erruptedDavid.“Whatdoyoumeanbyitssymboliificeisgreaterthanitssubstantialone?Ihavesatdownonthegoldthrowiditreallygavemeaverystrangefeeling.”

    “Thestrangefeelingyougotwhenyousatohrone”repliedKingDimitri,“maybereal,butitcouldalsohavebeenanillusionbecauseintheKingdomofDreamsnothingisimpossible.Thatistosay,anythingispossiblehere.ThesymboliificeIwastalkingaboutwastosay,everyone’sfateisdifferentsointhismundaneworldpeoplemeetwithdiffereiakeaverysimpleexample,somearepoorandsomearerich;butrichorpoorwhentheyarealohemselvesorasleep;solongastheyarefagthemselves,intheirowstheyallregardthemselvesasareveredking…Toputitsimply,youarethekingofyourself.What’ssohardtouandaboutthat?Thesymboliificeofthegoldpaceisthatyouarethekingofyourself.Togoastepfurther,inthisKingdomofDreams,everythingistwo-sided.Thatistosay,itcouldbereal,butitcouldalsobeunreal.LikeIoftensaid,dreamsarepartofreallife,atinuationofreallife.Thereisnoactualdiffereweendreamsandreallife…DoyouuandwhatImean?”DaviddidnotknowatallwhatKingDimitriwastalkingabout.Infacthewasreallyfusedapletelyataloss,butMr.Kaffeenoddedandsaid,

    “Iseemtouandalittleofwhatyoumean.”Pointingtotheshoreattheoppositeendofthewideexpanseofkewaterheadded,“Thenthegeousandmagnifitgoldpacehasitsownsymboliifice,right?”KingDimitrinoddedemphaticallyandanswered,

    “Yht.Thatnewlystructedgoldpacehasitsownsymboliifice.Asyouknow,Iamanepicureanandgastronomer.Iliketobesurroundedbybeautifulwomenandhaveagoodtimewiththem.OfcoursethatiswhenIamintheroleofKingDimitri.ButinreallifeIamapennilesshomelessperson,cursedbyfatetobeablindman.Iroamthestreetsdriftingandwanderingaimlesslyatthemercyofwailingwindsandweepingraihepainandsufferingpiledonmebylife’swretchedcircumstances.Doyouknowwhatgavemestrengthtogoonliving?It’smydreams.WheneverIfeltutterlycrushedandoverwhelmedbylife’strialsandtributionsbeyondallbearing,IwouldretreatandseekrefugeintheKingdomofDreams.ThereIyking,physicallyhealthyandpsychologicallybanced.Sothesymboliificeofthegoldpacewasdreams…Dreamsgraduallyformedintandendurableflexibilityandmagicalpsticityandeveryone’scharacterhashisowncharmandfasation…Thathuge,magnifitpaceyouseeontheoppositeshorewasnewlybuiltformebymytwoloyalservantsandfriendsImaginationaivitybecausetheoldonewasdestroyedbyfire.ThereIoheredtwenty-fourbeautiesfromallersoftheearthahemintheoldpacetolivetogetherinpeadharmony.Theywerelikeexoticbirdsimprisonedinanexpensivegoldcage.Onthesurfacetheyseemedtohaveeverythingtheywanted:gourmetfood,expehesetc.Butiytheylostthefreedomtoroamurainedlyiblueskies.SoIopehecagedavethembacktheirfreedomtoflyatwill…”

    23

    “Youknow”saidDwarfMickeywhostrokedhislongwhitebeardseeminglyengrossedinthought,“Ionceflewuptotheseventhheavenanddownintothebowelsoftheearth,seargeverywhereformylosttreasuresforoveratury,beforefinallyactallyfindihebottomofthekeinydomofDreams.Theywereallintadunharmed.MedusaandCyclopshadunknowinglybeenprotegmytreasuretroveforoveratury.Doyoumeantosaythereisalsoasymboliificetothetreasuretrove?”

