What comes first: thoughts or emotions?

It reminded me of a classic question I heard as a kid: What comes first, the chicken or the egg? A question I still don’t have a clear answer to.

Just a few minutes ago, I stumbled upon a Facebook post—someone promoting a product about self-healing. His bold claim? He could teach people to self-heal in under five minutes. I have to admit, I was tempted to buy the book. It sounded promising. I’ve been on my own self-healing journey for the last ten years, and I still wonder: is there really an end to it?

That said, I’ve come a long way. I’m no longer a slave to my emotions. I’ve learned to choose what I think, how I feel, and how I respond. I move more freely in life and often get the outcomes I want. In many ways, I can say I am self-healed. But there’s still more—something deeper. It’s no longer just about healing the self. It’s about healing our connections: with each other, with the Earth, and perhaps with the universe itself. Healing, is not linear—it’s spiral. It circles back, deepens, expands. Much like everything else in life.

This brought me back to another timeless question, now debated in more modern terms: Which comes first, thought or emotion?

Some say it’s emotion. And I get that. Emotions animate our experiences—they give life its vivid color. As the saying goes, “Emotion is energy in motion.” I agree that emotion is a powerful force in shaping how we live and what we perceive. In many ways, we humans are a bundle of feelings. And often, that’s where we get stuck. But if we can move through those emotional layers, we reach a deeper awareness. So yes, those who say emotion comes first may be right.

Then there are those who argue that thought comes first—and emotions follow. I can’t disagree with that either. René Descartes summed it up in one iconic phrase: “I think, therefore I am.” He saw thinking as the foundation of being. And at a more surface level of consciousness, it’s true: much of what we experience in daily life is the result of our thoughts and imagination. You don’t need to feel angry to dress a chicken, or feel sad to sew a beautiful dress. Carlos Alcaraz doesn’t need to feel fear before pulling off a stunning drop shot. Thought can lead action without emotional prelude.

Ultimately, I believe that both thought and emotion are essential, beautiful, and inseparable parts of the human experience. They influence each other. Sometimes thoughts drive emotions; other times, it’s the reverse.

So who wins this debate—thought or emotion?

As a shaman, it depends. There’s no fixed formula. Human beings are multi-faceted. We have a physical body that follows its own laws. And the body alone is a mystery. We have emotions that make life vibrant and messy. We have minds—intelligences behind every experience—where thoughts arise. We have dreams that sometimes feel ominous or strangely seductive. And we have the heart, or the soul, or the essence—whatever you choose to call it. And then deeper than these layers.. are mind boggling mysteries.

In short, there’s no straightforward answer. It all depends on where you are in your evolution.

Whichever camp you fall into—whether you believe emotion leads or thought does—stay curious. Keep learning. But never dismiss the other side. Because in the end, everything comes full circle.

Belle