| In my article, “Thoughts about Thoughts,” I | | | | Many of us go through our lives with little awareness |
| shared some of my experience with watching my | | | | of the consequences of our thoughts. I could no longer |
| thoughts over the past twenty years. As I began to | | | | deny that there are consequences. Fortunately, I found |
| take more responsibility for what I was thinking, I | | | | some ways to clean up my own thought dust bunnies. |
| noticed that my life was gradually shifting even more | | | | The first thing that I had to do was to decide that it |
| to the positive. But some questions began to form in | | | | was important enough to me to make the effort to |
| my mind and they bothered me. | | | | change these negative thoughts. I was already |
| What is thought energy? How does it travel? Are | | | | watching my thoughts, so I was well aware of when |
| there consequences involved with the negative | | | | the negative ones got stuck in my mind. I made a |
| thoughts? Where does this energy go? Does it have | | | | strong commitment to stop negative and judgmental |
| any effect on others? Can this energy be cleaned up? | | | | thoughts. |
| How do we do that? | | | | In a discussion with my kids, I told them that I would |
| For most of my life, I understood that my thoughts just | | | | never worry about them again. Worry is pure negative |
| hung around in my head. I have taught and performed | | | | thought, usually with an emotional charge. There was |
| on the classical guitar for about 30 years. About 15 | | | | no way I wanted to send anyone I cared about |
| years ago, I began to explore sending out a specific | | | | energy like that. They said, “thanks, Mom,” |
| thought during some of my performances. For | | | | probably just to humor me, but I felt better. It wasn’t |
| example, I would send out the thought or image of the | | | | easy to catch and change some of those old |
| colour blue while I played one of my pieces. It | | | | ‘worry’ thought patterns. As I caught myself I |
| astonished me when I consistently received comments | | | | would stop the thought and immediately replace it with |
| from the audience about how that piece reminded | | | | a visualization of perfect health and safety. |
| them about sitting by the ocean. It was so blue. Or, that | | | | Another thing I did was to choose one of my |
| music made me feel so blue. It was obvious to me | | | | acquaintances about whom I had strong judgmental |
| now that my thoughts were an energy that didn’t | | | | thoughts. Over the next few weeks, whenever that |
| stop at the edge my skull. They just sailed out from | | | | person came to my mind, I consciously thought about |
| me and, as in the above example, hitched a ride on the | | | | him with feelings of goodwill and friendship. The next |
| sound waves. My old definition of thought just didn’t | | | | time we met, I received a warm friendly greeting and |
| cut it any more. My thoughts obviously had a life | | | | we had a wonderful visit. I was astounded at how |
| outside myself. | | | | changing my thoughts about this person completely |
| I have always been an optimist, doing my best to | | | | changed the experience of the relationship for me. |
| consistently look for the good in other people. But, I | | | | What my family and friends were really teaching me |
| began to wonder about my slip-ups. What about the | | | | was that what we call “reality” is actually our |
| judgmental, negative or angry thoughts I had sent out | | | | perception. And our perception is unique to each of us. |
| to others? Had they received those too? It began to | | | | So I began to watch my family and friends with |
| dawn on me that some of these negative thoughts | | | | different eyes. Each of us could see the same event |
| might even be harmful to others. Some of those | | | | completely differently. I also discovered that, from this |
| negative thoughts also carried a pretty strong | | | | perspective, forgiving them for having a different |
| emotional charge. Now, I was starting to feel pretty | | | | perception from me was easy. And my thought dust |
| badly. | | | | bunnies started disappearing. |