#thoughtforms

[itsokimnotrealeither]

trying to get something started for people with imaginary friends, paras without paracosms, inner and outer visualizations, etc

Didn't find what I was looking for in Immersive Daydreaming or Tulpamancy places.

And there's an odd concept floating around that making a non-sentient thoughtform = cruel or unethical? Which seems backwards, if someone doesn't want or isn't prepared for that, it's like getting someone a pet rabbit for Easter when they're better off with a stuffed animal.

And while looking I've found people who have expressed interest, so...

Imagimancy (?)

(eh-maj-eh-manse-see)

Trying to make a community/tag for people with non-autonomous (or fauxtonomous) imaginaries and thoughtform constructs, NPCs and such.

similar to/overlap with: daemonism, tulpamancy, soulbonding, self-shipping, immersive daydreaming, willomancy, (etc)

considered more or less plural-adjacent

focusing more on visualization/imagination tips/talk, ideas for useful constructs, etc. No pushing people into making thoughtforms autonomous if they don't want to!

(currently very alterhuman heavy / ties to alterhumanity in general but isn't required or officially an alterhuman thing)

not trying to reinvent and re-label things, there's just a gap between communities here

[odd-im-o]

Making this to boost this post

Do you still have imaginary friends?

Fictional characters you talk to?

Friends in your head that aren't quite sentient enough to be alters?

Then consider dabbling in imagimancy!!

Imagimancy is a term meant to describe people who create imaginaries (any imagination-based being such as imaginary friends, pets, or companions)

We're trying to build a community based on having imaginary friends and are hoping this term picks up! Consider posting about your own experiences and tagging it so we can all chat

[creature-wizard]

Is creating servitors dangerous? I feel like they can harm you

I know this is anecdotal, but personally I've noticed that people who have the most trouble with spirits attacking them are often some of the most nasty, rancid people you could ask to be around.

I personally suspect this is because the spirits are actually projections based on their perception that the world is full of people who are nasty and mean, because people like this usually attract other rancid people into their lives and because they always think they're the victims when anybody in general doesn't just let them walk all over them.

Others who have experiences with malevolent entities often seem to be having some kind of mental health crisis, frequently of a psychotic or anxious nature. In my personal experience at least, they often have a background of being among people who very seriously believed in malevolent spirits such as demons.

In theory, a servitor is a custom-built spirit, which should mean that you can make it able or unable to do anything you want. It ought to be possible to make one that cannot harm you in any way; at least, assuming that servitors have independent existence. It should also be possible to create an entity that is reasonable and capable enough that it shouldn't have to resort to violence when its needs are unmet.

If servitors were real independent entities, I think it would be reasonable to consider them like any kind of animal. Animals don't just attack for no reason; they attack because they feel threatened or because they're hungry. It should be easy enough to make sure your servitor doesn't feel threatened - don't be cruel or negligent. It should be easy enough to make sure it's never hungry - just make its sustenance something easy to find, like sunlight.

If someone really, really wanted to make sure there was no possible way a servitor could become a problem, it should be possible to give it a deactivation code, like a word or phrase that essentially turns it off or makes it self-destruct.

So yeah, assuming for the moment that servitors are genuinely independent spiritual entities, I think the only way one could actually become a threat to you is if you design or treat it badly.

[uniquely-plural]

As a part of the new tumblr beta feature Communities, we've been approved for one of our very own - And I would love your help building this Fully Inclusive Plural Community with me! 💜

The infrastructure is still being developed, so there's some bugs and built in restrictions - We can only invite about 20 more people in right now, only main blogs, no sideblogs, sorry. This also means I'll be posting there from my main @afaintcloudyhaze :)

If you're interested in joining, please let me know in a reply to this post from your main blog. The only requirement is that you feel a connection to plurality and you want to contribute to the conversation about it.

