Do you think or are you thought of?

Ahura Mazda is the only God of Zoroastrianism, creator of the sensitive and supersensitive world. One of his names means, “Spirit who creates with thought“. Many of us already know that thought creates. Quantum physics explains it, and the laws of magic affirms it. Perhaps one of the questions to ask ourselves is: are we humans capable of thinking? And what does “thinking” really mean?
According to the Treccani dictionary, thinking is “the mental activity through which human beings become aware of themselves and the world in which they live.” I feel it is a definition to be meditated upon.
Thinking is not only the flow of ideas and thoughts in our heads, mediated by the chemistry of the body and cultural conditioning, suggested by sensory experiences and our imagination. It is a process to be guided in order to ignite the consciousness of our role in the world.

For me, thinking and reflecting have been crucial elements in my life since I was a child. I remember one day I was at school and my teacher asked us, “Is it possible for us not to think?” That question struck me like a mini-enlightenment, and it brought about other questions for me:
“Are the thoughts that are running through my mind, right in this moment, are they mine? Why is it that I am thinking them and not the person next to me? What determines my thoughts? How can I access other thoughts?”

These and other similar questions have never stopped running through my mind, and they have become even more complex after I discovered the philosophy of Damanhur. In the original and somewhat provocative way that characterized his teachings, Falco Tarassaco – the founder and spiritual guide of Damanhur – said that in this historical moment, human beings do not think, rather, they remember. That is, our thoughts are based on evaluations and elaborations of previous memories and experiences. We do not yet have the capacity of absolute creation, only that of re-inventing, starting from elements that are already within us.

In light of this, my experience as a psychologist has taken on a new depth. If we create our thoughts from memories, and thoughts create our reality, then memories create reality. How many programs from our past that no longer serve us can we transform along our spiritual path? What are the most fitting tools?

In my life at Damanhur, here is what I have learned about the use of thought:

Doors for other thoughts

If you want to think differently, ask yourself different questions. Asking the right question is an art form. Sometimes we get stuck on a problem not because there is no solution, but because we keep looking at it from the same perspective. We get stuck in the same memories and in the same old programs.

I find that if I stop, take a deep breath, connect to my body and to the here and now, it can help me get out of the loop that anchors me to the past. In this way, I can open a new spiral of associations and memories that brings me to new thoughts.

Some people say that after we die, during the passage to the Beyond, there are doors to pass through, and these doors are guarded by beings who will ask us questions. I would say that it is wise to begin practicing while we are still alive, asking ourselves as many questions as possible, from many points of view and with many kinds of logic. Doing this, maybe we will not be taken by surprise and give obvious answers…

A sense of humor frees us

With all the different strategies that we can apply, that of humorous thought is the one that gives us the most freedom. Even in difficult times, if we can access the humorous side of the situation – which normally exists, even if it is hidden – we can ignite a kind of thinking that allows us to give a different direction to events. Even if there is pain and suffering, we can find a connection with a spiritual energy that helps us to transform the situation, or our capacity to accept it.

Falco often said that God is the ultimate humorist. In some difficult moments, I have tried to remember this and look for what the humorous side of things might be. I couldn’t always find it, but just thinking about if often helped me to feel lighter, and it gave me space to think: Tomorrow is another day! (just like Scarlett in Gone With the Wind ;-).

We do not think, but rather we remember… so let’s play with it

As I wrote above, Falco taught us that we do not think but rather we remember… and well, Esperide, a Damanhurian and friend, reminds me that we should not only interpret this in a negative way. Remembering means giving temporal density to our existence. If we only had the power to create with our thoughts, we would live in an eternal present, but without the direction of evolution given by experience stratified in memories. The challenge chosen by our species is to achieve the capacity of thinking while preserving memory.

So, it is of fundamental importance to be able to change our memories, or our interpretation of them, regarding those that limit us and do not support us in the expression of our potential. Before choosing the Damanhurian school, I was trained in Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). I was one of the first in Croatia to explore this method that connects negative sensations, thoughts and memories to relaxation through the stimulation of key energy points on the body. Linked to specific statements, this method allows you to release the emotional charge of an event, giving you the opportunity to see it in a different way. So, memories that cause suffering and pain can be transformed. It is a method that I found to be very effective.

Coming to Damanhur, I discovered that there is a course on the transformation of memories, supported by our unique spiritual technology – Selfica. This process uses “time seeds,” that is, energy particles that can germinate the possibilities of new events on the branches of time. We start from the past to free ourselves from limitations, to then guide the events of our future.

An invitation to transform our memories

During the month of August, I invite you to imagine what would happen if you could change your negative memories. This does not mean that the things you experienced will no longer exist, but they will take on a different significance.

First of all, write these memories down on a piece of paper. For example, memories that lead you to not having a job that satisfies you, not feeling a sense of self worth, feeling that you do not deserve to be loved, that you are unable to do something… write down the details of that memory. Try to meditate on these memories, and tell the story as if it were not yours. Imagine that the protagonist is a hero/heroine, who despite the difficulties that s/he encounters, always finds new strategies to succeed and transform him or herself. Then, when you feel that the story is really coming to life and that it resonates with you, reread it with you at the center of the story, as if it were a letter from a person who loves you very much and who helps you to see yourself in a new light.