The Magical, Supernatural, and the Uncanny

Science is great because it sets limits to unorganized and unrecognizable thought. It gives clear evidence and proof of whatever it sets out to discover and describe. It impresses the mind that will not be satisfied without logic and reason; the mind that is tightly constructed with everything rigid and fixed. Science gains more validity in certain ages, characterized by an abundance of mechanical activity and overwhelmingly ambitious needs that can even lead to war. The Modern Age of the Western world was one such age when science became a virtual substitute for religion and kicked the bottom out of religion for all practical purposes. That, to an extent, has remained true; but only to an extent. Time changes, and with it, even the need for science can be bypassed by other, more charming and serendipitous needs. It is as though Mr. Time Keeper has opened up a little door and latched the postern behind. Even the scientist needed a good imagination if he had to go far. Still, now imagination suddenly comes to the forefront, and we enter a new era where the supernatural and the uncanny are not scoffed at. Instead of being ridiculed, the man who rides the imagination suddenly starts getting noticed. People begin to unbend themselves towards more fantastical endeavours.

There is a little something in the air that refuses to be cowed down by the dictates of science today. This little is complex, and compounded by an enormous spirit; a spirit that dwells in abundance and unlimited possibilities that leave logic and reason far behind. It involves tiptoeing inwards rather than scaling the exterior surface of things. As a result, someone from India, who has gone to Howard or Oxford for a degree in technology, suddenly turns back towards his country to establish a career in spirituality, astrology, Himalayan meditation, or the like. Social media has suddenly thrown open careers in social media and influencing that require a frame of mind far removed from that of rationality and realism. The return towards seemingly unreal worlds seems to have become a distinct possibility. The line between the real and the unreal is being erased. You are moving towards a state where consciousness is the reality. The Imagination takes you from what is apparently real to consciousness; what is actually real.

       Whatever you see around you, and consider real, is actually what consciousness has made real. A tree that you see outside has come into your consciousness and is therefore real for you.  If you failed to notice it, it would be absent from your consciousness and hence nonexistent. Conversely, you can imagine a tree that is not there, bring it to your consciousness, and make it a reality for you. Consciousness spells out the reality, and the imagination plays a huge role in making the consciousness see things.

The Universe and Nature expect us to use our imagination and become conscious of what may be missing in the apparently real world. They expect us to possess things with the help of the imagination and consciousness. Of course, there will be people who choose to live in the world of logic and reason, refusing to enter that inner world where the soul abides. For such people, what has been said so far can be nonsense. Such people may be rich, powerful, or influential. But they will remain poor and weak in some respect; they will never fulfill all their desires, for you can satisfy them only when you are conscious of what they are. If you don’t know what you deeply desire, you will never move towards it through your imagination and consciousness. That is why Manifestation has become so relevant in our times. We can manifest our desires with the help of our consciousness, aided by the imagination.

So, as I said, several people in our times are looking beyond reason and logic to find the manna of life, to effortlessly slide into what they desire without much effort, with the help of the imagination. The imagination can make the unreal real. It is like God sitting within us to give us what we long for. Whatever seems beyond reach will come within reach because the imagination can pull everything towards our subconscious, where it lies waiting for it to be called to action.  When we pray to the Creator or a god, our imagination tries to reach out to the subconscious to procure a shape for that divinity which the imagination has painted for us. This shape or picture is not easy to maintain in the mind steadily or fixedly. Only a mind trained in meditation can bring a steady picture of what we consider divine to the forefront of the mind and keep it there for some time.

Speculative fiction is fast gaining popularity because the magical, the supernatural, and the uncanny are merging into the real. Today’s reader wants to see fiction in its most accurate colour.  Fiction is the opposite of fact, but it attempts to integrate with the truth. It is the subconscious mind that holds the key to the truth, to God within us. The imagination has the power to take you there.