A
thoughtform is a manifestation of mental energy, also known as a '
tulpaTulpa is a Vajrayana, Bonpo and Tibetan Buddhist upaya concept, discipline and teaching tool. The term was first rendered into English as 'Thoughtform' by Evans-Wentz :...
' in
TibetTibet is a plateau region in Asia, north of the Himalayas. It is home to the indigenous Tibetan people, and to some other ethnic groups such as Monpas and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han Chinese people. Tibet is the highest region on earth, with an average...
an
mysticismMysticism is the pursuit of communion with, identity with, or conscious awareness of an ultimate reality, divinity, spiritual truth, or God through direct experience, intuition, instinct or insight. Mysticism usually centers on a practice or practices intended to nurture those experiences or...
. The
thoughtform is also one of the expressed (visualized) means of
SamyamaSamyama . Combined simultaneous practice of Dhāraṇā , Dhyāna & Samādhi . A tool to receive deeper knowledge of qualities of the object...
. Its concept is related to the Western philosophy and practice of
magicMagic, sometimes known as sorcery, is the practice of consciousness manipulation and/or autosuggestion to achieve a desired result, usually by techniques described in various conceptual systems...
.
Khanna (2003: p. 21) links
mantraFor secular and business interpretation, see Motto.A mantra is a sound, syllable, word, or group of words that are considered capable of "creating transformation"...
s and
yantraYantra are 'instruments'. The meaning is contextual. Much like the word 'instrument' itself. It can stand for symbols, processes, automata, machinery or anything that has structure and organization. One use popular in the west is as symbols or geometric figures. Traditionally such symbols are used...
s to thoughtforms:
Mantras, the Sanskrit syllables inscribed on yantras, are essentially 'thought forms' representing divinities or cosmic powers, which exert their influence by means of sound-vibrations.
A number of
prima facie unrelated definitions have been suggested:
- An image or images held in the mind of a practitioner which aids in the manifestation
Manifestation may refer to any one of the following:* the Manifestation of God, which are the prophets of the Bahá'í Faith* the Law of Attraction is a New Age thought that people can manifest reality using thoughts* manifestation of glass, ie...
of intent.
A
thoughtform is a manifestation of mental energy, also known as a '
tulpaTulpa is a Vajrayana, Bonpo and Tibetan Buddhist upaya concept, discipline and teaching tool. The term was first rendered into English as 'Thoughtform' by Evans-Wentz :...
' in
TibetTibet is a plateau region in Asia, north of the Himalayas. It is home to the indigenous Tibetan people, and to some other ethnic groups such as Monpas and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han Chinese people. Tibet is the highest region on earth, with an average...
an
mysticismMysticism is the pursuit of communion with, identity with, or conscious awareness of an ultimate reality, divinity, spiritual truth, or God through direct experience, intuition, instinct or insight. Mysticism usually centers on a practice or practices intended to nurture those experiences or...
. The
thoughtform is also one of the expressed (visualized) means of
SamyamaSamyama . Combined simultaneous practice of Dhāraṇā , Dhyāna & Samādhi . A tool to receive deeper knowledge of qualities of the object...
. Its concept is related to the Western philosophy and practice of
magicMagic, sometimes known as sorcery, is the practice of consciousness manipulation and/or autosuggestion to achieve a desired result, usually by techniques described in various conceptual systems...
.
Khanna (2003: p. 21) links
mantraFor secular and business interpretation, see Motto.A mantra is a sound, syllable, word, or group of words that are considered capable of "creating transformation"...
s and
yantraYantra are 'instruments'. The meaning is contextual. Much like the word 'instrument' itself. It can stand for symbols, processes, automata, machinery or anything that has structure and organization. One use popular in the west is as symbols or geometric figures. Traditionally such symbols are used...
s to thoughtforms:
Mantras, the Sanskrit syllables inscribed on yantras, are essentially 'thought forms' representing divinities or cosmic powers, which exert their influence by means of sound-vibrations.
Working definitions
A number of
prima facie unrelated definitions have been suggested:
- An image or images held in the mind of a practitioner which aids in the manifestation
Manifestation may refer to any one of the following:* the Manifestation of God, which are the prophets of the Bahá'í Faith* the Law of Attraction is a New Age thought that people can manifest reality using thoughts* manifestation of glass, ie...
of intent. An agency of psychic effect which exists and takes form on the pre-physical realms of existence, which acts in accord with the Intent of its creator(s).
- A living spiritual being created by humans. It could be a magical person's helper, or a being created by the belief in it from masses of people.