[path-of-grass-and-leaves]

Half-Baked Pop Culture Magic Idea:

Pokemon as servitors or thoughtforms. You would feed them by giving them food and attention in-game.

They could also be raised from egg as part of the creation process. Then you train them for tasks by having them level up from battling pokemon of a specific type, or by raising their EV's in a certain way (attack/speed/defense, etc.). You could also teach them moves that correspond with your desired tasks.

[moonpool-system]

A thoughtform flag, since we couldn't find one with a broad enough range!

Thoughtforms are non-tangible beings that're created from the mental energy of another being, in one way or another. This is a very broad category that can include created system members, to dæmons, to some collective deities, and more.

Blue: represents thoughtforms that come from outside of the system/mind, spiritual/metaphysical thoughtforms, and collective thoughtforms.

Orange: represents thoughtforms created within the system/mind, psychological thoughtforms, and individual thoughtforms.

White: represents the crossover between these categories and types of thoughtforms outside of such dichotomies.

[witch-crip-is-this]

Systempunk is in support of all systems. Systempunk is for the non-disordered and endogenic systems, the messy plurals, the polyfragmented and the vague medians. Syspunk is for bitter fictives and confused thoughtforms and factives who are proud to be their own person now.

The punk movement has always been about rejecting social stigma and embracing The Othered.

[panthera-dei]

I got another witchy FAQs question so I want to go ahead and share it.

This time, we're talking some basic chaos magic with different types of thoughtforms!

Please note that I am not an expert in chaos magic, nor do I consider myself a chaos magician, so feel free to (kindly) leave feedback or corrections as needed. ^^

Thoughtforms 101

Definition of Thoughtform: Thoughtform is a catch-all term from any entity that was created with or by human thought (conscious or otherwise).

Types of Thoughtforms: Common thoughtforms include sigils, servitors, thoughtform companions (aka tulpas), daemons, and egregores.

Sigils: Most folks who create sigils and use sigil magic probably don't think about sigils as a type of chaos magic or a thoughtform. However, sigils actually do fall into this category. Think of a sigil as being like a simple computer program that's powered by your mind. You give the program a basic function (such as protection or prosperity) and the magical "coding" of your intentions allows the sigil to carry it out.

Servitors: If sigils are basic computer programs, then servitors are robots. They're not sentient per se, as they still require the coding and programming that comes with intention and magical energy. Yet they're much more complex than a sigil and can carry out higher-level functions & multiple tasks (e.g., drawing in people to shop on your Etsy page for prosperity, or actively guarding a space or casting a magic circle for protection).

Thoughtform companions: The widespread term for this type is "tulpa," and creating/having one of these thoughtforms is commonly referred to as "tulpamancy." Since there's also a widespread controversy over these terms, I don't use them myself. I say "creating or working with a thoughtform," and I'll refer to the entity as a thoughtform or thoughtform companion. Regardless of the terminology or beliefs behind this category, they are defined as a separate consciousness created by the thoughts and actions of a human. The human is typically referred to as the "host," since the companion is typically treated as its own separate consciousness. These are fully sentient, autonomous beings with their own thoughts and feelings. They're generally created, either intentionally or not, as friends for the host (hence my personal terminology for them).

Daemons: This category is similar to a companion, but with a different origin and function. Daemons have been documented since ancient Greece, to my knowledge. A daemon is also a sentient entity, however, they are not created intentionally by the host (although they can be brought to the forefront by the human in question). A daemon is instead a conscious entity created by, and representative of, the human being's subconscious mind. They typically serve as helpers and mental guides for the human. They are not considered separate entities; instead, they're part of you.

Egregores: These are essentially the AIs of the thoughtform world. Whereas companions and daemons exist within the human mind, egregores are similar to servitors and sigils - created by the mind, but separate from it. Egregores are often made or manifested by a group of people intentionally for a purpose. E.g., a coven may create one as a guardian or a spiritual guide. They're also often created by accident from widespread symbols - for example, branding. And nations. Every time somebody posts a picture of the Starbucks logo, you're most likely feeding an egregore, according to one theory I've heard. Do I believe that personally? Not sure. (I do have an exact source for this one available on request.) As far as I know, egregores exist with varying degrees of sentience, power, and free will depending on the individual scenario (much like artificially intelligent computers & androids in science fiction).

