Stand-up comedian Anthony Jeselnik has said, “My thoughts and prayers. I am so tired of hearing ‘My thoughts and prayers.’ My thoughts and prayers are with the people of Aurora today. You know how much that is worth. Fucking nothing. Less than nothing. It’s just a way of saying, ‘Don’t forget about me!'” And if you you treat social media like MANY people, I actually agree. I have seen comment threads of “My thoughts and prayers” which include people who I am very well aware have forgotten about the post as soon as they hit the Send button. Many times, I have been WITH the commenter at the time and can be sure they were not following through with action. But, hey, does it really matter? I mean, it is just to show support for someone else, right? Its not like our thoughts and prayers actually have any kind of effect outside of our own minds, right? Wrong! The concept is called “manifestation”. And it can be an amazingly powerful tool in our lives.
Where Is Bill Nye When You Need Him!
Let’s start with gaining an understanding of what thoughts and prayers are, scientifically speaking. Thoughts are electrical impulses created by neurons in the brain. These neurons fire in sequence across multiple regions of the brain to create everything that occurs in our internal world. That little voice you hear in your head is created by the firing of neurons. The picture you create in your mind of your dream home is created by the firing of neurons. The chemical and electrical process of “firing” the neurons cause a small, but detectable energy output. Our brains actually produce electricity when we think, about enough to power a light bulb. This field is constantly present, and constantly fluctuating as long as we are alive. Awake or asleep are two states which alter the field, but it is constantly present.
Prayers, which are intensely directed thoughts often verbalized into the universe, would logically not differ greatly from our everyday thoughts. They produce the same electrical field. However, the fluctuations in the electrical field are much more pronounced! Meaning that prayer does produce more energy than regular, undirected thought. How much more power depends on the individual’s ability to focus on the singular directed thought. Following me? So…Yes, the “harder” you pray and the more accustomed you are to meditating, the more electrical power is produced by your brain when you pray!!! How amazing is that?
I know what you are thinking. “So? Worst Ted Talk ever!” Well, there is just a little bit more scientific foundation to lay before the payoff, but hang with me.
What makes this electrical field, this power grid emanating from our the 3 pounds of gray matter matter our ears? Electricity is produced by the friction between positive and negative ions. The friction caused by being too close together or being forced to touch cause the ions to vibrate. Hence, the term “good vibrations” used for positive thoughts. Who knew The Beach Boys were so scientifically accurate! But, seriously, vibrations are the key. Vibrations have causation. That is, vibrations make things happen. Vibrations, in the form of waves, allow us to sense the world by hearing it and seeing it. But vibrations can do more than that! Vibrational frequency is also what separates dimensions from each other. Dimensions in that sentence could be read as “parallel universes”.
Now, I am not writing an article for Scientific American here, so I will relax on the yawn factor of the science for now (but I bet a deep dive into beta waves, the effects of vibrational frequency on the states of matter, and the use of vibration in astral projection show up in a future post).
Metaphysically, Thoughts Are Awesome!
Manifesting our wishes and desires is another way of saying “bringing our hopes and dreams into reality”. Sounds good right? Well, it is completely possible. And “good vibes” will get us there.
When we are in a mindful state, let’s say in a deep meditation focused on what we are hoping to see manifested in our lives, we are tuning the vibrations emanating from within us toward that goal. A thought occurs in the conscious mind, like “I wish my friend knew I loved her in this painful time”. You are visualizing that thought in your mind, whatever it may look like to you. That wish is then filtered through your past experiences; your memories; and your beliefs in your subconscious where it becomes an emotion. That emotionally charged wish, combined with and strengthened by the power field surrounding you, is then transferred into the universe as love directed toward your friend. We pour love for our friend out into the ether; into the universe as a whole. The beauty and the magical part is that the universe seems to be able to deliver your manifested love directly to your friend’s subconscious. I say “magical” because we simply don’t understand how it works yet. So, just as the sun was once thought to be swallowed by a “magical” snake at the end of each day, we may someday figure out the process through technology. Your thought has manifested and you have comforted your friend regardless of physical distance. You have THOUGHT with intention and that thought has caused a change in the physical vibrational frequency of your friend. How beautiful and powerful is that ability!
See. Easy right? Ugh. If only it was. The truth is that if humans were able to manifest their desires all willy-nilly, the world would be a damn mess! There would be an endless parade of lottery winners every week, the most ruthless and strongest mind would own everything, and Megan Fox would have about a million very disappointed husbands. It takes dedication, practice and patience to manifest thoughts and dreams into reality. We need to be mindful of each moment, in balance with our inner self and the universe. Basically, we need to be our best selves. But what better goal could there be than the ability to manifest love, joy, peace and happiness in the physical world?
You will notice that I didn’t suggest we dwell on the poor friend’s suffering. We need to be experiencing the thought…the emotion…that we want to manifest. So, not the sadness we may feel for our friend’s pain, but the love and comfort which we want for them. There are crystals which can help you to focus your energy and intention, some that even serve to amplify your energy and intentions! Just as quartz crystals have been used for nearly one hundred years to transmit and receive radio signals wirelessly across vast distances, crystals have very unique properties and internal structures which allow for untold numbers of uses in technological AND metaphysical applications.
Like everything in the spiritual and metaphysical realms, manifestation is a process. Do not be discouraged. Sending out good vibes into the universe can never be a bad thing! Just keep trying, praying, focusing and transmitting. And, perhaps, the next time you are worried about that family member’s upcoming surgery, instead of just seeking “Thoughts and Prayers” from Facebook friends, you can meditate and make the comfort and safety you desire for them!
Musings From The Universe 