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Messages - penultimate.forme

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I'm probably slow on the uptake, but what's the deal with this article?
http://articles.tulpa.info/amadeus-exodus-a-tale-of-tulpa/
Seems related to what I'm talking about, not sure why I haven't seen it until now:

"I learned to use programmed servitors (and eventually do it myself through conditioning) to manipulate my senses while not forcing. While awake, I started effectively being able to control what information my brain processes. I could block out smells, or sounds. Eventually I could block out very specific chains of sound. Today I can selectively hear or not hear something. I can manipulate the taste of food. I can selectively change the way I perceive color or texture. I can choose to see the sky on fire and snowflakes in the wind."

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That does not mean that they couldn't have done it themselves, given practice. Although, you are right in mentioning the person with the tremors. It might be as you say, but it could also be that the means of possession cuts out the tremor somehow (I'm not familiar with the neurology).
That's what I'm interested in. It could be something the person would have done themselves; but, they didn't. So what is it about tulpas that makes them able to 'figure this out' while the host is unable to?

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We're pretty biased. We've always done things a certain way so we start thinking there is no other way. Again, it's all about the mindset. The mindset of a person who is unable to do something differently might very well be something like "I can only do it this certain way and I can't change it". A tulpa rarely has a mindset like that, but when they do, they can't change shit either. But if they actually do try to do things differently... Things might very well be different.

I buy into this idea on the daily, believe me.
I think that this may be right, but it is more special than it seems to be. This method of simply believing, as a host, seems different than how it functions for a tulpa.
As the host, we do have certain expectations of reality that are ingrained. These are long-standing traditional beliefs we have learned and adopted as dogmas of reality. But I think there are different categories for learning these beliefs, and that the strongest one, that relates to the body and somatic senses, is the most difficult to overcome.
Beliefs as a result of intellect, such as societal norms and what have you, are easy to overcome, as the tulpa phenomena has shown (trumping the belief that you can't create a hallucination (imposition) while sober).

To use the tremors example again, the cause for the tremors itself is neurological. This creates a sensory, chemical impression in the host, that the host feels on a somatic level. The tulpa, never originally having a body with the capacity to be connected to the same neurological wiring, can overcome these sensations. While the host could spend a long time meditating to eventually achieve the same effect, the tulpa is able to do it quickly and without much effort because of this nature. Is this probable?

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You might be right, but I don't agree with you completely. It might not be entirely true that tulpas derive all their experiences from the host. Many tulpas report 'sensory sharing' or similar. And you did narrow down to sensory experience specifically, whereas anything related to the body could equally be a factor.
This is slightly confusing: in my definition, all reports of the body coming to the host are done so through senses, acknowledging the fact that there are more than the 5 standard senses. Proprioception is a sense that is commonly ignored, but it might be the most important one in regards to this discussion. What else related to the body is not obtained through the senses?

'Sensory sharing' during possession, or otherwise? I'm assuming that all sensory information that comes in is processed through the host first, even during possession, where both parties may be technically experiencing the sensation. However, maybe this is a false assumption. I wonder if there's any possibility of setting up some sort of test where this could be measured? Or just give me more information, as this is an important point.

Through posting what I was trying to say seems to be more clear to me now. Understanding that 'placebo' or pure belief is a real force in regards to the mind, how can tulpas relate to the mind and body differently than a host as a result of a disembodiment, and how does tulpa belief function in the mind differently than host belief?

I haven't read much about the experiences of hosts when they are switching, if anyone can provide links to PR or related information/research, that would help me out at the moment a lot.

2
Any suggestion for a better model?

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  But it's a paper on English literature, so I wouldn't take it too seriously.
It's not.

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About 'repressed memories', repressed memories are bullshit
Research sauce? Would like to see that substantiated somehow.
I wasn't referring to repressed memories anyways, more just things you happened to forget because the brain filters out unimportant memories . I remember seeing multiple posts about tulpa/servitors that could remember scripts of entire movies, or otherwise do things that require extraordinary memory.

