What is a thought form? According to the online Oxford Dictionary it is “a combination of presuppositions, imagery, and vocabulary current at a particular time or place and forming the context for thinking on a subject.” (Thought form, n.d.) That definition really clears it…yeah right!

I like the definition from another online dictionary, “A manifestation of the consciousness of an individual or group”. (Thoughtform, n.d.) This is the definition I am most aware from my studies. Even though I am not fond of using any Wiki’s this one expands on what I know it to be. “A manifestation of the thoughts, ideas or emotions of someone. It is believed to be able to be sensed by people and take physical form within the spirit world.” (Thought-form, n.d.)

What all this means is that we bring about our own reality. You hear about positive thinking or what some call the Law of Attraction. If you want good things to happen in your life you have to have positive thoughts. For example, if you go for a job interview you have to go into the interview with a positive attitude. Telling yourself you are the best candidate and you will get this job. Your positive intent will bolster your self-esteem, make you bright and energetic, and show the interviewer you have a positive attitude.

After the interview, maintain the positive attitude telling yourself there is nothing to worry about because I got this job. It keeps positive energies in the universe. Even if you don’t get the job, the positive attitude will keep you from being depressed or let-down. Maybe the job was not right for you and the universe just protected you from a bad situation.

Now the same is true if you go into an interview with a negative intent. Just keep telling yourself, “I don’t know why you even waste my time going for the interview because I won’t get the job anyway.” Honestly, you are very right. With that attitude you will not get the job. The interviewer will see the negativity and will not even consider you even if you have the best qualifications of any candidate. People are looking for individuals with a positive attitude to work for them. So, you have sabotaged your chances before even walking into the interview.

Let’s take it one step further. In the paranormal world our intent can either protect us or it can harm us. We use the positive thoughts to build a protective field around us, loved ones, and/or friends. This is what many teams encourage their members to do before going into an investigation. Most all of the investigators I know do this all the time. The universe takes our positive intent to build a protective shield around us that is strong enough to block negativity.

If we put forth negative energy you will generate negativity that will cause harm to you, loved ones, and/or friends. This in turn will generate fear, which is a negative emotion and will feed the already negative that surrounds you. This can manifest into many things, such as poltergeists. A poltergeist is a German meaning “noisy spirit”. They are basically a type of supernatural manifestation you’d probably want to avoid. I found the following information on a very good web site titled “Stranger Dimensions”:

Signs of a Poltergeist

Poltergeists are violent, and more often than not the activity surrounding them focuses on a single individual. In most cases, this activity is similar to your traditional signs of a haunted house, but the aggressiveness is what sets poltergeists apart. Here’s a list of the most common signs that you may be experiencing one:

  • electrical disturbances, or electrical objects working on their own
  • rapping or banging on walls, or other unexplained noises
  • objects moving or being thrown around by themselves
  • objects mysteriously disappearing and reappearing
  • strange or unusual smells
  • occasional levitation
  • physical attacks

What brings a poltergeist to haunt someone? That’s an interesting question. It’s generally accepted that poltergeists aren’t your normal “spirits,” but rather psychic manifestations of stress or anxiety, often that of a teenager. In other words, when exploring a paranormal explanation, poltergeist activity is often attributed to psychokinesis, or the ability to affect physical objects with one’s mind. (Schwarz, 2017)

The best way to eliminate this energy is to bring in as much positive energy and light into your lives. Also add smudging. Smudging is the common name given to the indigenous American tradition known as the Sacred Smoke Bowl Blessing.  This is a powerful spiritual cleansing technique which calls upon the spirits of various sacred plants to drive away negative energy and to restore balance to an individual, a group, a space, or all three.  This tradition has been a part of the spirituality of indigenous Americans for thousands of years, and now this cleansing ritual is available to anyone who is willing to give it a try.  The ritual is very simple and very empowering, and you don’t need a lot of expensive equipment to start doing it in your own home. (What Is Smudging?, n.d.)

