The reasonable man adapts himself to the world;
the unreasonable man persists in
trying to adapt the world to himself.
Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.
— George Bernard Shaw
This book is a result of a life-long gestation, the maturation of my understanding of thoughtforms and their role in seeking and defining meaning, purpose, passion, and happiness in our lives.
By extension, understanding thoughtforms is also a gateway into deeper spirituality.
Let us define what thoughtforms are right away. Thoughtforms are collections (aggregations) of thoughts that develop a life of their own. To oversimplify, instead of us owning and controlling our thoughts, our thoughts begin to imagine an existence apart from their biological foundation and begin to own and control us, just like some things, a computer, a car, or a house, might begin to possess us, if we let them.
Prominent examples of thoughtforms are languages and civilizations as well as the various beliefs that travel through families and cultures. These thoughtforms provide the convenience of continuity, familiarity, and communication. They help transfer conventional knowledge among groups of people and convey traditions and beliefs across generations.
Perhaps, the most significant example of a thoughtform is the human mind itself and the flow of ideas it generates (ideological flow). This is what defines us as humans, separate from the vast and unfathomable Universe out there. We humans are powerful creators of ideas, which both imprison and liberate us.
The trouble with thoughtforms is that they frequently turn stuck and become toxic. They become jail cells that imprison us in our own mind. Thoughtforms cloud out Mystery, the inner Light that makes our lives meaningful, interesting, and significant.
Thoughtforms implicitly believe in their individuality and strive for their own independence. They “feel” and “see” themselves as separate beings. They hate being confronted with the fact that they are just thoughts. However important or insignificant thoughts might be, they are lifeless, empty, and boring, unless you believe in the illusion.
Speaking of the illusion, spirituality is about the Light, not about the Clouds. It is not about the clouds of thoughtform that shade out the Light of Mystery, the Force within. Therefore, the key task of your spiritual journey is about becoming aware of thoughtforms. By extension, all human progress is about going beyond our identification with and attachment to thoughtforms — toward greater expression of the creative Force within.
Yet, most spiritual traditions, being stuck thoughtforms to various degrees, fail to focus on Mystery, the Source of creativity. Whatever they claim, they tend to focus on their thoughtforms (ideologies and traditions), rather than on Mystery (God). Ultimately interested in the continuity of their power rather than in the risky business of seeking wisdom, they fail to adequately warn their wards about the problem. Let us hope this focus away from Mystery is not conscious on their part. Ignorance is a better excuse than evil.
Most spiritual traditions, however, are just extensions of a much bigger juggernaut, the cult of groupthink. This cult is a huge dark cloud that confuses and misdirects people toward pettiness and shallowness. Nearly always, groupthink is choreographed and manipulated by people, traditions, and institutions that are steered by limited spiritual awareness and, thus, low levels of wisdom. Consensus reality, another name for groupthink, is a collection of thoughtforms that hijacks the creative Force of most people, stifles it, and then redirects whatever life force that remains in them toward activities that will never make them satisfied or happy.
To make our life bright and wonderful, the focus should shift to Mystery, away from thoughtforms. This book is about abandoning the exile (prison cell) of thoughtforms that cloud Mystery (God) out and prevent us from enjoying life fully; a life full of fun, passion, meaning, and purpose — a life of significance.