Transcendental News, Vol 24. No 2, September 2020

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
®
news
Transcendental Meditation
VOL.24 • NO.2 • BRITAIN’S NATIONAL TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION MAGAZINE • SEPTEMBER 2020 • £3.95
New book on the Maharishi Effect by Barry Spivack and Patricia Saunders
Also in this issue:
• Maharishi School is top of the class
• Online courses a global success
• Synchrony of silence – online group meditations
• Heal the Healers now
• Welcome to new TM Teacher Christine Curtis
• Dr Tony Nader gives keynote address of International Yoga Day
• TM & Me: Georgina Hall
• The Maharishi Interviews: Les Crane, Autumn 1967, Los Angeles

Transcendental Meditation TM
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MAHARISHI MAHESH YOGI
Science of Being and Art of Living, p 311
®
“The proper plan for the emancipation of
all mankind, generation after generation,
lies in training evolved teachers of
Transcendental Meditation, constructing
suitable, silent sanctuaries for the
meditation, bringing it to every individual
on the basis of his need and his nature, and finding various
ways and means for its propagation according to the
consciousness of the times.”
TM teaching resumes after
lockdown
Although the teaching of
Transcendental Meditation
courses in the UK came
to a standstill with the
coronavirus lockdown in March,
the easing of restrictions in June
allowed courses to resume.
Courses are being conducted
with full attention to social
distancing and the relevant
government guidelines for
Covid-19 safety, including the
use of masks by teachers and
students, and thorough sanitising
of premises.
Amongst new initiatives
being developed for the autumn
is a campaign to encourage
students to learn Transcendental
Meditation as they return to
university, which will include a
limited-time offer of a reduction
in the standard course fee. Ten
UK teaching centres plan to trial
this initiative at universities in
their areas, with promotions to
coincide with Freshers Weeks.
Many universities have instigated
Facebook and other online
communication methods for
students during the pandemic, and
this will assist with communicating
information about TM to a wider
student audience. n
Golden Dome update
The Golden Dome in Skelmersdale, the northern home for
group practice of the Transcendental Meditation and TM-
Sidhi programme, has been closed since mid-March. During
this unprecedented time, the management have taken the
opportunity to undertake some much-needed refurbishment as well
as establishing new processes in line with COVID-19 regulations and
guidelines for safer use of this precious facility.
When circumstances permit it is intended to initially open the
facility for members before re-establishing wider access. Everyone at
the Maharishi European Sidhaland looks forward to welcoming old
and new friends to join us for group programmes and courses as soon
as possible. n
2 • Transcendental Meditation News • September 2020 • Vol. 24 • No. 2

Maharishi School is top
of the class by Danielle Thompson
This article first appeared in the Skelmersdale Champion newspaper, July 2020
Staff and pupils at the
Maharishi School have been
celebrating after being
named the top secondary
school in the borough by Lancashire
Live’s Real Schools Guide 2020.
The school, whose primary
phase is based in Lathom and
secondary phase is in Skelmersdale,
has been named the top secondary
school in West Lancashire.
Lancashire Live’s Real Schools
Guide 2020 aims to give a more
comprehensive picture than
traditional league tables and takes
into account 51 different data
points, including teacher to pupil
ratios, attainment and progress at
GCSE and pupil destinations after
leaving secondary school.
It is another accolade for the
school, which was second in the
county and in the top 1.8% of
schools nationally, for its Progress 8
score in 2019.
Headteacher Lisa Edwards,
is justifiably proud of the
achievements of the school. She
said: “Maharishi School is a truly
special place. Our staff, pupils and
parents are amazing.
“I am so proud of every single
member of our school community
– we are a true team where
everybody’s contribution to the
school is valued.”
Maharishi School is a ‘throughschool’
where children can join
at the age of 4 or 5 and continue
through to year 11, as primary
pupils are guaranteed a place at
the secondary phase.
She added: “The staff and pupils
at Maharishi School worked hard
to maintain a sense of normality
throughout the recent school
closure with twice daily online
TM sessions for staff, pupils and
parents; a daily lesson schedule
and a weekly online social events
for primary pupils; daily live online
lessons for secondary pupils; and
specially adapted songs dedicated
to the pupils at Maharishi School
which were shared on the school’s
Facebook and Instagram pages.
“In recent months, the school
also filled its social media pages
with videos and pictures of the
lockdown experiences of its pupils:
from learning to ride a bike without
stabilisers and creative den building
to sewing and cooking projects!”
Find out more by emailing
enquiries@maharishischool.com
The Maharishi Free School is a state
school, with a curriculum based on
traditional subjects. In addition, it
uses Transcendental Meditation
and related programmes, which
are provided by the Maharishi
Foundation. n
Transcendental Meditation News • September 2020 • Vol. 24 • No. 2 • 3