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I haven't seen an example of a tulpa doing something that you can't do yourself, given some practice
I have been receiving multiple surveys with people claiming that their tulpa has allowed them to control their bodies in ways that they had not previously been able to control. (I guess you could argue they're lying if you wanted to.)
The tulpa is a part of yourself, so technically it's all being done yourself, just that tulpas are somehow doing special that allows them access to parts of the brain previously unknown to function in that way. Maybe you can achieve these abilities without a tulpa specifically, however why I am so fascinated is that the tulpa can 'figure out' how to interact with the mind more intimately than conscious thoughts.

I'm approaching that concept abstractly, the way you explained it still makes sense to me metaphorically. Making an evolving program is rather easy, just depends on how useful you want it to be.
When tulpa creation begins, you don't only begin to talk and wait for response. You decide its functions, what it looks like, personality, etc. The host is the user who makes the decisions. I was abstractly comparing the process of forcing to the process of programming.

I can drop the computer metaphor since it is being taken literally. It doesn't concretely play into the concept like it was taken to be; just for me, it's easier to understand through abstract metaphors. But none of you want to play like that, unfortunately..




I'm trying to point out that a tulpa functions differently in the mind on a neurological level. Again, if someone can counter the chart I posted with a more accurate model, that changes the argument.

Take the example of the individual who has tremors. His tulpa stops the tremors. Doctors told him nothing could stop them. He doesn't know how to do it on his own, and his tulpa can't explain it to him. His tulpa says it's simple, like the act of breathing. How is this possible?

The only way for me to justify it is that tulpas have some kind of more intimate relationship with the brain, or occur somewhere else other than where conscious brain activity is. I'm not saying tulpas are some 'other' thing, or that they are inherently special, or that they're omg programs in ur mind !!1

The fact that tulpas are born without a body may contribute to this. As humans, we are born into a body, and learn to experience the world through senses. How is this different for a tulpa? They are born into your mind, and all knowledge of how to relate to a body comes through the hosts' secondary experience. The sensory information has been processed and abstracted for them already.

Until they learn how to switch, tulpas don't experience a psychosomatic sensation. They receive the impression of one from the host.

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I still feel like what you are saying is continually proving my point. I understand that coding symbolism is pointless when it comes to actually creating a tulpa, and that it's easier to just think of tulpa creation in its own vernacular. I understand that my computer programming metaphor makes everything more complicated. I'm doing that on purpose.

I'm trying to point out that the logical structure that goes into coding follows a similar structure that goes into tulpa creation, but not to be used to imply anything about tulpas; rather, to point at a liminal space that exists between "code and programmable media", and "tulpas and unconscious thought". This is the "psychosomatic relation" I was trying to reference in the first post.

Let me stake out this metaphor plainly again by replacing words from the quote I sauced earlier:
"code, performing as the interface between humans and programmable media, functions in the contemporary cultural Imaginary as the shadowy double of the human-only language inflected and infected by its hidden presence"
can be translated into (and let's remember, purely for fun at this instance)
"tulpas, performing as the interface between humans and unconscious thought, functions in the contemporary cultural Imaginary as the shadowy double of the human-only language inflected and infected by its hidden presence"

From what I understand, tuppers performing stuff such as parallel processing are technically operating in your unconscious realm of thought, whereas normally, you are unable to access those unconscious thoughts, and with a tulpa, you can control the thoughts/what they're doing. Another example is there are people who have tulpas that can access 'hidden/forgotten' memories, although I guess it's arguable whether you are actually accessing real memories or making them up.
Oh, this is the diagram that has probably informed my opinion of how tulpas operate within the psyche: http://i.imgur.com/AoObO.png
If that's been proven idiotic by this point, let me know where to get more informed.

If the above assumption is wrong, then that effectively destroys my entire argument. Which would actually be fantastic.

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I'm not sure if my point is coming across the right way.

I'm in NO way making a literal comparison between the human mind and computers.
Obviously, no, the human mind isn't a computer.

"All I'm suggesting is that by examining the structure of code, it reveals something about the structure of the subconscious..."

Rephrased, the same logic that governs code logic is embedded in human thought.

By finding key similarities between the two and extrapolating the differences, I think there's a better understanding that could be reached. When you throw the phenomena of tulpas into the mix, it gets saucy.

