Beneath the Surface

Suddenly it all makes sense. I have always been fascinated in looking at life as a boat's voyage at sea but I never really had any substantial explanation for this metaphorical view. I somehow just believed and oriented myself towards this idea. While this is not something I remember everyday, it's also not something I easily forget. Regardless of the situation, it's just where my thoughts usually conclude into. I suppose it's an idea that stays at the deepest confines of my mind, acting as a personal compass or a guiding philosophy.

It was just recently that I've attained some clarity after contemplating on a dream that I had. In an instance, it seemed like everything aligned perfectly for me to arrive to the following conclusion: reality is the surface, while the unconscious is the subsurface. Above the surface, you could see and feel the external elements such as the sky, stars, sea breeze, the horizon, other boats, and maybe the land from afar. All of these directly affects the condition of navigating through the waters. Below the surface, on the other hand, there's still too much left to be known. It's a void we could only fill by leaving it to our own imaginations. After all, why not just stay contented with the information we have on the surface? Why bother at all when there's no possibility of these subsurface factors to hinder the journey? What's to be gained venturing into this unknown domain? Maybe it's just really not worth the risk. However, as what experience taught me, there would come a time when subsurface elements arise and eventually manifest themselves on the surface; and when they do, you wouldn't probably know how to deal with them no matter how mentally resilient you are. Inevitably, we'll be caught off-guard by these unperceived threats. And while it could be tempting to simply dismiss these threats and treat them as trivial, I believe that confronting the unknown is an inescapable task. There is a need to push the frontiers and make the unknown known. We might as well familiarize ourselves with what lies underneath because when times of turmoil arrive, the very vessel we're on will lose its balance and be engulfed by the raging sea.

In my case, it was through a series of dreams that made me discover the existence of this realm. These dreams contained various objects, animals, people, in situations that weren't exactly vivid but were significant enough to be identified and remembered. I have kept a written list since then. I knew these were complex puzzles that needed to be deciphered; and that's what I tried to do, with a little help from already existing information. As I explored the common interpretations of these dreams, it turned out that each presented a theme that was eerily relevant to the events happening in my waking life. It was surreal. It's as if an entity that has been keenly observing me my whole life has finally chose to speak and give its view of myself in those significant situations I was in.

One thing I noticed however is that these episodes do not always happen; there really is no clear pattern for me to base upon. It's quite unpredictable. I could not, and would rather not wish to summon it at my own disposal. From this, I draw the conclusion that the subsurface is an infinite world which is beyond anyone's control; hence my symbolism of the sea. I am merely a vessel traveling through this vast medium. What authority do I possess to command over it? I can't simply order it to become tranquil when it is turbulent; I have to withstand the storm and ensure that I stay afloat.

With the individual's immersion in reality, the primary goal has always been to live and pursue things and experiences that benefited his necessities. However, there has been too much focus on the physical and material world. Seeing beyond it, we now realize that another realm simultaneously exists with it. Yes, there truly is a whole different world that we also have to pay attention to - the unconscious. It is the infinite immaterial domain that contains the spirit - the entity that needs to be unified with our physical being. This unification is the ultimate purpose of the individual's journey. As he continues to attend to his physical needs, he also has to cater to the development of his own spirit. Bearing this in mind, the individual is tasked to live accordingly in the present, while simultaneously making sincere efforts to establish the bridge between conscious and unconscious. Although opposite, both threads intertwine to make up the same cloth.