Online courses a global
success
Numbers attending
online knowledge
courses worldwide
have exceeded all
expectations, and as with online
meditations, this option will be
here to stay, in conjunction with
in-person events when guidelines
allow them to resume.
Thousands of people worldwide
have attended Total Knowledge
courses run by Dr Peter Warburton,
Chief Executive of Maharishi
Foundation UK, and have
appreciated both the knowledge
and the opportunity to attend from
the comfort of their homes.
“This course has been such a
tonic in these uncertain times,” said
course participant Julie Eagleton,
from London.“ Raja Peter is a
wonderful teacher, and his clear
descriptions of the higher states
of consciousness, coupled with
his fascinating, personal stories
of working alongside Maharishi,
have been both comforting, and
exhilarating. During the last few
weeks I have experienced subtle
changes in my physiology which I
attribute to the course. Thank you
so much to all for such a beautiful
experience and awakening.”
Equally popular have been the
presentations by Dr Bevan Morris,
Prime Minister of Maharishi’s
worldwide organisation, the Global
Country of World Peace. His
most recent course was on the
main Vedic Expressions used by
Maharishi.
“I have not heard Bevan Morris
speak before and I really enjoyed
his gentle voice and whole manner
of presentation,” commented one
participant. “In other circumstances,
it would not have crossed my mind
to do a course online because I like
going to residential courses where
I meet other Meditators. In fact, I
have found other advantages to
doing it at home.”
Those courses were organised
by the Maharishi Peace Palace at
Rendlesham.
Other organisers of online
courses for Maharishi’s knowledge
include Maharishi European
Research University (MERU) in
Holland whose offerings this
summer have ranged from Bringing
Consciousness-Based Education
to your Nation, to Maharishi’s
19-lecture course on Supreme
Military Science (a preventionoriented
system of defence which
involves creating a “prevention
wing” of the military practising the
Transcendental Meditation and TM-
Sidhi programme to create a strong,
coherent national consciousness –
see book review pages 8-9).
Maharishi International
University (MIU), located in Fairfield,
Iowa, USA, is a world leader in
consciousness-based education,
both at school, undergraduate and
postgraduate level. The University
has experienced a huge upsurge
of interest in its programmes since
lockdown measures hit the USA.
In just a few weeks, 6,218 TM
Meditators signed up for the online
Introduction to Ayurveda course,
a response unprecedented in the
University’s history. “This surge
of interest in Ayurvedic medicine
was sparked, no doubt, by the
Coronavirus,” said University
President John Hagelin. “We
expect many of these students will
want to join our full-time Ayurveda
degree programmes this Fall.” MIU
has the only accredited Ayurveda
degree programmes in the USA.
MIU’s online Introduction to
Ayurveda course is free of charge,
as is the online Group Instruction
of Maharishi Yoga Asanas and
Pranayama. Other low-cost online
courses include Maharishi’s Total
Knowledge and Higher States of
Consciousness course with Dr Peter
Warburton; and an eleven-lesson
look at Maharishi’s First Years of
Teaching, 1954-1964.
For details of many more courses, see:
www.maharishi.online
www.meruvlodrop.org
www.miu.edu/ce n
4 • Transcendental Meditation News • September 2020 • Vol. 24 • No. 2

Synchrony of
silence – online
group meditations
One popular offering of
the lockdown era which
will no doubt continue,
is the online group
meditation, where Meditators
access a Zoom call and meditate at
the same time – in the UK, at 8am
and 6pm.
Reaction has been positive, as in
this feedback from a TMer in East
Sussex.
“The online group experience
has been nothing short of
transformative, my meditation is so
much calmer, I am having longer
moments of that experience of
pure peace, and am valuing the
times of thoughts as stress relief. I
am already noticing the benefits
in my life of a deeper meditation
experience, family relationships
that have been broken for over
three years have now been healed.
I am naturally wanting to take care
of my physical health and have
started doing some gentle Yoga
and am eating a much healthier
The David Lynch
Foundation UK has
been receiving a
lot of interest in
their Heal the Healers Now
campaign, which provides
free TM courses for NHS
frontline staff. “We’re
currently raising funds, and
will be starting a project
with paramedics in the east
of England in the autumn,”
reports DLF UK director
Deirdre Parsons.
www.justgiving.
com/campaign/
HealTheHealersNowUK n
diet. I just feel more relaxed and
happier.
“The leader of the group
meditation does a little ten
minute teaching or answers
questions at every session either
on practical issues about TM or
on fascinating aspects of Vedic
knowledge. Once a week there
is a Zoom link with Dr Peter
Warburton the leader of the TM
organisation in the UK, and his
beautiful stories of his time with
Maharishi are just a delight. There
are about 300 of us meditating
together and a lovely sense of
shared purpose and mutual
support has developed. The group
meets at 8am every morning and
6pm every evening, it is free to
join and you don’t have to make a
commitment, but if it is as valuable
for you as it is for me you won’t
want to miss it!”
Contact your local TM Centre/
Teacher for joining details. n
Heal the Healers now
Ringo Starr supports the DLF
Welcome to new
TM Teacher
Christine Curtis
Christine learned
Transcendental Meditation
in 1986 with Pat Stone.
The anxiety attacks she
experienced prior to learning
TM disappeared, and she went
on to work has a Paramedic
for 26 years in the London
Ambulance Service.
“I moved back to my
roots near to Leek, Staffs and
decided to take the plunge
and attend the TM Teacher
Training Course in 2019/20,”
says Christine. “I’ve now set up
a TM Centre in my farmhouse
in the north Midlands and ran
my first course here in July. I
feel I have come a long way
but of course all thanks to
Maharishi for this amazing
technique.” n
Transcendental Meditation News • September 2020 • Vol. 24 • No. 2 • 5

