Until 19 January I'll be focusing on writing my new book, so until then we're going to re-run some of my most popular articles. What occurs to you after reading this article again? Please let me know in the comment section below or on my Facebook page. I'm looking forward to re-connecting with you at the end of January!
I was interviewed by my friend, Knut Johannessen, and he asked the question, “How does it help a person to know that their feelings are coming from thought?” I replied that the issue isn’t that a person has anxious feelings (for instance) coming from anxious thinking. The issue is that the person believes those feelings have something to do with the world; have something to do with ‘objective reality’. But it doesn’t work that way…
The formless principle of Thought creates a perceptual reality, and the principle of Consciousness gives us a felt experience of that reality. The perceptual reality Thought creates is such a compelling illusion that it often seems like our feelings are coming from “out there”; whether “out there” is another person’s behavious, the economy, the past, the future, our health, our loved ones, our bank accounts, our goals etc. But it doesn’t work that way…
We’re always living in the feeling of the principle of Thought taking form, moment to moment. We’re never feeling anything other than the principle of Thought taking form, moment to moment. We feel a feeling and think “There’s no smoke without fire; there must be something out there that’s causing this.” But the world of form is neutral; your experience of it is the creation of Thought in the moment. As a neutral entity, it is totally incapable of creating a feeling. When it comes to our feelings, there is smoke without fire. The smoke of our feelings are coming from Thought, not from the “fire” of circumstances. Here’s an excerpt from my book CLARITY: Clear Mind, Better Performance, Bigger Results (Wiley, 2013)
The principles of flight
People struggled for centuries to create flying machines. While people saw birds and insects flying, they didn’t understand the principles that made flight possible. Then, the Wright brothers discovered the principles of aeronautics. In December 1903 they achieved the first manned, machine-powered flight. In the century since, the world of aeronautics has achieved extraordinary feats (the helicopter, the jump-jet, the space-shuttle and Concorde to name but a few). Discovering the principles of aeronautics gave people massive leverage to create things that couldn’t even be dreamt of previously.
The Wright brothers’ discovery of the principles of flight has transformed transportation. Ignatz Semmelweis’ discovery of the principles behind germs and bacteria has transformed the physical health of humanity. Sydney Banks’ discovery of the principles behind the human experience is transforming the mental health and wellbeing of humanity, one person at a time. The impact of Semmelweis’ and the Wright brothers’ discoveries is minuscule compared to the potential impact of Banks’ discovery. Why? Because human psychology is behind everything we do, say, think and feel. The greatest problems humanity struggles with are the result of misunderstanding these principles, and the future of human evolution is emerging as a result of their realisation.
There is smoke without fire. And that’s great news for all of us.
If you want to learn more about how you can see through the outside-in misunderstanding, and start waking up to the principles behind clarity, you can explore the materials here at www.JamieSmart.com or read my book, the #1 bestseller CLARITY: Clear Mind, Better Performance, Bigger Results or The Little Book of Clarity: A Quick Guide to Focus and Declutter Your Mind.
To your increasing clarity,
Best
Jamie