#thoughtforms

[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.

[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.

[jasper-pagan-witch]

Please feel free to elaborate in the replies, reblogs, or tags!

[dead-philosophy-art]

DR. BERNARD T. HAYES

support the cryptid.

[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. :)

[creature-wizard]

On telling the difference between a thoughtform and a "real" spirit

You may have encountered people claiming that a lot of the spirits people run into are actually thoughtforms. In essence, a thoughtform is supposed to be a kind of artificially-made spirit, kind of like an imaginary friend with actual autonomy and agency. You may have heard people saying that it's very important to know the difference between thoughtforms and real spirits, and you may have been left utterly clueless as to how you might do such a thing. You may have been given some impression that there's some special knowledge or technique that you just weren't told about. I have good and/or bad news for you, depending on how you look at it: there really isn't one. People have all kinds of different methods they use for spiritual discernment, and a lot of the time it comes down to "does the spirit confirm the belief system I already subscribe to?" This one's been around for ages, as shown in 1 John 4:1-3. (Not that Christians have all stuck to it - they've been accusing each other of following false spirits over all kinds of doctrinal differences since the earliest days of Christianity.) New Agers often claim that true messages from Spirit will uplift you and make you feel good, but considering how often those messages affirm dangerous pseudoscience and racist pseudohistory, I think we can see where this method has flaws. Some modern pagans take the approach that spirits should behave in ways that align with old myths. The problem here is, which old myths? Mythology has always been evolving and changing, and varied between regions and social strata. Most of the stuff we have is what wealthy people decided to write down. Another issue is that most of us just don't understand historical perspectives as well as we think we do, so we frequently measure our experiences against a past that never actually was. Sometimes people try to compare their experiences against old magical manuals (EG, Renaissance books for summoning demons) but fail to realize just how much of the information in them is incredibly questionable. Books like these often contain pseudohistory (often by way of people projecting their own beliefs onto the past), mangled to even fake Hebrew, and all kinds of stuff that falls apart under any serious scholarly examination. These books often expect us to believe that Satan was just always in command of all these demonic dukes and princes with their legions of demons beneath them, but the reality is that this is a concept that evolved gradually, and every point of change can easily be connected to what was going on in the time and place it emerged in. Sometimes people compare their experiences against what other people are currently experiencing, but this only tells you what kind of experiences are common. It doesn't actually confirm the origins of an entity. Personally, I don't think "is this a real spirit or a thoughtform?" is a particularly useful question to ask, because there's just no surefire method of vetting a entity's origins. I think it's more useful to take a practical approach: Are you benefiting from this relationship? Are you being treated fairly? Are you minding cultural boundaries? Are you making sure you aren't getting swept into pseudohistory or something? I think as long as the answer to these questions is "yes," the rest really doesn't matter.

[sophieinwonderland]

Do you know of any way to tell whether a headmate is brand new, or a previously-existing headmate who went dormant and came back?

We have a “new” one like this. But we also have DID so we’re willing to take your answer with a grain of salt since experiences definitely vary.

When my host a teen and into paganism and Wicca, he decided to make a thoughtform. Her name was Eria. He felt her presence sometimes, but never really talked with her. Not like he did with me where we could have full conversations.

And then he got to a point where he no longer believed in magick or spirits. Or Eria. Then years later, here I am. And he starts thinking about Eria and when he does, he can feel her again. And he pushes her away. This happens a couple times until one night we're laying down to sleep and we feel and hear her. And she's even able to takeover the body for a moment. She seems stronger than any of the ephemerals we've had. So that's a good sign. And she remembers my host being young and spending time with him. She remembers those days from her perspective.

So it would seem safe to say that she's the same Eria...

Probably...

But do we know for certain? Can we know for certain?

I mean, plenty of fictives will have source memories. Could this Eria just remember these things because we think she should remember them, and therefore she does?

