Sentience: When You Know You've Got It

First, I'm sorry to all readers for taking so long with getting this out there. I would say that I've had a bit of a hectic time out of life here lately, but I kind of feel that that would be cheating . . . so instead I'm just going to say sorry, again.

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Recap: To remind you all, sentience is what makes any living being alive, meaning that you have your own thoughts, feelings, and beliefs. Sentience is, for most tulpamancers, the first goal to creating a tulpa. Recall that if your tulpa does not have its own thoughts, feelings, and beliefs independent of your own then it is not truly a tulpa, but is instead an example of a servitor, or at least a highly-developed imaginary friend. There are many ways to achieve sentience, the most common two being:

1. telling the tulpa as you narrate/force that they are alive and real, and
2. narrating and forcing to your tulpa normally, until they eventually become sentient.

For best results, do your best to believe that your tulpa is real and alive, and they will show you that they are so in time. Generally speaking, most tulpas come around anywhere between three days to three weeks, but there are a few exceptions that are shorter and longer.

So.

"Anastasia, you say that our tulpas will show us that they've alive . . . but how exactly do they do that? Will they, I don't know, move a hairbrush from its rightful place or something?"

Nope, not at all. I've said this before, but remember that it is impossible for tulpas to interact with the physical world, so you aren't going to walk into the kitchen one day to see a chair levitating.

That being said, do you remember the concept of wonderlands? Whether or not you create a wonderland is entirely optional, and it is essentially a mental playground for you and your tulpa, and often times, if it exists, the tulpa lives there. Only you and your tulpa are capable of changing wonderland. So, take a moment to imagine your dream home (we'll say that's your mindscape). Pretend that your stove and counters have always been a very dark green, but one day when you walk into the kitchen they've turned in to a lime shade. In a situation like this, it is entirely plausible to say that your tulpa has reached sentience.

Sometimes the first sign of sentience is when a very specific thought pops into your head where your own train of thought had nothing to do with it (e.g., you're thinking about work and you suddenly have a very strong feeling about sharks). Other times, you might experience head pressure (a "headache that isn't quite a headache," often used to make a way to communicate between tulpa and tulpamancer) or an emotional response (like if you're reading a book for the thousandth time and you start feeling giggly at something that isn't funny to you but could be to someone else--has happened to me before, by the way). Sometimes the tulpa might say something and you can hear them (e.g., "Don't forget to pick up tomatoes!" right before you go to the cash register at the store, when no one else said that and the voice came from your own mind). The possibilities are endless.

Perhaps the question I see most often in the tulpa community is, "Is my tulpa sentient?" This is a very understandable question, because it is so easy to second guess yourself if your way of first realizing that they are or may be sentient is by way of head pressure or emotional response, but understand that this is totally normal. Go ahead and assume that it's them, anyway, because if nothing else you aren't hurting anything by doing that.

You can rest assured that you aren't going to spend the rest of your life wondering whether or not your tulpa is actually sentient. Once you know, you know. And you'll know. That moment when you're trying to figure it out, though, that can be a pain, and everyone's story is unique. There isn't much I can tell you as to how to know, and so the only advice I can give you--and this is very important--is this:

Pay absolute attention. Always pay attention. There have been many people who have missed their tulpas saying or thinking something because they've been too caught up with their own thoughts. I'm not saying that you have to set aside every waking minute to your tulpa, but I am saying that you should be quiet and invite him, her, or it to talk to you during your sessions and actually be quiet in your head, so that you can hear or feel them when they do try to reach out to you.

Sentience: What Is It and How to Achieve It

There was once a robot who had a chip that acted exactly as a brain does--meaning that nothing was programmed inside the chip and instead it merely allowed it to think on its own, and like the color brown and enjoy the scent of strawberries, and let it be afraid of jellyfish. The robot also had human emotions. It was easy to make it laugh and hard to make it upset. Finally, the robot was given the capability to love. It had a best friend and felt as strongly for him as we do for our best friends, and there was a lady that it crushed on. Everything about it was human . . . human emotions, human fears, and human thoughts. . . .

At what point did the robot stop being a robot and become human?