Pop Culture Entities / Deities: These are often referred to as PCEs or PCDs. I prefer the former but I often use them interchangeably. Some folks prefer to be more specific. For example, Raiden from Mortal Kombat is considered a god in that series, so many folks would consider him a pop culture deity. Whereas Dean Winchester is *not* a deity in Supernatural - so he could be considered a pop culture entity instead. However, this is up to the preferences of the individual entity & practitioner.

Differences between PCDs and Egregores: Egregores are ALWAYS created, intentionally or not, by human energy and thought. PCDs, on the other hand, can have a mixed origin sometimes. Some of them may be pure egregores, manifested on purpose or by accident. Others may be preexisting spirits - often nature spirits that are aligned closely to the fandom content - that latch onto a fictional work as a power source, and eventually fuse with it. And then another theory is that PCDs are *all* preexisting spirits or even deities wearing a mask - so for example, folks with this belief would say that PCD Marvel Loki is just Loki appearing in a different form/aspect. I personally think that all PCEs have a unique origin and I try not to make any assumptions.

Where do I fact check you and/or learn more?: Unfortunately, it is *really damn hard* to find good, solid information on pop culture work because it's very new. And while there's *lots* of info on chaos magic, you have to be careful to check the reliability of the source, much as is the case with demonolatry sources. Fortunately, Tumblr is a great source to find other pop culture practitioners. I personally also have *some* sources available for these topics on request, I'm just too lazy to dig through my Drive right at this moment. :)

[old-daemon-farts]

Is daemonism safe?

Daemonism, when broken down to the bare minimum, is a mental and imaginative exercise. It's not meant to push yourself into anything potentially unhealthy. You are not forcing hallucinations and there shouldn't be any dissociation of identity or losing control of yourself.

Let's Start With Projection

Projection is applying mental images overlaid on your surroundings. It is using your imagination and relying on your ability to visualize outward what is being produced by your mind's eye. With practice, you can make your projections quite vivid, and after a while you may not even register that you are still seeing right through them. The apple exercise is a good example. Lets say you picture an apple on a plate in front of you, but the apple is fleeting and inconsistent. Its shape, colors, and size flickers rapidly or fizzles out entirely. You *know* it's not there. There's little presence or weight to it. If this was glass, it would be described as crystal clear. But, with practice, it becomes more consistent. You can now see one shade of red and the size remains the same. Perhaps you have even added details like a shadow. Now, if this was to be compared to glass it would be glass with a light tint added. You can still see right through it, but you also know something is there. You don't have to be a daemian to be able to project. Concept designers, artists, architects, althetes... projection is a type of visualization. It's a creative tool. It's not a hallucination, nor is it intended to be one.

Extreme vividness can be from hyperphantasia, but if you worry projecting may trigger or influence hallucinations then you are welcome to avoid it! Projection is fun, but not a requirement, and you should do what is most comfortable, healthy, and safest for you. Daemians who experience projection as hallucinations already have a history of them from what I have seen within the community.

Fronting and Dissociation

These are experiences usually seen within DID and other plural spaces. Daemonism doesn't focus on switching with your daemon, and you likely won't find resources specifically about it. Of course, you can switch who's in front, and some plural daemians may have advice for how to accomplish that, but again, that's not the point or focus of daemonism at large. They are usually hands off within our lives. We are the ones in the driver's seat while they are the backseat drivers giving us direction. They aren't expected to take the wheel from us. There isn't anything wrong with wanting to or being able to switch with your daemon, just to be clear. I'm only pointing out that getting daemons to front is not a priority like it is in other plural spaces. This is another reason daemonism is very easy to get into and something I consider much safer and easier to manage for the average Joe.