- A homunculus of awareness: an instantaneous observer / observed duality. Homunculi appear in various theories of cognitive philosophy
Philosophy of mind is a branch of modern analytic philosophy that studies the nature of the mind, mental events, mental functions, mental properties, consciousness and their relationship to the physical body, particularly the brain. The mind-body problem, i.e...
and psychology to account for different facets of conscious self. They are created by everyone every moment (in some formulations they are everyone every moment); and they possess wills of their own.
Thoughtforms and Annie Besant
Thought Forms is a
bookA book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of paper, parchment, or other material, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf, and each side of a leaf is called a page...
, by
Annie BesantAnnie Wood Besant was a prominent Theosophist, women's rights activist, writer and orator and supporter of Irish and Indian self rule.-Early life:...
and C.W. Leadbeater, which is a study on the nature and power of
thoughtThought and thinking are mental forms and processes, respectively . Thinking allows beings to model the world and to deal with it according to their objectives, plans, ends and desires. Words referring to similar concepts and processes include cognition, sentience, consciousness, idea, and...
s. (ISBN 0-8356-0008-4)
The authors state that thoughts have two effects: "a radiating
vibrationOscillation is the repetitive variation, typically in time, of some measure about a central value or between two or more different states. Familiar examples include a swinging pendulum and AC power...
and a floating form".
Thought forms are divided into three classes:
- That which takes the image of the thinker.
- That which takes the image of some material
Material is synonymous with substance, and is anything made of matter hydrogen, air and water are all examples of materials. Sometimes the term "material" is used more narrowly to refer to substances or components with certain physical properties that are used as inputs to production or manufacturing...
objectIn philosophy, an object is a thing, an entity, or a being. This may be taken in several senses. In its weakest sense, the word "object" is the most all-purpose of nouns, and can replace a noun in any sentence at all...
.
- That which takes a form entirely its own, expressing its inherent qualities in the matter
The term matter traditionally refers to the substance that all objects are made of. One common way to identify this "substance" is through its physical properties; a common definition of matter is anything that has mass and occupies a volume...
which it draws round it.
The effect of
musicMusic is an art form whose medium is sound. Common elements of music are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, emotions, and colors on thought forms is also studied in the book.
The effect of the music of
MendelssohnMendelsohn is a Jewish family name, meaning "son of Mendel", Mendel being a Yiddish diminutive of the Hebrew given name Menahem, meaning "consoling" or "one who consoles".Mendelssohn is the surname of a number of people:...
(No. 9 of his "Songs without words"), Gounod (Soldiers Chorus from "Faust") and
Richard WagnerWilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director and essayist, primarily known for his operas...
(Overture to "The Meistersingers") is studied. The music of Wagner produced a "marvellous mountain-range" on the thought forms.
Thoughtform in popular culture
Many authors and artists have since used tulpas in their works, both in the context of fiction and in writing about mysticism. Horror author
Clive BarkerClive Barker is an English author, film director and visual artist best known for his work in both fantasy and horror fiction....
, for example, envisioned his famous "Candy Man" killer to be nothing more than a myth gone terribly awry in his original story.
Television
- In the X-Files
The X-Files is an American cult science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. It first aired in September 1993 and ended in May 2002...
episode Arcadia (6X13), the president of the homeowners' association for an exclusive gated community uses a tulpa to enforce the neighborhood rules; those who repeatedly violate the guidelines meet a grisly fate at its hands.
- The Supernatural
Supernatural is an American drama/horror television series starring Jared Padalecki as Sam Winchester and Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester, brothers who hunt demons and other figures of the paranormal. The series, which is filmed in Vancouver, BC, debuted on September 13, 2005 on The WB, and is now...
episode Hell House (1.17) features a haunted house in which the resident malevolent spirit turns out to be a tulpa, created when the beliefs of thousands of website visitors are focused through a Tibetan sigilA sigil is a symbol created for a specific magical purpose. A sigil is usually made up of a complex combination of several specific symbols or geometric figures, each with a specific meaning or intent....
painted on one wall of the house.
- In Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV series episode 1.10 Nightmares, the "scooby gang" faces the physical manifestations of their worst fears. This episode has some references to out of body experiences, which should not be confused with the tulpa.
- In the So Weird
So Weird is a television series shot in Vancouver, British Columbia that aired on the Disney Channel as a midseason replacement from January 18, 1999 to September 28, 2001. The series at first centered around teenage girl Fiona Phillips who toured with her rock star mom , encountering paranormal...
episode PK (or Tulpa). Fi meets a little boy who is troublesome and it is caused because of a Tulpa he creates. He thinks it is an imaginary friend but Fi tells him it's some type of energy he created and helps him solve it.
- In Tears of Kali by Andreas Marschall, an entity becomes an evil murderer that can't be controlled.
