Watching, Meditating, Contemplating

Halliday & Matthiessen (2004: 251-2):

The verb watch is anomalous: in I’m watching you, the tense suggests a behavioural process but the you appears as a participant, like the Phenomenon of a ‘mental’ clause.  Since this is restricted to watch, we can label this participant as Phenomenon, indicating the ‘mental’ analogue.

The philosopher	is watching	The Meaning Of Life
Behaver	Process: behavioural	Phenomenon

The philosopher	is meditating	on the meaning of life
Behaver	Process: behavioural	Matter

but:

The philosopher	is contemplating	the meaning of life
Senser	Process: mental	Phenomenon

Halliday & Matthiessen (2004: 450-1):

… mental clauses representing an ‘undecided’ state of mind are used to project indirect questions.  These include clauses of wondering and doubting, finding out and checking, and contemplating, which tend to be characterised by special lexical verbs such as wonder, ascertain …

'Impinging' Sensing Realised Metaphorically As Happening: Senser As Location

the thought	occurred	to me
Medium Actor	Process: material	Location	metaphorical
Agent Phenomenon	Process: mental	Medium Senser	congruent

'Impinging' Sensing Realised Metaphorically As Happening: Senser As Scope

the thought	crossed	my mind
Medium Actor	Process: material	Range Scope	metaphorical
Agent Phenomenon	Process: mental	Medium Senser	congruent

cf the alternative construal as Qualitative Process:

the thought	crossed (‘made cross’)	my mind
Agent Attributor	Process/Range Process: relational/Attribute	Medium Carrier

Idea Clause Projected By Impinging Mental Process Clause

it	struck	her	that	God	is	a metaphor
Subject	Finite/Predicator	Complement	‘	Subject	Finite	Complement
	Process: mental: cognition	Senser	‘	Carrier	Process: relational	Attribute

cf

it	surprised	her	that God is a metaphor
Sub-	Finite/Predicator	Complement	-ject
Pheno-	Process: mental: emotion (?)	Senser	-menon

Note that difference here lies in the fact that, in the first example, the mental clause projects the attributive clause into "semiotic existence", whereas in the second example, the attributive clause already existed as a pre-projected fact which caused the Senser to be surprised.