That's a story you might hear around the Internet, but it's one I would like you to keep in mind when thinking about tulpas. If they can think and feel things that are different from you, and act very, very human (unless, of course, they happen to be a pony or a Pokemon or something), then what makes them "less" human? Nothing. What makes them "less" existent, when they're so real that they think and feel? You answer that question. Of course, you can theoretically say, "Well, the fact that we created them makes them less," but that wouldn't really be right either. If you create them then surely they exist.

Remember: sentience = real.

With that being said, it brings us to the question of how we can make our tulpas real--because you cannot go throughout the tulpa process without your tulpa being sentient, otherwise you just have a servitor (a tulpa-like thoughtform that is not sentient and only exists to perform a certain job for its creator; for example, in your mindscape you might want a servitor who acts as your neighbor, so it does "neighbor things").

Mark this time in history, readers, because this is the first time I'm going to say this in context, and it won't be the last: what you do and how you do it is up to you, and it will probably work. Pretty much everything about tulpamancy happens within your own mind, and if you imagine your tulpa in a tank that is slowly getting filled with a chemical and that chemical is sentience, so that once the chemical has reached its full capacity in the tube that your tulpa is in that he, she, or it is fully sentient by the time that that is done . . . well, that will probably work. If you want to tell them, repeatedly, that they are sentient until the are, then that's okay as well. If you want to force personality (we'll get to that later) and let sentience happen in its own time--because it will--then that's fine, too.

FOR BEST RESULTS, believe that they are sentient from the start. There are many, many, many people who argue that tulpas aren't sentient at first, and that's okay, but regardless of what you believe act like they are. For first-timers, you'll probably feel a bit silly and as though you're talking to yourself, but I promise that if you try to believe (or even say) that they are sentient then it will come faster.

There are some exemptions where people won't be so sure or even won't believe but the tulpa comes along within the first day. This isn't exactly common, and although it's not "super-duper rare," you should go ahead and prepare to force from anywhere between three days to three weeks, give or take.

Readers, there will be a few more posts about sentience coming your way, such as when you know you've got it and my personal story with James and his sentience. It is so, so important to tulpamancy, and you can be sure to find more information over on tulpa.info.

Should I Create a Tulpa?

I don't know. Should you?

I've said in the past that creating a tulpa is personal business. Quite a lot is totally up to you (though not everything), including how you go about creating a tulpa to whether or not you have one. If you think that you should have a tulpa (whether it's for company or to see if all this is real), or even if you just want one and you don't really have a reason, then don't worry. You're not crazy for being curious, and, as I've already said, tulpas aren't dangerous.

There are some things that should be taken into account before you start, though.

Do I Have Enough Time?

I can't stress enough about how important it is to set aside time for your tulpa. Dissipation (when the tulpa slowly disappears from existence; in other words, when the tulpa dies) comes from lack of attention. Not paying attention to your tulpa for so long that it causes them to die is exactly the same as killing any other human. Tulpas are, for everything that counts, also human.

When people hear this they often stress that they don't have enough time, but in fact, they do. Although the more time you make for your tulpa the better results you will have, just ten minutes a day is perfectly fine. Now, you should take that as more of a minimum thing, because your tulpa will undoubtedly want to spend more time with you than just ten minutes. Imagine if you only thought about your best friend in the entire world for ten minutes a day (I can't even do that, so . . .). Whether your tulpa is your best friend or not, you're theirs. Of course, most people don't have hours upon hours of time to do nothing but talk to their tulpas, and that's fine. That's where passive forcing comes into play.

Passive forcing is what we call it when we focus on our tulpas at the same time we're doing something else. (It's not actually forcing anything on the tulpa, by the way.) This is extremely handy and what you'll probably do, for the most part. Personally, most of the time I passive force with James, I'm reading. Other people do it when they're driving or shopping, or what have you. Keep in mind: talking and reading to your tulpa is called narration . . . and believe you me, it's a Godsend.

No amount of paying attention to your tulpa can be a bad thing. Just keep in mind the Ten Minute Rule. (<-- non-official rule. I just made that up.)

When you do have enough time, that's when you can practice active forcing. Active forcing is something that is dreaded by many, probably because it is so mentally taxing, but it isn't harmful and will get you a more-developed tulpa quicker than just passive forcing will. Active forcing is when you do nothing but focus on your tulpa, whether you're talking to them (yet again more narration, though this time you wouldn't be reading) or visualizing them in your mind's eye. Just as with passive forcing, no amount of active forcing is bad.