I don't know. And I think it's okay to not know for certain sometimes. If Eria says she was always here and she's the same Eria my host talked to, then it costs nothing to believe her because she's one of our headmate now and I'd rather trust her than not.

I don't know what you can glean from that or how it might apply to your circumstances, but those are our experiences.

Best of luck figuring things out! 😁

[a-dragons-journal]

pardon me as i'm new to non-endo and everything, so can a person just simply choose to become plural?? (this isn't aimed at you just a general question)

Somewhat controversial answer, but yeah, that is possible. Thoughtforms are typically intentionally created (I believe they're by definition intentionally created and that's what "thoughtform" means, but I could be wrong, so don't quote me on that), tulpas being the most well-known of those, and daemonism can be considered a form of plurality as well (though it's often not). It's not typically something you can just snap your fingers and do on a whim, but there are whole practices out there based on people putting time and effort into creating headmates.

[moved-to-darkplanets]

You know, in many a fannish or creative space with a high neurodivergent %, there is a very good chance you've interacted with one form of endogenic plural or another and they're just not telling you

[arcane-abomination]

This is a topic that can get very confusing for those starting out. There are lots of interchanging terminology, beliefs, and constructs that not everyone sees fit to agree on. This can often create misunderstandings and propagate the misuse of certian energies making navigation for newcomers more than just problematic. In this blog, I will attempt to systematize some of the complexities enough to deliver a more organized path for beginners to follow and build upon.

Keep in mind, however, that while there are some definite rules to thoughtforms there is also a well of UPG around this topic. The knowledge surrounding thoughtforms changes quite considerably with the beliefs of the individuals that practice it. So take from this blog what you will.

The Basics

So I bet some of you are asking, what exactly is a thoughtform? Well, that’s a being created from our beliefs and thoughts. They are made up of energy and can be utilized in magickal workings. Now there is some confusion among some members of the community here. Sometimes the term is not seen as the umbrella term it really is and instead becomes a varying type all on its own. However, to fully understand where this name fits we need only break it down in its simple meaning. "A being formed by the power of thought." This clearly describes a variety of different beings, not just a singular one, hence why it's more traditionally used as an umbrella term.

⚜️ Creation ⚜️

A thoughtform’s creation will ultimately depend on the witch but essentially most agree it starts with finding a purpose. From there you can build it up starting with a name. A name binds the thing into existence so this is most often agreed upon to be a very important step. From this most people use that name to create a sigil. Others make a symbol on their own and bind it to the name afterward. Either way, it’s often seen as an essential step in the process. A sigil gives the thoughtform a physical foundation to draw energy from and affect the real world. Some witches in turn will then place that sigil on a vessel for their thoughtform to connect to, while others draw it in the air with energy.

Finally comes the fun part, designing. You can skip this process altogether but many enjoy deciding how this being is going to look. This is also a great opportunity to build more symbolism around it. Tie its appearance to its purpose and allow this to strengthen it. Once that’s done it’s time to begin the actual ritual. Now, many like to write out everything on a petition and/or draw a picture of the being. In my experience, this isn’t really needed but it helps quite a bit if you’re doing a more complex being (this will be discussed later in another section). It’s also good to decide on the finer details. Not just what you want your thoughtform to do, but what type it is, and what it’s not allowed to do as well.

Once the written portion has been completed (and drawing if you choose to use that), set it up in a place of power. Most people use their altar but you can also create a sacred space specially for this part. The ritual itself will essentially involve you going into meditative gnosis and forming the energy with your mind. (Visualization helps with this. Some people choose to picture a light forming into the being or a large cosmic egg. But that too is based on a user's preference.) This part takes focus so make sure there aren’t any distractions nearby. Once you’re finished greet your thoughtform and continue with any other magick you wish.

As for how long this is going to take, nobody can truly say. We each are different and how our energy works will ultimately decide how long things will take. However, in my own experience, I would say that most thoughtform creations vary based on complexity. The simpler the being the shorter amount of time it will need. For longer amounts of time, you may need to visit your uncreated thoughtform once a day. giving it energy each time to ensure its continued gestation.

