Tim Freke used the book analogy in the longer video below.
Characters in a book don’t exist as separate entities, but only in the mind of the author. And in the same way, we only exist in the mind of the author of this story, in the Divine Mind, in God. This human self does not have any separate I associated with it, but happens within the Divine Mind, as all the other characters and all the different settings and the big stage of the universe itself.
If we look, we find that what we really are is this Divine Mind, this awakeness that this human self and anything else happens within and as.
This reminds me of what came up for me when I read Sophie’s World a while back. The book is a walk-through of western philosophy, woven into a more ordinary narrative story following a young woman and her philosophy teacher.
For the first third or so of the story, they appear like ordinary and real people, to themselves and the reader.
Then odd things start happening, they encounter fairy tale characters, the weather changes to fit their conversations, a dog speaks in human language. Gradually, it dawns on them that they are characters in a story and don’t have any separate existence.
At this point, I thought the story would end with the book/Divine Mind analogy mentioned above, illustrating the view of the mystics – and opening the minds of the readers to some radical reversals of who and what we take ourselves to be – at least as just a thought experiment.
Unfortunately, or not, the actual ending of the book went in a different, more conventional/fantasy, direction. A little anticlimactic considering the promise it had about 80% into the story.
But I did get to write my own ending in my own mind, illustrating the book/Divine Mind analogy, so in that sense I got double benefit.
I am sure a book like that must have been written. If it hasn’t, it is out there waiting for the right person to make it come alive.
It could be quite simple, and follow a similar format as Sophie’s World until about midway.
Starting out with one or more characters who seem completely ordinary and normal to the reader and themselves. Then, mysterious things start happening which doesn’t conform with the habits of the universe as we know them. They, and the reader, start realizing that they are characters in a book, without any independent existence, at the mercy of the author.
How would it end?
It could simply end with their realization that they are created within the awareness of the author, and that what they really are is this awareness which holds the whole story, all the characters, the whole world of form, and space and time itself.
This awakeness which is no-thing full of all things, including this particular character, this human self, living out its life in the world.
And then ask the reader, is this what you are? Is this how it is for you?