The Magical Power of Thoughts

What does a thought look like?

A baby fish watches a tasty morsel swimming in front of it. Neurons fire in its brain, and it recognizes a potential meal. Its eyes converge, it beats its tail, and it heads in for the kill.

Trillions of baby fishes have enacted this little tableau for half a billion years, but this individual is special. It has been altered by a team of Japanese scientists so that its neurons give off a flash of light whenever they fire. And since its head is transparent, any onlooker can see its brain activity. In doing the rather mundane task of capturing a meal, this fish is putting on a nifty real-time light show.

It is showing us what a thought looks like.

These tiny animals, whose brains are a fraction of a millimeter across, have transparent bodies, giving a direct window into their brains. And those brains are small, with just 300,000 neurons compared to our 100 billion. Imagine what our brains would look like if they were as transparent.

This film was made in 2013. It was the first time we see a thought as a real thing, an electrical exchange of energy that results in a charged emission that can be measured in terms of power. This demonstrates that thoughts have the transferred power of the energy exchange that caused them.

The human brain, however, has 100 billion neurons making more connections than all the cell phones in the world. In fact, the human brain produces 125 trillion signals a second.  For perspective that is fifty times the number of fish living on/in planet earth… every second.

Numbers are hard to imagine unless we add a visual.

The Magical Power of Thoughts

(Or… What Is a Signal?)

Before we talk about magical thinking, we need to talk about signals.

What is a signal?

At its simplest, a signal is energy in motion carrying information.

Inside your body, that usually means one of two things:

• An electrical impulse traveling along a neuron.
• A chemical message released across a synapse.

An electrical change triggers a chemical release.
A chemical release triggers another electrical change.
That cascade becomes movement.

A muscle contracts.
An enzyme is released.
A hormone shifts.

Energy converts form.

Electric to chemical.
Chemical to kinetic.
Potential to movement.

Energy and matter are always in transition.

And remember the fundamental rule:

Energy cannot be created or destroyed — only transformed.

Your body is a continuous conversion factory.

‍

How Many Signals Are Firing?

Your nervous system is processing an astronomical number of signals every second.

Sensory input.
Internal regulation.
Memory activation.
Motor preparation.
Autonomic adjustments.

Most of this never becomes conscious thought.

It doesn’t need to.

If every signal reached awareness, you’d be paralyzed.

Breathing would require a meeting.
Walking would need a committee vote.

Thankfully, it’s automatic.

‍

The Myth of Constant Thinking

We like to imagine we are thinking all the time.

We’re not.

Conscious thoughts arise intermittently — surfacing from a vast ocean of unconscious processing.

Neuroscience suggests that what we call a “thought” is the result of large-scale neural coordination that takes measurable time to form — roughly half a second from preconscious buildup to conscious awareness.

Half a second.

In microscopic terms, that’s slow.

In human terms, it feels instantaneous.

Alan Watts said:

“Here you are… here you aren’t.”

In a way, that’s neurologically accurate.

Conscious thought flickers.

There is processing.
Then awareness.
Then quiet again.

You are not thinking every moment.

You are emerging into thought.

Then dissolving back into signal.

‍

So What Is the Brain’s Power?

In physics, we use the term potential energy to describe stored capacity within a system.

A coiled spring holds more potential energy than a relaxed strip of metal.

Stretch a slinky and you feel the resistance.

Sit on it accidentally — and you permanently rearrange its potential. (Fathers everywhere have done this.)

When potential energy is released, it becomes kinetic energy.

Stored becomes motion.

Capacity becomes action.

Your brain is a living system of enormous potential energy.

Not mystical energy.

Electrochemical potential.

Voltage gradients.
Neurotransmitter reserves.
Synaptic strengths waiting to fire.

At any moment, patterns can activate.

A memory.
An insight.
A fear.
An idea.

Stored networks become kinetic thought.

‍

Why Thoughts Feel Magical

Here’s where it gets interesting.

A thought is not “nothing.”

It is a measurable electrical event.

It consumes glucose.
It alters blood flow.
It shifts electromagnetic patterns.

It is energy configured in a particular pattern.

And when that pattern repeats, it strengthens.

What fires together wires together.

Repeated thought increases potential.

Potential becomes likelihood.

Likelihood becomes habit.

Habit becomes personality.

Personality becomes life trajectory.

That’s not mysticism.

That’s plasticity.

‍

The Real Magic

The “magic” of thoughts isn’t that they bend physics.

It’s that they reorganize biology.

And biology interacts with environment.

Your posture changes.
Your tone changes.
Your micro-expressions shift.
Your decisions alter.

Other nervous systems respond.

Doors open differently.

Conversations tilt.

Opportunities appear — or are ignored.

Energy converts.

Thought → Action → Reaction → Outcome.

The system is always converting.

The question is not:

“Are thoughts powerful?”

They are.

