> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.gilespcroft.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # The dragon that's real and not true - URL: https://www.gilespcroft.com/the-dragon-thats-real-and-not-true/ - Published: 2026-08-03T06:00:19.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-17T17:27:25.000Z - Description: The craziest illusion I've found, and what it means for the next time you're feeling irked 🐲 - Author: Giles P Croft - Tags: Neuroscience, Video, Psychology, Metaphor, MECHANICS, Thought realisation If there was ever clearer evidence that we are all walking around in our own little thought-created ‘[realities](https://www.gilespcroft.com/8-billion-separate-realities/)’—the experiences of which are [real, but not true](https://www.gilespcroft.com/the-freedom-of-real-and-not-true/)—it's in visual illusions. ## How it's all ‘made up’ Our senses are bathed in fluctuating energy and they have to build a picture of reality for us, so that we can function in this world. This means our psychological-perceptual system is *always* asking the question: > *“What must be true, within the rules I’ve evolved, for me to be receiving this particular set of data?”* And that’s what we get: a teeny, tiny little portion of that infinite life-energy, filtered through those evolved rules – a ‘[rule-shaped aperture](https://www.gilespcroft.com/a-you-shaped-aperture/)’, if you like. So it’s not reality *itself*, it’s more like a [map of it](https://www.gilespcroft.com/update-your-map-version/). (Nobody knows what *actual* reality looks like… maybe those folks who’ve had near death experiences, I dunno 🤷🏻‍♂️) It’s a bit bonkers, because it *really* seems like we’re all wandering around with big windows on the fronts of our faces, viewing an objective reality, not some electro-chemically induced apparition that we think is true. 🥴 Visual illusions make that inconvenient truth a bit more obvious, or in the case of the video I made below, smacked-round-the-side-of-the-head obvious! Our psychological-perceptual system, while complex beyond measure, is actually remarkably easy to trick, just by breaking one of its inbuilt rules. Have a watch and try not to be freaked out too much because I can state categorically, those heads are ***NOT*** moving!! 😵‍💫 Enjoy the ride! 0:00 /0:35 1× 👀 🐉 👀 🐉 How crazy is that?! 🤯 ## A peek behind the curtain This little dragon (he’s called [*Thinky*](https://www.gathering4gardner.org/3d-dragon-illusion/?ref=gilespcroft.com)) is very easy to recreate for yourself – it's just a paper cut out that's stuck together. (I’ve attached the template to download as a PDF below; the perfect way to get creative for an hour.) And if you look at this image, you'll see how this primitive illusion tricks your mind. It's unusual in that, while the base is a standard pyramid shape, the face portion is concave (i.e. curved inwards): [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/9b/f3/9bf3d316-7d32-494b-814f-a7d94d6358c3/content/images/2026/07/5E369D79-8A1A-4943-83A0-D746D60432A6_1_201_a.jpeg)](https://www.gathering4gardner.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/3D-dragon.pdf?ref=gilespcroft.com) View from above Thinky. You’re safe here, he can’t get you. Our brains however, have evolved to perceive faces as *only* ever being convex (curved outwards) – that’s the rule it’s applying. So when we look at the dragon and we move our perspective around, the algorithmic mind asks its usual question: > *“What must be true, within the rules I’ve evolved, for me to be receiving this particular set of data?”* …and since—within its rules—it doesn’t make sense that bits of the face that should now be out of sight (because they're technically ‘round the corner’), are still visible, it makes something up. It says, > 📦🗣️: *“Oh, the head must be moving!”* And that's the ‘reality’ we experience. It’s not something [you can tell your mind](https://www.gilespcroft.com/illusion/) to see differently (there's no denying the head moves, even when I've shown you how the trick works) but, as we can now see, it's very obviously not true. (Honestly, if you’ve been struggling with this notion of *‘real-and-not-true’*, Thinky the dragon is the best demonstration I’ve ever come across!) ## What has this got to do with wellbeing? Well, it's not just moving-head dragons that are created from within our psychological-perceptual system, is it? It's 100% of the human experience. And the key here is the rules our Thought Systems 📦 are applying. Because sure, there are *evolved* human rules (such as all-faces-must-be-convex). But then how many other innocent ‘rules’—or beliefs—have gathered in that dusty old Thought System of ours, over the years, from our teachers, our parents, the media, society in general; and from experiences we've had when younger? (The fact that you and I and everybody you know see the world differently, is evidence that it's a LOT!) 🤔 What else is the mind ‘making up’ for you, that looks real, but is not true? ## The power in knowing Visual illusions that are as good as this one make it way more obvious that 100% of our felt experience of life is coming from thought in the moment. This means every feeling you've ever had and every feeling you ever *will* have comes to you as a product not of your environment, but of that inner, perceptual world; of the mind essentially asking, > *“What must be true, given all the cruft I've collected over the years, for me to be receiving this particular set of data?”* There's immense power in knowing this, because it also means you can't ever be a victim of circumstance, only ever a ‘victim’ of thought… or of misunderstanding, to be more accurate. And what should you do about this? Nothing. Be with whatever feeling you're experiencing, fully, safe in the knowledge that it's simply a reflection of thought, that it can't harm you and that fresh new thinking is always just around the corner. It's a beautifully designed system – enjoy the ride! 💟 Giles ### Make your own Here's a link to download the PDF template to fashion your own [*Thinky* the 3D Dragon](https://www.gathering4gardner.org/3d-dragon-illusion/?ref=gilespcroft.com), to wow your friends with. (If you've been looking for a ‘way in’ to talk about the Innate Health understanding with them, this is a great conversation starter!) [Thinky the 3D moving-head Dragon illusionThe ultimate summer project for your kids!Thinky-3D-moving-dragon-head-illusion\_template.pdf856 KBdownload-circle](https://www.gilespcroft.com/content/files/2026/08/Thinky-3D-moving-dragon-head-illusion%5Ftemplate.pdf "Download") SIGN UP FOR THE DAILY REMINDERS newsletter [![CTA Image](https://storage.ghost.io/c/9b/f3/9bf3d316-7d32-494b-814f-a7d94d6358c3/content/images/2025/12/DR_Lockup-Black-1.png)](#/portal/signup) Want to start **your* days with helpful, insightful content like this? The Daily Reminder is a quick, lighthearted email that arrives in your inbox, to help keep you grounded in reality, so that you get to **‘Think less, and live more.’* **“They feel like a moment of stillness in a world of madness.” \~* Neil, UK **“One of those small things with big impact. Honestly, just sign up!”* \~ Paula, UK [GET YOURS NOW ](#/portal/signup) ### Related [You can’t not see an illusionThe all-important difference between waking up \*from\* the dream, and \*to\* the dream 💭![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/9b/f3/9bf3d316-7d32-494b-814f-a7d94d6358c3/content/images/icon/DR_Lockup-Black-3-47c75a9c-ca3a-4cb5-ac65-ee47664c958a.png)The Daily RemindersGiles P Croft![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/9b/f3/9bf3d316-7d32-494b-814f-a7d94d6358c3/content/images/thumbnail/photo-1697313730507-694b4385e0c3-c9b0f30f-e02a-4b28-b470-409007b19090)](https://www.gilespcroft.com/illusion/) If this Daily Reminder got you thinking, then you'll love this one