This is our third presentation on thought forms. Since we are creatures of the mind, it is no surprise that this topic is going to be large, as it touches all aspects of our lives, affecting our emotions and impacting our physical existence. In the last presentation, we ended by looking at the positive ways a thought could impact us and others. Now, we will look at the flip-side of the coin.
People generate negative thoughts and project them out of their mental envelopes with malefic intent. If they happen to strike a purified body, it will rebound and fly back along the magnetic line of least resistance, returning to and striking its projector. The transmitter of these negative thoughts, having matter in their mental and emotional bodies similar to that of the thought form they generated, is thrown into respondent vibrations and suffers the destructive effects they had intended to cause another. Thus, “curses” (and blessings) come home to roost. From this also arise the very serious effects of hating or suspecting a good and highly advanced person; the thought forms sent against that person cannot injure them, and they rebound against their projectors, shattering them mentally, morally, or physically.
When a person thinks of themself as in some distant place or wishes earnestly to be there, the thought form, which they make in their own image, appears in that place. Not infrequently, such a form has been seen by others and has sometimes been mistaken for the emotional body or apparition of the person themself. To make this possible, either the seer must have sufficient clairvoyance for the time to be able to see the thought form or the thought form must have sufficient strength to materialise itself, i.e., to draw around itself temporarily a certain amount of physical matter.
The thought that gives rise to such a form must be a powerful one, and it uses a large amount of the substance of the mental body. When the thought form leaves the thinker, it is small and compressed, but it usually expands to life-size before it reaches its destination. Additionally, a thought form like this, which is made up of mental matter, often also attracts a significant amount of emotional matter.
When it takes on an emotional form, the mental elemental loses some of its brightness, although its glowing colour may still be visible inside the shell of lower matter that it adopts. Just as the original thought animates the elemental essence of the mental plane, the same thought, along with its form as a mental elemental, serves as the soul of the emotional elemental.
None of the consciousness of the thinker is included in a thought form like the one just described. Once it has been sent out, it is normally a completely separate entity—not entirely disconnected from its creator, but practically so in terms of the possibility of receiving any impression through it.
There exists a form of clairvoyance that is more advanced than ordinary clairvoyance, which requires a certain level of control over the mental plane. This type of clairvoyance involves retaining control over a thought form in order to receive impressions through it. Impressions made on the form would be transmitted to the thinker through sympathetic vibration. In a perfect case of this kind of clairvoyance, it is as if the seer projects a part of their consciousness into the thought form and uses it as an outpost for observation. This enables the seer to see almost as well as if they stood in the place of the thought form. The figures observed appear life-sized and close at hand, and the person can shift their viewpoint if desired.
Everyone who can think produces thought forms. Thoughts are powerful and continuous, as every one of us is constantly generating thought forms. Our thoughts are not solely our own business. Negative thoughts, in particular, have far-reaching effects and may influence others who already have negative inclinations.
A Master once remarked, “Man is continually populating his current in space with a world of his own, filled with the offspring of his imaginations, desires, impulses, and passions.”
Another insightful individual wrote about the ability processed by an Adept, stating that it is possible for them “To project into and materialise in the visible world the forms that are constructed out of inert cosmic matter in the invisible world.” The adept does not create anything new but only utilises and manipulates materials which Nature has in store around him, and material which, throughout eternities, has passed through all forms. He has but to choose the one he wants and recall it into objective existence.
The distinction between an undeveloped and a developed individual lies in the conscious use of thought power. When a person can consciously create and direct a thought form, their ability to be useful greatly increases. This is because they can use the thought form to work in places that may not be convenient for them to visit in their mental body at that moment. This allows them to observe and guide their thought forms, making them the agents of their will. Imagine having the ability to send your thought form to work every day while you lie-in.
Perhaps the supreme example of a thought form is that known in the Christian Church as the Angel of the Presence. This is not a member of the kingdom of the Angels but a thought form of the Christ, wearing His likeness and being an extension of the consciousness of the Christ Himself. It is by means of the Angel of the Presence that changes are brought about in the “elements” known as transubstantiation.
A similar phenomenon occurs, though at a less high level, in Masonic Lodges, where a portrait of the H.O.A.T.F, otherwise known as the Head of All True Freemasons, is used in more esoterically orientated branches of the order. So fully is this thought form a part of whoever that entity is that the Lodge has the benefit of His presence and His blessing just as though He stood there in physical form.
It is possible to instantly dissipate an artificial elemental or thought form through an exertion of willpower, similar to killing a poisonous snake on the physical plane to prevent harm. However, an occultist would not recommend such actions except in very unusual circumstances. This is because of the elemental essence making up the thought form, and some explanation regarding it is necessary to understand the reason for this.
The elemental essence (secondary matter) from which a thought form is made is evolving on its own. When a thought holds it vibrating at a certain rate, it becomes more responsive to similar vibrations in the future. The nature of the thought, whether good or evil, does not matter to the essence. The difference between good and evil is shown by the quality of the essence affected. The coarser matter is used in the expression of evil thoughts or desires, while the finer matter is required for higher thoughts or desires. Mental elemental essence is evolving gradually through the influence of human thoughts, nature spirits, devas, and even animals as far as they think. Therefore, to avoid impeding its evolution, the occultist prefers to defend against an artificial elemental rather than destroy it when possible, using the protection of a shell.
The student should not feel obligated to think coarse thoughts in order to assist in the development of coarser types of essence. There are plenty of undeveloped people who always think coarser, lower thoughts. The occultist should strive to think high and pure thoughts in order to aid the evolution of finer elemental matter. This work takes place in a field with few labourers. Every sound makes an impression on emotional and mental matter, not just musical sounds but all kinds of sounds.
The thought form structure created during the Christian Eucharist differs somewhat from ordinary thought forms and has similarities to forms created by music. It is made of higher-plane material provided by the priest and congregation during the earlier part of the service at the etheric, emotional, and mental levels. Additional material from even higher levels is introduced in the later part of the service, mostly from the Angelic host.
The thought edifice can be likened to a distillation plant’s condenser for water. It provides a vehicle for the collection and condensation of materials contributed by the worshippers, which is then infused with a special outpouring of divine force from the highest levels. This enables Angel-helpers to use the force for specific purposes in the physical world.
The ceremonies of all major religions aim to achieve certain results through common actions. Similarly, the ceremonies of Freemasonry also aim for the same goal but in a different manner. The symbolic thought form created during a Masonic ceremony is the true “celestial canopy,” which can also be seen as the aura of a person lying on their back. This symbolism is also present in other traditions, such as in Joseph’s coat of many colours, the Robe of Glory worn by initiates, and the Augoeides of the Greek philosophers, which represents the glorified body in which the soul of a person resides in the subtle, invisible world. We know this as our causal envelope.
Ok, so that is all you ever wanted to know about thought forms but were afraid to ask. In the next presentation, we will begin to examine the mechanism of Thought Transference.