Specifically, in example, consider a thought experiment. Compare the process of programming a code to the process of creating a tulpa. What are the differences between the two? The most immediate difference I can think of is that programming takes much less time for the code "to take", if you want to state it that way. The code can evolve and gain a sense of sentience, but only if you program it to, similar to a tulpa. It opens up the question of what is "true" sentience and loads of other philosophical nonsense which I'm sure you all would love.

Are there not specific methods of tulpamancy that are widely documented here as guides? How is following a guide for tulpa forcing, parroting, possession, etc. different than using pretty little birds and flowers? I'm sure most of the community would agree that the guides are faster than just figuring it out, otherwise the guides wouldn't exist.

Also, yep, I love those nebulous terms, that's why I'm not writing any of the content in my zine. Technically, I don't know anything about tulpas, as I don't have one. I'm just playing devil's advocate.

What theory of consciousness does anyone follow, doesn't seem like Freud is too popular here? From how people talk on the forums, it seems like the majority of people conclude that there is a pretty clear split between consciousness and subconsciousness (maybe just unconscious?), and tulpas are used as a way to bridge the two together. Would love it if someone could correct me on this one, as I've stated previously, science and hard psychology are not my expertise.

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You're a sassy one.

The problem with what you're suggesting is that metaphysics is a self-fufilling theory. The entire structure that makes up metaphysics was created not based on a physical documented entity, but to justify phenomena that are already occurring. There's no evidence for the existence of metaphysics, only a lot of things that can align and suggest its existence.

Computers and programming are widely documented as, well, ... being real. So, comparing something tangible (something we can physically interact with; computers, and by proxy, programming) to something intangible (that only exists in the brain; tulpas, subconscious) is a more concrete analysis than comparing something intangible (metaphysics) to something intangible (subconscious).

Additionally, the theories I'm referencing are widely documented and widely accepted field of academia. As opposed to metaphysics, which as you obviously pointed out, is a joke.

All I'm suggesting is that by examining the structure of code, it reveals something about the structure of the subconscious, something that has been discussed ad infinitum by critical theorists at this point.

I find it intriguing to contrast this idea with the phenomena of tulpas (lifting this citation from a web page since I can't be arsed to dig through this paper right now):
"In "Traumas of Code" Hayles asserts that "trauma has structural affinities with code" because "code, performing as the interface between humans and programmable media, functions in the contemporary cultural Imaginary as the shadowy double of the human-only language inflected and infected by its hidden presence" (Hayles 157)"

I can't help but find an uncanny metaphorical semblance between that assertion and how tulpas function between the body and subconscious.

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Like you said, for some people, the brute force method works by using sheer processing power. However, constructing a more formulaic algorithm is almost always more efficient. To come to these algorithms we need to understand how the system works. By getting shit done faster, more gets done, so why not? You're still speaking the language of how a computer functions.
Following your example, I'm sure the relaxation technique the hypnotist is trying to employ is trying to run simultaneously to a subconscious relaxation technique that you have already established, creating an error. (This is a subjective assumption, so obviously my point is arguable.)
Personally, I'm not that powerful, and would try to construct a method to follow to make it easier as opposed to a brute force method like you described. For me, this is much less of a hassle.

But that's a personal preference, again. I find raw thoughts distressingly agitating, and have a feeling most people have an organized (subconscious) method of filtering them... again, similar to the way a computer filters 1s and 0s into a GUI.

I'd be interested in dropping in on that, if only to lurk and to have some logs to comb through.

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Fortunately, my field consists of making baseless assumptions about everything, so you're in luck. This is one place where we differ, I get great enjoyment out of abstracting everything as much as possible and convoluting situations as much as possible.

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I guess I'll never really know.
This answer isn't fun, so I refuse it.
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Also "programming" servitors sounds like people trying to make the mind be a computer when it's not, really.
I beg to differ. This is a matter of opinion, but computers were made by humans. Programming is a set of logic that is based from the human psyche. If you're bored and want to read some pretentious critical theory, Sarah Hayles' "Trauma of Code" is an interesting read.

For my purposes, the answer is yes. I know servitors are basically defined by the act of being a servitor.
I'm asking because if the awareness of this is what sets them apart, yet they still use the same neural pathways, wouldn't that open up new possibilities for understanding the ways brain development/learning works? Or am I placing importance on something that is already mundane? Specifically considering those people who may have certain impairments or disabilities.

