxiety about the effects of the coronavirus, socially and economically as well as in a health sense. Fear is spread far and wide, and this increased stress tends to weaken the immune system. So, instead of mulling over the negative and fearful stuff, let’s talk about love for a minute.

The miraculous antidote

Love is quite extraordinary. We take it for granted as part of life but we often mess it up, don’t we? Part of the trouble is that we are conditioned to associate love with relationships from quite an early age and that, as we know, is fraught with difficulty. Expectations invariably lead to disappointments and little hurts build up. These restrict the flow of energy through our body. Over time, our vitality suffers and life is less joyful and healthy than it might otherwise be. The antidote to this is love. It is amazingly powerful – we just need to learn to let it out of the box.

Love strengthens the immune system

Just as fear weakens our defences, love can help strengthen them. The immune system is a fairly simple name for a rather complex collection of defence mechanisms within and on the body. Informing and underlying our physical body is an equally sophisticated system through which the energy of vitality, Qi, flows. The better the flow of Qi, the more effective our immune system generally is. This somewhat subtle field of energy not only permeates the whole body but also extends beyond the skin.

Wei Qi

The Qi that runs close to the surface and surrounds our body is sometimes known as Wei Qi – the outer, protective layer of Qi. There are many Qigong exercises and techniques to strengthen Wei Qi. Those are really good to do and very relevant in the current climate. But what is not often appreciated is that Love expands this energy field. So when we love, we build up positive energy in and around us. When we retreat inside ourselves through fear or anger, the Wei Qi retreats, too.

Don’t panic, but for heaven’s sake don’t just sit there

Life and the world are rather upside down at the moment. As a race, we have neglected and abused our beloved planet for far too long. She is giving us a very loud wake-up call because, let’s face it, we have ignored all the warnings so far. Perhaps when the immediate urgency of the current situation has passed, a new world view may emerge. In the meantime, let’s stay positive and remember there is a very effective healing power within all of us.


Energy circulation meditation for vitality

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  1. Home: four reasons why love in the home is crucial to your health
  2. Love: why cosmic glue stops us falling apart
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Filed Under: Awakening Heart, Health Tagged With: ageing, body, cause and effect, collective consciousness, earth, energy, fear, healing, health, joy, karma, love, qi, qigong, relationships, subtle bodies, tai chi, wellbeing, wisdom

Losing those we love, and the search for constancy

February 15, 2020 by Andrew Marshall Leave a Comment

We all lose friends and loved ones, at various times during the course of our lives. When separation happens, life can be painful. In that moment, a familiar feature of the landscape of our life disappears and nothing seems the same anymore. Like a drawing in wet sand that gradually fades with the ebb and flow of the waves that pass over it, what was real to us is no longer there.

It is not just emotional pain, either – the fine and rather subtle energetic connection that existed between us is rent, like a broken cobweb. That has to heal.

Constancy versus change

Most of us resist change. There is a deep aspect of our psyche that craves constancy. A bit of excitement is okay, but on our own terms, please. We could say that constancy is more Yin in nature and change is more Yang. When our Yin side is strong, we enjoy a stronger connection to life and are more able to cope with change.

Life is a play of these apparent opposites; one cannot be without the other. When we are emotionally attached to someone, to something or to some ideal, the constancy in that relationship satisfies the Yin aspect. It provides an anchor or root. When that is removed, our balance is gone and we become very wobbly. We will miss the joy and stimulation of that friendship, too – the Yang side – which is why so often we can feel numb.

Restore your connection

We are very complex creatures with many layers of energy, mind and emotions. When we suffer loss, it is very easy to lose our perspective on life. The computer of the mind goes a bit haywire. That is why it is important that we push the “safe restore” button. Stand or sit up straight with your feet flat on the floor or ground. Let your body reconnect with the Earth and your mind with the Universe. Keep the head up but let the shoulders relax. Don’t do anything else or look for anything to do. Let the breath look after itself. Stay for a while…


Book now for our next meditation and energy workshop in Staffordshire, which is coming up soon. More details.

Do less to accomplish more? The Art of Not Doing: How to Achieve Inner Peace and a Clear Mind is still available.

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Filed Under: The Art of Not Doing Tagged With: attachment, body, breath, consciousness, dealing with shock, death, earth, emotions, energy, grieving, inner peace, joy, letting go, loss, qi, relationships, subtle body, wellbeing, zen

How to live softly with ease and help the planet

January 19, 2020 by Andrew Marshall Leave a Comment

Looking out of the window today at the sky and the trees, the world seems a calm and beautiful place. But picking up a newspaper or turning on the news, the picture is very different. Unless we go around with our eyes and ears closed to the outside world, we all know that there are huge imbalances that urgently need addressing.

Leaving footprints

An old Daoist adage enjoins us to leave no footprints on the Earth. Another saying is to leave only footprints when we die. Either way, as a race, we are stomping around in big boots making an almighty mess. Whatever action we may take as individuals to reduce plastic waste, carbon emissions and so on, the situation can at times seem overwhelming. That is because the root causes of the world’s problems are not so much “out there” but within each and every one of us, in our consciousness. When we have imbalance inside, we create imbalance outside.

Living softly

In our heart of hearts, we know must learn to live more lightly, more softly. It is difficult to do that if we are overstimulated, which most of us are. Subconsciously, we crave space, which is akin to our inner nature. But the tendency is to seek out more and more information – the latest news, weather report, bargains, technology, fashions, miracle food and so on and so on. This creates tension inside us, mentally, energetically and emotionally.

So what can I do?

The most effective thing we can do immediately is simply to stop. Yes, just stop. Try it: stop and breathe. Bathe your body inside and out with your awareness, as though sweeping all tiredness and stale energy away. Let the tension start to flow out of you. When you are ready to move, after a few breaths, move slowly.

Don’t hurry

There’s never a need to rush – we just think there is. Slow down. Let your steps become softer. Make it a habit, and softer living naturally follows. Needs and desires become simpler, less demanding. We connect more to the Earth and our footprints on it automatically become lighter. Yes, it feels good, and it’s really good for the planet, too.


Free guided meditations

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Related posts:

  1. Something to smile about
  2. Looking for light is vital for our future
  3. Love: why cosmic glue stops us falling apart
  4. It’s not all bad news – love heals, both inside and out

Filed Under: Awakening Heart Tagged With: awakening heart, body, breath, cause and effect, collective consciousness, compassion, consciousness, desire, earth, environment, healing, living, qi, selflessness, wellbeing

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