THE RETURN Origin of "tulpa".

Tulpa

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I do wonder why they went with the new tulpa concept over dugpa, especially when (if I recall correctly) Frost said the terms are interchangeable.
 

Soolsma

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I do wonder why they went with the new tulpa concept over dugpa, especially when (if I recall correctly) Frost said the terms are interchangeable.
Are you sure? I have never heard about that. Also from what we do know about them they are completely different. Dugpas are conjurers, whereas Tulpas are conjured.
 

LateReg

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Apr 12, 2022
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I think there's a lot to uncover here, but based on my own recollections and understanding at a very basic level:

Tulpas are thoughtforms, conjured mystically and spiritually, often for a purpose to be fulfilled. They can be associated with meditation, and what I observe as some of the persistent themes of the series and of Lynch's highly subjective worldview: reality is what you make it. And while it was at first a surprising new concept to wrap my head around as the series aired, it seems an obvious and ingenious fit in the world for the way that Tulpas complicate the use/nature of doppelgangers, providing another instance of doubling.
 

Tulpa

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Are you sure? I have never heard about that. Also from what we do know about them they are completely different. Dugpas are conjurers, whereas Tulpas are conjured.

Yep I think I was mixing two completely different concepts and just logged on to edit the post but you got there first.

I’ll try to find the original quote as I’m stumped to what that was about.
 

Soolsma

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Apr 13, 2022
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Interesting is the 'seed' that makes them. Golden circular or round items seem to be very important in sorcery. The ring, the ring in Briggs' belly, the seeds, the orb that held Laura that came out of the giant. Perhaps I'm still missing something here. It also seems we can differentiate their nature by their shape. So far, rings can be associated with death, or even murder (worth noting MIKE described his relation with BOB as a golden circle), whereas the little ball shaped seeds seem to give 'birth'.

Edit: Coop's ring the giant took!
 
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Soolsma

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I'm baffled! That's amazing. I never noticed that.

Quickly skimmed through Part 1 to see it for myself and I had nearly forgotten how stunning all the imagery in that episode is. Guess it'll be time for another rewatch soon. Especially when apparently there are still things I didn't notice before.
 
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Jasper

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Apr 12, 2022
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Interesting is the 'seed' that makes them. Golden circular or round items seem to be very important in sorcery. The ring, the ring in Briggs' belly, the seeds, the orb that held Laura that came out of the giant. Perhaps I'm still missing something here. It also seems we can differentiate their nature by their shape. So far, rings can be associated with death, or even murder (worth noting MIKE described his relation with BOB as a golden circle), whereas the little ball shaped seeds seem to give 'birth'.

There is so much of this, and I think that the main theme of the circles (but not so much the spheres) is that things are proceeding in a cyclic fashion, primarily in the sense of a vicious cycle. In The Return, Cooper seems to become trapped in some sort of loop of trying to fix things, which, unless there’s more Twin Peaks, we can probably assume continues forever.

From the FWWM script:

MAN FROM ANOTHER PLACE (subtitled):

This is a formica table. Green is its color.

He touches the table.

FIRST WOODSMAN (subtitled):

Our world.

MAN FROM ANOTHER PLACE (subtitled):

With chrome. And everything will proceed cyclically.

Phillip Gerard sells shoes, and he sells a pair of boots to Andy, which we see are “circle brand,” with a circle logo on the tread. Cooper’s ring is taken by, then returned by the Giant. In The Return, various women are seen wearing little gold circle pendants, including Audrey Horne, who is very much trapped in some kind of something.


Audrey_circle.jpg
 

LateReg

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Apr 12, 2022
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There is so much of this, and I think that the main theme of the circles (but not so much the spheres) is that things are proceeding in a cyclic fashion, primarily in the sense of a vicious cycle. In The Return, Cooper seems to become trapped in some sort of loop of trying to fix things, which, unless there’s more Twin Peaks, we can probably assume continues forever.

From the FWWM script:



Phillip Gerard sells shoes, and he sells a pair of boots to Andy, which we see are “circle brand,” with a circle logo on the tread. Cooper’s ring is taken by, then returned by the Giant. In The Return, various women are seen wearing little gold circle pendants, including Audrey Horne, who is very much trapped in some kind of something.


View attachment 638
Agree with all of this - I've focused on the circle necklaces throughout.

And then in the end, Laura/Carrie is wearing a horseshoe necklace. Which, the horse, yes, but being that it's a necklace in contrast to the rest it resembles a broken circle. If so, given the multivalent nature of the finale, I think there's still so many ways to interpret that broken circle in the end.
 
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