Thought = Prayer = Magic? : Discussing the Thinking Process

Most people I know are under this impenetrable belief that their lives are at the mercy of chance, fate, or some other outside and independent agency acting upon them. They think themselves powerless, and thus refuse to take responsibility for the happenings of their lives; instead choosing to look out away from themselves for either answers or simply something to blame for their current condition.

This will simply not do.

There is a certain strata to your thought processes that few people are even aware of, let alone comfortable with. I am going to describe to you a series of arbitrary "levels" of these processes based upon the emergent properties associated with reaching out away from unity consciousness into the world of duality. Please note that there are absolutely no divisions within the bodymind complex, and that I am simply using this method of explanation for your convenience of understanding. Each of these strata, or layers, of consciousness may be thought of as another overlaid filter upon your perception of the world around you. As we continue up the strata more and more of these filters are placed on top of one another; compromising and limiting the 'real-ness' of the object of perception. Consequently the layers that are put down first have the tendency to become buried under the clutter of all of the subsequent layers that we choose to adopt upon our vision of reality. This creates the crazy phenomenon of "Sub-Consciousness" that I am sure many, if not all, of you have heard of.

You see there is truly no such thing as subconsciousness; only the perception of such a thing gives it any true meaning or value in your life. As previously stated there are no divisions within the mind. There is no aspect of the self that is not always available to the seer for examination. There is only the consciousness that you are aware of, and the consciousness that you are not aware of...simple as that. Psychological research into the realm of the subconscious mind is actually only looking into aspects of the self that are usually left unquestioned, and therefore go on almost completely unnoticed unless the keen eye of discernment is turned upon them. As such the term "Sub-Conscious" must be understood for what it is: a convenient word to describe the parts of yourself that you are generally unfamiliar with. It should not be used to imply that there is some mental 'wall' separating the two imaginary beasts of conscious vs. subconscious, for there is truly only the singular beast of pure consciousness itself. This is my warning to you right up front: Though I use separate terms for different so-called "layers" of consciousness, they are only for ease of communication.  All thought is inseparable and unified. Keeping this in mind, let us continue with the discussion.

Auto-Pilot Programs
At the most primal levels there are automated thoughts that are hardwired into your bodymind complex. Some examples of these automated thoughts are the continued and rhythmic flexion of your heart muscle, the continued and rhythmic flexion of your diaphragm, and this funny concept held near the base of your mind called Duality. Duality is the ever permeating preference of perception that allows you to maintain your individual identity. It is what you use to define You vs. Non-You. It is the perceived separation from unity consciousness; the "fall from grace" if you will. All biological organisms operating within third density existence employ some variation of Duality consciousness or else they would not exist within the context of matter, though the use of the Duality construct is quite varied amongst the myriad organisms out there.

A singular ant, for example, hardly ever operates from individual Duality. Instead it is the ant colony that commands the majority of the actions taken by each ant. To watch a colony at work is a marvel to behold; the root mechanisms of such coordinated efforts still eluding biologists even today. The true organism in these circumstances is actually the ant colony en masse, rather than the individual sub-units composing it. I refer to this phenomenon as a 'bio-conglomerate' organism. Ant colonies, bee hives, bird flocks, fish schools, antelope herds, and thousands of other bio-conglomerate organisms operate much more from Unity consciousness than they do Duality. Humans, on the other hand, tend to use Duality more prominently throughout our lives; reserving Unity Consciousness for select circumstances such as defining our family relationships, national heritage, or religion. Do you live a life of separation from unity, or do you find yourself feeling more "at one" with the world around you? Do you strive to attain success and happiness for only yourself (gotta get ahead, right?), or for all those around you? This is the first strata, or filter, that you choose to perceive reality through; your unique adopted proportion of Unity vs. Duality.