The real question is:

Are you choosing which potential you release?

Because potential becomes kinetic.

And kinetic becomes life.

‍

E = mc² — And the Power on Your Shoulders

You’ve seen the equation.

E = mc²

Einstein’s most famous contribution to physics.

E is energy.
m is mass.
c is the speed of light.

And yes — c is squared.

The speed of light is approximately:

300,000 kilometers per second
(about 186,000 miles per second)

That’s not just fast.

That’s the universal speed limit.

So when Einstein squared that number in his equation, he wasn’t being dramatic.

He was revealing something astonishing:

Even a tiny amount of mass contains an extraordinary amount of energy.

‍

Why Is It Squared?

In physics, kinetic energy increases with the square of velocity.

Double the speed — quadruple the energy.

The squaring reflects how dramatically energy scales with velocity.

So when mass is multiplied by the speed of light squared…

You get a colossal number.

That’s why nuclear reactions — where a small amount of mass is converted into energy — release enormous power.

A frequently cited example:

If you could convert just 1 gram of matter completely into energy via E=mc², the energy released would be equivalent to tens of thousands of tons of TNT.

That’s not metaphorical.

That’s physics.

‍

Now… Back to the Brain

The average adult brain weighs about 1.3–1.4 kilograms.

It’s roughly 70–75% water.

If — purely hypothetically — that mass were fully converted into energy via E=mc², the number would be staggering.

But pause.

That is not what your brain is doing.

You are not walking around with a nuclear device on your shoulders.

Your brain does not convert mass to energy in that way.

Biological systems operate through chemical energy — primarily glucose metabolism — not mass annihilation.

The point of the equation here is not explosive potential.

It’s perspective.

It shows us that matter and energy are interchangeable.

That what feels solid is fundamentally dynamic.

And that within even ordinary matter lies extraordinary capacity.

‍

So What Happens to a Thought?

Now we return to the important question.

What happens to a thought?

A thought is an electrochemical event.

Neurons fire.
Neurotransmitters release.
Networks synchronize.

Energy changes form.

And from there, one of two practical things happens:

‍

1. It Reinforces a Neural Pattern

If repeated, the thought strengthens circuits.

Circuits influence perception.

Perception influences behavior.

Behavior shapes life outcomes.

The “conversion” is not cosmic.

It’s biological and behavioral.

Thought → Neural reinforcement → Action → Result.

That’s the material pathway.

‍

2. It Fades

If not reinforced, the neural activation weakens.

Synapses prune.

Energy dissipates.

Not into the stars.

Into entropy.

Your brain is efficient.

It keeps what you repeat.

It lets go of what you don’t.

‍

The Real Power

So here is the part truly worth contemplating:

Every repeated thought you energize becomes more likely to fire again.

More likely to shape perception.

More likely to guide decision.

More likely to sculpt your future.

That’s not mystical.

That’s neuroplastic.

If your current life reflects repeated thought patterns…

Then change is not about wishing.

It’s about rewiring.

And rewiring requires:

Attention.
Repetition.
Emotion.
Practice.

The awe of E=mc² isn’t that you’re a bomb.

It’s that you are structured energy.

Dynamic.

Reconfigurable.

And far more powerful than you were ever taught — not because you can explode…

…but because you can evolve.

‍

Thoughts Are Real Things

Thoughts are not vapor.

They are measurable electrical and chemical events.

Until now, you’ve probably let them run randomly.

You saw something.

You reacted.

You heard something.

You reacted.

The news flashed a headline.

The credit card bill arrived.

Someone made a comment.

Within roughly half a second — 500 milliseconds — your nervous system generated a response.

Not a carefully crafted opinion.

A reaction.

Your senses sensed.

Your brain predicted.

Your body responded.

Then a thought appeared to explain it.

Most of what we call “thinking” is actually reaction.

The Foundation of Real Magic

One of the foundations of real magic — and I use that word deliberately — is this:

The ability to observe your reaction…

…and then choose a better one.

Not fake positivity.

Not denial.

Not chanting affirmations over fear.

You cannot control the initial surge.

It happens too fast.

That’s biology.

The first wave is automatic.

The second wave is optional.

And that’s where power lives.

Positive Thinking Is Not the Point

Let me be clear.

You cannot force your first thought to be positive.

The nervous system is wired for threat detection.

But you can notice the reaction.

You can interrupt the loop.

You can choose the next thought.

That’s not self-help fluff.

That’s executive function.

That’s cortical override.

That’s you stepping into authorship.

Where the Shift Happens

Let’s say:

You see the news.
You feel fear.
You get the bill.
You feel anxiety.

That initial spike? Automatic.

But what happens next?

Do you:

• Replay it?
• Embellish it?
• Tell a dramatic story?
• Speak harshly?
• Spiral?

Or do you:

• Pause.
• Breathe.
• Reframe.
• Choose better language.
• Take constructive action?

