The Lady Who Created Life From Thought
Meet Alexandra David-Neel
Last time, I discussed the Philip the Ghost experiments of 1972 where scientists created a ghost that manifested itself. If you missed that email then check your junk folder, otherwise you can find it here.
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In this issue, I want to tell you about someone else who did a similar thing. Perhaps the psychic researchers in Toronto found inspiration from this remarkable lady because their techniques were similar, but I can't find further evidence to corroborate it.
Born in France in October 1868 as Louise Eugenie Alexandrine Marie David, Alexandra David-Neel was the first woman to gain the title of a Tibetan lama. She was a committed Buddhist who lived until the grand old age of 100, was a noted traveller, and held a deep love for Asia -- particularly the Himalayas. But there's more to this fascinating lady. She was also the person who helped bring the Western world's awareness to the mysteries of Tibet -- including the Tulpa.
According to traditional Tibetan doctrines, a tulpa is an entitity created by a focused act of imagination. Kind of like a fictional character in a book, except tulpas aren't written down (like the ghost of Philip). A trained yogi could make one appear and disappear easily. The concept interested Alexandra David-Neel so much she decided to try to create one.
So once someone meditates on this entity for long enough, hard enough, it gains a life of its own -- breaking away from the "chains of the brain".
David-Neel created hers based on a jolly Friar Tuck monk like the one in the old tales of Robin Hood. It took months. Then at last, it emerged into the real world, this reality. At first, she only perceived it through her peripheral vision as a shadowy figure. But this is where things turned a little hairy.
In her book, David-Neel writes: "He became a kind of guest, living in my apartment. I then broke my seclusion and started for a tour, with my servants and tents. The monk included himself in the party. Though I lived in the open riding on horseback for miles each day, the illusion persisted. It was not necessary for me to think of him to make him appear. The phantom performed various actions of the kind that are natural to travelers and that I had not commanded. For instance, he walked, stopped, looked around him. The illusion was mostly visual, but sometimes I felt as if a robe was lightly rubbing against me, and once a hand seemed to touch my shoulder."
But the friendly friar was not all he appeared. He began to change.
"The fat, chubby-cheeked fellow grew leaner, his face assumed a vaguely mocking, sly, malignant look. He became more troublesome and bold. In brief, he escaped my control."
She realised that if she allowed the creation to continue living, it could pose a real threat to everyone and everything that crossed paths. There was only one thing to do. She had to reabsorb it into her mind, then banish it to her subconscious where it would eventually turn to nothingness. Then its life would be forever over.
It took her more than half a year for the creature to lose its form and return to her control. Then a little longer before it also disappeared from her imagination, a difficult task considering it was still a part of her memory. And like any living creature, the tulpa fought back hard, tiring her, almost killing her through exhaustion before she finally won.
Now you would think this tale was enough to warn off a sixteen-year-old from trying it in 1987. Right?
Well, that's another story I'll tell you next week...
Happy Reading!
Chris Johnson
PS: Like strange tales like this? Be sure to check out my supernatural thriller, While He Was Sleeping. Available now on my Payhip store.
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