I kind of agree and kind of not...it is all an illusion or a simulation but we must behave as if it were real, because the result is real and lasting experience, traits and knowing's that stay with us for eternity.

I say its an illusion because when I was being encouraged to forgive my step father they showed me that much of my suffering was based on my beliefs about the abuse...I'm not worthy, I deserved it, he consciously chose me to harm etc. When in fact he had sacrificed his soul, it was unconscious and he was being influenced by his alcohol addiction and entities he had attached to him. No conscious, being was even involved. I was chosen simply because I was quiet, withdrawn, sensitive and had an unconscious mother who wasn't awake. Me, my personality, my soul and who I am had very little to do with the selection process other than my quietness and being in the right place at the right time. My guides even challenged me to think about my selection for that situation and asked if I really thought they would choose an inexperienced soul for this life. They told me to think about what was to be gained from this situation from a soul perspective.   

I find guru worship extremely distasteful, I dislike any human being held up as more valuable than any other, no mater how skilled they are. I guess that's a fall out from being executed and falsely accused by church and state for being a witch. I came into this life with a very tangible distrust for authority in any situation, government, church, gender. A paid up bra burning feminist.  Conversely I despise injustice and nothing makes me more insanely mad. But thankfully I've managed to resurrect my belief in the creator or source and removed the middle man to have my own direct experience. Isn't that the theme of our time? 

Interesting I interpreted your meditation differently. I saw the symbolism of Ramana in a suit as representing more worldly pursuits like money and ego and being more left brained. While the woman represented the creative right brain intuition. I wonder what she was wearing and were there any clues like his suit? It was also symbolic of the end of an era both for you and for the planet, the age of the external guru is over and we all must rise up and be our own guru. Just some ideas.

"If a person thinks about it he or she might find that if the creative aspect of being was never utilized there wouldn't be anything to be aware of, not even love, peace and joy. After all, these are things that we perceive, are aware of, when we use the mind and creative aspects of being so we can be aware of such things."
Hmm I had to stop and think about that...I wasn't shown love as a child by my parents yet I am able to love, does that mean I imagined it into reality or it was already part of me when I incarnated? What you say makes sense in terms of what I said earlier about my beliefs about the abuse, and how I'd created much of my suffering around it; the same was true with my mother and not feeling loved by her, but I did the work myself in forgiving her and seeing her as the broken woman she is rather than a deliberate tormentor. There's a saying that I like that covers what you are saying...'We see the world as we are, not as it is.' Do love peace and joy only exist because we imagine it? I hope not.

ACIM sounds like spirituality for dummies or perhaps those one step away from being reptilian??

Actually if we use that idea with the duality/non duality concept; ancient humans had the peaceful, tribal, community cooperation and supposedly the dark side was introduced into humans by alien DNA and genetic manipulation and we have been battling the two sides of ourselves ever since. In my experience that isn't too far from the truth.

My parents unconsciousness is/was different for each. My mother was not fully present or empathic because she was so blinded by her own suffering and feelings of inadequacy. Unconscious as in not present or being mindful. She is a wounded empath drowning in her own suffering. 

My step fathers situation was different, and this is what was explained and portrayed to me. At some point he made the decision not to follow his conscience/soul/connection to higher aspirations so he shut it off, stuck it away in some quiet part of his being and ignored it like it didn't exist and for him it didn't. He shut off any attachment to empathy, compassion, mindfulness and existed to satisfy his own base needs. By shutting off their soul they don't have the same emotional imbalance, insecurity and interference as the rest of us, so a lot more thinking space is freed up so that they can be incredibly calculated, cunning and devious with their plans and execution of them. By not worrying about right and wrong, and what others would think they are free to pursue what they can get away with.