All pictorial comparisons of similar author quotes, displayed in my various articles, have been brought together in a slideshow gallery. Most compare the words of Maurice Nicoll and Eckhart Tolle; some also feature Barry Long. Viewed as a collection, they illustrate many thematic and descriptive commonalities.
Maurice Nicoll vividly described how self-observation casts “the light of consciousness” inwards—illuminating “the darkness of unconsciousness” and transforming it. In doing, he fused Jungian ideas with Fourth Way methodology. I explore how Eckhart Tolle echos Nicoll on this theme, both descriptively and conceptually.
Self-observation is integral to inner-transformation, Maurice Nicoll and Eckhart Tolle affirm. We must impartially observe the unconscious stream of thoughts, emotions and reactions occurring in us, they say, and cease identifying with our inner states. This is a close look at the similar ways they explain this practice.
How original is Eckhart Tolle’s “pain-body” concept? This “semi-autonomous energy form” lives within us, he says, carrying our past emotional pain and generating more to feed on. Yet many of its characteristics find precedence, I argue, in works by lesser-known authors: Maurice Nicoll and Barry Long. This deep dive reveals Tolle’s signature concept is less unique than many may think.
Author Gary Lachman is to release a new biographical book on Fourth Way teacher Maurice Nicoll, whose work I’ve been discussing here at my blog. This is welcome news. Lachman is one of today’s foremost writers on the history of western esotericism/mysticism and its influence upon, and relevance to, our culture and consciousness.
Mindfulness or present-moment awareness is popular today. Many modern sources emphasise having awareness in life’s everyday activities, not just meditation sessions. This trend owes something to the early 20th century Fourth Way tradition, I argue, which advocated pursuing spiritual development in ordinary life—by consciously observing and changing one’s unconscious reactions in the moment.
Maurice Nicoll was a British physician, psychiatrist, writer and WW1 veteran. A protégé of Carl Jung, he later studied with prominent esotericists Gurdjieff and Ouspensky and became a Fourth Way teacher and author. I believe his writing on esoteric psychology carries more significance and influence than is commonly recognised, despite his relative obscurity. I hope this biographical piece gives a sense of why his work warrants more attention.
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