⚜️ Feeding ⚜️

Think of your thoughtform as a computer. It’s programmed to function a certain way by the user and to keep it going you need to give it a battery or plug it into a port. In short, it needs something to draw energy from to work properly. How you feed your thoughtform will depend on its type, but for most people, they set their thoughtform's ability to feed during its creation process. Either going to it regularly to meditatively give it energy, to offerings, or even to preprogrammed sustainability, a thoughtform needs something to ensure its success.

⚜️ Setting A Time Limit ⚜️

Certain thoughtforms will need a time limit of some sort. This is usually predetermined by the creator and set during the creation process or a kill switch is kept in place for whenever the practitioner deems it necessary. (Like burning or tearing up the paper vessel or petition with the thoughtforms sigil). Now depending on who you ask, What thoughtforms should get a time limit will inevitably change. Some believe that all thoughtforms need a limit and thus rarely venture past the simple variety. While others believe that there are many more varieties that don’t need such a limit. I will cover this in further detail in later sections.

⚜️ Involuntary Creation ⚜️

This can happen sometimes, especially if there are lots of emotions around a certain belief. Things can manifest against our will and they can be both negative or positive depending on what energy was used to create them.

Servitors

Also called simple thoughtforms and simple servitors, they are the most common form of thoughtform and by far the easiest to create. They have no sentience to speak of and are driven only to complete their task. The purpose for their creation. It is everything to a servitor which is why many believe it’s the type of thoughtform that MUST have an end after that task is finished. To allow a servitor to exist without a purpose would be like a living hell to such a creature. It would be cruel and compared to torture some believe.

Now let’s say you did decide to let it remain. What exactly would happen? Well, there’s a variety of things really. One, if left unfed the servitor could simply vanish one day, but it would be a slow death. However, if you’re unlucky enough, it may just evolve sentience. When this sort of thing happens in such a situation the servitor is often already driven to madness and will become something akin to a parasite. Recklessly feeding off their creator to sustain themselves. This can cause exhaustion, dizziness, clumsiness, and in some more severe cases illness to the practitioner. And those who suffer from other forms of mental illness like depression and anxiety have often reported their symptoms getting worse. The best course of action for these sorts of beings is to extinguish them completely. They have no hope of being reasoned with.

Now let’s say you do feed your servitor, but you never give it a purpose. Then what happens? Well, they can still go mad as the life without a purpose is demeaning and arduous for such a creature. This is why some people like to give them new purposes. The problem is, a simple servitor isn’t made to properly sustain things like this. It would be like uploading a new program onto an older computer that isn’t equipped to properly run it. So while it may work for a little while, it will never be up to par like it was before, and eventually, you’ll have to accept that. You’ll be forced to get a newer model anyway. Problem is, that even these beings can still grow in sentience. And while they may not be as crazed as the ones mentioned before, because they’re not in a state of starvation, they may still express the dislike of such an existence. Some people report that once sentient, some servitors have simply run away or completely withdrew in their own depressive state. Ultimately wasting away because they wouldn’t eat. This is why it’s generally agreed upon that a simple servitor works its best when a time limit is in place.

Sentient Servitors

Also called complex servitors or complex thoughtforms, consider these beings a step up from your average servitors. Most often they are created with sentience or at the very least created with the intent to obtain sentience by growing into it as they do their job and experience the world around them. This type seems to have become more popular in recent years and has garnered its own subcategories in turn. These generally tend to be something concerning their purpose and will vary by practitioner. Some of the most popular is a familiar, home guardians, or personal protectors.

For the most part these beings are created without the intent to destroy them. This is because what they are needed for what generally takes regular upkeep as well as a mind that can analyze and learn just like we do so it can grow alongside you and learn different ways to cope with its overall objective. But that isn’t to say people don’t exist that give them time limits. However, that can bring up more controversy depending on who you talk to because now you’re destroying something that may not actually want to be destroyed. Something that wants to continue on and experience existence. When a thoughtform reaches this stage and they realize you may want to destroy them, they often start looking for a way out. A way to feed without the help of the witch. That way they can simply go off on their own. In lots of cases, a witch may gift their thoughtform with this ability so that when their task is done they can go ahead and make the way out.