I found this simple smudging ritual online and would be perfect for anyone wanting to do this in their homes:


Smudging Ritual

When smudging a room, work in one direction, spiraling to the center. Which direction you use is up to you – try both. Counterclockwise is usually considered banishing; clockwise is invoking.

Carry a heatproof container (ashtray) in your left hand; the smudge in your right.

For a room, try to start near, but not in front of the door, sweeping the smoke into all corners; up to the ceiling and down to the floor. If you use leaves or a smudge stick, knock the ashes off often, so you won’t catch anything on fire. It’s a good idea to keep a container of water close by, just in case.

Repeat the following, if you wish, during the smudging:

***

From the Element of Fire Comes this smoke, which is Air.

From the Element of Earth Grows this plant, which is Water.

I call upon the Elements and the Blessings of Spirit To please cleanse this (area, space, being, etc.) For the good of all.

***

Continue until every inch of the area has been touched by the smoke and you feel that you’re done.

As with any magickal rite, intent and visualization are important. Visualizing the movement of energy adds a lot of power to the cleansing procedure. 


Side note to performing a smudging. Smudging will not always be the cure all for your situation, especially if you do nothing to improve your way of thinking from negative to positive. This is all about intent. What you put forth in the universe is what you will get back. If you do not change your intent, plan on smudging quite a lot.

As always feel free to reach out to us here at DarkStar Paranormal Research for questions or assistance

 

References

Schwarz, R. (2017). What are poltergeists? Retrieved from https://www.strangerdimensions.com/2015/02/23/what-are-poltergeists/

Thought form. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/thought_form

Thoughtform. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.yourdictionary.com/thoughtform

Thought-form. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/thought-form

What Is Smudging? (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.spiritualscents.com/t-art_What_Is_Smudging.aspx

First and foremost, this is an opinion of the author (myself) and not a scientific fact. So you make your own judgement call on the topic.

 

According to Paranormal-Encyclopedia.com, it defines orbs as synonymous with sphere, when used in association with the paranormal, an orb is an anomalous globe-shaped spot, either white or colored, that shows up in photographs taken at allegedly haunted locations. Even though ghosts have been capture on celluloid film since the time of George Eastman in the 1880’s, orbs only started appearing since the invention of the pocket camera with built in flash.

If you pay attention to the occurrence of orbs, they usually appear in still digital photography. As technology has progress we now see them moving while being filmed with digital video recorders. When digital cameras became popular in the early ’90s, ghost hunters and other paranormal investigators were able to quickly take dozens of pictures in a single location. The orb became popular as more than an anomalous spot.

The article has a quote from Fuji Films in response to a customer’s question.

“Floating dust particles may cause white spots appearing at different positions on pictures taken by a digital camera using the flash. Dust in front of a subject reflects the flash light and the image of the dust is captured out of focus.

Dust, snow, rain, pollen, condensation, or any small airborne particles may cause the same problem.

The particle will appear light and big because it is out of focus; it may assume a shape similar to the aperture of the camera, usually round.” (Orbs, n.d.)

Another website makes the following statement:

“True orbs are spirits of the deceased (both human and animal) in the form of spheres, or balls of light that can hover and fly at will. Orbs can be transparent or translucent and can be seen in photos and videos. They usually can’t be seen by the human eye alone. Some say you can even see faces inside some orbs. Photos of orbs are the most common paranormal photos out there. The number of orbs have been known to multiply greatly during moments of high paranormal activity. Orbs can be found outside and indoors as well. A theory for why a spirit takes the form of an orb is that it takes the least amount of energy to manifest into.”

The author of this web site quoted another site called Magick Garden.

