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| Dream Working - Dream Walking Continued |
Dangers in the Dreamworld. Some people warn of dangerous
dream entities in the Dreamworld, or of hazards like vortices or
whirlpools; of getting lost in the Dream, or being captured by
another dreamer. The truth is, the Dreamworld is one of the
safest places you can be.
The Dreamworld is not entirely uninhabited (not counting
humans). Some spirits have a strong dream presence,
especially totem spirits. But these spirits are never directly
harmful. Other creatures seen in the Dreamworld – Ancestors,
monsters, Gods, the Bogeyman – are all creations of human
minds.
When we dream, our minds generate many different
manifestations of things that we know. We may believe that we
see ancestors, loved ones, or friends, when in fact we have
created them. They seem completely real because our higher
self has perfect knowledge of how they operate and what they
do. This is not to say that we never encounter them in reality;
but most of the time, we see our own reflections of who we
know or knew. Likewise, most monsters are the manifestations
of the fears and anxieties within us; and Gods may represent
hopes and dreams we have. But unlike Gods, who may very
well appear in your dream, using your Higher Self to
communicate with you, monsters have no connection to you.
There is no ‘inner monster’ lurking to come out, that you see in
your dream.
It is impossible to be trapped by another dreamer; whirlpools
and vortices are usually manifested within a dream, and are
therefore easily escapable. In other words, every danger of the
Dreamworld is bound by the basic fact that it’s a dream, and
you can escape any dream.
Death in Dreams. There is a common belief that if you die in
your dreams, you die for real. This belief is bolstered by the
simple fact that no one seems to remember dying in their
dream. However, I don’t know of any instance of near-death
experiences in someone’s sleep, either.
I know from personal experience that I have dreamed of dying
and of being dead, but the actual moment of death was spared
from my dream. It’s as if my mind skipped the death part of the
dream.
However, the fear that this belief engenders is that you must
fear death in your dreams as you do in life. This is not true, as
things that kill the living simply won’t kill the dreamer. Falls from
great heights rarely end in the memory of the dreamer –
usually, people either awake from dreams of falling, or move on
to new dreams. But a very few have fallen and landed – usually
on their feet – so it’s unlikely that you can die by falling in a
dream.
In most cases, the alert dreamer won’t allow himself to be
‘killed’ in a dream anyway, since most of us aren’t masochists
and there are no known ways to die that are pleasant and
desirable! So while the question remains – Do you die for real
if you die in the dream? – the fact is, there is no cause for
concern.
Erotic Dreaming and Suspension of Morals. Some people
concern themselves with dream morality, and for good reason.
Within your dream, you feel safe, secretive, and alone. Your
actions don’t seem to have repercussions; no one can catch
you, no one will punish you. You can do whatever you like to
whomever you want, and go on with your life as if nothing ever
happened!
The fact is, Karma keeps track even of these dream instances,
though it seems as if they’re weighted a little less heavily than
actual actions. It does appear that some dream immorality is
dismissed – perhaps, in a need for release of aggression and
tension, our dreams are a permissive place where we can
unleash our fury without doing actual harm. But I’m not a
psychiatrist, so I’ll leave that line of thought to the experts.
However, deliberate and wanton immoral acts – by immoral
acts I mean those that harm others or yourself – do carry some
karmic debt, even in the Dreamworld. So while it may be ok to
occasionally dream about shooting your boss – and who hasn’t
had THAT dream? – repeatedly and deliberately dreaming
about different ways to kill the boss would be specifically and
definitely wrong.
Erotic dreams, on the other hand, are considerably different.
You are not harming anyone in the dream directly, so there isn’
t really any harm in good erotic dreams. However, dreams can
become obsessions if carried too far, so the best bet is
moderation In all things.
Flying in the Dream. One of the most delightful dreams one
can have is the dream of flight. People have sung the praises
of flying dreams for ages, and poems and songs often mention
dreams of flight. “I feel like I’m flying” is an expression of
euphoria, and rightly so, as flying in the dream is the most
euphoric sensation one usually gets when one is dreaming.