For example, there was a fellow on tulpa.info who said their tulpa would lessen their tremors during possession. If it is possible to create a servitor for this function (which I am assuming is possible, I'm going to be contacting them further), what does that mean for the current understanding of how the brain works? Understand that this is a condition deemed impossible to cure by doctors, yet their tulpa can stop it very simply.

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So we know that with tulpas, we can achieve mental feats such as parallel processing. This feat seems unprecedented, but the more I consider the function of tulpas such as servitors, is it possible that tulpas are only notable because of the controlled/conscious quality they have, and that besides that defining characteristic (although it is an important one), are otherwise un-noteworthy?

For example, consider the act of walking and talking simultaneously. For those who struggle with this activity, is it possible that they have simply (unknowingly) not programmed the correct function or servitor for this activity? Can tulpas/servitors be used to explain everyday functions that the brain executes without the conscious mind being aware? Other examples include people who are great at mental math, imposition used for drawing, etc...

If this has already been discussed, please link for my lurking pleasure. Thanks~

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General Discussion / Re: Tulpa Zine
« on: October 26, 2013, 11:51:30 PM »
I agree with having a forum based poll instead of IRC meetings.
I need to figure out how many people are interested in being a featured writer, first, because that determines how many deliberative processes would be practical to employ.
I'm tentative to the idea of having a pool of "guaranteed" writers, as this binds them and becomes more of a "job" than simply contributed volunteer content. Since I would be working on a personal deadline for each issue, the idea of becoming a staff manager isn't appealing to me. Additionally, this implies there are more than 2-3 people interested in contributing this specific type of content, so we'll have to see how this pans out. I have a feeling that the people who contribute, consistently, over time, will become featured writers just by default, but we'll see.

For now, how about I do this. After the first issue comes out, I'll generate the theme/prompt for the second issue. (With maybe the theme being chosen by poll/suggestion, not sure yet.) Writers who are interested can propose in the forum with their idea/outline/concept for the piece. After about a week of accepting initial ideas, I'll put the proposals to poll, and  choose whoever wins out. Depending on how this process goes, I can tweak it further for issue 3.

Just thinking about how that will play out, mostly I'm worried about not getting enough participation to merit a deliberative process. Another factor that adds into the confusion of forum polling is the fact that I'm also advertising the zine on tulpa.info, so I'm not sure how to account with vote duplicity and all. Since tulpa.info has a larger userbase, I'm feeling like posting it over there as opposed to here might be the best option just in the interest of getting enough votes to justify the voting. I'll post the link over here too, so anyone who's not prone to using/can't use tulpa.info could just post a reply with their opinion.

I'm considering making the article a 2-page spread, so that up to 2 pages of writing will be accepted. If it's less, than I have more room for white space in the layout to play with. This opens the possibility of opposing articles (each 1 page) being published alongside one another: so one person could propose for 2 different related articles, or 2 authors could propose for 2 different related articles as a team.

My skype username is penultimate.forme if anyone wants to contact me that way. I'm not around on IRC but if anyone wants to have some sort of meeting-type deal for whatever reason, I'm open to that. My current timeline for the first issue is in about a week.

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General Discussion / Re: Tulpa Zine
« on: October 26, 2013, 05:07:42 PM »
Oops, sorry guys. Fede, I already responded to your email before I saw this.

Everything is coming together rather chaotically, as that tends to be my workflow at this point in time. I have a lot going on, and I'm trying to push the release of the zine as rapidly as possible--as a result, this doesn't really allow for a democratic process.

I agree in theory, this is an awesome idea, and I can incorporate that in future issues when I get shit together and have a more organized basis for releasing each issue. Right now, I'm still trying to nail down the format of the zine, and unfortunately this includes a lot of spontaneous decisions on my part. I haven't quite made anything official, and haven't sent waffles a solidified prompt or anything. That's something I'm generating tonight, and since nobody else has contacted me about submitting articles for the zine, I assumed waffles was the only person interested.