- In Paranoia Agent
is a Japanese anime television series created by director Satoshi Kon and produced by Madhouse about a social phenomenon in Musashino, Tokyo caused by a juvenile serial assailant named Lil' Slugger...
, the character Lil' Slugger (Shonen Bat) is revealed to have materialized thanks to the growing hysteria caused when Tsukiko Sagi claimed he attacked her.
- The Tulpa is a Canadian short film.
Literature
- In Nightingale's Lament by Simon Green, a tulpa in the image of John Taylor's client is sent after him at one point, tracking him by a hair the client left on his jacket; it disappears when the hair is destroyed.
- In Every Which Way But Dead by Kim Harrison
Kim Harrison is a nom de plume of American author, Dawn Cook. Under the name of Harrison, she is best known for her Rachel Morgan urban fantasy series set in an alternate history where a worldwide pandemic caused by genetically modified tomatoes led to the death of a large portion of the world's...
, 'Tulpa' is the focus word used to create a three-dimensional circle in the main character, Rachel Morgan's imagination, and is used to hold an overflow of power.
- In American Gods by Neil Gaiman
Neil Richard Gaiman is an English author of science fiction and fantasy short stories and novels, graphic novels, comics, audio theatre, and films. His notable works include The Sandman comic series, Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book...
, various deity-like beings are created through cultural belief, a certain society's perception of, say, Odin, creating a form of that god particular to that society.
- In It
It is a 1986 horror novel by American author Stephen King. The story is about seven children being terrorized by a shape-shifting, child-killing malevolent entity - known as "IT" - that takes the form of their deepest fears but primarily appears in the form of a clown, calling itself "Pennywise the...
by Stephen KingStephen Edwin King is an American writer of contemporary horror fiction, science fiction, fantasy literature, and screenplays. An estimated 300–350 million copies of King's novels and short story collections have been sold, and many of his stories have been adapted for film, television, and...
, the eponymous entity's various manifestations are given form and power by the belief of the townspeople.
- In Outcast by Lynne Ewing
Lynne Ewing is an American author and a screen writer.She always had to move around a lot when she was growing up because her father was in the Marine Corps. She has two sisters. Lynne graduated from high school in Lima, Peru after attending seven other schools. While she was in Peru, she learned...
, the main character, Kyle, is confronted and pestered by a tulpa of his own creation, that convinces him that he is his lost twin brother.
- In Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison is a Scottish comic book writer and artist. He is best-known for his nonlinear narratives and counter-cultural leanings.-Early years:...
’s MarvelMarvel Publishing, Inc., a company doing business as Marvel Comics, produces American comic books and related media. It forms a subsidiary of Marvel Entertainment, Inc....
graphic novel ‘Fantastic FourThe Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new naturalism in the medium...
1234’ (2002) Reed Richards muses on a fictitious journey to TibetTibet is a plateau region in Asia, north of the Himalayas. It is home to the indigenous Tibetan people, and to some other ethnic groups such as Monpas and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han Chinese people. Tibet is the highest region on earth, with an average...
where, with the help of BönBön is the oldest spiritual tradition of Tibet. Tenzin Gyatso, the fourteenth Dalai Lama, has recently recognized the Bön tradition as the fifth principal spiritual school of Tibet, along with the Nyingma, Sakya, Kagyu, and Gelug schools of Buddhism, despite the long historical competition of...
priest, he creates a Tulpa, a “thoughtform”. After Richards names it ‘Victor’ the Tulpa takes on a life of its own, becoming Richards’ opposite number. This was an alternative, fantastical, origin for Richards’ arch enemy Dr Doom (aka Victor Von Doom).
- According to the book The Teachings of Don Juan Matus, a Mexican shaman by the name of Don Juan Matus
Don Juan Matus is a major character in the series of books on Native shamanism by Carlos Castaneda. He is described as a Yaqui Indian to whom Castaneda was introduced somewhere around the U.S.-Mexico border beginning in the early 1960s...
, who had taught his student Carlos CastanedaCarlos Castaneda was a Peruvian-born American author. Starting with The Teachings of Don Juan in 1968, Castaneda wrote a series of books that describe his purported training in traditional Mesoamerican shamanism. His 12 books have sold more than 8 million copies in 17 languages...
, the books author, about the true nature of the physical universe and how intense concentration can summon, apportAn apport is supposed to be the paranormal transference of an article from one place to another, or an appearance of an article from an unknown source. They are supposed to be associated with poltergeist activity, and on rare occasions are said to be witnessed landing on the floor, in a person's...
