Working with thoughts

Rituals, spells, prayer, meditation and magical acts.
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Mars
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Working with thoughts

Post by Mars »

Quite recently there was talk about gratitude on the forums. Also recently I started a practice of writing up at least one positive thought a day and was surprised about the power of this simple practice. It forces my thoughts to focus on the positive, and even on a bad day it helps because the mind has to direct itself towards the positive.

This is just one small thing in a vast topic. Please share, how do you work with your thoughts?
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Beshiira
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Re: Working with thoughts

Post by Beshiira »

Well yes, a vast topic indeed.

Being quite a neurotic myself, I struggle with all sorts of thoughts pretty much all the time (then again though, who doesn't?). I worry constantly, and I have all kinds of negative thoughts. I guess it's also very natural and understandable in a world like ours, but there sure is a point after which that worrying etc. becomes too big a hindrance. For instance if we focus on some very small details and put a lot of ”worrying energy” into that, as neurotic minds often do.

One helpful tool for me has been the idea of a multifaceted constitution of the human being; my thoughts say this, my feelings say that, my body says something else again etc... And none of these ”particles” are some ”whole truth” as such.

It has actually been a quite recent revelation to me to notice how deeply this certain kind of worrying and ”overthinking” really does define my persona. And thus it might be easier to leave some thoughts be, realizing: ”Yeah, it is this stuff again, no need to give it more attention, soon I'll worry about something else and that's just how it goes.”

No definite answers to the immense topic of thoughts here, but one neurotic point of view at least!
"Ja kun minun kirkkauteni kulkee ohitse, asetan minä sinut kallion rotkoon ja peitän sinut kädelläni, kunnes olen kulkenut ohi.
Kun minä sitten siirrän pois käteni, näet sinä minun selkäpuoleni; mutta minun kasvojani ei voi kenkään katsoa."
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Smaragd
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Re: Working with thoughts

Post by Smaragd »

Writing is indeed an immensely powerful tool here. It must have been one of the greatest technological leaps when people had gained the access to writing tools to the extent they could write down their thoughts reflectively, and consequently expand them further or direct the thoughts towards deeper understanding.
Beshiira wrote: Wed Feb 09, 2022 12:41 pm One helpful tool for me has been the idea of a multifaceted constitution of the human being; my thoughts say this, my feelings say that, my body says something else again etc... And none of these ”particles” are some ”whole truth” as such.
Self-reflective writing and discussions coming from this sort of perspective is one of the main practises for me.
"Would to God that all the Lord's people were Prophets”, Numbers 11:29 as echoed by William Blake
Tulihenki
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Re: Working with thoughts

Post by Tulihenki »

Sometimes when I see someone fail or doing something foolish I get thoughts of mockery. Before I start to feed these thoughts I start to think what kind of (funnily) foolish things I have done and most likely will do. I don't mean this to be a road to self-judgement but more like into relaxed humour that we (all) do foolish things and most likely they are really not deadly serious. Things and lessons to remember but not to stress endlessly.
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Nefastos
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Re: Working with thoughts

Post by Nefastos »

Mars wrote: Mon Feb 07, 2022 7:55 pmhow do you work with your thoughts?

My primary tool is writing diary every day. Not so much about things that happen outside, but reflecting my own thoughts, emotions, inner struggles. It's an instrument of advancing through mental pain and/or dilemmas, and gives like a bird eye view on labyrinth of thought. To give some counterweight on this steady flow of writing as mental exercise, I add pictures to give the process a touch of visual depth and ease.

As a hard core gnostic, I also consider our whole existence being primarily "working with thoughts," and tend to think that our bodies and emotions can be viewed as specific structures of thoughts too. It is because of this point of view I have considered myself as being of Manasic temperament. I guess it would be equally right for another temperament to see world as love (feelings), physics (body & its sensations), or will (activity of centered dynamism), or just pure energy.
Faust: "Lo contempla. / Ei muove in tortuosa spire / e s'avvicina lento alla nostra volta. / Oh! se non erro, / orme di foco imprime al suol!"
Seferoth
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Re: Working with thoughts

Post by Seferoth »

I have stopped resisting my thoughts or trying to change them. The very first thoughts that comes in your mind during a situation or an event is the real you...trying to bury them behind something else is just dishonest to me. You can pretend all you want that those initial thoughts are not the real you, but the reality is that those first thoughts truly show who you are, and only by accepting who we really are can we move forward. Just my opinion of course.
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Cancer
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Re: Working with thoughts

