That is, what if the Pattern and all reality is the Creator's dream?

This is not an idea I have seen seriously considered, but the more I think about it, the more it makes sense.

The premise is that the Creator has shielded its dreams (I believe that this is what T'A'R really is) and the Bore is a hole through this shield.

The Dark One is another dreamer that wants to a) wake the Creator up; b) take control of the Creator's dream.

Throughout the text we catch glimpses of a theological idea that life/reality may be a dream, a notion apparently strongest among the descendants of the Dai'shain. In tFoH, it becomes a popular idea among many Aiel that the Aiel themselves may be but Rand's dream and that when he "wakes" (dies) they will disappear. This is really quite a strange idea unless ideas of dreamed reality are more widespread than we are shown. The way RJ organized the text, we learn bits and pieces of the cosmology, but the more theological ideas are given more piecemeal (leading many to complain, incorrectly I think, that WOT has no religion). Anyways, the idea can be supported by the text.

Not only have significant portions of the story been devoted to the workings and mysteries of TAR, we are given a couple of specific episodes that in themselves seem odd but make more sense if dreams will play a huge role in the end. One is the Egwene-Gawyn dream magnet episode. I think this was meant to show not that these two were in love (or not just that), but to demonstrate how two antagonists might try to be VERY careful in engaging each other's dreams. Remember, extreme hate can produce the same magnetic effect according to the Wise Ones. If the Dark One is trying to manipulate the Creator's dreams then some of the apparent hesitation to more fully enter the world could be explained by the fact the Dark One fears being "trapped" in the Creator's dream like Egwene was in Gawyn's dream. The all-caps speaking (both DO and Creator do this) is also much like Egwene sitting at the edge of a dream to communicate by shouting instead of risking entering the dream.

More evidence is the fact that SG and the Blight work very like a maintained TAR construct. After the battle at the Eye, the Blight suddenly and COMPLETELY reverted to normal in parts. Not like an injury or corruption, but an illusion. It is as if the DO trying to manipulate the Creator's dream is strenuous and liable to produce stray thoughts (Bubbles of evil).

Also, the only way it makes sense for ALL creation to be equally vulnerable to the DO is that the Bore allows Shai'tan to enter into the only space we know of that encompasses all worlds (Mirror and Parallel), and this was revealed to be that "dream sea" in between TAR and the waking world. Egwene was able to see and touch dreams originating from worlds in which physical laws were totally different (Parallel worlds like the Finn's realms) and Ishamael was able to find Rand's dreams in a mirror world.

Then we have the fact that neither Myrdraal nor the sealed Forsaken had any dreams at all. The shadowspawn closest to the DO, the ones which are most like his dreams/nightmares stalking reality are Fades. These creatures are only partially aligned with reality and can teleport around like a dreamer in TAR. Also, we know that when a dreamer is in TAR it appears as if they are in a dreamless sleep to any dreamer watching their dream orb. This sounds very close to how sleeping Myrdraal appear, which makes me think they are like reverse dreamers. That to Shai'tan, the Pattern is like TAR is to the living components of creation.

Finally, I believe this is one of the only explanations that actually allows for Perrin and his wolves to be really important. If the Last Battle is about a dreamed struggle over reality, then the pattern's largest army of dreamers (the wolves) and its King will be exponentially more significant than if they simply fight physically in a battle against shadowspawn. Perhaps this why the Darkhounds are shown to also be out of shift with reality. Their ultimate purpose may be to fight the wolves in the Dream (or the in the Blight-dream, ie the Dark One's dream).

This theory also helps to explain why Moridin and his most closely controlled pets are the Shadow's three most powerful dreamers (Ishamael/Ba'alzamon/Moridin, Moghedien, Lanfear/Cyndane).

If anyone buys this idea, how do you think it might play out in the actual story? Will Rand be involved in closing the hole in TAR or is his role to fix the connections between worlds? Mat seems tied to the Finns and Perrin to a lesser extent to Loial and the Ogier (although Rand also has ties to both Finns and Ogier), and if each of these worlds is a different dream by the Creator, what implications might that have for the Last Battle?

If this whole story is really a battle between dreamers, what will the Last Battle be? Could the Creator's non-interference be because the Creator is simply asleep and not aware of its dreams while Shai'tan is the Dreamer more fully cognizant of the situation? Do you think this theory is supported or undermined by the fact that the Heroes of the Horn reside in TAR and that the Horn of Valere seems to merge TAR and reality?

I am really interested in everyone's responses so flame away!

LoialT