Poltergeists

Now some of you may be surprised to see this category on this list but it really is a thoughtform. Looking into how some paranormal experts define these entities reveals that they are entities created from the negative energy accumulated in a certain place or around a certain individual, and that’s exactly what a thoughtform is. A poltergeist is always an involuntary creation, however, and is almost always negative as well. It’s known for throwing objects and making strange noises. Hence why their name means “noisy ghost” in German.

Egregores

These thoughtforms are created by a group of individuals instead of just a single person. They can be voluntary or involuntary, sentient or otherwise, it all depends on the conditions for their creation. For instance, some covens create an egregore for their personal group typically of the non-sentient variety, while other individual people may believe in something so much that the beings form involuntarily from that belief. Many use this way of thinking to explain how deity came to be. Declaring that all gods and goddesses as we know them are simply egregores believed into existence. Not everyone agrees with this sentiment, however, nor does everyone utilize the egregore label exactly the same.

While some say egregores can be both sentient and non-sentient, others have strong beliefs that the egregore can only be non-sentient and that once it grows to sentience it will become something else entirely. The former seems to be the most popular way of looking at it on our modern age though, so you're bound to find that this way of utilizing the egregore to be more prevalent in the ways of information.

Godforms

Also known as God Heads, this is probably the most confusing of all the types of thoughtforms simply because there are so many varying beliefs around it. More traditionally, godforms are statues or pictures portraying the image of a particular god. Through ritual, the god embodies these pieces and they become an extent of that deity. Some believers even associate people as being a part of that godform, and during those sacred ceremonies, the chosen individual becomes a direct speaker for the god they are channeling. However, in more modern times, the term has taken a considerable divergence into thoughtform territory.

It is believed by some that the godform is a type of deity, either created to be a god from the beginning or grown into one by an egregore. In more recent years, however, a godform is often depicted as being a more personalized entity. An individual's own personal god if you will. In this instance, they are created using a specific part of the practitioner's energy. Usually some part of a magical circuit like the elements, or the 8 circuits of consiousness. This entity in turn becomes heavily connected to the individual and will affect whatever cuircut or energy center they were made from. Let's say you made a god that draws from your fire energy. Therefore, your fire energy will grow and everything it affects will also grow. This entices the person to continue giving the god energy, through meditations, offerings, even an altar. It's given praises and prayers as well, just like any other deity.

Tulpa

The tulpa is often confused in our modern times as being nothing more than a servitor, but that understanding couldn't be more false. Traditionally Tulpa's are a concept from Buddhist nirmāṇakāya. It was a translated in Tibetan as sprul-pa and was the practice of creating an autonomous entity made from the individual's mind. It was manifested by a Buddha to teach and guide those who hadn't yet attained nirvana. Some have likened it to seem much like a ghost or apparition, walking between the physical and metaphysical realms. They were said to obey their master for the most part but were entirely sentient with their own thoughts and emotions.

Today, tulpamancers, often equate a tulpa to something kind of like an imaginary friend, but one that can actually manifest things. Tulpas are said to have the ability to use their creator's body, or even dwell inside of it completely. They can even operate it on their own should their creator allow it. Many, state that the tulpa often helps them out during difficult situations. They are created with the qualities that the user doesn't have so that they can take over in times when those qualities are needed. As for life span, that will definitely depend on the individual. Like regular thoughtforms, some say that the user ultimately decides if they want their tulpa to remain or vanish after they themselves have learned to obtain whatever qualities they had placed in their tulpa. Others say that the tulpa stays with you for life. Whatever the case, this thoughtform is definitely the most unique of the bunch.