Dr Tony Nader give
at Westminster parliamentary cele
For the third year in succession,
Dr Tony Nader, leader of
Maharishi’s international
organisations, was invited
to give the keynote address at the
annual celebration of International
Yoga Day organised by the All Party
Parliamentary Group on Indian
Traditional Sciences (APPG).
This year, due to Covid-19
restrictions, the occasion was held
online, and this enabled more than
200 people to participate, the biggest
audience so far for the APPG's annual
Yoga Day event.
Dr Nader’s address emphasised
the role that all aspects of Yoga – in
particular Transcendental Meditation
– can play in creating and maintaining
health and immunity.
“Yoga is a science of wholeness, that
establishes fullness of life,” he said.
“And the key aspect in this value
that Yoga offers is knowledge, and
knowledge of oneself, experiencing
higher states of consciousness, and
therefore using one’s full potential to
have a life on the individual level and
social level that is most fulfilling for
the individual and for society.
“We have seen that this pandemic
that we are facing is a global
aspect of disease,” continued
Dr Nader. “It requires not only
treatment of individuals but also
behavioural adjustments, national
and international co-operation,
right decision-making, working with
scientists to discover preventative and
curative measures.
“And we should remember that
Yoga, in its essence, is of course unity.
But not only unity of mind and body
of an individual; but also unity on the
level of society, unity on the level of
nations, unity on the level of individual
and environment, and therefore it is
something that addresses all of these
values on the level of consciousness,
on the level of awareness.
“Yoga leads to that unbounded
knowledge – that the reality of
life is consciousness. And it’s from
consciousness that the physical
aspects of existence emerge.
Material values come from
consciousness
“It’s not the other way around. Modern
trends of science try to think that it’s
the material value, the physical, that
leads to the mental, that leads to
consciousness and awareness. In the
Vedic tradition, the Vedantic tradition
and the true Yoga tradition, it’s the
other way round. It is actually a field
of Being, which is consciousness,
that manifests itself in very specific
ways, as matter. Modern physics
has discovered that indeed, the
aspects of reality that we see on the
surface, which are objects made out
of molecules, which are themselves
made out of atoms, and atoms out
of elementary particles, elementary
particles made out of fields of energy,
and then these fields of energy
are then gradually unified through
quantum layers, from quantum
mechanics, to quantum field theories,
to Unified Field theories, that show
there is one unbounded field of Being.
This field manifests as these fields of
energy, particles, grouping together
to become atoms, molecules, and
then objects.”
Yoga allows the individual to
experience this Unified Field, he
explained.
“There are techniques of Yoga,
such as Transcendental Meditation,
which is the supreme level of Yoga,
which allow the mind to experience
that value. Hundreds of scientific
research studies have shown the
effect of that TM in integrating mind
and body, improving the immune
system, reducing inflammation, and so
balancing the physiology.
“What we are seeing in this Covid
problem that the world is still facing, is
there is the attack from a virus which is
an environmental factor, and that attack
has to be acted against by the body, so
the immune system has to be strong.
“But the immune system has to
be balanced also, and not over-react,
because most of the fatalities and
problems that have happened are
due to this over-reaction of the body
against the virus.
“What this means is there is lack
of integration between mind, body,
immune system, and reactions to this
aspect of the disease. So we have
seen that what happens in our mind is
reflected in our nervous system, what
happens in the nervous system is
reflected in the hormones, and the way
they are secreted, which influences the
immune system and the inflammatory
response of the body.
“That’s why we have what we call
psycho – on the mind level – neuro –
on the nervous level – endocrino – on
the endocrine and hormonal level
– immunology – on the immune level.
There is an axis, which connects mind,
nervous system, hormones, and then
6 • Transcendental Meditation News • September 2020 • Vol. 24 • No. 2

