Hey Lesley :)

I felt like writing about this movie, because I saw it 3 times already, each time saw more things, and I I'll sure see it again...

I saw there a 'couple' of things...

First of all, of course the reality perception-creation relation.

For me it was also a hint about how sometimes I choose to be stuck somewhere, building this "dream place" like the main character did, recreating the same situation that just repeats itself from back in the past until now, because it's hard to let go of something, as if it is part of me and I still want it to be there. And it is not even a denial, but inability to let go something I know about.

Finding a sort of 'totem' for blind spots or for periods when I loose it, how I can make something to remind me where is real and where is a 'dream', like maybe notes, or some sort of tightness I can recignise in the body accompanying a certain distortion (like sharp shoulder pain when I'm lost if fears and worries), or just a question "And who is talking now?" (yelling/doing smth, etc)...it can be anything...

Then the courage to go deeper and deeper, despite all the side-effects and how each time it looks/feels different, as if the decorations change a little, but it's still the same.

The time trick - time stretching/contraction, which I think everybody is familiar with on the simple level (like one hour passes as if it was 5 minutes only, or one day feels like it began long long ago).

The importance not to put anything as a goal on the path, like my goal is to be enlightened/happy/free/strong, etc... Then ego can build a trap to hold me there in denial and illusion that I'm already there. Therefore it's very important, for me, not to hold any vision about the future, which is not easy, and stay focused on the shortest time interval possible, like the moment. Teh exclusion would be an immediate pull having something to do with future, lik ebuying tickets for flights months in advance, but even there I assume that I will not 100% go, and might loose the money and stay if that's what will come. In the movie the end is not clear and leaves a place for imagination, but the point is, that the goal built on weakness might trap and make forget about the 'totem', i.e. the way to go back to 'real'.

I also saw there an importance of building 'external group' of people, who would help, encourage, back up, etc. Everything is happening inside, and I can give myself whatever is required for my evolution, like I write in my diary answers to many questions, so it sounds (reads) like a crazy split-personality dialogue :D. But somehow it is important many times that the info comes from 'outside', i.e. I create something/somebody outside to tell me what I already know, but can't see and say to myself.

Question I have about it: why this mechanism? I mean why do we build external help?

Now the song itself to wake them up from the dream: "Je ne regrette rien" (I don't regret anything, right? ;)), maybe something to do with acceptance of my past self, or my attachments and distortions. Once I'm able not to judge and acceptit really, I can 'wake up' from it (sort of).

Also how the illusion can be affected by something real and vice versa - like if something is happening on the inside, then it will project ouside to the illusionary reality, and vice versa - sometimes the authentic pull/expression gets distorted.

Now the defense mechanisms to protect the 'dream', how my projections attack the invader. The simplest example of being angry at the mirror, who came to shake the dream a little ;) so usually all kinds of rejection responses will activate, like mistrust, competition, criticism, etc. But actually it happens inside all the time between me and me :D

The salvation - how we can build a story about something and get stuck there, and how it's possible to let the old story go and to find a way through and out (Cillian Merphy's character).

Self destruction - how we sabotage our own evolution by creating something there, an opposition to inhibit us (Cobb's wife), what I now call the dissipation element :D

For me it also had something to tell me about guilt, and how it can hold me by foot.

How it's all up to me and I can use imagination and have some fun on the path (depicted by Tom Hardy with a more efficient weapon to deal with dream-defense).

Well, I'm sure I forgot some of the messages I saw there..it was like ah!..and ah! evry five minutes :D
and I'm sure I'll see more next time I see it.

A really good one...

Yulia