Conclusion

Thoughtforms are an interestingly diverse form of magick. And while they are very prevalent within the chaos magick community, many magickal practitioners from all pathways come to utilize them within their crafts. As stated above, there are many unique beliefs surrounding them, and finding out what way is best for you can seem somewhat daunting. The best thing to do is take it slow, and practice, practice, practice. Thoughtforms are one of those things you learn best by doing. Just remember that what works for someone else may not work entirely for you. Go at your own pace, and find your own rhythm. Best of luck!

Further Reading

• Types of Ghosts (Poltergeists)

• Servitors (Chaos Magick)

• Thoughtforms

• Psychonaut Field Manual: Egregores

• Psychonaut Field Manual: Godforms

• Tulpa’s

[multiplicity-positivity]

I keep seeing things about created systems, but how exactly does one do that? I’ve heard of Tulpas and Daemons, but are those the same as a created system? /genq

hey, t*lpas/thoughtforms and daemons are created headmates that would fall under the created system umbrella. there are lots of ways in which someone can create a system including, but not limited to:

treating imaginary friends as headmates or developing imaginary friends into headmates

willing a headmate into existence

daemonism, which as far as we understand involves assigning traits and sentience to an aspect of your personality

t*lpamancy/paromancy, an intentional way of creating a system

building a hoarde of posic companions (doesn’t always have to be plural, but it totally can be)

consciously experimenting with or exploring the possibility of inner world gateways

and there’s probably a bunch more - this is just off the top of our head.

our resource post for questioning systems has a section on plurality outside complex dissociative disorders, with some links to where you can learn more about created systems, so we’ll go ahead and link it.

our system has no created headmates, so we can’t really speak in detail about the creative process. our followers who are created systems are welcome to chime in with experience or info on created plurality though :)

[witch-crip-is-this]

👏 if you won’t change the terms you use when marginalized people tell you it’s appropriation, you’re not fighting for anyone’s freedom, you’re just an arrogant colonizer 👏

This goes for Kabbalah, tulpamancy, egg cleanses, Lilith worship, Vodou, and every other closed practice that’s not yours.

[electricbloodflow]

curious about natural systems

We are a diagnosed traumagenic system but are curious about other experiences of plurality. We are really curious about the experience of being an endogenic system and how it may or may not overlap with DID. Do endos experience timeloss? Dissociation? Fusion? What is switching like and how frequent is it? Are endo systems generally larger or smaller than traumagenic systems? Do endos generally know they are a system naturally or does their system hide itself like in DID? What is it generally like to be an endo system? Very curious about the experience.

Thanks for reading. I'd say thanks for sharing any experiences but my blog isn't super popular so probably like two people will see this, haha.

[theswiftheartsystem]

@returntothesoup asks:

“Hi! We’re new to interacting with more systems and are unfamiliar with some terms folks us! Any chance you could throw out some definitions for like plurals and multiples and stuff? We just became aware on a grand sense in the last couple years and are working through a lot of stuff alone. Happy to find systems to get to know🫶🏻🩷”

Hello! Welcome to the Tumblr community! It can be toxic at times, so please take care of your mental health! You can block certain tags (like triggers, or communities and such!

Origin: this is referring to what causes the system to form, the most common ones used are Traumagenic, and Endogenic, however it is a spectrum, and also some systems are multi-origin!

Traumagenic: This is referring to systems formed due to childhood trauma. This does not mean every alter is created by trauma.

Endogenic: A spectrum term that refers to systems who formed without trauma. This does not mean they do not have trauma, or that they are faking, it just means they experience plurality outside of what the mainstream idea of plurality is. A example is religious formed systems! (Also to clarify, when I say it’s a spectrum term, look at it like how non-binary is used, some people use it as a label, and some use it as a spectrum, neither is less valid then the other.

Tulpamancy: although a lot of the time this gets grouped with Endogenic, I’d thought I’d explain it since it is quite different. For one, there is many names that are used to describe this. Obviously Tulpamancy, but also Willowgenic, Tulpagenic and Thoughtform. This basically describes the experience of creating a being in your mind sometimes called a Tulpa. This practice originates from an ancient Tibetan Buddhist practice.