“In my personal experience, I can definitely state that: During paranormal events, orbs are usually present. On every investigation where we have determined paranormal activity to exist, we have gotten several orb photos. There is a correlation between the amount of electromagnetic activity and the number of orb photos taken. We have never taken an actual orb photo in a place where there was no paranormal activity. During one investigation, we followed an orb using an EMF meter and a digital camera. It led us on a tour around the grounds of the property we were investigating. My personal opinion is that an orb is just one way a spirit can manifest in the physical universe.” (Orbs, 2012)

Now Fuji describes the artifacts as a common photographic problem:

There is always a certain amount of dust floating around in the air. You may have noticed this at the movies when you look up at the light coming from the movie projector and notice the bright sparks floating around in the beam. In the same way, there are always dust particles floating around nearby when you take pictures with your camera. When you use the flash, the light from the flash reflects off the dust particles and is sometimes captured in your shot. Of course, dust particles very close to the camera are blurred since they are not in focus, but because they reflect the light more strongly than the more distant main subject of the shot, that reflected light can sometimes be captured by the camera and recorded on the resulting image as round white spots. So, these dots are the blurred images of dust particles. (Flash reflections from floating dust particles, 2005)

https://web.archive.org/web/20050727000507/http://home.fujifilm.com/products/digital/shooting/flash.html

This debate has gone on for many years and will continue for many years to come. As you can see there are many differing opinions. Some science research groups have written lengthy articles claiming they have evidence that proves it is not paranormal. Then there are those who attempt to disprove the logic of these researchers.

Honestly, I am from the school of thought that orbs are not paranormal, but I will never commit 100% to that fact because with the paranormal anything is possible.

David

 

References:

Flash reflections from floating dust particles. (2005). Retrieved from https://web.archive.org/web/20050727000507/http://home.fujifilm.com/products/digital/shooting/flash.html

Orbs. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.paranormal-encyclopedia.com/o/orbs/

Orbs. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.studiesoftheparanormal.com/orbs.html

 

     Witchcraft has many interpretations depending on whom you talk too or what you read.  I am not saying that these people are wrong in their beliefs, but what I am saying is they seem to really overlook common sense and follow others beliefs without thinking for themselves.  They wind up being the sheep they say they are not.

     Many will tell you that Witchcraft and Wicca is the same thing.  It is not the same thing.  Many people claim that Wicca is an old-world belief.  Wicca is fairly new as a religion. Or should I say as compared to what truly is the old-world witchcraft.  So, to put this logically: not all witches are Wiccan and not all Wiccans are witches.  Witches can from all walks of life and many different belief systems.  In my opinion, what would be considered old world is what has been handed down from generation to generation.  I know someone who has traced her hereditary witchcraft back as far as 500 years.  That is old-world.

     Wicca was founded by Gerald Gardner (1884 – 1964) in Britain.  After the Witchcraft Act of 1951, Gardner was also able to discuss the tradition more openly, resulting in two classic books, “Witchcraft Today” (1954) and “The Meaning of Witchcraft” (1959), which inspired the growth and development of many traditions of modern witchcraft and Wicca throughout the United Kingdom, Europe and the United States. “Witchcraft Today” also supported the theories of anthropologist Margaret Murray who claimed that modern witchcraft is the surviving remnant of an organized Pagan religion that had existed before the witch hunts and trials of the Early Modern Period. The book was an immediate success on its release and new covens practicing its dictates sprang up all over England: the Gardnerian tradition had been born. (Famous Witches – Gerald Gardner (1884 – 1964), n.d.)

     Just like my belief is made up of very old beliefs, I do not argue the point that Wicca is made of from different beliefs dating way back in years, but to call Wicca an old-world belief is just wrong.  Most beliefs date back hundreds of years. Some further than others, so I guess you could say most beliefs come from the old-world.  People may think I am trying to disrespect Wicca, which is just not true.  Just like I said before, it is about common sense and knowing about history, which many people just refuse to research.  This is why we have so many cults.  People just believe what is given to them without finding out its validity.  You have got to research history!  As history has shown us, we are doomed to repeat it.

