Many of our thoughts are fear based, and this hinders us in our approach to life. Limitations of family upbringing, school, peers, and our own perceptions construct the filters through which we view and judge all of life’s events. We may believe that if only someone will do or say something or if something happens, our lives will suddenly be better, not recognizing that change must come from within. It is possible to consciously alter the direction of our thoughts so that they no longer think us. Once we begin to study our patterns of thinking, we allow the emergence of other ways of interpreting a situation that can make our view of life a happier one. The way to transform our habitually limited thoughts is to first recognize them, go to their original source(s), and then convert them to thoughts that are more beneficial. We can gather clues to aid us in our further discovery of cause through past-life regression by first paying attention to the words and phrases we use daily that are not serving us. Also, noting the event or thought that triggered a negative response, the emotional state it evokes, any senses involved, and any physical reactions experienced are additional pieces of information that are helpful to take into a past-life regression to make it more productive.
Thoughts ARE Things
Our thoughts and mental focus have far greater power and consequences than we typically think. Cayce often mentioned that “thoughts are things.” (105–2) Hugh Lynn Cayce, Edgar’s son, would pick up a chair at conferences when he spoke about “thoughts are things” and tell the audience, “Your thoughts are as real as this chair.” Edgar and Hugh Lynn were telling us something quite profound, perhaps a deeper meaning than we first understand when we read those words. They were talking about what our thoughts create on the energetic level. What the “thing” was they said we created with our thoughts was made crystal clear by a clairvoyant and intuitive who, with intention, concentrated his thought and energy on a spot next to his head. When he felt it was focused enough, he asked that a picture be taken. The photograph, which is included in the book The Orb Project, shows a bright violet orb of light with a circular band of white in it next to his head, right where he had focused his energy. This was a clear demonstration of the true meaning of “thoughts are things,” and he did it in just a few minutes’ time.
This is not a new concept, although it is for many of us. Alexandra David-Neel, French explorer of sorts, spent most of her life (1868–1969) on a religious and philosophical quest. Her travels and studies took her to Tibet, which at that time was a country closed to foreigners. During her time there she observed what she called phantoms or magic formations and which the Tibetans called tulpas. Through intense concentration she witnessed thought forms generated taking on the shape of humans, deities, and anything else that was being visualized. With enough energy, the tulpas not only materialized but also existed independently from the originator, not always with good intention.
Thought Forms
Our own thoughts take on life when we think them over and over again. The more we think the same thought, the more energy it accumulates, and it begins to coalesce and take actual form, although that form may not be able to be seen by most of us. The energy attaches to us, causing us to respond to people and events in concert with the thought. Our response, especially if established in a prior life, may not benefit us in our current one. These thought forms can follow us through lifetimes and often contain elements of emotions such as anger, fear, or sadness. An example of this type of thought might be, “I am unworthy of being loved.” Negative thoughts such as this are the ones most frequently addressed through past-life regression therapy. Through this methodology we learn how it was created and what we have to do to disperse it. Then we will no longer respond automatically in ways that are inappropriate or destructive. We do have the right and ability to reshape our thoughts and responses in ways that are purposeful and directed for our highest benefit.
Vows and Agreements
Anytime we proclaim a vow, oath, or promise, especially if there is an emotional charge involved such as those made at the moment of death, the proclamation is recorded in our body-mind. These agreements affect our lives—past, present, and future—until they are cleared. Simply saying: “I will always . . . ” or “I will never . . . ” in one life is enough to create an ongoing commitment that we carry with us life after life, even though it may no longer be useful to us. These vows and agreements are very powerful thought forms.
Some examples are as follows:
As we lay dying of starvation we may have vowed, “I will never be hungry again,” and in this life we are unable to control our appetite or to lose weight.
We took a vow of poverty as a religious person in a prior life. It may be affecting our ability to allow financial abundance into our life. The thought we may be holding is, “If I commit to my spiritual growth, then I cannot have wealth or possessions.”
A former vow of obedience may unconsciously cause us to wait for an authority figure to make our decisions for us.
We took a vow of silence when learning secret teachings or when joining an organization with secret rites, such as the Freemasons. We develop forgetfulness to fulfill this vow.
A woman promised her fiancé to wait and never marry another when he leaves on a sailing adventure or goes to war, and he never returns. She may find herself unavailable in this life for any kind of lasting relationship.
A father made a promise to his children that he would never leave them yet died unexpectedly. As a father again in this life, he may linger on in a coma for years after a near-fatal accident.
Vows, oaths, and promises originating in another time can cause us to react automatically in the moment, not by conscious choice but by this pattern which no longer serves us.
The Brain Builds What We Think
Science helps us understand how our thoughts actually do create changes in the brain. In layman’s terms, when we think a thought for the first time a new neural pathway in the brain is formed consisting of a string of neurons (nerve cells that transmit electrical, chemical, and hormonal information) connected together. Although the pathway is weak at first, every time we think or hear this thought it gets stronger as more neurons are added; it gets more and more entrenched in our personality, our emotions, our thoughts, and our reality. It becomes more robust and is activated more quickly each time the thought is repeated. The pathway starts connecting to corollary pathways forming a wider net which affects a greater range of our responses when activated. On the other hand, if we stop using a neural pathway because we no longer think that thought, it gets weak and fades away.
These pathways can become almost hardwired so that the response happens quickly and automatically often without our being aware of what we are doing. Nonetheless, it is possible for us to “shut off the power” to undesirable mental pathways, even those created eons ago, and replace them with new, more positive ones. These, in turn, will become automatic through repetition. So, with desire and determination we can assert control over our brain instead of having it control us.
Mindwalking—The Process
Mindwalking is a very different way to access past-life memories from the regressions presented in this book. This concept began several years ago after I had an out-of-body experience while in the dream state. In that experience, which was quite real, I was invited to mindwalk in someone’s brain to change a misperception. I did this by entering into the person’s