Tulpa: think it, now see it?

On our episode Backrooms, we delved a bit into liminal space and posed the question, can spaces be transformed into eerie places by people’s belief, a kind of location Tulpa.  

Since I’m limited in my knowledge of the Tulpa and where it came from, you’re now joining me on my deep dive.  

A Tulpa is an idea that was born out of theosophy, mysticism, and the paranormal during the late 19th/early 20th centuries.  More specifically, it is an object or being that is brought into reality by thought.  But I’m simplifying things a bit, as I am not even close to an expert in the religions or cultures mentioned below. 

In a very select subset of Buddhism called Vajrayana, there is a concept of the emanation body from which the concept of Tulpa and thought-form sprang.  In later books, the Tulpa was divided into into three classes: forms in the shape of the person who creates them, forms that resemble objects or people and may become ensouled by nature spirits or by the dead, and forms that represent inherent qualities from the astral or mental planes, such as emotions. *

Here’s where our concept begins to go in a different direction.  A spiritualist by the name Alexandra David-Néel reported that she had witnessed Tulpas being created in Tibet and firmly believed that they could become so strong they could develop a mind of their own.  And this is where it can get dangerous as it leaves its creators control.  And this is where is morphs into what we think of when we hear the word today thanks to creepypasta stories and horror movies.

My bottom line is as per usual, I’d like to believe. There is much unknown surrounding mysticism and the more secretive or ancient parts of religious practices, and I’m not entirely convinced that there isn’t a part of our brains we’ve neglected or forgotten how to use that might tap into the paranormal or extraordinary experiences. Plus I can’t help but particularly enjoy that these things might be more real than most might be comfortable with.

Anyway, food for thought, and beyond that thought…

 (Besant, Annie; Leadbeater, C. W. (1901). "Three classes of thought-forms". Thought-Forms. The Theosophical Publishing House.).

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