Dissociation isn't something that is associated with the daemon experience either. Dissociation *can* occur, but there are likely other reasons you would be experiencing these things and not just because you have a daemon. Dissociation from ADHD, stress, illness, or DID are just a few examples. Switching with your daemon could just be masking, or perhaps your mind is already comfortable sliding your daemon into front because you have DID. Again, if you are worried having a daemon could trigger dissociation or a loss of control then please do what is in the best interest for you. You know your health and history best. But, there a *many* daemians who are systems and quite happy and comfortable having daemons. Daemons have even been known to help with dissociation and sense of identity!

Talking to Yourself

Is 100% a normal, human experience. There's been a surge of exploration in self-talk and how it affects us, and talking to yourself in 2nd person even has proven benefits. You also don't *have* to talk out loud to your daemon; you can keep it all internal. Just know that splitting your own mental monologue into a dialogue isn't unhealthy and it's something many of you already do even without a daemon.

TLDR

You do only what you are comfortable with here. If something sounds risky, then don't do it. Daemonism is meant to be a healthy and fun activity.

You want to form find but not separate your daemon from yourself? Awesome.

You want to only talk to your daemon and avoid projection? Neato.

You want to project but not talk to your daemon? Perfect.

You want to learn how to switch with your daemon? We ain't really the community for that but you are free to if you are comfortable!

You do what's best for you. It's meant to fill whatever you need. Healthy mindset, growth, or just straight-up something fun to do.

Topic spawned from a question on Discord over the difference of imposition and projection as well as some differences between us and other techniques out there for headmate creation. Cleaned up and formatted better for Tumblr.

[garden-of-mancers]

How to Bond with Your Imaginary Friend

(This is roughly inspired by this post by reallytinydragon-blog about connecting with deities in witchcraft. I already reblogged that post since I found those tips to be a good way to bond with thoughtforms with just a little alteration. So, here's some more tips in line with that post that I found handy.)

Find or make photos and art that evoke their image and put them where you can see them.

Collect items (trinkets, pictures, plushies, anything) that remind you of them and keep them in one place.

Keep a box of stuff that belongs to or evokes your thoughtform.

Share space with them. Allot a spot at the dining table for them. Put something on the floor next to your desk so they can sit next to you while you work. Leave half of your bed empty for them. Give them space to fill around you.

Do activities together. Ask their opinion when you're picking out an outfit. Watch movies together and discuss what you're watching. Talk to them while you're cooking or driving to share your thoughts or have a conversation.

Lucid dream and try to bring them with you. Summon or call them and experience your dreams together. Once you can do this easily, that's a good sign your bond is getting stronger.

[winreyplace]

Soulbonding is not just Spiritual/Metaphysical.

Disclaimer: I want to preface this by saying that I am not trying to deny anyone's experiences or invalidate different interpretations. I fully accept, support, and believe individuals about their soulbonding, whatever it may be. The following is more about the revisionism I've seen around what soulbonding is, what it originally meant, and how it's been used in the community since then.

For some years now, this post has been simmering inside of me, and I think it's finally time to let it loose. I've noticed that every time I go looking for resources and community around soulbonding on Tumblr, Discord, etc., there has been a heavy emphasis on soulbonding being a spiritual/metaphysical experience, which is not entirely the full picture. The fact is, there are multiple ways to approach soulbonding, and one such perspective is that of thoughtforms. Thoughtforms are psychological constructs that become real, autonomous, living entities through the power of creative imagination, conscious or subconscious intent, and the thoughts, feelings, and knowledge of the host. This type of soulbonding is the kind Mel and I practice, yet it is often overlooked and overshadowed within the modern remnants of the soulbonding community.

