Control of Thought

Dr. Steiner advises that people spend a month doing each of the Six Basic Exercises. The first is called “Control of Thought,” and we will describe it here.

Below is the version I practice, and it’s based on indications from Steiner, Florin Lowndes, and Mark Riccio from the Organic Thinking website. As a side note, this method arises from deep study of Steiner’s The Philosophy of Spiritual Activity. (This text is also known as The Philosophy of Freedom).

The Process of Control of Thought

Take a simple manmade object such as a pencil and plan to spend at least five minutes thinking about it. Here is the process:

1. First, study the object visually, noticing every detail you can about it.
2. Next, imagine the process that created the object. For example with a pencil, imagine where the materials came from, how they were cut and shaped, put together, painted, and so on.
3. Third, imagine how we use the object. For example, imagine how people write or draw with the pencil.
4. Next, imagine everything you know about its creator and his/her intention. You may or may not have an answer for this, but try it. In the case of the pencil, it was a French chemist who wanted something easy to write and erase with for Industrial Revolution-era factories.
5. Fifth, imagine the moral necessity of the object. For the pencil, it makes writing easier than with a pen since mistakes can be made and corrected. It brings ease to life in the home, classroom, office, factory, studio, etc.
6. Sixth, imagine the history of the object up until this particular iteration of it. For the pencil, that will include many variations, sizes, colors, materials, and so on.
7. Seventh, imagine new forms of the object. With the pencil, this may include modern-day mechanical varieties, or perhaps the same one still being produced.
8. Next, reverse the thought wave and re-imagine everything you have imagined backwards.
9. The last step is to stop the thought stream and pay attention to the forehead. You may have the feeling of certainty, confidence, and/or clarity. Pour this feeling back through your brain and down your spinal cord.

Try this exercise for at least five minutes every day for a month and observe its effects on yourself and your life.