Lucid dreaming

Hey, Everybody!

Has anyone found a good method for exploring the dream state? I don't have many vivid dreams but I'd like to. I think it could be beneficial for my health and for the path of a Jedi.

Planet of Chaos wrote: Hey, Everybody!

Has anyone found a good method for exploring the dream state? I don't have many vivid dreams but I'd like to. I think it could be beneficial for my health and for the path of a Jedi.

I think I lucid dream but idk. Like I know I am dreaming when I do dream and I control myself to an extent (by extent means most of the time I think about my dreams for all of two minutes and forget them.) Now there is times I can force myself to make something happen in my dream but really who is to say that wasn't already apart of the dream? Now when I first was able to realize a dream is a dream was when I was youn and I had ninja turtles in my dream but they had extended snouts and slimmy skin, the girl was telling me something about how they were the ninja turtles and I was like no they are not this is a dream. And i think the dream was like no why would the ninja turtles be here? Then I woke up.

There is times I force wake myself up when I don't want to deal with a "demonic thing" in my dream where I use all my power to move my body and open my eyes (which is extremely hard when you don't know where your dream self ends and your real self begins.)

Other times I just realize I'm dreaming, go do the dream thing, wake up and go do the awake thing.

Now there has been a few times where I have been "haunted" in my dreams (quotations because who knows honestly) but there were dreams of haunted house and certain situations where my dreams leave, "Hey this is a dream" to the point where in my dream I am petrified in fear and I am never afraid. I have had nightmares in the past (all the way up through age 7 or so was nothing but nightmares to the point I didnt want to fall asleep.) And this seemed way more deeper than a nightmare like it felt as tho I was being made a fool of in my own dream malicously.

Now there comes times where I also don't know if I am dreaming or not, one time was when I just moved to oregon and I was laying in bed and the lights turned off and the sounds of boots stepping came from down the hall. I struggle to move but can't I am literally paralyzed. I twitch trying to get my sleeping fiance attention, heart racing, sweating, and beyond scared. When I finally let out a mumble of "baby he is going to kill us" my fiance spun right around and shook me. Later on me and her talked about the situation she said I had my eyes open for an hour unresponsive and she thought I was sleeping. So who knows maybe it was a dream maybe it was the astral realm and I was in a meditative state seeing it. All I know is I was petrified.

Now just as a side not about the dreams up til 7, I did have one single dream which was the ONLY good dream up til then. It was a cartoon angel kid sitting on a cloud and one single tear drop fell from it's eye off the cloud as it looked over the earth and my nightmares slowly vanished.

So these may be Lucid, some may have not even been dream, some may be normal prerecorded dreams as well. Hell idk personally.

Planet of Chaos wrote: Hey, Everybody!

Has anyone found a good method for exploring the dream state? I don't have many vivid dreams but I'd like to. I think it could be beneficial for my health and for the path of a Jedi.

Check out Onnitlabs(dot)com. Their AlphaBrain product is supposed to promote lucid dreaming. If you ask me, dreaming is a very important part of keeping a healthy spirit

Wish I could help you out. I have no idea how I do it, but almost all my dreams are very vivid. I can smell the smells, feel the physical and emotional feelings of the main character (who only sometimes is me). I just appreciate those that I can remember upon waking and reflect on them until the memory of the thoughts, feelings, and sensory experience fades.

Perhaps the answer may come in meditation?

Here's an extract written by one of my shamanic teachers:


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Thank you, Mark! I'll do this!

I lucid Dream alot,its like what Master Anjuu said.When i got to sleep i think about what i want to dream about and when i fall asleep i control it.the funny thing is that sometimes i forget that im in a dream.so i go through point where i know im dreaming and i dont.The best way i can explain this is like when your reading a good book but you are still aware of your surroundings,and any noise is an annoyance,but then you come to a point were you get sucked into the book and you cant even here the construction work outside or your mom calling you for dinner lol.Oh and what i have experienced and this may seem odd but if you ever have a dream where your flying,as soon as you reilize you dreaming you can no longer fly.I think this has something to do with your logic and the fact that you know you cant fly.your rational mind sometimes chains you down.so if you can at one point realize your dreaming try to not let logic and what can and cant take to much control.lol sorry if that dosent make any sense

Makes perfect sense!

Planet of Chaos wrote: Has anyone found a good method for exploring the dream state? I don't have many vivid dreams but I'd like to. I think it could be beneficial for my health and for the path of a Jedi.

How about Tibetan Dream Yoga!!

I've copied some of it to here and rephrased some bits to hopefully make it easier to read and use. The PDF by Barbara S. Stefik is linked at the end of page which has more complete information.