In the future, I can generate this prompt much earlier in the planning stages, and post it on the forums as an "open response" format. Ideally, for me, I would prefer to have 2 complimentary articles on opposing pages by 2 different authors. This still leaves choosing whose 2 to display a tricky decision, and while for me, it's easier to choose the authors based on my decision, I'm at odds with the idea of making a zine that's for a community that doesn't get a say in the decisions being made as to what content is displayed.

Personally, not knowing any of you, I'm unsure as to how to proceed with a democratic process. Would open IRC "meetings" be something anyone would be interested in? I don't have the time to moderate this process, per se, so the resulting free for all might be chaotic. I'm open to suggestions, though.

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General Discussion / Re: Tulpa Awareness
« on: October 25, 2013, 12:52:17 AM »
Hallucinations are totally normal though. Everyone has them, when you fall asleep, as you dream, when you wake up, those spots in your vision that are really blind spots but your brain renders vision there anyway. And as Fede has shown me, these are rather normal as well. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Closed_eye_hallucinations
I agree, but that's sort of my point. Hallucinations aren't treated as normal.

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General Discussion / Re: Tulpa Zine
« on: October 24, 2013, 04:46:27 PM »
It's a self-published work. Not super legitimate, but I have my own means of distribution, printing, and the skills required to make a 'professional' looking publication.

What separates this from others that have tried to go before is that mine will keep updating. Additionally, I am technically an outsider of the community, so this isn't really for my personal use as a guide.

I could argue the importance of what I'm doing, but I don't think anyone really cares. My point can only be proven or disproven by the act of doing it. You can send me content if you want to, or not. Please still send me stuff even if you think what I'm doing is pointless or stupid. I'm still going to do it. We'll see what happens.

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General Discussion / Re: Tulpa Zine
« on: October 24, 2013, 02:50:06 PM »
In addition to the interview survey, I'm also wondering if anyone would be interested in writing articles for the zine.

The only necessity is that they're grounded by a science-minded/research philosophy (note, philosophy, not format; there doesn't need to be a concrete basis for the article, just the underlying philosophy. aka no meta/magick). They can be opinionated or research driven. Creative writing will be accepted as well. About a page long for each issue.
Each issue will have an overarching theme, and so the article would have to relate to the theme. But it can be interpreted loosely.

The theme for issue 1 is Introduction, so, a vanilla approach to tulpas to form the basis of the zine.
For example, the intro page of tulpa.info is a good start. It's interesting, hooks the reader, and implies there is more to be discovered.

If you have whatever writing, or an idea for an article that doesn't match the theme of introduction, you should submit it to me anyways. I'll use it in the future.

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General Discussion / Re: Tulpa Awareness
« on: October 24, 2013, 02:21:33 PM »
Sup.

I've been considering this a lot (see: just made a thread about the tulpa zine.)

I don't really have an opinion of the mainstreaming of it. If it happens, it happens, and there will be consequences for everyone, positive and negative. It's inevitable if this occurs, and I think the response shouldn't be "no, that can't happen" or "how can we stop it". I think it becomes an issue of getting shit together and presenting as a community of which the mainstream can communicate with, without coming off as crazies, teenagers, or pretenders. A pre-emptive strike of sorts.

Personally, as someone without a tulpa, I have tried to have conversations about tulpa to multiple people.
A few of them, surprisingly, would recount how they relate to tulpa. For example, an imaginary friend, rogue voices, etc. They all have the sentiment that they thought it was schizophrenic, unusual, and shameful. There seems to be an outstanding paradigm that the human mind does NOT hallucinate on its own (e.g. without drugs); if it does, you're sick.

The rest of those that responded to me prove this point: normally mouth agape, eyes wide, and the more I talk, it seems the less credible I become. They thought I was crazy, and this is coming from someone who does NOT have a tulpa. I can't imagine trying to communicate the idea as a host.

For tulpas to become acceptable in the mainstream, the mainstream has to accept the fact that hallucinations=/=drugs and schizophrenia. I think that when people talk about meditating, etc. as well, it is automatically connotative as being meta and not having real-world effects.

Back to my zine, this is sort of what I want the purpose to be. Something devoid of memes, tropes, and presented as a professional looking publication with production value. It's bells and whistles, but those are what legitimize information more often than not before scientific academia will take a look at it.

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