Believing Yourself Into Existence
Taking a step up the strata of your thinking we find the constituents of your personality and character. These are belief-based thought paradigms that are derived from either your experiences or second-hand experiences adopted from those around you. This is the special corner of your bodymind complex where you define to yourself who "You" are. Do you believe that mankind is inherently good, or evil? Do you believe that you are living in a world of scarcity, or abundance? Does true love exist in your reality, or is it a chemical facade? These are the beliefs that define your most fundamental character and personality, and serve as the basis from which you construct the rest of your life. Many times I find people don't even recognize what it is that they believe about themselves and the world. This creates a bit of a conundrum because new beliefs are being generated by the self on a regular basis based upon new experiences, and some of these new belief constructs may very well entirely oppose a previously held belief from earlier in life. When this is the case emotional upheaval is inevitable, because emotion is the fuel that beliefs run on.

Meet Lilian. Lilian was abused by her father, sometimes sexually, on a weekly basis from when she was only ten years old until she finally got away at the age of seventeen. He would scream at her; telling her she was stupid, worthless, unwanted, and was only loved whenever she would perform favors, fetch booze, or the things of the like. Some beliefs that Lilian adopts due to these experiences is that she is unlovable, that men are hurtful, and that she isn't worth much to anyone at all. After getting away from that environment Lilian winds her way through five to ten years of confusion and instability, but finally assumes a decently consistent role within the community as an employee for a pet adoption agency. She has even found a potential love interest, but for some reason things just can't get past a feeling of awkward tension between the two of them. You see, Lilian's new romantic friend desires that they begin to take things a bit more seriously, but for some reason Lilian always separates herself from moments of intimacy or dedication. They have spoken at length about her horrid upbringing and everything is out on the table, but it seems there is still something holding her back. [I am unlovable, men are hurtful, and I'm not worth much to anyone at all.]

It is in this situation that my point is made clear. Many people don't recognize what it is that they truly believe about themselves and the world around them, and much like Lilian sabotage their endeavors by not being able to recognize the root cause of the problem. Often times in order to clear an old belief one must endure some tough emotions, or an otherwise uncomfortable set of thoughts in order to reconcile the change as being permanent. [I will no longer be the product of a child molesting father. I will no longer fear attachment to men for the sins of a pig that was not worthy of my love. I will instead believe in my own value and seek to share my value with the world around me, and I know in my soul that the world is a better place with me in it.]

The Social Animal
The next strata of human thinking is the filters we adopt to accommodate the pressures of society. The best way I can think of to convey this concept is the old adage, "One man's trash is another man's treasure," because it very simply communicates the concept of "it's all how ya look at it". In short, there is the way you view the things around you and the way in which you desire to be viewed. We are basically talking about the Freudian concept of the Ego. Who do you want to be in society? How do you want other people to perceive you? Do you desire to be intimidating? Funny? Compassionate? Perhaps you're the dude at the bar who likes to brag about how much of an ass-hole to women they are with their friends. It's all the chess game of You vs. Non-You when you live is a Dualistic society. Using the analogy of a video game, one could think of this strata of thought as the portion of the game dedicated to deciding what characteristics and roles your player will have: warrior/fighter/assaulter, mage/scholar/sniper, thief/assassin/annoying tripwire mine guy. At the end of the day most people have extremely similar fears and beliefs, it's just a matter of how you want to go about gettin shit done.

Another important aspect of this strata's filtration system is the funny word "opinion". Opinion's are kinda like beliefs, but much more superficial. As you might recall in The Questioning of a Belief Structure we discussed the point that many of the beliefs that many people proclaim they hold aren't actually true beliefs. These things are actually derivatives of opinions, and are largely influenced by societal pressures and dogmas. In a perfect world opinions would not be necessary, for there would never be need to justify your thoughts or actions.

Bringing It Together
Thus far we have discussed the three basic systems of filtration separating your perceived reality from true reality. In a nutshell they are:

1. Duality. I am a separate, individual entity.
2. Beliefs about the self and the world at large. I hold these 'truths', and they become self evident in my life.
3. Desired position in social encounters and affairs.

Now we can begin to discuss the next strata of thought, which is actually quite easy to do at this point because all of the more difficult concepts have already been tackled.