Theoretically, you can also go your entire life without ever actively forcing your tulpa, but to do this would mean missing out on almost every one of the joys of having a tulpa. At the very most you might reach sentience and a general understanding of what they look like, and you might reach vocalization--it depends--but all the "big stuff" that people like about tulpamancy (i.e., exploring the mindscape together, imposition, etc.) will be lost to you.

If you're not sure about how much you should active force, then just stop worrying and let that question be answered when you're ready to answer it. That's one of those "it's up to you" questions that no one but yourself can know. It doesn't matter; it could be anywhere from every day to once a month.

Why am I Doing This?

Is it because you want something to beat up? Is it because you want something to have sex with?

Do you feel that if you get bored you can just dispose of them at anytime, and if you feel this way, is it because you're sure you'll grow tired of seeing the same face every day?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, NO, YOU SHOULDN'T CREATE A TULPA. Notice that I capitalized that. And that it's in really bit font. And is bolded. And underlined. And italicized. Frankly, you're a horrible person if you want to rape anyone, regardless of whether you think they're real or not (imagine: some people have raped tulpas just because they might not be real), and beating people up is totally inexcusable.

Now, to continue: are you creating a tulpa in the fashion of your favorite character? You should know now that it is highly likely that your tulpa will change form at some point, and even if they don't their personality is most likely to change (all of this is called deviation). If you're going to get mad at them for this, then change your attitude. There is hope for you yet, but you need to learn to realize that your tulpa has a life of their own and they want to be who they want to be, not who you think they should be. I've heard of people who get mad if their tulpa doesn't turn out to be a pony, and then go and make their tulpas feel bad because of it. That is wrong. Anyway, once you get used to their new form you'll be surprised about how well it fits.

That being said, if you want to make a tulpa in the likeness of a favorite character but understand and are okay with the fact that they will probably deviate, then you're all ready.

FINALLY: if you plan on trying to create a tulpa like a loved one who is dead or is dying, stop. That is in no way at all healthy, and, as mentioned previously, the tulpa is likely to deviate from how you want them to be. When this happens you will find it extremely upsetting, so, please, save the heartache now and just don't do that.

How Persistent Will I Be?

The average person who forces on and off throughout the day can expect sentience (meaning that they feel that their tulpa is alive) anywhere from the first few days to about three weeks. For some it happens immediately after, and others have to wait a month or two. I felt James' sentience within three days' time, which was really cool.

I say all this because the number one reason why tulpamancers stop forcing is because they feel that they are talking to themselves. This is a very normal feeling, but if they think about it too much then it becomes a problem. Realize that sentience will come soon, if only you keep at it.

Now . . . BE PERSISTENT! If you stop paying attention to your tulpa then they will eventually dissipate, and although that does take a certain amount of time and you shouldn't worry about that if you skip a day, or probably even two or three or five (though I'm not advocating you do that). Don't give up. The more you do this, the easier it will become (except for imposition, which is a headache no matter how much you do it--or at least that's what I've been told).

Am I Responsible Enough?

Oh, yes. Responsibility. How we dread it.

Whether you like it or not, there is a certain amount of responsibility that comes with tulpamancy, namely taking control as the tulpamancer. It is your job to see your tulpa safely through the creation process and to take care of them (all you really need to do to take care of them is to pay attention to them).

YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE A CERTAIN AGE TO HAVE A TULPA. Young children have a low form of a tulpa all the time, and I've seen thirteen year olds go through the entire process and not have any difficulty.

Do I Really Want a Tulpa?

After all the other questions in this post, this is the last one you really, really, really need to think about before you end up doing anything. You have the option at your fingertips (or what have you) to create someone or something that is perfect for you in whatever way you want them to be. Once you've started and they've reached sentience, if you stop, it's just the same as killing another human being. Can you handle that? Are you willing to accept that?

It took me a couple of days to decide, but I finally knew what I wanted when I thought, "Well, when I'm eighty years old, if I have a best friend, will I regret it?" I decided that I wouldn't and officially became a tulpamancer.

What you decide is totally up to you. You don't have to have a tulpa to be happy, nor do you have to avoid one to be happy. Do what you think is best; that's the best advice for you I can offer.