Climb Aboard the Dream Weaver Train

The ego-self, or that abstract package of beliefs you identify with as your “self,'” idolizes its symbolic world as “real,” but fails to recognize that a symbolic “reality” is only conceptual.

You do not see a “world,’ but merely organize concepts (Kantian-like) or weave together a symbolic tapestry as a means of making sense of what, otherwise, would be an amalgamation of complete absurdity.

What you see in your “world” are symbolic representations of reality firmly entrenched in your mind prior to “perception” (concept). But you have little doubt that the symbols in your mind reflect FACTS and this is how you organize the symbols into a “reality.”

Unfortunately, you’re not so sure your mind is a FACT, but you do accept that it symbolizes “you.” Nevertheless, you do experience concepts and many arguments have been made that the mind is all you experience, but only through symbolic concepts.

An ego-self does not really see a tree, but only a symbolic conceptualization of a “tree” and, in that concept, the “tree” is only what the concept requires and NOT what it is in truth. “You” (concept) could never know what it means in TRUTH, because all egocentricity ever “knows” are its own concepts and concepts can only symbolize what is TRUE. They can never actually be TRUE simply because they are symbolic facsimiles of what you believe MUST be “true” and what you wish to be “true” today is always contingent on what WAS true yesterday.

A facsimile may look and feel like the original, but you know it’s only a copy and, if you look close, you’ll see all the tiny imperfections that demonstrate its inauthenticity.

An egocentric self-concept does NOT see a world, but sees its symbolic representations of a “world,” or a facsimile of a “world",” in the form of conceptual constructs within its own inner-experience of an individual MIND. “You” do not live in a realistic world, but in a world of concepts which serve to symbolize a ‘reality’ that you believe is FACTUAL.

Egocentricity demands Facticity in order to actualize an existence as “real.” Facticity is the superimposing of specific separate parameters to enhance belief.

Yet, concepts are bland beliefs without emotion. But “emotion” is also a concept, since it too is experienced in the mind and an egocentric mind only experiences concepts. Nevertheless, your concept of a “tree” may do little to stimulate any further conceptual dream weaving. While the concept of “money” may stimulate ever increasing conceptual configurations that egocentricity considers “real.”

The non-dualist idea that there is “nothing there” merely emphasizes the fact that concepts are only symbolic. If they are only symbolic then how can they affect you? But this is completely opposite what you experience. You experience a “world” for which you have NO doubt of its reality and are victimized by that “reality” on a daily basis.

Hence, the only difference between real and facsimile is your own victimization, because no one would fall victim to a facsimile in knowing it is not authentic or genuine. 

However, if an ego-self is nothing more than a package of beliefs and those beliefs are conceptual symbols representing reality, then the ‘self’ you idolize as real is nothing but a well packaged aggregate of symbolic representations. Hence, there is nothing REAL about “you” and what is NOT real can only make lame attempts at representing the REAL.

Is the body “real”? Certainly, as you conceptualize it, it does seem authentic. But the self-concept of “you” cannot know the body free and clear of concepts and, therefore, what you experience as “body” is inauthentic and disingenuous.

Is there a difference between the image of a blue sky and thinking the thought “the sky is blue”? Is the thinking that is composed of words different from the thoughts composed of images? Could they be made of the same stuff and, if so, who made them? Even though both thoughts and images are experienced in your mind, you believe the thoughts are yours, while the images belong to the world. Hence, your thoughts are minimized as less important and even false, in comparison to the images, having little to no power to alter your experience because you have determined that your concept of a “body” is the only concept that can provide accurate representations of your world. Clearly, the concept of a “self” is minimized next to the concept of body. Hence, the ‘self’ can be full of doubts, but never regarding your concept of “body.”

But are they not both experienced in the mind? Do you experience a blue sky outside your mind? How could you, when ALL experience is IN and OF the mind? Could it be that the blue sky is nothing more than a symbolic representation of what may not be “there” after all?

Ah, but your egocentricity assures you that it MUST be there, because if it’s NOT really there at all, what does this say about “you.” If it’s NOT “there,” then “where” are you?

Everything an egocentric self-concept experiences MUST be experienced to insure the reality of that ego-self.

Clearly, you live your entire “life” (concept) counting on the images (concepts) to give you truth, but doubt your own thoughts. Your mind is inconsequential to the grand order that you have strung together with concepts. Your conceptual weaving of a “reality” is the only thing occurs from moment to moment and never to you question whether or not the concepts accurately represent reality. You just weave your concepts together because they must fit together adequately. If even one concept is determined to be illusional, then the whole foundation must crash of its own fraudulence.

Is it any wonder you’re so damned exhausted all the time?

Yet, be prepared for the day when you finally come to doubt even the images you have always experienced as “real,” because…

as the world fades away…

…so must “you.”

But fear not!

“You” were never really “there” in the first place.

I've just closed my eyes again
Climbed aboard the dream weaver train
Driver take away my worries of today
And leave tomorrow behind

Ooh dream weaver
I believe you can get me through the night
Ooh dream weaver
I believe we can reach the morning light
Fly me high through the starry skies
Maybe to an astral plane
Cross the highways of fantasy
Help me to forget today's pain

Though the dawn may be coming soon
There still may be some time
Fly me away to the bright side of the moon
And meet me on the other side

Artwork by Mark Ryden - "Girl Eaten by Tree"