So what does it mean? Physiologically speaking, flying in your
dream is a response to the perfect stage of relaxation in your
body. Even if your body only relaxes for a few seconds, that’s
enough to cause long dreams of flight. Conversely, it seem you
can cause your body to relax by making yourself fly in your
dreams! Almost always, if you dream of flight, you awake
feeling a little more rested than normal.
Some, however, do not experience restful flight sleep. For a
few, flight in a dream is complicated – in some cases of my own
experience, flight can be interfered with by endless power lines
stretched across the sky, or unseen roofs holding me down. It
can be a struggle to do more than ‘tread air’ sometimes. When
these dreams occur, the body rarely rests.
Other Concepts. You may find yourself changing into
something or someone else when you dream. This other
person is often referred to as the Avatar, and is a reflection of
you as seen through your higher self. Although sometimes
human, the Avatar most often takes the form of a totem spirit or
animal. You may actually see the Avatar as a separate entity
from yourself, as well. Avatars are very useful because
although they present a different point of view, it is still a point
of view based on you.
Studies done over the last decade have failed to conclusively
end an argument that I feel needs to be presented here. There
are some medical and psychological experts who feel that a
healthy brain requires a certain amount of free dreaming in
order to perform emotional maintenance, and they are
concerned that lucid dreaming (and, by extension,
Dreamweaving) can be a factor in mental health problems. I do
not recommend Dreamweaving to anyone who may fall into a
risk category. There are also experts who feel that
Dreamweaving can be a wonderful form of self-medication,
psychologically. Use it at your own risk.
Any magickal, psychic, or dream work should be done after
taking appropriate precautions. Good psychic hygiene,
grounding and clearing, and setting up an appropriate
environment for your work are all essential factors in the
success of any works in these realms. Also, never perform
dreamworking if you feel ill or in any way feverish, as the
chance of uncontrolled hallucinations and dreams is a very real
possibility when ill.
Never attempt Dreamweaving or Dreamwalking while
intoxicated or medicated.
dream entities in the Dreamworld, or of hazards like vortices or
whirlpools; of getting lost in the Dream, or being captured by
another dreamer. The truth is, the Dreamworld is one of the
safest places you can be.
The Dreamworld is not entirely uninhabited (not counting
humans). Some spirits have a strong dream presence,
especially totem spirits. But these spirits are never directly
harmful. Other creatures seen in the Dreamworld – Ancestors,
monsters, Gods, the Bogeyman – are all creations of human
minds.
When we dream, our minds generate many different
manifestations of things that we know. We may believe that we
see ancestors, loved ones, or friends, when in fact we have
created them. They seem completely real because our higher
self has perfect knowledge of how they operate and what they
do. This is not to say that we never encounter them in reality;
but most of the time, we see our own reflections of who we
know or knew. Likewise, most monsters are the manifestations
of the fears and anxieties within us; and Gods may represent
hopes and dreams we have. But unlike Gods, who may very
well appear in your dream, using your Higher Self to
communicate with you, monsters have no connection to you.
There is no ‘inner monster’ lurking to come out, that you see in
your dream.
It is impossible to be trapped by another dreamer; whirlpools
and vortices are usually manifested within a dream, and are
therefore easily escapable. In other words, every danger of the
Dreamworld is bound by the basic fact that it’s a dream, and
you can escape any dream.
Death in Dreams. There is a common belief that if you die in
your dreams, you die for real. This belief is bolstered by the
simple fact that no one seems to remember dying in their
dream. However, I don’t know of any instance of near-death
experiences in someone’s sleep, either.
I know from personal experience that I have dreamed of dying
and of being dead, but the actual moment of death was spared
from my dream. It’s as if my mind skipped the death part of the
dream.
However, the fear that this belief engenders is that you must
fear death in your dreams as you do in life. This is not true, as
things that kill the living simply won’t kill the dreamer. Falls from
great heights rarely end in the memory of the dreamer –
usually, people either awake from dreams of falling, or move on
to new dreams. But a very few have fallen and landed – usually
on their feet – so it’s unlikely that you can die by falling in a
dream.
