Both conditions are transient, cycling through each other, allowing nature to rejuvenate itself. In a living being, the persistent tension of activities can lead to a breakdown of bodily coherence, while prolonged rest may result in decay. When there is a balanced alternation between activity and rest, the organism can sustain itself, finding moments of stillness amidst a backdrop of continual change.
Rest is essential for the physical constitution as it allows for nourishment to circulate unobstructed through the body, akin to the way warm sunbeams draw mist from moist soil. The vapors, which are naturally inclined to rise, ascend to the head, similar to how smoke seeks an exit. As they rise, the body’s sensory faculties become dormant, permitting these vapors free passage. The lashes that protect the eyes serve as barriers, weighing them down, while the faculty of hearing is diminished, as if a barrier is placed over the ear. During sleep, sensation within the body is suspended, and natural processes are halted, enabling the efficient transfer of nourishment. Should internal vapors restrict the sensory organs, and if needs prevent the arrival of sleep, the fibers filled with vapors naturally contract, leading to a thinning of the organs, reminiscent of water being wrung from fabric.
The throat, rounded and filled with fibers, expels thickened vapors through the mouth when one yawns. This movement occurs because stretching in a circular manner allows for the release of built-up pressure. Often, a person awakens to find vapors trapped in areas of the throat, hindering their ability to exhale completely. The human intellect demonstrates its alignment with nature: when healthy and alert, it is active and engaged, whereas in sleep, it is still unless disturbed by fleeting dreams. One might argue that rational and awake thought belongs to a well-functioning mind, whereas the dreams that emerge during sleep are mere illusions borne of chance, with the soul acting without reason.
When the soul is detached from the senses through sleep, it inevitably finds itself in a state of mental inactivity, for the aggregation of thought requires sensory input. Thus, when the senses are dormant, the mind cannot engage. This is evidenced by the illogical and improbable scenarios often confronted during dreams, which would not occur were the soul governed by reason. The faculties of the soul—intellectual and sensory—experience a form of slumber too, with only a portion remaining active during sleep. In these moments, remnants of past experiences and sensations surface, echoing memories imprinted on the soul, producing a dream-like state influenced by idle thoughts and disjointed ideas.
Just as each body part serves its unique purpose, if one portion of the soul is at rest while another is active, the unity of the soul remains intact. The mind, when alert, allows the senses to serve in tandem, with the imagination retrieving memories, forming a complex interplay of thought and sensation. Conversely, during sleep, while the senses can become inactive, an altered, subdued form of mental activity continues, akin to a smoldering flame kept obscured; it does not extinguish but exists in a muted capacity. Sleep releases the nutritive power to aid digestion, while simultaneously keeping some level of sensory awareness intact.
Nature follows an intrinsic law; thus, when the mind operates harmoniously with the senses, the motion of one influences the other. When suppressed by sleep, mental capacity may not fade entirely but rather resembles drowsiness, partially engaging in thought. Rest in any artistic endeavor may yield muted expressions, as when a musician strums near-silent strings; while gestures may suggest sound, the instrument must be responsive. Hence, fragmented memory and reason lurk beneath the surface, mirroring past realities that sometimes hint at future truths.
For dreams are shared experiences—picturing scenes from daily life, or tailored to personal needs or emotions. For example, a thirsty person might dream of water, while one craving food may envision a feast. My own observations while caring for a loved one suffering from insanity revealed that his dreams echoed his corporeal distress—crying out about burdens pressing on his stomach, he experienced a bodily reaction when the underlying cause—a heavy meal—was finally resolved.
Dream-related phenomena vary widely based on individual states of health: some dreams reveal inner turmoil stemming from digestive issues; others arise from fevers or mental disarray. This corroborates that the nurturing aspect of the soul is intertwined with mental processes, manifesting through the body’s constitution and emotions. Dreams reveal the disposition of the soul’s thoughts—not shaped by reason but rather by habitual inclinations.
THEOSIS