Post by Cancer »

Seferoth wrote: Fri Mar 25, 2022 10:22 pm I have stopped resisting my thoughts or trying to change them. The very first thoughts that comes in your mind during a situation or an event is the real you...trying to bury them behind something else is just dishonest to me. You can pretend all you want that those initial thoughts are not the real you, but the reality is that those first thoughts truly show who you are, and only by accepting who we really are can we move forward. Just my opinion of course.
I disagree. Often, the first thoughts that come into one's head reflect social conditioning, not personal character. For example, I regularly have prejudiced thoughts about someone because of their appearance, but I do not therefore think that it would be honest or virtuous to express those thoughts. Or when someone close to me is in need of help, I might be annoyed, might catch myself thinking of them as a burden, etc. - but I will do my responsibility for them regardless, because that is right. There is no other "real me" than the actions which I choose to take; my initial, involuntary thoughts are simply one environmental input among many.

A reverse example to my first one might be a romantic partner or a parent who experiences huge, overwhelming feelings of love for their partner / child, but still treats them badly. I've seen many parents in particular do this: they think that solely the (very real) positive emotions they have for their child justify e.g. controlling behavior. This is why thinkers like Erich Fromm or bell hooks say that love isn't really an emotion. The emotion called love does exists as a dopamine rush we get from intimacy etc. - but actually respecting other people's autonomy, seeing them as ends in themselves, is entirely different & has more to do with values & thoughts.

Sorry for the rant lol, I hope I don't come across as aggressive or as implying that your message was intended to mean what it made me think of. There is a very valid point to be made about accepting those initial thoughts and not being ashamed of them! Especially in religious circles the attempt to "purify one's thoughts" can often be misguided.
Tiden läker inga sår.
Seferoth
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Re: Working with thoughts

Post by Seferoth »

No problem, i see your point of view. However, your comment seemed to be more or less based on actions than purely the thoughts. I can see a person who i might think looks like an idiot, or annoying or simply some other negative way, yet i will treat him positively if i have actions with him/her. I can think one way and act the other way without me needing to change my way of thinking. I see social conditioning almost entirely the other way, i see the way you eventually act or think is the social conditioning, we have been taught to obey the laws, be nice to people, be "tolerant" sigh...this is who you were taught to be, not the one who you really are. Especially in the modern world where people are forced to obey "certain narratives" or they get "canceled". I see everyone as a tamed monster really, we all have a beast chained within ourselves, only by unchaining it and really embracing it you can be yourself...your real self. However, i do think that some control is required while we are here on Earth, it is not here where we should fully let loose and act upon our deepest and darkest desires, that reward comes later in Hell. This is an intriguing subject, i think most of us have a vastly different perspective towards this matter and i am all for it. The truth after all is born from dispute...or so they say.
Tariq
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Re: Working with thoughts

Post by Tariq »

I understand (or at least I think I do) what you mean by the ‘monster’. However, I am not sure why would the monster be the one that gets to be the real me. I am not just one thing. One Tariq is several kinds of Tariqs. There is the brave one, who wants to defend others and fight and protect, and save the world. There is the lazy one who wants to just do nothing and eat ice cream. There is the good Tariq who wants to be kind and help people, and the bitchy Tariq that thinks people are annoying and that they should all go away and leave him alone. There is the monster Tariq who experiences violent thoughts and urges, and the soft Tariq who experiences love and friendship, and there is the creative one and the playful one, and so on. Why would the monster get to be the real me? I am so many things, why would I choose the negative one to be the real one? I would rather think that the combination of all of these is the real me.

I also know that many of the thoughts that plague my existence are not real. I often feel that I am worthless and lousy, and that I do not deserve the care and kindness of other people. That thought is not true, even though on those moments it feels very real.

I am also not sure would unleashing the monster really be a reward. I don’t wish to get such rewards, myself. Agression is part of life, but seeing it as some kind of truth or goal or reward sounds quite problematic to me.
Mars
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Re: Working with thoughts

Post by Mars »

Seferoth wrote: Fri Mar 25, 2022 10:22 pm I have stopped resisting my thoughts or trying to change them. The very first thoughts that comes in your mind during a situation or an event is the real you...trying to bury them behind something else is just dishonest to me.
I disagree and think that that's actually quite a dangerous way to deal with thoughts. The first thoughts, feelings and impressions are precisely the conditioned responses to different situations that we should be able to challenge and see through.
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