Forcing Silence - "What Will My Next Thought Be?" 🪞

This post is intended to be of assistance if you're one of those people for whom the phrase "force silence" doesn't make much pragmatic sense, internally (myself included). Mostly due to semantics and lack of a descriptive enough internal process/state; which, as a catch 22, if too descriptive would actually further inhibit silence.

Some quotes from others:

"To stop compulsive thinking, try and think of what your next thought will be. You'll find that while actively waiting for the next thought, a new thought cannot enter your mind. It's impossible! And your mind will go blank."

"It’s ironic how when you anticipate your next thought, it doesn’t come. A sense of curiosity about your thinking helps to silence it."

Forcing Silence - YouTube Playlist (4 vids) - ignore any mentions of closing the eyes (keep them open!), and chakra/eastern imagery (just listen, instead)

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WAYS TO STOP THINKING

The following is a paraphrased and condensed version of this source article :

William Berry, LMHC., CAP. - "As a therapist and university instructor, I attempt to get students to relate to the material I am teaching and encourage them to observe their thoughts, to investigate them, to question them, and to be less attached to them.

The responses I get from students and clients alike is that they can’t. They can’t stop their thoughts; even for a second.

What you can do, however, is slow them down, create some space between them, observe them, and reduce their power. Many people set unrealistic goals. They expect their mind not to wander at all. I try to quell this by telling students and clients that in 30 years of practicing (on and off, with long periods of off), I am probably lucky to get 10 to 20 minutes of actual complete awareness spread out in a day. And that includes a 10-minute meditation (where the mind wanders a great deal and if I’m lucky I total—the total of small bits of mental quietude, certainly not in one big bunch—a minute or two).

[Even u/danl999 says "I can't even get silent for 10 (continuous) minutes!!! And I've been practicing silence for at least 50 years, reaching levels which allow time travel for real. But it's still not full silence."]

Some see those that promote these practices as masters who are "awakened" most if not all of the day. I doubt this exists [not until the human form flees for good].

Rather than being discouraged by this, my hope is you are encouraged.

If you do feel discouraged, thinking, “what is the point if all I get is a minute or two?” That’s an excellent question, and the only answer I have is that these small periods of (silence) have exponentially powerful results. One begins to become aware of how the mind works and is more able to distance from it on command. The new mindset, when practiced over and over (even for seconds) begins creating new neural pathways (intent) and ways of thinking. The more it is used, the more powerful it becomes. One becomes less attached to thoughts, more able to bring about an altered state, and as such, more in control of thoughts. It becomes a positive cycle that reaps more and more benefits….

“WATCHING” AND WAITING FOR YOUR NEXT THOUGHT

I'm In The Crosshairs! 👁️

…Imagine you are a cat and you’re waiting for a mouse to come out of it's hole. The watching, observer mind is the cat, and the next thought is the mouse. As long as you are focused on being in the observing 'What Will My Next Thought Be?' state, no thoughts will appear. It’s a stalemate!

Who will blink first?

But, of course, we lose focus in a short amount of time….which can be greatly extended with intense effort and practice. This technique can be used over and over [and can be associated with the stones/quartz crystals or paperweights, which are tied into the sorcerer’s intent, if done in conjunction...this deepens the cross-association when they, or the silence sticks, cannot be used].

[ TENSEGRITY ]

Many spend most of their time in their heads, thinking about what they have to do, where they would rather be, what they would rather be doing. A way to slow all of that down is to focus on being “in” your body [with the Magical Passes]. On an intellectual level, everyone knows they are in their body. But aside from when you experience pain, do you focus much on what it feels like to just inhabit your body? A simple exercise is just to stop and bring your consciousness into your body.

FLOW

Flow is a state of total absorption in an activity. There is a loss of self-awareness in the activity. Many get this when engaged in a hobby, be it playing an instrument, painting, or otherwise being creative. Some get it from playing a sport they love. Whatever the means, being totally absorbed in an activity takes you out of your thoughts and into the moment.

VISUALIZE

[About all that should be said about this is that Recapitulating is way more pragmatic and beneficial than visualizing a blue sky with fluffy clouds drifting through, an

TAKEAWAY

Ultimately, many of these techniques are interrelated. And many, in longer versions, can be combined. One needn’t sit on a cushion to create [inner silence]. And after actively engaging in these practices, we realize most thinking is just self-serving busy work for the ego. In fact, the vast majority of thinking is biased at best, deluded at worst. The brain is built to think, to be busy, to rise one above it's peers, to worry, to find problems or threats. In reality, however, much of it is nonsense that never comes to fruition, that is relatively meaningless in the grand scheme of things, and that is robbing you of peace [ and magic ! ]. You CAN break out of the cycle of automatic thoughts; and the more you persist in this, the easier it is to bring this state of mind into being."

end

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"The inner monologue is governed by the left hemisphere of your brain (we use this side almost 24/7). To focus and still our thoughts we need to “active” our right hemisphere during practice." source comment. To bring the two bodies into harmony.

Harmony