"CONNECTING THE DOTS – A CONSCIOUS DREAM WHILE AWAKE"

Hello dear readers of Varoluş Magazine,I'm beginning the second part of a series you’re going to truly enjoy. As you may recall from the previous chapter, we looked at human nature through the eyes of both scientists and spiritualists.

Now, I don’t want to move forward without touching on a topic I find very important: metaphors. Metaphors are powerful tools that reflect our inner world with deeper emotions. They often bypass the conscious mind and speak directly to the subconscious. We target the subconscious because, even though the conscious mind can manage daily tasks flawlessly, it’s the subconscious that ultimately determines the outcome. To put it more clearly: a trauma buried deep in the subconscious can prevent long-term success or even cause things to fall apart. That’s why healthy beliefs stored in the subconscious support our conscious actions and constantly influence us.

As writers for Varoluş Magazine, our common goal is to help unblock these areas within the subconscious. So, when reading our articles, let’s not only understand them logically—let’s try to grasp the deeper meanings beneath the words. Let’s silence the voice of the mind for a moment—it loves to analyze everything. And if something isn’t clear, let’s start again and reread. What did Jung say? A human is made of matter and spirit—consciousness, the subconscious, and essence. That means we must try to understand our writings in all three dimensions.

Let’s look at a few simple positive metaphors:

“Life is a journey; with each step, we discover something new.” This metaphor implies being in an adventure, staying present in the moment, and continuously learning.

“You can rule over the darkness. You can distance yourself from what the ego brings with your heart. You can light a lamp in your mind—it will illuminate the entire idea.”

“If you want the seeds you planted in your garden to sprout healthily, cleanse your garden of weeds.” Spiritually speaking, someone determined to grow must let go of habits that no longer serve their psychological balance.

“We are a wave in the ocean.” On the surface, we may seem separate from the ocean—but in essence, we are all connected to the universe.

Now that we've explored metaphors, let’s move on to a subject that will help us understand conscious dreaming and how the ego and subconscious work together. Here’s a scenario:

Imagine a job interview. Your past experience matches the position’s requirements. The salary and benefits are good, and most importantly, the role offers opportunities for personal and spiritual growth. What do you do?

I want to clarify the concept as positively as possible. Let’s pause for just one minute and reflect: What needs to be done here?

Of course, your answers will vary depending on your place in the “bigger picture,” but let’s assume an average scenario. First, I would read through my resume and try to memorize employment dates. Then, I’d replay my job experiences in my mind, prepare answers for potential questions, imagine myself there, and mentally simulate the event—striving to make everything perfect.

Let’s look at how the ego works in these steps: It memorizes the CV, prepares precise answers, doesn’t want to leave its comfort zone, plans ahead, and aims for perfection. This is all done to feel in control and comfortable during the interview. However, this excessive preparation can lead to the mind overanalyzing answers during the interview, disrupting the natural flow and making it harder to build a genuine connection. Empathy and observation of the interviewer are also crucial, but the ego might overlook this, making the candidate seem too task-focused or less team-oriented.

So far, this has all been about a strengthened ego unwilling to let go of control.

Now, let’s look at how the subconscious comes into play. As we said earlier, the subconscious works together with the ego, and whatever is buried there will try to rise to the surface. Let’s imagine someone who ignores their past failed interviews, never admits personal weaknesses, and is not at peace with themselves on a deep level.

During the interview, this person responds with rehearsed answers. But when the interviewer starts asking unexpected questions and frowns at irrelevant answers, the person gets overly anxious. Then, they begin to subconsciously recall the energy of past failed interviews—and that anxiety takes over.

Now, let’s explore another scenario where the subconscious and ego work in harmony: Imagine someone who has grown tired of themselves, who has learned to observe their behavior, who understands the spiritual function of the ego, accepts all aspects of themselves, is deeply at peace, open to life, and centered in self-love. This is someone who has explored their inner archetypes—they know themselves.

This person might look at their CV once or twice, recall relevant experiences, then set it aside until the day of the interview. Their inner peace takes precedence over trying to impress. Thanks to their prior inner work, they allow the process to unfold naturally.

Before entering the interview, they might affirm:

“Whatever is best for all, let that happen.” or “I want this meeting to unfold for the highest good.” or “If working here is for the benefit of everyone involved, then I am open to receiving this opportunity.”

They enter the room with no conditions, trusting in divine timing, and with the inner serenity of “what’s meant to be, will be.”

In the first few minutes of conversation, this inner peace radiates—and unconsciously tells the interviewers: “This is a safe space for everyone.”They might intuitively sense how many interviews the panel has done that day, and by withdrawing the ego, focus deeply on the present moment.

The ego now follows the guidance of the positive signals coming from the subconscious, acting as it should. This person will not present themselves as superior or inferior. They will show a calm and balanced personality.

Because the subconscious mind is asking:

“What can I learn from the interviewers?” or “What can I offer them?” This person can establish a synergistic and meaningful dialogue.

Yes, dear Varoluş Magazine readers, this brings us to the end of Part 2.In Part 3, we’ll take a deeper look at the working of the ego through real-life examples and further explore the concept of Conscious Dreaming.

Aydın Yakupoğlu