The exclusive focus on soulbonding as a spiritual phenomenon is not only revisionist of its original history, but it also may be excluding people who are already soulbonders (in a thoughtform way) and just don't know it or who would jump at the chance to love, connect with, and understand a character until they are alive. If we bring back the broadened definition of soulbonding that includes all experiences and perspectives, we have the potential to help the soulbonding community survive and thrive with a new crowd of selfshippers, creatives, immersive daydreamers, neurodivergents, and more!

The concept of soulbonding, though coined by Amanda Flowers in the Just for Writers mailing list, is a phenomenon which has long existed for writers and lovers of fiction: that fictional characters—when created, written about, and understood until the level of affinity—will often take on a mind of their own, "coming to life" inside the individual's head, and start interacting with them in a more direct capacity.

One study from the early 2000s referred to it as "The Illusion of Independent Agency" According to the study, 92% of the 219 participants reported that their fictional characters displayed varying levels of independence or autonomy in the author's mind, often without the conscious effort of the author. Another study conducted in 2014 surveyed 1,500 readers of fiction, with 19% of them mentioning experiencing the voices and personalities of characters staying in their minds long after finishing their stories. A quick search on the topic of "characters coming to life" shows writers and roleplayers, both of fanfiction and original fiction, sharing their experiences of characters seemingly telling their own stories or becoming "real" in their minds. Renowned authors such as Phillip Pullman, Cornelia Funke, the TERF who shall not be named, and so many more have also discussed their characters speaking to them or taking on a mind of their own as they write about them.

Now, I'm uncertain where interpreting soulbonding as a primarily spiritual phenomenon came from. I did find a few people initially involved in the JFW mailing list who were aware of and supported both spiritual and psychological theories. (It is worth noting, however, there were some regrets over calling it "soulbonding", for it implied a purely spiritual connotation when it was never meant to be strictly that.) Based on my research, I believe the main source of this misunderstanding of being a primarily metaphysical phenomenon is the description given by fictionkin.org, fromfiction, and the soulbonder Tumblr blog (all run by the same individual presenting themself as a pillar in the community) who seemed adamant on redefining soulbonding to mean being a channeller or medium of external entities.

Regardless of when spiritual soulbonding first got introduced, we psychological soulbonders have always been a part of this community from the beginning (arguably, we were the beginning), and we deserve to have our perspectives and ties to this community, this framework, this terminology, respected as much as any other kind of soulbonder. Please, if you discuss soulbonding, keep in mind the origins of this concept and strive to be inclusive of all interpretations and explanations. Clarify where you can that what you are writing is just your personal experience/interpretation, one of the many within this unique phenomenon.

To any spiritual soulbonders out there, I want to assure you that your experiences are real and valid, just as viewing them as thoughtforms is real and valid. If that idea—of "soulbond" meaning both spiritual/metaphysical and thoughtform—distresses you, it may be worth considering whether a different label with a more narrow definition that aligns with your interpretation might be a better fit. Whether a soulbond is a fictional character "come to life" or "an external entity traveling across the universe like spirits", what truly defines their realness and validity is the impact they have on our lives, how much they care for us, and how deeply we feel for them, not their point of origin.

[funeral--pyre]

What's with all the created system discourse lately. Like yeah created systems have been yelled at for being endos for a while now but we're seeing it separately from that and specifically targeted a lot lately.

Like okay, you don't believe someone can create a system willingly? That's cool if you're not an asshole about it. The same as an otherkin may not believe that past lives exist and only see them as psychological, yet they still respect and don't dismiss otherkin who feel their kintypes come from past lives. They're as valid as anyone else with the experience, they just don't see eye to eye on how it was formed--but that doesn't matter because they have the experience shared between them.

Sure, there's differences between created and noncreated plurals in their experiences. But largely it literally boils down to still being plural. Why does someone else having different beliefs and living that experience affect you? Why do you have to comment? Why do you have to come at em on anon? Why can't you have the decency to just... Block them if you really hate it?