In most cases, the alert dreamer won’t allow himself to be
‘killed’ in a dream anyway, since most of us aren’t masochists
and there are no known ways to die that are pleasant and
desirable! So while the question remains – Do you die for real
if you die in the dream? – the fact is, there is no cause for
concern.
Erotic Dreaming and Suspension of Morals. Some people
concern themselves with dream morality, and for good reason.
Within your dream, you feel safe, secretive, and alone. Your
actions don’t seem to have repercussions; no one can catch
you, no one will punish you. You can do whatever you like to
whomever you want, and go on with your life as if nothing ever
happened!
The fact is, Karma keeps track even of these dream instances,
though it seems as if they’re weighted a little less heavily than
actual actions. It does appear that some dream immorality is
dismissed – perhaps, in a need for release of aggression and
tension, our dreams are a permissive place where we can
unleash our fury without doing actual harm. But I’m not a
psychiatrist, so I’ll leave that line of thought to the experts.
However, deliberate and wanton immoral acts – by immoral
acts I mean those that harm others or yourself – do carry some
karmic debt, even in the Dreamworld. So while it may be ok to
occasionally dream about shooting your boss – and who hasn’t
had THAT dream? – repeatedly and deliberately dreaming
about different ways to kill the boss would be specifically and
definitely wrong.
Erotic dreams, on the other hand, are considerably different.
You are not harming anyone in the dream directly, so there isn’
t really any harm in good erotic dreams. However, dreams can
become obsessions if carried too far, so the best bet is
moderation In all things.
Flying in the Dream. One of the most delightful dreams one
can have is the dream of flight. People have sung the praises
of flying dreams for ages, and poems and songs often mention
dreams of flight. “I feel like I’m flying” is an expression of
euphoria, and rightly so, as flying in the dream is the most
euphoric sensation one usually gets when one is dreaming.
So what does it mean? Physiologically speaking, flying in your
dream is a response to the perfect stage of relaxation in your
body. Even if your body only relaxes for a few seconds, that’s
enough to cause long dreams of flight. Conversely, it seem you
can cause your body to relax by making yourself fly in your
dreams! Almost always, if you dream of flight, you awake
feeling a little more rested than normal.
Some, however, do not experience restful flight sleep. For a
few, flight in a dream is complicated – in some cases of my own
experience, flight can be interfered with by endless power lines
stretched across the sky, or unseen roofs holding me down. It
can be a struggle to do more than ‘tread air’ sometimes. When
these dreams occur, the body rarely rests.
Other Concepts. You may find yourself changing into
something or someone else when you dream. This other
person is often referred to as the Avatar, and is a reflection of
you as seen through your higher self. Although sometimes
human, the Avatar most often takes the form of a totem spirit or
animal. You may actually see the Avatar as a separate entity
from yourself, as well. Avatars are very useful because
although they present a different point of view, it is still a point
of view based on you.
Studies done over the last decade have failed to conclusively
end an argument that I feel needs to be presented here. There
are some medical and psychological experts who feel that a
healthy brain requires a certain amount of free dreaming in
order to perform emotional maintenance, and they are
concerned that lucid dreaming (and, by extension,
Dreamweaving) can be a factor in mental health problems. I do
not recommend Dreamweaving to anyone who may fall into a
risk category. There are also experts who feel that
Dreamweaving can be a wonderful form of self-medication,
psychologically. Use it at your own risk.
Any magickal, psychic, or dream work should be done after
taking appropriate precautions. Good psychic hygiene,
grounding and clearing, and setting up an appropriate
environment for your work are all essential factors in the
success of any works in these realms. Also, never perform
dreamworking if you feel ill or in any way feverish, as the
chance of uncontrolled hallucinations and dreams is a very real
possibility when ill.
Never attempt Dreamweaving or Dreamwalking while
intoxicated or medicated.
| INFORMATION CONTRIBUTED BY MEMBER STEPHANIE WILKINSON HER INFORMATION SOURCE WITCHSCHOOL.COM |