s keynote address
bration of International Yoga Day
“Yoga is a science
of wholeness,
that establishes
fullness of life”
the response of the immune system
and the inflammation in the body.
“Yoga addresses all these values by
balancing the physiology, balancing
mind-body integration and immune
system integration, and brings that
calmness, that peace, that is alert.
This is what has also been shown in
Transcendental Meditation. People
who practise this technique of Yoga
are able to fight disease, they have
younger biological systems.
“Therefore there is a profound
aspect of Yoga on this level of direct
fighting the disease and the ability
to maintain balance and reduce
inflammation.
“But that’s not enough,” continued
Dr Nader.
“What we need is a balanced mind,
and not acting from the level of fear
and anxiety – and that’s what Yoga
also offers.”
Settled intelligence for best
decisions
“It brings to the individual the settled
intelligence which connects with the
inner Self, the inner creativity, that
Unified Field that is within us, and
allows us to think, and act, and make
decisions in tune with the laws of
Nature, in tune with what is most
conducive for best results in society,
best results in behaviour, be it social
distancing, accepting the rules, being
disciplined, understanding why it is so
and acting from a settled, quiet, calm
perspective, not being anxious and
stressed.
“Also, this calmness, this peace
inside, this inner awakening, is not only
individual; it’s also on the collective
level.
“And that helps the scientists, that
helps the thinkers, that helps the
political leaders, to think more clearly,
to discover what needs to be done,
and to allow action to be in tune
with the best steps of realisation and
achievement to protect society.
“That is why Yoga is this unifying
value – mind, body, collectivity of
individuals, which means societies and
nations, and ultimately collectivity of
the world.”
The Veda has other values which
help also, he added, “which includes
Ayurveda and other aspects, which
deal directly with certain herbs, certain
plants, certain physical postures to
relieve the stress from the body, to
prevent disease, to strengthen the
immune system.
“But I always like to highlight that
value of consciousness, which is
ultimately the true reality that allows
us to make right decisions, to find the
solutions in the most effective way.”
Yoga is essential
“Yoga, therefore, is not just some nice
additional thing that we can use as
a palliative – it is essential. It is the
first thing to address, and the other
things come on to you in a way that
is more and more clear. You seek the
fullness within, the heavenly life within,
the clarity within, and then all else
is automatically decided and grows,
be it diet, be it daily routine, choice
of food and habits, and plans, and
medicines, and vaccinations, and all of
that – they come once one is clear in
the mind and the body. And therefore
this is the contribution, which is very
profound, in Yoga, in transcending, in
Transcendental Meditation, going to
the source, watering the root of the
tree, so that the fruits and the flowers
are healthy, not just trying to do it by
cleaning things which are disrupted on
the surface."
Dr Nader concluded by thanking
the organisers, and praising all those
in India, the Land of the Veda –
including Prime Minister Modi – who
are supportive of this system.
“Thank you for inviting me to
participate again in this wonderful day
of Unity, of Yoga, to create a life on
earth which can really be lived on a
heavenly level.”
Responding for the APPG, the
group’s Secretary, Amarjeet Singh
Bhamra said:
“Whenever the APPG has an urge
to organise a programme, my first
port of call is Maharaja Raja Raam (Dr
Nader); and when he says yes, then I
know the programme will be fine.”
Many yogis and teachers from
India had addressed the group in the
1960s and 70s, he continued, “but the
knowledge that Maharishi brought
to the West in terms of deciphering
Indian traditional sciences is absolutely
second to none. And we are absolutely
blessed by this initiative by Maharishi
to bring this hidden knowledge that
India has had for centuries, and is
India’s gift to the world brought by
Maharishi. So we are eternally grateful
to you, Professor Tony Nader, to keep
that spirit alive.”
The above are excerpts from
Dr Nader’s presentation.
www.drtonynader.com n
Transcendental Meditation News • September 2020 • Vol. 24 • No. 2 • 7

An antidote
New book by British authors examines the co
Six reasons why research
shows TM lowers violence
The authors emphasise this is the first book that
draws on all the peer-reviewed research and looks
at the implications of the research as a whole
rather than just individual papers. “Compiling so
many consistent experimental results may indicate
more than a statistical correlation; it justifies
further research into a causal hypothesis,” says
Barry Spivack.
Establishing causality in the social sciences is
difficult. “Nevertheless, there are at least 6 reasons
why the research provides evidence for the
hypothesis that Transcendental Meditation reduces
conflict and divisions in society, and improves
economic performance, which is consistent with a
causal interpretation.”
1) Repetition: There are 20 peer-reviewed studies,
which show statistically significant results.
2) There is a dosage effect – the bigger the group
the larger the impact.
3) The independent variable – the numbers
practising Transcendental Meditation – often
varies at random in these experiments so you
get a repeat effect within the same experiment
whenever the relevant threshold of numbers is
passed within the same study.
While it is now accepted that Transcendental
Meditation (TM) can create peace for the
individual, can it do the same for society, and
if so, what is the mechanism? In An Antidote
to Violence: Evaluating the Evidence, published on 26th
June, Barry Spivack and Dr Patricia Saunders examine 20
peer-reviewed studies from over four decades. These studies
indicate that it’s possible to neutralise or reduce stress in
collective consciousness through the practice of Transcendental
Meditation (TM) and its advanced programmes by a sufficient
number of individuals – and that this effect is amplified by
groups practising these programmes together.
This reduction in collective stress leads to decreases in
violent crime and war fatalities, and increases in quality of life
and cooperation between nations, a phenomenon known as
the “Maharishi Effect,” after Maharishi, who predicted it in the
1960s.
“One of the things about the Maharishi Effect is it requires
a big paradigm shift in understanding how the world works,”
explained Barry Spivack in a recent interview. “We had to try
and get across how people who are practising Transcendental
Meditation can have an influence on people who are at a
distance, and that’s not normally the way people understand
how the world works or how political change or social change
happens.
“That can be a bit difficult to explain to someone in just a
sound-bite, or even just talking to someone for a few minutes.
We felt we needed to write a book to explain it in detail, and
give people a chance to look at the research.” n
4) Studies have controlled for other possible
causes in social changes, such as population
density, median years of education, per capita
income, the ratio of police per population,
weather, holidays, seasons, political events,
percentages of people in the age range 15-29, of
the unemployed, of those below the poverty line,
and of people over 65.
5) Normally unconnected variables, such as crime,
accidental deaths, infant mortality, deaths from
opioids, all move in the same direction at the
same time when the relevant threshold of people
practising Transcendental Meditation is surpassed.
6) The independent variable – the numbers
practising Transcendental Meditation and its
advanced programmes – changes before the
dependent variables change, such as crime or war
fatalities or the misery index.
Ecuadorian Military Police conducting a group p
8 • Transcendental Meditation News • September 2020 • Vol. 24 • No. 2