You can think literally whatever you want about the brain and what it's capable of. You can even ignore the literal actual studies done on tulpas if you want. I don't care WHAT you do, have your beliefs if you want to hold them. But it crosses a line into you actually being the harmful one when you decide to harrass people you don't agree with. ESPECIALLY when there's literal studies that have been done on tulpas--a common form of created plurality. Learn to block things you don't like and move on like a person with any actual self control, instead of throwing tantrums when you can't fathom someone being a little different.

[granulesofsand]

in a recent post you& talked about how tulpamancy sites are helping you& build dissociative barriers back up, what are thes ones you& found most useful?

-🍊λ

I like the whole tulpanomicon website, which links to tulpa.info, a wealth of guides compared to one long one. This doc has a list of online resources focusing Tumblr and Reddit users in addition to traditional community-specific sites.

I really like parallel processing as a skill, which allows different headmates the ability to think and act concurrently. That and imposition make for smoother switching. The guides are very good, but I cannot reliably count to 100 and neither can most of the others; we do more with splitting senses (one of us listening to music while another reads, for example) or singing (can one of us reliably get through a song in the same time it takes to play in the external world).

That doc has some accounts that generally do talk about how to flesh out alters and encourage individual pursuits, and I recommend exploring any unfamiliar names that come up. I’ve seen people talk about getting your phone to have different apps available on different modes, which I have no idea how to do. We differentiate a lot by physical appearance (not clothing or accessories cause we’re cheap), like how we tie our hair back or what body language each of us is comfortable using. Handwriting is big for us because we have variance by time period instead of headmate (I can tell this person learned to write circa first grade, but there’s too many of us to pin it on one headmate).

Where you start depends on what you can already comfortably do. Peer groups are great for practice because you can get actual feedback and converse with others in similar situations. All of it is personal, and what works even for one headmate might not for another. It’s like walking separate paths but meeting at the same milestones.

[interstellarsystem]

could someone make a tulpa when they were a child but not realize it until their late teens/early twenties???

Oh, absolutely. Ourselves included, and actually quite a few other systems we've spoken to.

Making an accidental tulpa is a thing that honestly introduces a lot of people to the community. Usually, you start out with an imaginary friend as a kid, but you give them so much love and attention that they develop agency of their own and become a tulpa!

We made some Pokemon tulpas as a really young kid, and only in the past 3 or 4 years realised they were in fact sapient, and managed to bring a few of them back from dormancy as they weren't fully dissipated. We stopped interacting with them as we grew up (mainly due to bullying), and until we really got into the plural community we didn't realise they could've even been people of their own. We later on got traumagenic headmates and other types of headmates, but yeah! It's definitely a thing we know other systems experience.

There'd definitely be other experiences around this that don't involve imaginary friends, but we're sharing ours as the example for now. I believe we've also heard of some people making religious figure tulpas accidentally while they were younger by giving them so much attention, but I wouldn't remember where I've seen that--though that would be another example.

[attentionneedyqueen]

Posted at "Plurality":

Being a system is soooo fun but also soooo scary at the same time. Like,,,at any moment I can just go poof! Gone like the wind!

So if anyone has any fronting tips then let me know~

[theswiftheartsystem]

Guys who cares if ppl create headmates, like we always tell people do tons of research before purposely creating a system, but it’s those people’s lives, often people are doing it because they feel the positive outweighs the negative and will help better their life.

personally if something will better your life, who cares what others think, do research of course before creating a system as there is both a lot of bad and good, but if creating head mates is what you want, you have done research, and especially if it’ll make your life a bit better, then it shouldn’t matter what others think, anyone can be plural and it’s not a bad thing to be plural, the future is plural.

it is not making you less of a system somehow because people can become a system by choice and at any age, you are just gatekeeping something ridiculous to gatekeep

-Indigo and a few others probably, randomly rambling

(Apologies if comes off mad, I am a anger holder, I am just like this)