, and even materialize objects out of thin air. It was said that Carlos CastanedaCarlos Castaneda was a Peruvian-born American author. Starting with The Teachings of Don Juan in 1968, Castaneda wrote a series of books that describe his purported training in traditional Mesoamerican shamanism. His 12 books have sold more than 8 million copies in 17 languages...
was able to materialize a living squirrel on the palm of Don Juan's hand based on the latter's instruction. Many of his claims have been disputed by members of the anthropologicalAnthropology is the study of human beings, everywhere and throughout time....
profession.
- In Secrets & Mysteries of the World by Sylvia Browne
Sylvia Browne is an American author on the subject of spirituality who performs as a psychic and spiritual medium...
, chapter 7: Tulpas, explains brief story of old Tulpas and new Tulpas from England.
- In The Mothman Prophecies by John A. Keel, the author alludes to several ghost and UFO sightings as likely being tulpas.
- In Las Ruinas Circulares by Jorge Luis Borges
Jorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges Acevedo , best known as Jorge Luis Borges, was an Argentine writer and poet born in Buenos Aires. In 1914, his family moved to Switzerland where he attended school and traveled to Spain. On his return to Argentina in 1921, Borges began publishing his poems and...
, a man is created from dream and given substance.
- Smith, Russell James (2003). Tulpa. Writers Advantage. ISBN 0595274900 / ISBN 978-0595274901 (a work of fiction)
- In The Wheel of Darkness
The Wheel of Darkness is a 2007 novel by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child.-Plot summary:This novel picks up shortly following the events depicted in The Book of the Dead....
by Douglas PrestonDouglas Preston is an author of seventeen popular techno-thriller and horror novels, four alone and the rest with Lincoln Child...
and Lincoln ChildLincoln Child is an author of seventeen techno-thriller and horror novels. Often paired with writing partner Douglas Preston, many of their novels have become bestsellers and one, Relic, was adapted into a feature film...
, a tulpa is created.
- In Warren Ellis
Warren Ellis is an English author of comics, novels, and television, well known for sociocultural commentary, both through his online presence and his writing, which covers transhumanist themes...
's Doktor SleeplessDoktor Sleepless is a monthly comic book series written by Warren Ellis with art by Ivan Rodriguez that is published by Avatar Press, launched in July 2007...
the title character creates a Tulpa of himself allowing for one to be imprisoned while the other goes free.
- Alvin Schwartz, writer of Superman comics during the '40s and '50s, writes in his book, An Unlikely Prophet about a tulpa he meets, named Thongden. The tulpa educates Schwartz about his own tulpa, Superman. ISBN 0965952126 and ISBN 978-0965952125
- Starting in July 1989, Alan Grant (writer) wrote a story arc for Batman
The Batman, originally referred to as the Bat-Man, is a fictional character, a comic book superhero co-created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger , appearing in publications by DC Comics...
entitled "Tulpa", in which a Tibetan man creates entities to steal for him in order to repay a mob boss.
- In the Fables series of graphic novels by Bill Willingham
Bill Willingham is an American writer and artist of comics.-Biography:Willingham got his start in the late 1970s to early 1980s as a staff artist for TSR, Inc., where he illustrated a number of their role-playing game products...
, the lifespan/health/vitality of each of the "Fable" characters (ie., Snow White, Goldilocks, etc...) is directly tied into the degree of popularity or belief that real "mundy" (mundane) humans have in them, implying that they are willed into existence by the thoughts of humans.
Games
- In the RPG (Role-Playing Game) Over the Edge, Tulpas are used as background characters (NPC's). They also have natural enemies, sociopathic individuals called Sandmen, who prey on them to create either "Nightmare" (a drug) or "Dreamweb" (gossamer webs that can capture dreams from people). Dreamweb are typically used to capture the nightmares of neurotic individuals, which are also sold as something like a drug.
- Although the word "Tulpa" is never used in the Changeling: the Dreaming RPG, creatures known as "Chimera" fulfill a role very similar to Tulpa. Chimera may be sentient or non-sentient entities made manifest in the mental alternate reality of "The Dreaming". They typically arise spontaneously due to the force of human thought and emotion, sometimes from the dreams of individuals but potentially as amalgams of all human thought. These beings are typically weakened by exposure to human doubt, but nevertheless some have the necessary strength and abilities to manifest as tangible entities in the mundane world of humans, at least for a time.
- In the ARG (Alternate Reality Gaming), The Hunt for Sammex83, it is said that the Sammex83 is a tulpa that lives both in the Internet and the real world.
Further reading
- Annie Besant and Leadbeater: Thought forms
- Makransky, Bob (2000). Thought Forms. Dear Brutus. ISBN 0-9677315-3-4
- Smith, Russell James (2003). Tulpa. Writers Advantage. ISBN 0595274900 / ISBN 978-0595274901 (a work of fiction)
External links