Intro
The four foundations of Tibetan dream yoga are preliminary practices to more extensive Tibetan dream yoga practices, which have as their goal the attainment of lucidity in the four successive domains of integration: vision (day). dream (night), bardo (during death), and clear light (Wangyal. 1998.pp.l39-I49).

Beyond the four foundations, the other main parts of the Tibetan dream yoga are the preparatory practices. which are done before sleep, and the main practices. The preparatory practices include the nine puritications breathing practice, a devotional practice called guru yoga, and a protection practice that involves visualization of dakinis.

The main practices are concerned with bringing awarenessinto the central channel, increasing clarity, strengthening presence, and developing fearlessness.

The Tibetan yoga of sleep is a practice that extends awareness into sleep.

The practices of dream yoga and sleep are described in The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep. (Wangyal. I998).

Its recommended you have a dream journal where you write down your dreams every morning.

Task 1: Persistent Difficult Issue
Record an issue or an area of difficulty, something that you struggle with everyday or very often that you want to bring awareness to during the training. Choose something that seems manageable to you, not something that feels completely overwhelming. Write it down.

Lecture 1: Four Foundations of Tibetan Dream Yoga
A first crucial tep is to invoke the inner witness, so that one can observe and feel their experience without getting constantly caught up in the story. Experience will be dealt with in 2 ways;
a. full experience of life and observing the process without being caught up in the story. Think of life as a dream to develop this inner witness.
b. examination of the story to bring awareness to our process.

Foundation 1. Changing the Karmic traces; throughout day recognize the dream like nature of life. Upon waking think 'I am awake in a dream'. When you enter the kitchen, see it as a dream kitchen. Remind yourself constantly throughout the day.

Foundation 2. Removing grasping and aversion; the first foundation occurs upon perception - the intial phenomena of encountering. The second foundation occurs after a reaction has arisen. Essentially they are the same but the second foundation is to understand your emotional reaction as also being part of the dream. Practise witnessing this reaction as a part of a dream during the day.

Foundation 3. Strengthening intention, review of the day; before going to sleep, as you prepare, allow the memories of the day to arise. Whatever comes to mind should be recognized as a dream.

Foundation 4. Cultivating memory and joyful effort; upon awakening in the morning you should review the night. Experience joy for any rememberance of the nights dreams. Generate a strong intention to remain consistent in the practise throughout the day.

Lecture 2: Karmic Traces
From a Tibetan dream yoga perspective karma impacts our future waking and dreaming experiences. They could be understood in the west as subconscious tendencies. They are inclinations and patterns of internal and external behavior, ingrained reactions and habitual conceptualizations. They dictate our emotional reactions to situations and our intellectual rigidities.

Task 2: Joyful Presence
Create an individualized process by which you bring yourself back to the the present moment and engage the inner witness (recognizing everything as a dream). This is a deliberate exercise and you should aim to create a sense of joyfulness in being present. The process must be quick, easy and evoking an energetic feeling.

Adder's note: I use boundaries to remind me of freedom, so whenever I see a square or circle I try to use these things to represent reminders of mindfulness and beyond.

Lecture 3: This is a Dream
Our intent is to gain clarity, lucidity, a sense of expansiveness instead of feeling constricted. In the moment of reaction (foundation 2) when we experience 'this is a dream' the extent of emotion tends to be experienced, we should track the emotion and stay, fully experiencing the emotion to best understand and master the motion. This is also a process of healing and where compassion can enter the picture. This practise has the ability to be very effective in bringing awareness to karmic traces through continous noticing of the dream like quality of life. Continueing to notice 'this is a dream' throughout the layers of ever changing emotions can be difficult though.

There is more in the following PDF but it starts to get a bit more Buddhist orientated. Good Luck!!

AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF THE EFFECTS OF PRACTICINGTIBETAN DREAM YOGA F OUR FOUNDATIONSON WAKING LIFE AWARENESS AND DREAMS, Barbara S. Stefik

http://vajrayana.faithweb.com/An%20exploratory%20study%20of%20the%20effects%20of%20practicing%20Tibetan%20dream%20yoga%20four%20foundations%20on%20waking%20life%20awareness%20and%20dreams.pdf

I finally had a Lucid Dream last night. It was pretty amazing. At one point, I realized I was dreaming. I pulled back my energy like Mark said! Then, I was in control! I decided to forget what I was doing and just go fly around for a bit. lol But then of course, I tried to wake myself. I awoke and thought I was awake.. but I was in another dream and I didn't realize this at all! Darn! I'm going to keep trying though! Thanks everybody!