Chapter 6 Thoughtforms That interesting phase of occult phenomena known as thoughtforms is so closely related to the general subject of the human aura that the mention of one must naturally lead to the thought of the other.
Thoughtforms are built up of the very material composing the aura,
And manifest all of the general characteristics thereof,
Even to the auric colours.
An understanding of the facts of the human aura is necessary for a correct understanding of the nature of the thoughtforms composed of the same substance.
A thoughtform is a peculiar manifestation of mental activity on the astral plane.
It is more than a powerful disturbance in the body of the human aura,
Although this is the place of its embodiment of birth in the objective world.
It is formed in the following manner.
A person manifests a strong desire,
Feeling or idea which is naturally filled with the dynamic force of their will.
This sets up a series of strong vibrations in the body of the aura,
Which gradually resolve themselves into a strong whirling centre of thought force,
Involved in a mass of strongly cohesive auric substance,
And strongly charged with the power of the prana of the person.
In some cases these thoughtforms survive in the auric body for some little time,
And then gradually fade away.
In other cases they survive and maintain an almost independent existence for some time,
And exert a strong influence upon other persons coming in the presence of the person.
Again,
These thoughtforms may be so strongly charged with prana,
And so imbued with the mental force of the person,
That they will actually be thrown off and away from the aura itself,
And travel in space until they exhaust their initial energy,
In the meantime exerting an influence upon the physic aura of other persons.
A thoughtform is more than merely a strongly manifested thought.
It really is such a thought,
But surrounded by a body of ethereal substance,
Charged with prana,
And even carrying with it the vibration of the life energy of its creator.
It is a child of the mind of its creator,
And acquires a portion of their life essence,
So to speak,
Which abides with it for a longer or shorter time after its birth.
In extreme cases it becomes particularly a semi-living and elemental force,
Of necessary comparative short life.
To those who find it difficult to understand how a thoughtform can persist after separation from the presence of the thinker,
I would say that the phenomena is similar to that of light travelling in space.
Long after the star which originated it has been destroyed,
Or again,
It is like the vibrations of heat remaining in a room after the lab or stove causing it has been removed,
Or the fire in the grate having died out,
Or like the sound waves of the drumbeat persisting after the beat itself has ceased.
It is all a matter of persistence of vibrations.
Thoughtforms differ greatly one from the other in the matter of shape and general appearance.
The most common and simple form is that of an undulating wave,
Or series of tiny waves,
Resembling the circles caused by the dropping of a pebble into a steel pond.
Another form is that of a tiny rotating bit of cloud-like substance,
Sometimes swirling towards a central point,
Like a whirlpool,
And sometimes swirling away from the central point,
Like the familiar pinwheel fireworks toy.
Another form is akin the ring of smoke projected from the coughing locomotive,
Or the rounded lips of the cigar smoker,
The movement in this kind of being a form of spiral rotation.
Other thoughtforms have the appearance of swiftly rotating balls of cloudy substance,
Often glowing with a faint phosphorescence.
Sometimes the thoughtform will appear as a great slender jet,
Like steam ejected from the spout of a tea kettle,
Which is sometimes broken up into a series of short,
Puffed-out jets,
Each following the jet preceding it,
And traveling in a straight line.
Sometimes the thoughtform shoots forth like a streak of dim light,
Almost resembling a beam of light flashed from a mirror.
Occasionally it will twist it along,
Way along like a long,
Slender corkscrew,
Pouring into a space.
In cases of thoughtforms sent forth by explosive emotion,
The thoughtform will actually take the form of a bomb,
Which literally explodes when it reaches the presence of the person toward whom it is aimed.
Every person has experienced this feeling of a thoughtbomb having been exploded in their near vicinity.
Having been directed by a vigorous personality,
This form is frequently found in the thoughtform sent out by a strong,
Earnest,
Vigorous orator.
There are strong thoughtforms which seem to strive to push back the other person,
So correctly do they represent the idea and feeling back of their manifestation.
Others seem to strive to wind around the other person and to try to literally drag them toward the first person,
This form often accompanying strong appeal,
Persuasion,
Coaxing.
When accompanied by strong desire,
A particularly vigorous form of this kind of thoughtform takes on appearance of a nebulous octopus,
With long,
Winding,
Lying tentacles,
Striving to wrap around the other person and to draw them toward the center.
The force of the feeling behind the manifestation of the thoughtform will often travel a long distance from the center.
In fact,
In cases of great power of concentration,
Space seems to be no barrier to its passage.
In striking instances of thought transference,
It will be found that thoughtforms play an important part.
The variety of shapes of thoughtforms is almost endless.
Each combination of thought and feelings creates its own form,
And each individual seems to have their own peculiarities in this respect.
The forms I have above described,
However,
Will serve as typical cases to illustrate the more common classes of appearances.
The list,
However,
Might indefinitely expand it from the experience of any experienced occultist,
And is not intended to be full by any means.
All varieties of geometrical forms are found among the thoughtforms,
Some of them being of remarkable beauty.
In considering the subject of projected thoughtforms,
Moreover,
It must be remembered that they partake of,
And manifest,
The same colors as does the aura itself,
For they are composed of the same material and are charged with the same energy.
But note this difference,
That whereas the aura is energized from the constant battery of the organism of the individual,
The thoughtform,
On the contrary,
Has at its service only the energy with which it was charged when it was thrown off,
Being a storage battery,
As it were,
Which in time expends all of its power,
And then it is powerless.
Every thoughtform bears the same color that it would possess if it had been retained in the body of the aura itself,
But as a rule the colors are plainer and less blended with others,
This because each thoughtform is the representation of a single definite feeling,
Or thought,
Or group of the same,
Instead of being a body of widely differing mental vibrations.
Thus the thoughtform of anger will show its black and red,
With its characteristic flashes.
The thoughtform of passion will show forth its appropriate auric colors and general characteristics.
The thoughtform of high ideal love will show its beautiful form and harmonious tinting,
Like a wonderful celestial flower from the garden of some far-off paradise.
Many thoughtforms never leave the outer limits of the aura,
While others are projected to great distances.
Some sputter out as they travel,
And are disintegrated,
While others continue to glow like a piece of heated iron for many hours.
Others persist for a long time,
With a faint,
Phosphorescent glow,
A careful study of what has been said regarding the characteristics of the various feelings and emotions.
Thoughtforms manifested in the auric body will give the student a very fair general idea of what may be the appearance of any particular variety of thoughtform,
For a general principle runs through the entire series of auric phenomena.
An understanding of the fundamental principles will lead to an understanding of any of the particular varieties of the manifestation thereof.
Remember this,
A thoughtform is practically a bit of the detached aura of a person,
Charged with a degree of their prana and energized with a degree of their life energy.
So in a limited sense,
It really is a projected portion of their personality.
