With years of extensive meditation and out of body group experiences, the Surrealisminites decided they would leave the pain of Earth and live forever in their own world of unconsciousness that they created as their lives on Earth slowly deteriorated. With their meditation they eventually found a way to create a tangible world put together by all members unconscious minds. A world where vanity is dead. They believed narcissism caused the downfall of their beloved Earth...how can one truly love and understand others if they are blinded by their own selfishness. The world in which the Surrealisninites created looks similar to that of the painting, "The Metamorphosis of Narcissus" by Salvador Dali. In fact, its almost identical. There is lush vegetation and mountains in the distance, along with a large body of water so men and women alike can hunt, fish and gather. There are open grasslands and rolling hills. Animals people of the Earth could not even imagine live here with the Surrealisminites. The air is warm...but cool at the same time. There is a breeze one can feel...but it never blows the trees or hair. It is a world of total imagination, not in a whimsical sense...but a way of subtle perfections. For the inhabitants to change their world, they have a sacred ritual they perform to unify their unconscious minds once more. Stress and anxiety are completely foreign to Surrealisminites. They no longer can remember how it felt to be of the Earth. They began to build the idea of the Surrealisminites after they all agreed on one thing: Vanity should be done away with in order to move away from our hugely narcissistic culture. They realized however, that in then real world this could never happen. They could not even ask that of everyone. People live only for themselves, and as this realization set in, they began to form ideas around the mythological story of Narcissus. He fell in love with his own reflection in a lake, and pined and pined..then eventually died because he was never able to tear himself from his very own reflection. A large statue of Narcissus dying sits at the edge of their lake with a new one next to it symbolizing his rebirth into something truly beautiful. The Surrealisminites were trying to unify their inner and external realities. They wanted a pure vision of life in order to reestablish the true powers and wills of their spirits. As a means to express this, they took away their own ability to physically see ones own self image. They can see each other but there are no mirror reflections or self images of any kind. This is in an attempt to take away any natural selfishness. They have no idea what they themselves look like. They have no biased opinions of beauty to base anything off of. Beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder here.
There is no typical government system here. They follow the ideas of surrealism and make decisions through group meetings in which they unify their unconscious minds in order to eliminate any repression. There is no need to hold anything back because of course, that creates stress. There only leaders would be "Narcissus" and Salvador Dali. Although neither are around, they are symbols to the population on how to live their lives.
Their religious system is quite complex. There is no spiritual entity of any kind that they have created for comfort. They know that they have created this world themselves and their is no higher power. They look to the lives and stories of their two leaders, Dali and Narcissus to provide a sense of belonging and comfort that man on Earth gets from his god.
Economically its more of a tribe like community with a barter system. There is no "money" of any kind. They make things, gather things and trade to obtain the materials they would like to have or need.
Marriage is one of the Surrealisminites most sacred institutions. Because the group is able to see so deeply into others true thoughts and emotions, it makes it quite simple to discover a soul mate...for lack of a better word. Surrealisminites are much like wolves, swans or doves in the sense that they are joined for life. Marriage and kinship are the most beautiful things they possess.
 |
This is a symbol they have created to pay tribute
to Salvador Dali. It also depicts Earth as it spirals
out of control. The Surrealisminites are the yellow lines
shown escaping from the confines of earth.
|
 |
Here they have depicted what they symbolize as their collective
unconscious minds. This symbol is usually present during a time
where they are all sharing the unconsciousness together (like in a ritual) |
 |
The empty mirror is a symbol for vanity dying,
and narcissism done away with. Also, it symbolizes
the surrealisminites inability to see ones own
self image.
|
To the left, shows the large
statue that sits to the right
of dying Narcissus by their
lake. The egg is a symbol
for the rebirth of their Narcissus
into something not blinded by
vanity and self interest.
The symbol representing the gathering of unconscious minds is a striking image, but are there individual elements within the symbol and if so what do the individual elements of the symbol represent? Also you say the image is often present during gatherings. It is not clear in the narrative or description if the image is representative of your government or some other institution. If it is the symbol of your ideals regarding how your culture governs itself, how does the symbol express those ideals and how is the symbol used during ritual and by whom?
ReplyDeleteI am understanding that Narcissus is both a symbol of what drove them from the earth, and the statue that sits to the right of dying Narcissus is a symbol of rebirth for both Narcissus and the Surrealisminites. I find no indication that the symbol is tied to a specific societal institution. The symbolism of the egg representing rebirth is easy enough to see, but is not tied by the narrative to any particular institution. What institution does the symbol represent and are there any other meanings condensed into the symbol that tie into your culture in ways other than rebirth? In the narrative you speak to your cultures adherence and love of the ideals of surrealism. I can see that surrealism is represented by the symbol, but you have given no indication in your narrative of what those ideals are or how the symbol represents these. Are there separated ideals or beliefs shown by the symbol that can be drawn together into one significance? Are there elements within the symbol that should be taken into account with a particular contextual understanding, and how does the symbol represent this? In the symbol I see how your two leaders are represented by the one image, and I understand the significance of Narcissus. However the significance of Salvador dali and what he represents to your culture is unclear. What idealogical and emotional meaning does he represent to your culture.
I am intrigued by the culture you have created and the direction that it could possibly take. I would say that some editing of the narrative, and some work putting some distinction in your institutions would make it much easier to understand this fascinating culture.
The imagery of Salvador dali is extremely striking and creates an environment rich in possible meanings and ideals. Within each symbol I can see the possibility to draw much more meaning than is indicated by the narrative and descriptions. If we are to truly understand your culture at it's full depth and breadth we must be allowed a full view of what your key institutions symbols fully mean. Paint us a picture with your words to fully engage us in the deep and fascinating cultural identity you possess.