The Power of Conscious Thought
The fourth strata that we will be discussing here is the realm of thinking that you are already quite familiar with. This is your inner monologue, the 'you' that's mentally talking to yourself all day long. This 'you' is therefore the product of the three base strata, and is heavily influenced by the nature of those preceding filters. A person who maintains a second strata of limiting or degrading beliefs about themselves will inevitably experience fewer happy thoughts on a conscious level when compared to a person who maintains a healthy second strata of uplifting, loving beliefs about themselves and others. This pathway is always in a state of equilibrium, though, meaning that one may influence the content of their base strata by using awareness in the employment of their conscious (fourth strata) thoughts. This is a fancy way of stating that you literally are what you think, and you think what you are. Once the gravity of this principle is fully assimilated by the individual an extremely powerful tool then becomes available: The ability to manipulate the self, and therefore the world around the self, with the power of thought.

The Anatomy of Prayer
A prayer is a mental construct that is sent out away from the individual; usually driven by a strong intent for a particular outcome. For those of you that pray on a regular basis, what does the process of praying look like? To whom are you praying? Are you asking for something? Are you expressing gratitude, or frustration? Do you kneel, bow your head, and close your eyes? Perhaps you just tell your inner monologue to shut up for a minute and speak to your god as though you would to anyone else? There are as many ways to pray as there are people who pray, but every single one of them involves concentrated thought-energy that is essentially 'balled-up' and sent on its way to whatever destination (or entity) the praying person believes will receive it. The actions of closing the eyes and bowing the head serve to eliminate physical sensory input from the mind so that the ability to concentrate on the chosen thought construct is heightened. Kneeling is a universal act of submission, and has been proven to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system and further relax the individual; thus further facilitating the ability to concentrate on the desired thought. The idea of praying to a superior being is indeed another useful tool that many employ because it allows for internal evaluation of any requests being sent out; meaning someone is less likely to pray for a selfishly motivated request when they believe that their prayer is to be heard by an omnipotent and just entity. So, what is actually going on when an individual prays?

• First, the individual takes measures to eliminate distraction through both sensory input as well as distracting thoughts.
• Second, the individual concentrates on a thought, or the series of thought processes it wishes to be made manifest. Visualization is commonly an ingredient of the concentration effort; meaning that some semblance or image of the desire is created within the mind of the individual to further implant the thought construct with tactile meaning.
• Third, depending on the nature of the prayer various levels of emotion are attached to the thought construct. The more emotion attached to the construct, the more powerful the prayer will become. This may serve as both a detriment as well as a beneficial stimulant depending on the emotion being employed to supplement the prayer.
• Finally, the thought construct is released through a conscious severing of the individuals connection to it. This usually takes the form of ending terms such as "Amen".

Hmmm, I know I've see this formula before. . . oh yeah.

Let's Talk About Witchcraft!

Just as in any religion there are thousands of different methodologies employed all over the world of witchcraft. Some subscribe to the more modern day Wicca, others follow the traditional Celtic varieties. Some forms of witchcraft even find their roots in the Judeo-Christian mythologies, such as Jewish Mysticism. [very]Generally speaking I am using the term 'witchcraft' to refer to earth-based religions that employ a combination of both prayer, and a pretty misunderstood term in our society: Spells. So what's a "spell", anyway?

"Spells" are nothing more than a ritualized form of prayer. That's it. The terms itself has been so bastardized by the strong arm of the Catholic regime at this point that it kinda feels funny to even say the word, but it is what it is dude.

You can get a really a really great [shitty] overview of what a spell is by simply visiting the 'crazy person' section of your local Barns n Nobel. There you will find volumes of all sorts spells for just about any need you might ever possibly have. I'm sure some of them work, but I am even more sure that the majority of them are bullshit. I refer to it as the 'crazy person' section because I have spent quite a bit of time in that section over the years, and find that to try to attain any semblance of genuine understanding of earth-based ritual by simply reading "recipe books" of spells is like being a dog that's chasing its own tail. The primary difference between the "casting" of a spell and simple prayer is the amount of effort that goes into the thought construct. Whereas someone who practices some form of witchcraft might find themselves praying to the Mother Goddess as a christian might pray to God, spells occupy a much more structured format that much of the westernized religions fail to employ on a regular basis. What is actually going one when someone is casting a spell? All of the same things that are happening when an individual prays. Pains are still taken to eliminate distraction. Concentration and visualization are still both employed to solidify the construct. Emotive connotations are attached. And the thought form is released to do the bidding of the caster.

