In this presentation, we will focus on the mechanism the mental envelope uses to carry out its function. We start with thought waves.
When a person uses their mind, for example, when they think, it creates a vibration in the mental envelope. This vibration has two main effects. The first is the production of radiating vibrations or waves, which will be discussed in this presentation. The second effect, the creation of thought forms, will be covered in the following presentations.
Similar to a bell’s vibration affecting the surrounding air, a vibration in the mental envelope tends to transmit itself to the surrounding mental matter. Since the atmosphere is filled with mental matter that readily responds to such impulses, a ripple or vibrating shell is created in the mental plane. This ripple spreads out through the surrounding space, much like ripples on the surface of water when a stone is dropped into a pond. In the case of a mental impulse, the radiation occurs in multiple dimensions, similar to the radiations from the sun or a lamp.
The rays spread out in all directions without interfering with each other, similar to how light rays behave on the physical plane. Additionally, the expanding sphere of vibrations is multicoloured and opalescent, but the colours become fainter as they spread outward.
When a thought forms in someone’s mind, it has the power to influence other people’s thoughts when they are open to receiving it. This means that when the thought wave reaches someone else’s mind, it can create similar vibrations. As the distance from the original thinker increases, the power of the thought wave weakens. This weakening may be proportional to the cube of the distance rather than the square because of the extra dimension involved. Regardless, these mental vibrations diminish more slowly than those in physical matter and appear to peter out, or at least become so faint as to be imperceptible, only at a great distance from their source.
The extent to which a thought wave travels, as well as the strength and persistence with which it affects the mental bodies of others, depends on the strength and clarity of the original thought. A powerful thought will carry further than a weak and indecisive one, but clarity and definition are even more important than strength.
Other factors influencing the distance to which a thought wave may spread include its nature and the resistance it encounters. Waves in the lower types of emotional matter are usually quickly diverted or overwhelmed by a multitude of other vibrations at the same level, just as a soft sound is completely drowned out in the midst of a noisy city.
The average person’s self-centred thoughts, starting at a low mental level and then plunging to low emotional levels, are not very effective. This is because there is an immense sea of similar thoughts all around, overpowering and diluting their impact.
On the other hand, a thought generated at a higher level has a clearer field for its action because there are very few thoughts producing such waves at the present time. Esoteric thought, in particular, stands out in this regard. While there are religious people with elevated thoughts, they are usually not as precise and definite. Even scientific thought rarely reaches the same level as esoteric thought, so esoteric thought has a relatively clear field in the Mental World.
Esoteric thought can be compared to a sound in a vast silence. It activates a level of mental matter that is not frequently used, and its radiations impact the dormant part of the average person’s mental envelope. This activation tends to stimulate an entirely new aspect of the thinking process.
While this wave of thought may not necessarily convey esoteric concepts to those unfamiliar with it, it does stimulate the higher portion of the mental envelope, leading to the elevation and broadening of the individual’s overall thought process, irrespective of the direction it typically follows. Since thoughts come in an infinite variety, a simple thought corresponds to a single rate of vibration in the mental envelope, affecting only one type of mental matter. The mental envelope comprises matter of the four lower sub-planes of the mental plane, with numerous subdivisions of varying densities within each sub-plane, as we have discussed previously.
When a person is deeply engrossed in another train of thought, they might not be affected by other thoughts passing by, just like a person focused on business or pleasure might not hear another speaker’s voice. However, since many people don’t strongly or clearly think unless they’re fully focused on a task, they are likely to be influenced by the thoughts that come their way at other times. Therefore, there is a great responsibility on everyone who thinks because their strong and clear thoughts will inevitably impact many other people.
It’s not an exaggeration to say that someone who harbours impure or evil thoughts spreads moral contagion among their fellow human beings. Considering that many people carry latent seeds of evil within them, seeds that may never sprout unless influenced by external forces, the thought wave sent out by an impure or unholy thought may be the trigger that awakens a dormant seed and causes it to grow. Politicians exploit this very effectively. Therefore, such a thought may set someone on a downward path. This person, in turn, may affect many others similarly; thus, the evil spreads and branches out in countless directions. Much harm is constantly done in this manner, and even if it’s done unconsciously, the perpetrator of the evil is karmically responsible for their actions.
Of course, it is equally true that a benevolent thought may positively influence others. Therefore, a person who understands this can make an effort to be like a sun, constantly radiating thoughts of love, peace, and calm to all their friends and neighbours. Only a few people realise the significant positive impact they can have through the power of their thoughts.
Sometimes, a person may not be able to physically help another person. In fact, the would-be helper’s physical presence might even be unwelcome to the person in need. Their physical mind might be closed to suggestions due to prejudice or religious beliefs. However, their emotional and mental envelopes are more easily influenced than their physical ones. It’s always possible to reach these aspects through waves of helpful thoughts, affection, and soothing feelings.
There are many instances where the best intentions in the world cannot offer physical help. But there is no conceivable situation where relief cannot be provided in the mental or emotional world through focused, loving thoughts. It’s important to note that a thought wave does not convey a complete idea but instead tends to produce a thought of a similar nature. For example, if the thought is one of dedication, its vibrations will evoke dedication. However, the object of devotion may vary for each person on whom the thought wave has an impact.
A thought wave or vibration conveys the nature of the thought but not its specific subject. For example, if a Hindu is deeply devoted to Krishna, the thought waves emanating from them will inspire devotion in those who come into contact with them. Similarly, a Muslim’s devotion is to Allah, a Zoroastrian’s to Ahura Mazda, and a Christian’s to Jesus.
Even if these thought waves reach a materialist who is unfamiliar with the concept of devotion, they can still have an uplifting effect. It can stir a higher part of their mental envelope into some sort of activity. However, it may not create a type of undulation to which the individual is entirely unaccustomed.
It’s important to note that a person who consistently thinks pure, good, and strong thoughts is utilising the higher part of their mental envelope, which is not typically used by the average person and is entirely undeveloped in them. As a result, such a person becomes a force for good in the world and greatly benefits those capable of any response. The vibrations they emit tend to awaken new and higher parts of others’ mental bodies, opening up entirely new fields of thought for them.
Let’s explore this idea further. A person who regularly engages in deliberate and careful thinking not only improves their own thinking abilities and sends positive thought waves into the world but also contributes to developing and enhancing mental matter. The brain’s capacity for consciousness is determined by the level of responsiveness of the atoms of matter, specifically by the number of active spirillae within those atoms. In the current stage of evolution, the ordinary physical atom typically has four out of the seven spirillae active. Someone capable of higher forms of thought helps in the development of additional spirillae in the atoms. Since these atoms are constantly moving in and out of their bodies, they can be absorbed and utilised by others who are capable of employing them. Therefore, elevated thinking plays a role in advancing the world’s consciousness by enhancing the very materials of thought.
Mental matter comes in various forms, each with its own unique and preferred rate of vibration to which it most naturally responds. A complex thought can impact multiple varieties of mental matter simultaneously.
As we have seen, a general principle underlying the effect of thought on the mental envelope (and also that of feeling on the emotional envelope) is that evil or selfish thoughts are always comparatively slow vibrations of the coarser matter, while good, unselfish thoughts are the more rapid undulations that play only in, the finer matter.
The power of the united thoughts of a number of people is always far greater than the sum of their separate thoughts. The thought collectively produced would produce a more accurate representation of the idea they are trying to generate. Hence, it is exceedingly beneficial for any city or community to constantly gather people capable of generating high-level thoughts in its midst. Universities and in earlier times, monasteries played this role.
In the following presentation, we will examine the phenomena of thought forms.