to violence
llective impact of Transcendental Meditation
What people say about An
Antidote to Violence
I was initially skeptical that such a simple solution could be
effective. However, after examining the evidence, I changed
my mind. An Antidote to Violence is a serious and wellresearched
book that offers an unconventional but effective
peaceful solution to violence and terrorism. – Lieutenant
General Clarence E. McKnight, Jr, Former Director of
Command, Control and Communications Systems for the
Joint Chiefs of Staff, Washington DC
This book is especially good at discussing the evidence and
the alternative explanations that have been advanced for
the results. I can recommend the book to all readers with an
open mind. – Huw Dixon, Professor of Economics, Cardiff
University
Barry Spivack and Patricia Saunders address the problems
of preventing violence and war with a high level of
professionalism, and, by examining a means to achieve
sustainable peace supported by long-term research, have
created a book that is hugely relevant. Most importantly, they
highlight the interdependence of power, violence, security,
and individual and collective consciousness. This book will be
extremely useful for people of all nationalities, regardless of
their status, different religious beliefs, personal preferences
and life strategies. The theoretical and methodological
principles outlined here deserve to be studied carefully and
disseminated in the world. – Lieutenant General Vasyl Krutov,
former First Deputy Head of the Security Service of Ukraine
and First Deputy Secretary of the National Security and
Defence Council of Ukraine
My most sincere congratulations to the authors for their
research and presentation of this book. I hope it will be read
and applied by leaders of government and by all in general
for the good of society and each person in particular. –
Lieutenant General José Martí Villamil de la Cadena, former
Chief of Staff of the Army and Commander of Ground
Theatre Operations, Chief of Staff of the Joint Command,
Vice-Minister of Defence, and General Secretary of the
National Security Council in Ecuador
Based on hard evidence corroborated by rigorous scientific
studies, …the book compiles an array of incredible success
stories from all over the world in an easily readable style for
all those interested in addressing the monumental challenge
of eradicating violence and conflict. – Ved P. Nanda,
Professor of Law, University of Denver
ractice of Transcendental Meditation
(Source: EurekAlert!)
Transcendental Meditation News • September 2020 • Vol. 24 • No. 2 • 9

Key questions
Impressive statistics are mingled
with interesting stories and case
histories. “We wanted to make the
book rigorous, from a scientific point
of view, but we also wanted to make
it readable,” said Spivack.“ It could
be dry just looking at the research.
And I have to give a lot of credit to
Patricia, because my natural writing
style is fairly matter of fact, and
Patricia made sure all the time that it
was very readable, with lots of stories,
as well as something that scientists
could take seriously.”
Weaving together psychology,
sociology, philosophy, statistics,
politics, physics and meditation, the
book offers answers to key questions,
including: does group meditation
actually influence society? If so, how
does it work? What is the evidence?
What do sceptics say?
“These findings are more relevant
now than ever before at a time
of pandemic, protest, and social
unrest,” believes Spivack.
Three examples from the
studies cited in the book underline
this relevance. Each of these
experiments consisted of sufficient
numbers either meditating on
their own or together for a period
of weeks or months, and in some
cases, years, in societies wracked
by violence: on 93 experimental
Patricia Saunders trained as
a teacher of Transcendental
Meditation and taught the
technique for fifteen years in
the UK. She is now a Ph.D.
Graduate in the Department
of Consciousness and Human
Potential at Maharishi
International University, USA.
Percent of days rated a
positive or strongly positive
Increased Positivity of Events
in Middle East Conflict
Percent of days in each period rated as
positive movement away from conflict
80
60
40
20
days in Lebanon between 1983
and 1985, Cambodia between
1990 and 2008, and USA between
2007 and 2010 compared with the
previous four years. In each case
measured statistically, significant
drops in violence occurred during
the periods when the numbers
meditating were above the
predicted threshold.
Defeating the virus of
violence
Changemakers Books publisher
Tim Ward was struck by the book’s
thought-provoking premise and
Barry Spivack studied Philosophy,
Politics and Economics at Oxford
University before training as
a teacher of Transcendental
Meditation. He teaches
Transcendental Meditation
in Essex, mainly in schools,
companies and with patients in the
UK National Health Service. Barry
lives in Woodbridge, Suffolk, UK.
0
Before
p = .001 p = .001
Global
Maharishi
Effect
After
explained his reasons for publishing
it. “While the evidence gathered in
this book is striking, more research
needs to be done to prove it true.
And that’s why I chose to publish
An Antidote to Violence. Too much
is at stake to let this possibility slip
through our fingers. Just as we
must explore every scientific means
for beating COVID-19, so we must
follow every lead for defeating the
virus of violence.”
The authors are hopeful that
their book will call attention to
the potential of Transcendental
Meditation and its advanced
programmes.
Says Barry: “In the social sciences,
it’s very difficult to say you can prove
something, but I would say we’ve
shown the evidence is strong enough
to justify governments doing their
own research.”
Patricia agrees. “We have three
main aims,” she explains. “We want
to inspire scientists to investigate
collective consciousness; we also
want to inspire them to investigate
peer-reviewed research which
suggests that Transcendental
Meditation and its advanced
programmes can influence
collective consciousness in a
positive direction. And we want to
encourage governments to create
the Maharishi Effect in their own
countries, not only for the sake
of their own country, but also to
establish peace in the world.”
Available at:
www.tinyurl.com/an-antidote n
10 • Transcendental Meditation News • September 2020 • Vol. 24 • No. 2