Splitting/Forming: Splitting is when an alter splits a part of themselves off and creates a fragment, and/or alter. It is possible to split multiple alters at once. Forming is a term that a lot of Endo systems in our experience prefer. Personally we like to use the term when the alter didn’t split off from trauma, but both can be used interchangeably a lot of the time.

Fusion: This is when two or more alters fuse together and create a different alter that is not the same, but all of them at once in a sense (a good way to think of this, is if you put two things of playdoh together and mush it into one, it’s now both of those colors and together they make a new color! Both colors are still there, but they are now mixed together.) Also this is not the same thing as integration. Fusion isn’t always a good thing, and can be caused by traumatic events.

Integration: This is the process of Amnesia barriers lessening. This leads to better communication and less black outs and grey outs.

Blurry: Blurry is when you cannot tell who’s in front.

Blended: Multiple alters are blended together while in front. This can go hand and hand with being Blurry very easily.

Co-Con: This is usually when alters talk to each other outside the inner world! This describes one or more alter is in front, and one or more alters who are conscious, but are not fronting.

Co-Fronting: This is when two or more alters are fronting, but aren’t blended. A example would be: one alter can control the body, while one controls speaking.

Headspace: So some systems use this to describe that little area in your head where you and alters talk, but some use it to describe that and the innerworld.

Innerworld: This is a world internally that alters often go when they aren’t fronting. Not every alters can enter into the innerworld. It’s very common for host to not be able to enter, especially at the beginning. Some systems don’t even have innerworlds as well.

Alters/Headmates/Parts: These are the most common terms to describe different beings within one body. Alters is used most in Traumagenic spaces, while Headmate is very commonly used in Endogenic spaces. These terms can be used by all systems regardless of origin. (We personally feel most comfortable with alters, which is why we have been using it in this post.)

Switching: This is when alters switch who’s in front.

Anyway, that’s some basic terminology! If you, or anyone else would like more of this, feel free to use the ask box! We made it so you can be anonymous now!

-Anthy

[cerebralabyss]

november 27th, 2019

when he gave up himself 4 me

this is aa redraw of an old comic i made ,,, abt when jax made me

he created me as the “idealized version of himself,” n then dissipated n went dormant, before coming back months later

since then,,, he’s become a whole new person!!! n he’s found an appreciation for life, for himself,,

mmy “birthday” is in 2 weeks!! it’ll have been 4 whole years since pulled me into existence,,, it’s a lil cwazy when i put it like that hehe!!

- 🎀

[alchemisoul]

I was with a couple friends on a Labor Day weekend. As we were trying to settle down after a night of eating mushrooms we began introducing each other to our favorite comedy programs that each other had never seen. I made them watch Anthony Jeselnik's Thoughts and Prayers.

Another friend introduced us to Rick and Morty with this episode. I'm very skeptical about animated comedy because what isn't great is effectively unwatchable and the vast majority of it is absolute shite.

It made me nervous to commit to the unknown due to previous experiences because nothing is worse than watching something unfunny when eating mushrooms.

It took a few mintues to warm up to it but by the end of this episode I was sold. We were fucking dying laughing in the twilight of our mushroom trip watching this. It was fucking fantastic.

There's been a lot of coverage of this episode online unpacking the underlying meaning and philosophical themes explored and no doubt there's a lot of value tucked in between the hilarity.

Although personally, I find existentialism to be rather mundane and less interesting than the similarities that immediately jumped out to me between Mr. Meeseeks and concepts such as Tulpas, Servitors, and Egrigores.

I just assumed that that was intentionally baked into part of the inspiration for the character echoing the famous scene from Fantasia with Mickey Mouse as the Scorcer's Apprentice. But after a cursory glance online, I was surprised to find that this had not been touched upon, so here I am.