“Books in a bag” or the focus of awareness of wisdom

All of the following is only the subjective point of view of the author, which does not claim to be true. Any coincidences are just an existential accident.

The greatest theoretician of sophism, Muhyiddin ibn Arabi, wrote about books as follows: “The universe is a huge book, where the letters are written, in principle, with the same ink and on an eternal tablet in the divine style…”. It is these “transcendental letters”, or, in other words, all created objects, after the actual crystallization in the divine omniscience, were lowered by the divine breath to the lowest level, where they gave birth to the obvious world. And the book in the modern sense is an objectified symbol of wisdom. Therefore, when describing the book, we understand the symbolism of wisdom hidden behind it, collected at a certain stage in a person’s life.

The book is a symbol of the universe. The open book signifies the book of life, the teaching and the spirit of wisdom, the revelation and wisdom of the scriptures. The book is associated with the symbolism of the tree, and the tree together with the book can represent the whole cosmos. In the system of symbols of the Grail, a book can also mean a hike, a search (in this case, a lost world). In Buddhism, the book symbolizes the perfection of wisdom, language and expression. The book is a source of necessary information that gives functional skills for survival.

And here is a picture that will reveal the symbolic story. So why is wisdom needed? You can get answers to this for reflection through symbols. And here is one such example.

Imagine an open bag filled with open books, and answer questions that will help you understand your own aspects of wisdom:

Why did you collect the books?

Who collected the books?

What are these books?

Where will these books go next?

Let’s explore the first question – “Why did you collect the books” ? It gives us an idea of the function that needs to be included in our mental sphere of reality processing in order to form new, better standards of life. To collect books – can often symbolize a certain monitoring of one’s already existing mental resources about the world and about the forms of its structuring.

So let’s look at the options:

To study, explore, understand, take new information, use it for development – all of the above options can symbolize the need for a deeper, new rethinking of oneself and the world in a different focus of understanding the reality of being or just ordinary situations. Perhaps it is the need to realize contact with the world on a deeper or radically different level. Sometimes the need for an additional source of knowledge arises as a harbinger of a change in worldview and a new didactics of understanding one’s meanings.

Re-reading, reviewing them in a new way, finding the main thing, remembering something – can give a message for updating and systematizing the existing forms of understanding the world, deepening the layers of already existing information. Often such a function acts as a transition to a new qualitative level of recognition of old and long-known truths. Symbolic monitoring of obsolete dogmas and their updating.

Remove, throw away, hand over to waste paper, destroy, burn – can symbolize the extreme need for a new stage of reality and indicates the retrograde of old programs that have already outlived themselves, and the experience has been accepted and worked out. He says that all the conclusions have already been made and we must go further, to the call of new knowledge. Burning bridges, ports, books is a cardinal challenge to the past, which can often provide energy for the future. There is no good or bad in life, everything is energy for its continuation.

To be distracted, to read in your free time, to relax – often indicates an internal rhythm, which, perhaps, is disturbed, or maybe it simply manifests itself in the form of a change of activity “inside oneself”. After all, being with a book is being with yourself and your imagination. Changing rhythms, paces, stages of activity is an inevitable condition for maintaining balance, and this choice may indicate such a need.

Transfer to a museum, distribute, give away, inherit – this option symbolizes teaching or mentoring through the transfer of one’s own or someone else’s experience. Penetrate into the depths of the formation of the true needs of mankind, bring knowledge to the world and broadcast important, valuable, necessary. The readiness to give away knowledge is probably an important part not only in the formation of another, but also in their new understanding for those who are nearby.

Let’s see what will help us find out the second question – “Who collected these books”? Our imagination also helps to understand the personal component of the role that is associated with the understanding of life, and which symbolic persona comes first here, indicating the form or behavioral line of change at this stage of life. The received answer to the question will perfectly designate the images of transformations in the program forms of behavior.

So, let’s look at examples that are often encountered:

I am the main image of our Ego, a conscious and designated part of ourselves. Ego is the ability of dual perception of the world, where “I” and “mine” are opposed to “not me” and “not mine”. The ego gives its own essence a certain form, brings self-consciousness to a specific object of its “I”. Moreover, “I” is always evaluated positively, and “not me” can be both attractive and hostile. Collecting books as a symbolic awareness of oneself as a separate person with all the inherent attributes of this reality leads to selfhood. The choice of “I” in the answer often tells us about a form of self-knowledge.

The librarian, sage, guardian, elder, magician, seeker of truth reflects our forms of behavior, embedded in the depths of the true wisdom of the soul, its expanses of infinity and incomprehensibility. Awareness of the frailty of being and the transience of reality gives other meanings to simple truths, which is important to preserve for the generations following us in the uninterrupted path of life. The sage conducts his search not at all for the sake of the search itself. Books are a way of solving problems, which makes it possible to understand the logic of a phenomenon and offer its own explanation. Such an answer helps to realize your life as a search for wisdom.

All other options, I think, should be explored through the archetype system.

Let’s look at the third question – “What kind of books are these?”, Which indicates to us the need to obtain information on a specific area of life. It seems to draw attention to one of the important tasks of human life, which is dominant in cognition. As if urging the applicant to a careful analysis of the meanings, the search for which is possible through the mirrors of information. Thinking about what kind of books they are, we look for the necessary valuable information that they hide or carry.

Fiction is a fictional story, immersion in someone else’s fantasy, interest in the inner world of another person. Knowing yourself through another, comparing options for living reality.

Documentary and memoir literature – memories and real events as a form of fixing one’s reality. The chronology of life provides a fixation of experience and reliance on those meanings that are taken as a basis.

Scientific and sacred literature – knowledge of the construction of the world, awareness of the logic and basic patterns of being in oneself. Knowing yourself as a whole structure. Knowledge of one’s micro- and macrocosmos through the logic of the Universe itself. Understanding the plans of the Great Architect – to understand yourself.

Reference and educational, technical literature – streamlining the information of one’s life, a quick understanding of what is happening, fixing priorities and worldview concepts, standardizing beliefs.

The fourth question is “Where will these books go next?” points us to a further perspective of the processes of cognition, such a conditionally symbolic self-prognostic function. Rather, it is a rhetorical question – what will we get from the efforts to gain knowledge? What discoveries will make it possible to drink from the vessel of wisdom, what will be the result?

I will keep it for myself, I will keep it with me, I will put it on my shelf, I will work with them – indicates the conviction to preserve the great power of life – knowledge – as a way to move on. Keeping wisdom is saving life.

Transferred to others, hidden in special places, given away for safekeeping – in this answer it makes sense to pay attention to the special need for a symbolic release from responsibility or its transfer.

Of course, it is impossible to classify Wisdom, to understand it unambiguously, but I hope it was useful and made it possible to think again about your symbolic life as your own part of reality. Thanks to everyone who helped!

Author: Victoria Nazarevich 2019 ©