TM & Me: Georgina Hall
A series about people who have learned Transcendental Meditation.
“I
didn’t know I was looking
for TM,” says artist
Georgina Hall, “but the
funny thing is, when I found
it, I realised I’d been looking my
whole life. I was almost annoyed
that I hadn’t found it sooner.”
Hearing about Transcendental
Meditation came about in a series
of fortunate accidents involving
being refused entry to a night club
in Manchester with her brother, and
then dropping in by chance to an
alternate venue where she met a
future boyfriend, Paul.
“Several months later Paul and
I were talking about the idea of
originality. I was at university at
the time, and struggling to find my
voice in my work, and he said, ‘I
think I know something that would
help’,” recalls Gina.
“Then Paul told me about
Transcendental Meditation, which
he had already
learned.
“I’d never heard
of it before; but I
went with Paul to
an introductory
talk, and I realised
it was what I’d
always been
looking for. I just
thought I’d be
mad not to do this.
“I liked that it
was very matterof-fact,
which is
what I was ready
to hear at the
time. Everything
that was said felt
like a truth. It was
like telling you,
everything’s going
to be OK. It was
so reassuring.
“And from then,
everything started
to change.”
Gina attended
the next TM course,
and noticed a
difference even
after the very first meditation.
“After being given the mantra,
and transcending for the first time,
when I opened my eyes the light
coming through the window was
like no light I’ve ever seen before. It
was so very bright. It was a different
kind of light, and there was peace.
It was the first time I’d transcended
and been that quiet. It was a
beautiful experience.”
“I noticed things quite quickly – I
wasn’t looking for any one thing in
particular, apart from the idea of
being more original, and trying to
figure out what I’m here to say, and
do, what my purpose is. It was a
flow, how the day would open up,
and I’d finish everything I had to
do by 3pm, and think ‘Oh my God,
what am I going to do the rest of
the day, I’ve done everything!’
“I found I was dealing with
situations without even realising
I was dealing with them – it was
impressive.”
Gina also noticed an impact on
her art, and her creativity.
“Playing with different ways
of problem solving, I find the
problems present themselves as the
solutions. The ones that arise are
exactly the ones needed in order
for each piece to reach its individual
potential.
“A book I was reading recently
by Dr Wayne Dyer said that ‘When
you change the way you look
at things, the things you look at
change.’ That’s so simple, and so
true, and I’ve experienced that so
much with TM, and even more so
with the TM-Sidhis.”
Gina learned the TM-Sidhi
programme last year, mainly
because it’s a pre-requisite for
attending the TM Teacher Training
Course, something she knew very
early on that she wanted to do.
“I want this for other people, as
perhaps they don’t know about
it, as I didn’t. So I want to be able
to share TM with them more than
anything.”
Four years of meditating has
made a difference in all sorts of
subtle but powerful ways, says Gina.
“It allows me to move through
things more easily, and allows me to
make peace with things instead of
fighting them, leaving me so much
more energy.”
In an analogy of which David
Lynch would surely approve, she
adds: “With TM I create the world
I live in; I’ve taken the writer’s and
director’s role, seeing the world in
a newer and truer light. While also
sitting back to enjoy the ride and
watch the magic happen.”
And Georgina’s advice for
anyone thinking of learning
Transcendental Meditation?
“Do it! TM is the kindest, gentlest
thing you can do for yourself, and
you’ll thank yourself for it. It allows
you to experience a better version
of yourself, a version you can love
and be at peace with.” n
Transcendental Meditation News • September 2020 • Vol. 24 • No. 2 • 11

