Every disease starts in the mind. Mental disorders are becoming frequent in the world today. All physical illnesses, including cancer, have their genesis on a mental level and are mere manifestations of negative emotions which have gone out of control in the patients’ mind. To control and counteract illnesses, to enjoy optimum good health (especially in emotional and mental areas) it is most important to practice purity of thought. Its strict observance is absolutely necessary for one’s own happiness as well as for those who surround us, from our own narrow family circle to the whole human race. From the potentiality of `thought’, which is the very source from which the purity of speech and action proceed is expressed, you will realise the necessity of keeping your thoughts pure through all affairs of daily life, under all circumstances.

What is thought? It is the motive as well as the creative power which brings into objectivity all of nature’s phenomena and all objects that we see around us. Thought is the basis of man’s every joy and every suffering, down to every sentient creature. The whole Universe is a `thought’ of God; words and deeds are merely the audible and visible manifestations of invisible and intangible thought. So, unless the latter is kept pure, the other two cannot be so. In fact the achievement of pure thoughts is the very basis of yoga and therefore Manashni is the first tenet of Zoroastrianism. If thoughts of love and sympathy for every sentient being, without any distinction whatsoever are habitually entertained by you, your speech will automatically be gentle and pleasing, and your deeds – beautiful.

It is by thought that an architect first erects a building, a painter creates beautiful images on blank canvas, a poet breathes out the images of his soul into words, a mechanic evolves an engine and a scientist a new discovery or invention. Even in physiognomy and phrenology, it is said that men and women have features according to the thoughts they habitually cherish or which are most predominant in their nature. This proves that thought has the power to mould the solid features of men. A person who always harbours noble, loving and benevolent thoughts has a benign face and a healthy and beautiful body, while one who entertains thoughts of anger, malice, hatred, jealousy has an ugly face. Of course, there may be exceptions to this general rule which can be explained from other stand-points.

There are also invisible effects of thoughts. These effects are far more subtle and far reaching and will be appreciated by a student of occultism or yoga. It is said that: “Every thought of man passes into the inner world and becomes an active entity by associating itself with an elemental – one of the semi-intelligent forces of Nature. It survives as an active intelligence – a creature of mind’s begetting, for a longer or shorter period, proportionate to the original intensity of the cerebral action which generated it. Thus, a good thought is perpetuated as an active beneficent power, and an evil one as a maleficent demon, and so man is continually changing his position depending on who he comes into contact with.” From this, we can see what fearful mischief we must be doing to ourselves, as well as to those around us, by the evil thoughts we generate while in an angry, hateful or jealous mood.

This is not a mere theory or speculation, but a real fact.

How do thoughts affect us? The astral essence surrounding us is susceptible to every thought. A mere casual thought causes it to burst into a cloud of rapidly-moving evanescent forms. The thought moulds it at once into a being which when thus created has a life of its own in proportion to the intensity of the thought or wish. It lasts only as long as the thought-force holds it together. Most thoughts are silly, feeble and indecisive and so the elements last only a few minutes or hours. But an oft-repeated thought or earnest wish will form a longer living elemental. Since most of our thoughts are about ourselves, these elements hover about us and provoke a repetition of the idea. If you wish something constantly, Nature gives it to you, especially if you are deserving of it! Nature gives it to you because you have attracted it in Divine order to yourself. So please give a thought to your thoughts!