    “Ofcourse,thetreasuretrovehasi

erruptedDavid.“Whatdoyoumeanbyitssymboliificeisgreaterthanitssubstantialone?Ihavesatdownonthegoldthrowiditreallygavemeaverystrangefeeling.”

    “Thestrangefeelingyougotwhenyousatohrone”repliedKingDimitri,“maybereal,butitcouldalsohavebeenanillusionbecauseintheKingdomofDreamsnothingisimpossible.Thatistosay,anythingispossiblehere.ThesymboliificeIwastalkingaboutwastosay,everyone’sfateisdifferentsointhismundaneworldpeoplemeetwithdiffereiakeaverysimpleexample,somearepoorandsomearerich;butrichorpoorwhentheyarealohemselvesorasleep;solongastheyarefagthemselves,intheirowstheyallregardthemselvesasareveredking…Toputitsimply,youarethekingofyourself.What’ssohardtouandaboutthat?Thesymboliificeofthegoldpaceisthatyouarethekingofyourself.Togoastepfurther,inthisKingdomofDreams,everythingistwo-sided.Thatistosay,itcouldbereal,butitcouldalsobeunreal.LikeIoftensaid,dreamsarepartofreallife,atinuationofreallife.Thereisnoactualdiffereweendreamsandreallife…DoyouuandwhatImean?”DaviddidnotknowatallwhatKingDimitriwastalkingabout.Infacthewasreallyfusedapletelyataloss,butMr.Kaffeenoddedandsaid,

    “Iseemtouandalittleofwhatyoumean.”Pointingtotheshoreattheoppositeendofthewideexpanseofkewaterheadded,“Thenthegeousandmagnifitgoldpacehasitsownsymboliifice,right?”KingDimitrinoddedemphaticallyandanswered,

    “Yht.Thatnewlystructedgoldpacehasitsownsymboliifice.Asyouknow,Iamanepicureanandgastronomer.Iliketobesurroundedbybeautifulwomenandhaveagoodtimewiththem.OfcoursethatiswhenIamintheroleofKingDimitri.ButinreallifeIamapennilesshomelessperson,cursedbyfatetobeablindman.Iroamthestreetsdriftingandwanderingaimlesslyatthemercyofwailingwindsandweepingraihepainandsufferingpiledonmebylife’swretchedcircumstances.Doyouknowwhatgavemestrengthtogoonliving?It’smydreams.WheneverIfeltutterlycrushedandoverwhelmedbylife’strialsandtributionsbeyondallbearing,IwouldretreatandseekrefugeintheKingdomofDreams.ThereIyking,physicallyhealthyandpsychologicallybanced.Sothesymboliificeofthegoldpacewasdreams…Dreamsgraduallyformedintandendurableflexibilityandmagicalpsticityandeveryone’scharacterhashisowncharmandfasation…Thathuge,magnifitpaceyouseeontheoppositeshorewasnewlybuiltformebymytwoloyalservantsandfriendsImaginationaivitybecausetheoldonewasdestroyedbyfire.ThereIoheredtwenty-fourbeautiesfromallersoftheearthahemintheoldpacetolivetogetherinpeadharmony.Theywerelikeexoticbirdsimprisonedinanexpensivegoldcage.Onthesurfacetheyseemedtohaveeverythingtheywanted:gourmetfood,expehesetc.Butiytheylostthefreedomtoroamurainedlyiblueskies.SoIopehecagedavethembacktheirfreedomtoflyatwill…”

    23

    “Youknow”saidDwarfMickeywhostrokedhislongwhitebeardseeminglyengrossedinthought,“Ionceflewuptotheseventhheavenanddownintothebowelsoftheearth,seargeverywhereformylosttreasuresforoveratury,beforefinallyactallyfindihebottomofthekeinydomofDreams.Theywereallintadunharmed.MedusaandCyclopshadunknowinglybeenprotegmytreasuretroveforoveratury.Doyoumeantosaythereisalsoasymboliificetothetreasuretrove?”

    “Ofcourse,thetreasuretrovehasi