The Maharishi Interviews
Les Crane: Autumn 1967, Los Angeles, part 1
Les Crane was an innovative
1960s television chat show host
in the USA, the forerunner of
such high-profile personalities
as Johnny Carson and Phil
Donahue. He interviewed
newsmakers as diverse as Bob
Dylan, Martin Luther King, and
Robert Kennedy.
LC: Just about ten years ago, a chap
strolled out of India, owning nothing
but his robe and a pair of sandals,
and a picture of his teacher. That’s
all. And he came to teach. In the
space of just ten years, he is revered,
followed, by several millions of people
in every single country in the world.
Very bravely, I say, I attempt to wrestle
with things I don’t entirely understand
on this programme, and bring you
insights into situations that are going
on. I will confess to you tonight
complete and total ignorance – the
only thing I know about my first guest
is that he’s a lovely and charming man,
whom I’ve met in person, and he’s
apparently, in important ways, moving
the world. And so, it’s going to be
my pleasure to find out about him,
and hopefully yours at the same time.
Welcome him now with me: Maharishi
Mahesh Yogi.
(Audience rises to its feet and
applauds)
LC: They’ve never stood up before,
for any of my guests. This is the first
time in all the years I’ve been doing
television programmes!
Maharishi: It’s your charm of this
evening!
LC: I think you’re my special charm this
evening. What can I say, except that
I’m very grateful to have you here, and
I’m delighted that you could work it in
to your very busy schedule.
Maharishi: I’m delighted to be here.
LC: You were born in India, is that
correct?
Maharishi: Yes.
LC: And I assume that at a very early
age you developed a curiosity about
things spiritual?
Maharishi: A sincere desire, rather
than a surface curiosity.
LC: And you found your teacher at an
early age?
Maharishi: I was fortunate in that.
He was a very great teacher, who not
only satisfied me, for the fulfilment of
my life, but gave something of great
importance for the whole world for all
times to come.
LC: You were a youngster at that time;
and you spent quite a long time…
Maharishi: Thirteen years with my
master. And that was a very happy
time of my life. He was great!
LC: From having met you briefly
before we started this, and looking at
you now, I can’t imagine a time in your
life which is not happy. Is there such a
time?
Maharishi: No, I don’t remember
unhappiness, because it doesn’t
belong to life anyway.
LC: Unhappiness does not belong to
life?
Maharishi: It’s opposed to life. Just
as darkness doesn’t belong to light.
Misery and suffering do not belong to
life. Only, not able to live full value of
life, people fall in suffering and misery.
LC: Unhappiness is therefore an
accident?
Maharishi: Not an accident, I would
say, it’s willingly brought about by
one who does not rise to full strength
of life. Weakness is the basis of all
sorrows and suffering.
LC: And you feel as though, in your
teaching, you bring strength, is that
right?
Maharishi: Yes. Transcendental
Meditation is a simple, natural way to
make a man develop his full potential.
LC: Transcendental Meditation – is it a
religion as we understand the term?
Maharishi: No, it’s a technique.
And a technique, as we know, is
something that accomplishes the work
more quickly, more easily and more
profoundly.
LC: Well, when we use the term
‘technique,’ it brings to my mind
something mechanical.
Maharishi: Exactly. Just mechanical.
And that alone is natural to life. To
go to a field of greater happiness is
mechanical to everyone. One doesn’t
have to think much and plan much, just
one is drifted on to a field of greater
happiness. That is the tendency of
outer life. The mind is always drawn
towards greater happiness, and it is
drawn mechanically, automatically, as
mechanically as water flows down the
slope.
LC: You have devoted your entire
life to teaching the mechanics of
Transcendental Meditation, is that
right?
Maharishi: That’s it, yes. And that
unfolds the entire mechanics of life.
Because in Transcendental Meditation,
the mind goes in, and then it comes
out.
LC: I just wanted to find out a bit
about who you are, and where you’re
from.
Maharishi: I’m a very simple, natural
man (laughter)
LC: And you’ve been a monk all your
life?
Maharishi: Yes. And I am very old in
every country now, there is nothing
new about me in any country.
LC: And you’re a lifelong celibate, is
that right?
Maharishi: Yes, I am a life celibate. As
a monk.
LC: Is celibacy part of Transcendental
Meditation?
12 • Transcendental Meditation News • September 2020 • Vol. 24 • No. 2

