Take this kiss upon the brow!
And, in parting from you now,
Thus much let me avow-
You are not wrong, who deem
That my days have been a dream;
Yet if hope has flown away
In a night, or in a day,
In a vision, or in none,
Is it therefore the less gone?
All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream.
I stand amid the roar
Of a surf-tormented shore
And I hold within my hand
Grains of the golden sand-
How few! Yet how they creep
Through my fingers to the deep,
While I weep – while I weep!
O God! can I not grasp
Them with a tighter clasp?
O God! can I not save
One from the pitiless wave?
Is all that we see or seem
But a dream within a dream?
-E.A.P-
I decided to rework this blog and concentrate the posts on dreams, dream interpretation, astral projection and paranormal activity. Still a wide range of topics but slightly more focused than the current format. I find these topics to be most interesting and I enjoy writing about them the most. If you are interested in these topics you might want to visit the archive and read Dreams 0001 and Dreams 0002 (if you haven’t already).
Occasionally I will highlight works of poetry and short stories by Edgar Allen Poe and other authors. There are many amazing stories and poems out there that explore dream worlds, sleep disorders and nightmares. I thought it would be appropriate to begin this new format with the complete Edgar Allan Poe poem, A Dream Within A Dream (above), I figure that it shows respect to Poe considering I took the title of his poem for the title of my blog! (plus it’s something for you to read while I write some fresh material). I hope you enjoy it. If you get as much pleasure from reading Edgar Allen Poe’s poetry as I do, you may also want to read Dream Land or The Sleeper. Another work of Poe which I am quite fond of is a short story entitled, Silence – A Fable (originally published in 1938 under the title, Siope – A Fable).
I hope you enjoy this new format. As always, please feel free to comment and please include your own opinions and experiences.
The next post will be along shortly and it will discuss the origin of dreams and dream interpretation.
Thanks for reading…
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Monday, December 20, 2010
Entertain This!
The average cost to make a mid-level Hollywood motion picture is approximately five to ten million dollars. As a society do we really need to spend that kind of money on a crappy movie that nobody would miss if it didn’t exist? Can’t we (as a country) do something better with that 10 million dollars? Of course we can but the developers of that movie are not about to give all their funding to the hungry and homeless, after all, then they couldn’t make their movie, they wouldn't earn any profit and they wouldn’t be able to get any funding to make the movie to begin with, it’s a paradox. Plus, is making a bad movie really hurting anyone? Well, I guess that’s debatable… If the starving, homeless people don’t get food because the money is being used to make a crappy movie, then yes, it is hurting people but I guess that’s a big stretch. Maybe we need to look at this in a different way...
If a Hollywood Producer wants to spend 10 million dollars making a big screen version of Gilligan’s Island, he knows that most people who grew up watching that program will go see the movie and the movie will make money. What if a percentage of the profits from the movie were used to solve some of our countries (or global) problems? Of course this solution would have to apply to all movies, not just crappy ones, and maybe even other forms of entertainment. For example: Let’s just say they make this movie for 10 million dollars and it earns 20 million dollars at the box office. For arguments sake let's say after everyone is paid there is a profit of ten million dollars. Two and a half million dollars of that profit should be allocated to a cause such as world hunger, affordable housing or rehabilitation for the homeless. I’m not saying to hand the money over to some corrupt organization that’s going to disappear with the money before anyone knows what happened. The projects would have to be legitimate and covered by the media to show the public that the organizations are true and that process is genuine. I know a system like I describe here sort of contradicts an American’s right to free enterprise but if we truly want to change things we have to develop a logical way to do it.
I see so many actors, directors, producers, toy companies and even fast food restaurants profiting from movies and entertainment, isn’t there a way that some of this money can be put to a good use? Maybe profits from certain merchandise or even from concession products could go towards charities? Even in sports there are players who are awarded millions of dollars. To me it seems unfair to pay a person millions of dollars simply because they were good at gym class, or they can hit a ball over a fence. Baseball players don’t even have to be able to play the entire game! just as long as they can hit, pitch or catch they have the ability to earn millions of dollars. I don’t mean to say that what they do is easy or that they don’t deserve to earn a living playing ball, but to me the salaries often seem to be way out of the ballpark! We have doctors, surgeons and scientists doing jobs that directly affect the well being of society, who are saving people’s lives on a daily basis and don’t make nearly as much money as some actors and sports figures. The main reason for this imbalance is that doctors and surgeons don’t have the ability to push products and make money for a multitude of third party vultures. Maybe the teams and players that don’t make the cut should have to contribute a quarter of their salaries to charities! That would certainly make them play a little harder!
I realize that it would be unconstitutional to force certain people and companies to hand over their profits to charity but maybe there’s a better way to do it utilizing a system that's already in place. What if people were able to vote on how their tax money is spent? Serious issues could be voted on by the people instead of just a handful of bureaucrats who are easy to manipulate. (Maybe we can even vote on whether or not Hollywood makes that crappy movie)! I'm just joking about that but I’m sure there are countless issues that people would like to see handled in this way, after all it is our country so why shouldn’t we, the people have the right and ability to vote on how serious issues are handled and how our tax money is spent? Billions of dollars are collected every year from taxes, tolls, traffic tickets, fines, etc.. the list is endless. Does anyone really know where any of this money goes? These days almost everyone has a computer, smart phone or at least access to some type of computer. It doesn’t seem like it would be a difficult task to set up a system where people voted directly on important issues through the internet using their Social Security number or something like that. I don’t know, maybe if enough people get fed up with the way the current system works (or doesn’t work), we can eventually develop a better way. I certainly don’t have all the answers but history shows us that sometimes all it takes is a handful of people with a good idea. When the good idea gains popularity, more ideas are developed, supporters come out of the woodwork and progress begins to take motion. When the motion spreads to others it gains even more support and becomes a movement. As the movement gains more strength and momentum it starts turning and becomes a revolution!