How mysterious. How taboo.
[The only reason this set of religions is viewed with any form of distaste in modern society is the fact that they were "not christian" at the wrong place, in the wrong time.]

Really the line between spell casting and prayer is too vague to define. Generally speaking you will find more visual aids, ceremony, symbolism, and pre-written incantations involved with the casting of a spell which serve to increase the magnitude of thought concentrated within the construct being created. This is the reason why genuine spell casting tends to be noted throughout history as being significant enough to enact noticeable change on the world around the individual, whereas prayer tends to need a larger group of people praying together to enact the same magnitude of change.

Reality follows thought.

Whether you call it prayer, contemplation, or magic, it's literally all the exact same freakin thing man. What you think, and even more powerfully what you 'know', becomes reality. Remember, there are no divisions of the self, and therefore there are no divisions in your thoughts or even between you and the world around around you (keep in mind that Duality is still nothing more than a filter, and that Unity Consciousness is the original state of being). The process of casting a spell for good luck employs the EXACT SAME thoughts that praying for good luck uses. They are both nothing more than fancy terms for concentrated energy constructs. Every thought that you ever have is therefore a spell that you are casting upon yourself and your immediate surroundings. Many of these thoughts are relatively weak in magnitude, and thus rarely have much impact on your day to day activities. . . but that does not mean they are powerless at all. When a thought is spoken aloud an element of ritual is then introduced to the equation; further increasing the strength of the thought. When actions are performed in tandem with the spoken thought a further element of solidity is introduced. Poisonous thoughts such as the ones Lilian was having as a child, when repeated and reinforced in the mind over and over by both her father and herself, will dutifully serve out their purpose of creating such a reality for the 'caster'. In fact, such spell casting is one of the most powerful forms of personal manifestation because they are spells which alter the vibrational frequency of base-strata filters within the psyche. This is also one of the most extremely volatile areas to manipulate because base strata filters are almost always fueled by intense emotions, and as such will very quickly alter the individuals perception of reality. 

Such is also why positive affirmations have been proven to work so effectively at alleviating depression symptoms, decreasing stress hormone production, and increasing quality of life when employed on a regular basis. Remember that the pathway between the base strata and conscious levels of thought are always in a state of equilibrium and can always be influenced through the mindful manipulation of fourth strata thoughts. Simply taking the extra few seconds every time you're in the bathroom to look in the mirror and remind yourself just how awesome you are can work wonders, I assure you.

In conclusion

Guard your thoughts my friends, and guard them well. Every word you every say about yourself, or the world around you has a direct effect on your day to day experience. Every assumption and blind judgement that you make of other people directly affects both you, and those other people. Be wary of the thoughts that you allow yourself to dwell on, and when a lower vibrational thought construct weasels its way into your mind simply accept it for what it is and pass it by for a better one. Be wary of the images you allow yourself to dwell on as well. You are doing absolutely no good by "Praying For Boston" if by "praying" all you are doing is observing an image of violence and brutality on Facebook then clicking 'share' so that even more people must be further poisoned by such images of pain and suffering. By doing this all you are accomplishing is the propagation of fear. Instead simply dwell upon the strength of the people of that great city. Create within your mind a beautiful ball of strength, love, and encouragement, then send it to its rightful destination. I promise that by praying in the strength of others you will do far more good than by "praying" on a violent image with some false words of hope pasted on it. Part of me thinks that for this very reason those stupid Facebook things do more harm than good, but that's enough for now.

You are quite literally a creator being. Whether you choose to acknowledge your birthright or not is a matter that is entirely based upon what spells you are currently casting upon yourself.

live.in.freedom