The Gift of a Clear Mind

Reflections

This short poem is a meditation on the often-overlooked benefits of mental clarity. It opens with an image of clear beautiful thoughts / Glowing like gems against night skies. We’re invited to picture the brightness and beauty of a mind that is no longer clouded, confused, sad, or anxious.

The second half of the first stanza describes the source of this brightness: When your mind is clear / Beautiful thoughts arise. Instead of focusing on positive thinking, the poem suggests that good thoughts are more likely to appear if we rid ourselves of mental clutter, not always easy in a world filled with constant distractions. One way to foster positive thoughts is to make space for them.

The middle stanza discusses potential blocks to mental clarity: No envy, no anger / Like a well-tuned violin / Your mind meets your soul / And touches the truth within. Envy and anger are two common factors that interfere with mental clarity. When we can shake off envy and anger, mind and soul meet, and we get a glimpse of inner truth. The image of the well-tuned violin hints at harmony: our thoughts, feelings, and values resonate together.

In the final stanza, the poem turns to what happens when the mind is clear: Then a thought finds its shape / It takes on color and sound / Clear like a still pond / Precise, loving, and profound. A scattered mind produces scattered ideas; a still mind allows a precise and meaningful thought to take form. The still pond reflects reality without distortion. In the same way, a clear mind reflects what is most loving and wise within us.

Mental clarity is not just about productivity or focus. It can be a spiritual state in which our thoughts align with our soul, and our inner world becomes a home for loving, truthful ideas. We may not be able to live in this state all the time, but even brief moments of a clear mind are a gift—like bright sunlight pouring through the clouds—if we pause to appreciate them.

Affirmation

When I clear away envy, anger, and distractions, my mind becomes still—and from that stillness, beautiful thoughts arise.