Maharishi: Celibacy is not part of
Transcendental Meditation. It is
my life. Hundreds of thousands of
householders, husbands and wives
meditate together.
LC: So we don’t have to give up
anything?
Maharishi: No. We only add on to life.
200% life. That is the offer.
LC: You’re offering everyone a double
life?
Maharishi: Full hundred per cent
inner, and hundred per cent outer.
To enjoy the outer beauty of life, the
flower, and enjoy the honey within it
also.
LC: Maharishi, as you know, the
Beatles, your students, are on the
cover of Time magazine this week.
And inside is a picture of you, and a
story all about you and the Beatles.
They describe you as a ‘cherubic seer
with shoulder-length locks,’ and it’s
true – I’ve never met any other guru,
but you are the cutest guru (laughter
from Maharishi and the audience);
you’re so full of joy and life, it’s
beautiful!
Maharishi: It goes with the message
of Transcendental Meditation
LC: You mean everybody gets this
happy that practises Transcendental
Meditation?
Maharishi: They do. (audience
applause)
LC: Well, the Beatles say you’ve
changed their lives dramatically. How
did you get together with the Beatles?
Maharishi: I was speaking at the
Hilton in London, and towards the end
of the lecture I knew that the Beatles
were hearing the lecture, and they
wanted to talk to me. And the next
day I was to go to Wales to conduct
a course there, and I called them on
the dais and talked to them. And they
said, they had tried so many things,
along with drugs and all that, for some
higher spiritual experience. And at
my talk they heard that this higher
spiritual experience can be gained
very easily and comfortably without
any restrictions of habits, through
Transcendental Meditation.
LC: Had you heard about the Beatles
before you met them at this time?
Maharishi: In California I had heard of
them, two or three years ago.
LC: We know they had been taking
LSD and smoking marijuana.
Maharishi: They told me, there
is nothing in the Western world
which can give this higher spiritual
experience. When they heard it can
be gained very naturally and easily
through Transcendental Meditation,
they said they would do anything to
have that experience in a natural way.
And then they followed me {to Wales},
and two days of experience convinced
them that this is what they have been
seeking in their life.
LC: They gave up drugs of all kinds?
Maharishi: They had given up drugs
even before meeting me. But then
they were fixed on the idea that they
don’t need the drugs, and drugs don’t
fulfil that desire for higher spiritual
experience.
LC: Many people talk about the drugs,
such as LSD, as being some kind of
a spiritual experience. Have you ever
experimented with those kind of
hallucinatory drugs?
Maharishi: They are just as you said,
hallucinatory. They just produce some
hallucinations. Some people begin to
laugh, others begin to weep, nothing
is fixed about their experience. I
was never attracted to drugs; I was
fortunate to have a good master,
and that set my life on very proper
grounds.
LC: Do they [the Beatles] claim
[Transcendental Meditation] has
changed their music in any way?
Maharishi: It must have improved!
Their records now will show, it must
improve. Because when the conscious
mind expands, expanded capacity of
the mind brings improvement on all
levels. Just like watering the root of a
plant makes every aspect of the plant
fresh and green. [The following year,
the Beatles wrote 30 songs – including
most of The White Album – while in
India with Maharishi, a period often
regarded as their most creative].
So it is the mind of a man. Even
modern psychology tells us that man
uses only a small portion of his mind.
Transcendental Meditation is a natural
way to expand the conscious capacity
and use the full mind.
LC: What exactly is Transcendental
Meditation?
Maharishi: It is transference of
attention, from the common levels of
thinking to the finer levels of thinking,
until the attention goes to the finest
level of thinking and the source of
thinking.
LC: Does that mean that you are
instructed to think about some
specific, fine, thing?
Maharishi: Not a fine thing, but
a thought, without meaning. See,
when we say ‘carnation,’ someone
who understands English knows that
carnation is this flower. But someone
who doesn’t know English, what he
hears is ‘carnation,’ just the sound
of it. Now, if the mind is held on the
meaning, it will always be working on
the horizontal level, like swimming
on the surface of the pond. And
if the mind is not held up by the
meaning, then it is possible for the
mind to experience the finest state of
the sound of the thought. And that
takes the mind to the vertical activity,
fathoming the source of thought.
Part 2 will continue in our next issue n
Transcendental Meditation News • September 2020 • Vol. 24 • No. 2 • 13

Contacts: Maharishi’s programmes in the UK and Ireland
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Transcendental Meditation
(enquiries for learning TM)
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TM National Offices:
• England 01394 420222
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Susan Lincoln
01394 549985 / 07980 335757
slincoln@ayurveda-rendlesham.
co.uk
Midlands & South of England
Susan Lincoln
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London
Susan Lincoln
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0118 933 2135
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Consultants
London (Victoria Centre),
south and South West England
Frances Knight: 07950 862246
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London (Shepherd’s Bush TM
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Skelmersdale, North of England,
Scotland, Wales & Midlands
Peter and Bibette Leadbetter
01695 722240
vedaroma@AofE.net
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Mahnaz Emami 0208 749 5442
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Anglia (residential options)
Diana Harding 01394 421699
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Marion Chalmers, 01263 741028
norfolk.uk@tm.org
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Consultants
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07944 562480 john.renwick@
naturalbuildingdesign.co.uk
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Services
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14 • Transcendental Meditation News • September 2020 • Vol. 24 • No. 2

MAHARISHI PEACE PALACE ®
®
“Peace Palaces will provide total knowledge to raise the whole population to
enlightenment. They will radiate peace throughout the world in the same
way as a lighted lamp radiates light and eliminates darkness.” – Maharishi ®
WHEN WILL THE PEACE PALACE OPEN AGAIN?
We are keen to restart residential retreats and courses as soon as your safety can be assured.
We are already planning a full calendar of exciting new courses as well as many of your old favourites.
Please check www.peacepalace.org.uk regularly to see the progress.
NEW LIVE ONLINE COURSES
You are warmly invited to join us for our live interactive online courses – initially started to fulfil the desire
for knowledge during lockdown but now set to become a permanent feature. Enjoy the highest knowledge
presented by some of Maharishi’s foremost teachers in the comfort of your own home. We are already on
our sixth online course, with many others lined up and hundreds of enthusiastic participants eager for more.
Please visit www.maharishi.online for full details.
TM–SIDHI COURSE 2021 IN PERFECT VASTU
We are pleased to announce the dates for the 2021 “Fast-Track” TM-Sidhi Course, an advanced course
of Transcendental Meditation (TM), to be held in Perfect Vastu at Maharishi Peace Palace.
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25 – 28 March, 22 – 25 April & 20 – 23 May 2021
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RESERVE YOUR PLACE NOW – tmsidhi2021@peacepalace.org.uk
WE LOOK FORWARD TO WELCOMING YOU SOON
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