Thoughts (Part 1; Etheric)

Some background and terminology

Thoughts are mysterious. While everyone knows what it means to have a thought, it's difficult to explain exactly what one is. Given how much time we spending thinking, there's probably no better activity to map.
Words like "mind", "thought", "intelligence" and "reason" are notoriously vague in English. For example, the ancient Greek terms noesis, dianoia and phronesis refer to specific modes of thinking, but the English translations of them overlap and are all over the place. So it'll be helpful to start with defining some terms. Take the terms I use here as working models, not fixed definitions. They may not be appropriate in certain contexts, like if you're talking about the thought of an angel.
Thoughts have an astral and etheric component. You often hear the terms 'thoughts' and 'thoughtforms'. A 'thoughtform' is the packed astral form of the thought: its meaning. A 'thought' is a thoughtform plus the etheric manifestation of it in the cranial envelope.
The chitta is a refined layer of etheric substance that can reflect astral forms as thoughts. The chitta in humans is located in the cranial envelope. Note the word chitta in the Samkhya school is much broader than this, and means 'mindstuff' or the 'carrier of mind' generally.

Thoughts and Emotions

Is there a real difference between thoughts and emotions, or are they part of the same continuum? Without trying to come to a definitive answer to this question, two considerations that point to emotions and thoughts being closer than we might think:
- Emotions are not just something you feel, they have a cognitive component. When you feel anger, or fear, or pride, it is usually based on an evaluation. E.g., I'm angry because my girlfriend cheated on me. I'm proud because I won an award.
- Similarly, thoughts have a feeling component. Thoughts can feel muddy, ugly, divine, elevated, inspired, clarifying, twisted, perverse, bitter. Even the driest mathematical thought has a certain flavor to it.

Moon-Mercury Correspondence to Thoughts

Thoughts and the process of thinking strongly resonate with the Moon-Mercury pairing of planetary forces. Mercury corresponds to the astral component, and the Moon to the etheric component. Contemplating this dialectic can lead to deep insights about thinking.
This is why traditionally people who have a strong, flowing Moon-Mercury aspect are clear thinkers and eloquent speakers. Their chitta naturally and smoothly reflects thoughtforms in a variety of ways. They may not be intelligent or have anything profound to say, but they know how to communicate and explain what they are thinking. For them in particular, there is no hard dichotomy between thinking and feeling.

Parallels between the process of thinking and digestion

The etheric of the cranial envelope tires easily and needs to recover through sleep after intense thinking. When you overeat as well, you feel sluggish and want to sleep.

When you overeat, it's difficult to think. When you are engaged in intense thinking, it's hard to eat - you don't feel your hunger and forget to eat. Try reading something very interesting and stimulating if you are fasting. Or better yet, something active like programming. (Coffee, which generally intensifies thinking, is a common substance used by dieters to deal with hunger pains).
On a broader scale, much of the process of digestion occurs when you are asleep. Which is why bodybuilders spend so much time sleeping and napping. Similarly, if you get a good nap or rest at night after studying, your cranial envelope will have assimilated what you have been trying to learn and you'll have fresh insights and understanding.
It's easy to map food using the model of the gunas. Even when you are talking about the same types of food. It's also easy to map thoughts using the model of the gunas. Putting aside the meaning of the words, some writers pass very clear, sattvic thoughts that awaken your chitta. Others, like many news articles, have a rajasic charge that agitates your astral body.
Really try to see the process of thinking as a process of digestion. You are building and refining the fine etheric layer of your cranial envelope when you think. Most thoughtforms that we encounter are like tamasic junk food and dull the chitta considerably.

Memory

Memory is normally an etheric capacity.
Again, this is why in astrology a strong Moon indicates a strong memory, and why the Moon is also associated with people who are nostalgic and can't get let go of the past. They are gripped by their memories.
A memory that can recreate multisensory past experiences in great detail indicates a very special and refined chitta.

Cultivating the Chitta

The types of thoughtforms you are able to access and reflect depends on the quality of your chitta. You need an extremely refined chitta, full of light, if you want to reach sublime thoughtforms that carry connection and inspiration.
Being able to access high noetic forms is more of an astral ability than etheric. But without a suitably cultivated chitta to reflect these forms, you will not be able to fully manifest them in this world. You might have access to great flows of inspiration but not understand what you are receiving.
Treat your cranial envelope as you would a precious garden. You want to make sure the soil is full of nutrients, you use the cleanest water, etc.

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