Philosophers, yogis and mystics have long studied the etheric super-substance of mind known as thought. The consensus across all disciplines is that a single thought (good or bad) dwelled upon over a period of time takes form. These forms are known as "elementals" and elementals are responsible for everything from the brief grace of a found parking spot, to the debilitation of an addiction, to the enduring curse of terrorism or war. Since these elemental energetic forms are first issued by and then entertained in our conscious and unconscious minds, we can stop them and their negative effects by cultivating awareness. In stopping them (refusing to return the volley), we have the potential not only to prevent family feuds, famines, and holocausts, but in their place, create a wealth of joy, peace, and love.
There are surprisingly specific mechanics to this process. Mystics from many spiritual traditions believe that a thought exits the forehead, amplifies as it travels, and enters the intended recipient at a magnitude of exactly 7 times the energetic intensity it had at conception. This dynamic applies to positive thought forms (prayers and blessings), as well as negative thought forms (conscious curses or the unconscious transmission of fear). The surprising power of these elementals, they say, accounts for the phenomenon of déjà vu, thinking about a person moments before they call, or developing a sudden sense of urgency about someone in deep distress. If you are especially "sensitive" or "intuitive," you are tuned in to the mental messages that are sent your way. The more sensitive you are, the earlier you'll pickup the message. The earlier you pick up the message, the faster you can accept (or decline) its intended impact.
If all day long, we are sending out (intended or unintended) negative thoughts, receiving them at a magnitude of 7, repackaging and redelivering them at another magnitude of 7, and on and on, then, without even opening our mouths, we are engaged in an extremely destructive dynamic. As this continues back and forth over the course of a day, a week, or a month, it is compounding resentment, anger, and hostility that becomes harder and harder to resolve or even articulate. After all, no one is taking responsibility for the ill will. Understanding this complex dynamic makes it easy to see how negative thoughts, including anxiety, addictions, self-defeating attitudes, depression, rage and hatred can manifest into enduring personal, communal, regional, national, and even global catastrophes without anyone accepting blame or understanding their participation.
But the good news is that since it emanates from us, we also have the power to stop it.
By recognizing our participation in a destructive dynamic, we not only have the power to neutralize it, but to convert it to a blessing. Though we can't stop someone else from spinning negative thoughts and directing them our way, we can stop the process in its tracks by refusing to play. By simply refusing to return negative thoughts and feelings, we are neutralizing the dynamic. By neutralizing negativity we are converting the probability of an argument into the probability of civility and understanding. If throughout 2014 each of us were to turn every nagging negative thought we have about anyone in our lives into a blessing, we would simultaneously affect the entire universal thought exchange. With massive participation, this effort would convert the probability of disease, destruction and war into the probability of health, peace and abundance.
If that sounds like a cosmic pipe dream, it may be because you don't understand the innate power of your own mind. Give it a try. Don't allow the unlikelihood of your neighbor's participation to deter you. It only takes one person to get the ball rolling, and I'm betting we all know exactly where to start.