     So, what is Witchcraft?  Witchcraft is a science, an art, and a philosophy.  It is a craft that any religion, belief, and/or philosophy can practice.  There are Wiccan Witches, Christian Witches (this one really confuses me), Celtic Witches, Satanic Witches, and a large variety, too many to attempt to name.  Of course, there are many who believe it to be a religion, in my opinion that is false.  But that is ok if that is what they choose to believe.  Everyone has the right to believe as they choose. Each of the above groups are called a “Tradition”. Each tradition defines what they believe. Some are mono theistic (1 god), some are duo theistic (2 gods, 1 male and 1 female), and some are polytheistic (many gods). Some of these gods are Norse gods, some are Greek gods, some are Egyptian gods, some are even a mixture, and the list goes on and on.

     Witches can go by many names such as shaman, magi (yes, those wise men from the bible…also, magi are defined as magicians), sages, mystics, priest, priestess, and magic-makers.  They are skilled in knowledge of the earth, nature, the stars, healing, seasons, and etc.  These people throughout history have been inventors, skilled in language, metallurgy, law, writing, and the arts.  They were the spiritual leaders of the tribes, the councilors, peacemakers, and judges.  They were knowledgeable about the seasons and agriculture.  They played many roles in a tribe or civilization and helped the people to evolve.  The advancement of science was due to magicians or witches because of their knowledge and study of all things natural.  Quick note, when I talk about magicians I am not referring to entertainment magicians.  That type of magic is based on sleight of hand and drawing your attention away from what is really happening.

     Witches are not the evil they have been personified over the years.  Many religions, such as Christian, Muslim, and Judaism have corrupted the meaning of a witch.  The leaders want you to think they are evil.  If they can generate enough fear then they can control the way people think.  These leaders want to rule over you just as if they were some sort of king.  It is nothing more than just a form of brainwashing.  In my opinion, these people (followers) have learned it is easier to let someone else think for them than to exert any kind of effort to find any truth.

     All this being said witches are skilled in rituals that scan a wide variety of issues.  This is just like you would find in any other religions (such as Christian).  The meditations and visualization can be compared to what most would call prayer.  So, without trying to sound arrogant, a witch has the knowledge to tap into many natural and ethereal energies available to all people, but the witch has just chosen to use these energies instead of letting them be wasted.  Any and all people can learn to use witchcraft but because of the stigmatism society has chosen to place upon witches, people are afraid to reach out and utilize their own potential and the energies this universe has to offer.

     Many people, witches included, like to add some sort of color to their belief/practice, like White Witch, Black Witch, Grey Witch, and sometimes a Green Witch. Witchcraft has no color associated with it. Witchcraft is all about intent. A witch can do good or do harm. They do not need a color associated with who they happen to be. I know some individuals who call themselves White Witches, but have some really harmful practices. I also know some who call themselves Black Witches, but they have some positive practices. Then the Grey Witches say they like to teeter between good and bad. A witch is a witch with no color. Each has the ability to use their intent for the purpose of good or for bad.

     Let’s discuss good and bad. How do you define them? You and I apply for the same job because we both need it. You get the job then you think it is good and I think it is bad. Or, I get the job I think it is good and you think it is bad. It is just a perspective. As one of my mentors used to say, “To a cat lover the cat is delightful, but to a mouse a cat is evil.” So, what is the cat good or evil. Again, it is nothing more than a personal perspective.

     In conclusion, witchcraft to me is not my belief, but it is part of my belief.  You ask, “Why I do it?”  I practice witchcraft to be able to tap into resources and energies in order to make positive changes in my life and the lives of people around me.  I hope to make this a better world for all to live in and experience.  I want to be an example to others that they can choose to worship in a way that best suits them and not be forced into following any faith blindly or out of fear of damnation.  This is what the freedom of religion is all about and so many forget what and how to use their freedoms.