That choice — that micro-pivot — is the wand.

Not magic in the Harry Potter sense.

Magic in the neurological sense.

You are redirecting energy.

“But Isn’t This Hard?”

Actually… no.

Earlier we explored how conscious thought flickers.

You are not actively thinking every second.

You have space.

Gaps.

Micro-pauses.

Plenty of opportunity to step back and adjust.

The key is awareness.

The 90-Second Rule

Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor describes something powerful in My Stroke of Insight.

When an emotional reaction is triggered, the associated chemical cascade in the body runs for about 90 seconds — unless you keep re-triggering it with additional thoughts.

Ninety seconds.

That’s it.

If you don’t feed the story, the chemistry dissipates.

She describes speaking to her brain like this:

“I appreciate your ability to think thoughts and feel emotions, but I am really not interested in thinking these thoughts or feeling these emotions anymore. Please stop bringing this stuff up.”

I love that.

Not judgment.

Not suppression.

Direction.

You are not fighting your brain.

You are leading it.

Today’s Exercise

Here’s what I want you to do:

1. Notice your thoughts — especially the harsh, fearful, judgmental ones.
2. When triggered, wait 90 seconds.
3. Don’t add fuel.
4. Then calmly say (out loud if possible):
5. “Thank you, brain. I’m choosing differently.”

Then immediately shift your sensory input.

Go look at:

• The car you want.
• The ocean.
• A beautiful home.
• A couple laughing.
• Art.
• Nature.
• Excellence.
• Possibility.

Expose your RAS to what you want more of.

Tell your brain:

“This. More of this.”

Not through force.

Through repetition.

The Real Power

You cannot control the spark.

You can control the fire.

And when you consistently redirect that fire…

You change:

Your patterns.
Your behavior.
Your outcomes.

That’s not mystical.

That’s mastery.

And now you know how to begin.

‍

Homework: The Two-Phase Thought Experiment

This one is simple.

It’s confronting.

And it works.

To rewire your RAS, you must experience contrast.

So you’re going to deliberately play both halves of this game — in the order given.

Yes, we begin with the negative.

Trust the process.

Phase 1: The Descent

1. Find ten minutes of complete quiet.
   No phone.
   No music.
   No talking.
2. Now deliberately think about everything that currently irritates you.
3. The people.
   The unfinished tasks.
   The unfair moments.
   The annoyances.
4. Don’t half-do it.
   Feel the anger.
   Let the frustration rise.

Stay there for about ten minutes.

Notice:

• Your breathing.
• Your posture.
• The tension in your jaw or shoulders.
• The temperature of your body.
• Your facial expression.

Now go to a mirror.

Look at your face.

Not critically.

Objectively.

What do you see?

Tightness?
Hardness?
Fatigue?

If other people are around, notice how they respond to you during this state.

Energy is contagious.

Negative activation subtly broadcasts.

No mysticism required — your micro-expressions and tone shift.

Your nervous system is signaling threat.

Others detect it.

‍

Phase 2: The Reset

Now stop.

In front of the mirror, deliberately smile.

Better yet — laugh.

Yes, out loud.

It feels ridiculous.

Do it anyway.

Watch what happens to your face when you laugh.

Muscles release.
Eyes soften.
Breathing changes.

Now take another ten minutes in silence.

Shift your thoughts intentionally.

Think about:

• The people you love.
• The opportunities you’ve had.
• The roof over your head.
• A moment of success.
• A future you’re excited about.

Imagine hugging the very people who annoyed you in Phase 1.

Imagine laughing with them.

Notice what happens to your body.

Your shoulders drop.
Your spine lengthens.
Your breathing deepens.

Look again in the mirror.

You appear different.

Not because magic occurred.

Because physiology shifted.

Cortisol recedes.
Facial muscles reorganize.
Posture opens.

Now walk back into the house.

Move lightly.

Notice how others respond to you in this state.

Same house.

Same people.

Different nervous system.

Different feedback.

‍

‍

What Just Happened?

You didn’t change the universe.

You changed your internal chemistry.

And your internal chemistry changed:

• Your expression.
• Your tone.
• Your posture.
• Your perception.
• Your behavior.

Which changed how the world responded.

That’s the Observer Effect at the human scale.

Your RAS also just received a powerful lesson:

“This is what anger feels like.”
“This is what gratitude feels like.”

Repeated exposure to one state trains it.

You get to choose which state becomes dominant.

‍

The Real Takeaway

You are not a victim of your first reaction.

You are the architect of your second.

Play this game often.

Not to suppress reality.

But to train your nervous system toward the state that produces the life you prefer.

That’s rewiring.

And it starts with awareness.

‍

‍

Downloads:

In downloadable resources is a podcast from the TSS blog about how mirror neurons work for and against us as well as a 10 minute video about quantum physics and what positive attention does.

‍

‍