The nature of any particular species can be divided into certain individual characteristics allowing information about that species to be categorized and exploited. The individual characteristics could be symbolized or embodied by various archetypes or extremes. This would allow the exploiter to manipulate the nature of any species by working at the basic informational level of the species involved. As the species are more or less trapped inside their own natures then the manipulation of such could be absolute.

Placing emphasis on one symbolic characteristic would make its opposite characteristic stand out in stark contrast, giving that opposite characteristic or symbol increasing power until it eventually forced the former to seek balance or equilibrium between the two.

This means that controlling a species, such as the human species, would be quite easy for beings that saw such species as conglomerations of information stacked in particular ways.

Our highest idealisms could just be symbolic representations of certain individual aspects of our own nature, and not actually the ultimate aspects of reality that we imagine they are. This tendency to place higher aspects of our own natures as our guiding lights and paths forward would allow any species above us to manipulate us in ways that we would attribute to God or divine powers.
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I think individual people may see symbolic representation where others do not. Like someone may finish their cup of tea and see only a mess of tea leaves at the bottom of their cup. While another person may see the tea leave patterns as symbolic of the person's future life.

While some people may gather information from various individual symbols and see most all else as random non-connected sources of information about various mundane things, certain individuals could see relevant information within every object or vibration, revealing absolute oneness within the entire material creation; and determining the very nature of the cosmic mind; allowing such individuals to read the cosmic mind at any given point in time and space. This would enable those who could see the connected patterns of information within the all to interact with the all in dynamic and harmonious ways.

But then there is the chaos factor to be considered, and this would mean seeing harmony in destruction as well as creation?

Just rambling on here

A related paradox is does a cell experience pain or pleasure when dividing (mitosis) and what exactly is whatever it feels related to in respect to either pain and pleasure (good, bad and evil).

New life is being formed, parent cell is dying or are they are copies of the original, different only in respect to time (time does affect the data in genes). Can this be treated as a birth experience or can it be treated as a death event?

What is postulated is that in the unconscious the symbol for death and life is ultimately the same

Any thoughts?

From an unattached viewpoint all the symbolic archetypes representing the different extremes or modes of consciousness may be seen as part of one and the same complete unit or pattern; but for a node of consciousness interacting intimately with the different archetypes of consciousness such an interconnected pattern may not appear to exist; and such a node or individual awareness may move from one archetypical mode of consciousness to another, suffering or enjoying accordingly.

Fine by me, Aztec.

The difference between individual and collective.