Thanks for reading….
If a Hollywood Producer wants to spend 10 million dollars making a big screen version of Gilligan’s Island, he knows that most people who grew up watching that program will go see the movie and the movie will make money. What if a percentage of the profits from the movie were used to solve some of our countries (or global) problems? Of course this solution would have to apply to all movies, not just crappy ones, and maybe even other forms of entertainment. For example: Let’s just say they make this movie for 10 million dollars and it earns 20 million dollars at the box office. For arguments sake let's say after everyone is paid there is a profit of ten million dollars. Two and a half million dollars of that profit should be allocated to a cause such as world hunger, affordable housing or rehabilitation for the homeless. I’m not saying to hand the money over to some corrupt organization that’s going to disappear with the money before anyone knows what happened. The projects would have to be legitimate and covered by the media to show the public that the organizations are true and that process is genuine. I know a system like I describe here sort of contradicts an American’s right to free enterprise but if we truly want to change things we have to develop a logical way to do it.
I see so many actors, directors, producers, toy companies and even fast food restaurants profiting from movies and entertainment, isn’t there a way that some of this money can be put to a good use? Maybe profits from certain merchandise or even from concession products could go towards charities? Even in sports there are players who are awarded millions of dollars. To me it seems unfair to pay a person millions of dollars simply because they were good at gym class, or they can hit a ball over a fence. Baseball players don’t even have to be able to play the entire game! just as long as they can hit, pitch or catch they have the ability to earn millions of dollars. I don’t mean to say that what they do is easy or that they don’t deserve to earn a living playing ball, but to me the salaries often seem to be way out of the ballpark! We have doctors, surgeons and scientists doing jobs that directly affect the well being of society, who are saving people’s lives on a daily basis and don’t make nearly as much money as some actors and sports figures. The main reason for this imbalance is that doctors and surgeons don’t have the ability to push products and make money for a multitude of third party vultures. Maybe the teams and players that don’t make the cut should have to contribute a quarter of their salaries to charities! That would certainly make them play a little harder!
I realize that it would be unconstitutional to force certain people and companies to hand over their profits to charity but maybe there’s a better way to do it utilizing a system that's already in place. What if people were able to vote on how their tax money is spent? Serious issues could be voted on by the people instead of just a handful of bureaucrats who are easy to manipulate. (Maybe we can even vote on whether or not Hollywood makes that crappy movie)! I'm just joking about that but I’m sure there are countless issues that people would like to see handled in this way, after all it is our country so why shouldn’t we, the people have the right and ability to vote on how serious issues are handled and how our tax money is spent? Billions of dollars are collected every year from taxes, tolls, traffic tickets, fines, etc.. the list is endless. Does anyone really know where any of this money goes? These days almost everyone has a computer, smart phone or at least access to some type of computer. It doesn’t seem like it would be a difficult task to set up a system where people voted directly on important issues through the internet using their Social Security number or something like that. I don’t know, maybe if enough people get fed up with the way the current system works (or doesn’t work), we can eventually develop a better way. I certainly don’t have all the answers but history shows us that sometimes all it takes is a handful of people with a good idea. When the good idea gains popularity, more ideas are developed, supporters come out of the woodwork and progress begins to take motion. When the motion spreads to others it gains even more support and becomes a movement. As the movement gains more strength and momentum it starts turning and becomes a revolution!
Thanks for reading….
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Visions of Bedbugs Crawl Through Your Head
It’s December and once again the holiday season is at our throats. Many people will travel and be forced to stay in hotels, motels and country Inn’s. What better time is there to talk about one of my most ludicrous fears, BUGS!
I love nature and I have learned to respect all living creatures BUT if there’s one thing I can’t stand its bugs. I certainly respect a bug’s right to exist and I understand their importance in the grand scheme of things, just as long as they don’t come in my house. Certain bugs are welcome, like ladybugs and lightning bugs (fireflies) but of course those aren’t the ones that come in my house, the ones that do are ants, spiders and those giant Jersey Mosquitoes that will impale you like a shish-kabob. I don’t even mind ants too much, as long as there isn’t a whole army of them and they aren’t great big mutant ants. I always look forward to first frost because that pretty much ends the bug season and I can once again turn my outdoor lights on without having a swarm of insects flying all around my head.
This past Summer I was mountain bike riding between Woodbury and Bethpage and I was amazed at the number of gnats flying around in the woods during the day. I grew up close to the Bethpage State Park and I certainly understand that there are bugs in the woods BUT, I never had to worry about eating a mouthful of gnats while bike riding! It’s absolutely hopeless, you’re eating gnats no matter what you do. Sure, you can keep your mouth shut but they’ll still go right up your nose. I’m no expert but I always thought gnats only come out at night. I don’t know if there’s been an increase in the gnat population or maybe the bug people just don’t spray pesticides as much as they used to? Either way I’m still going to enjoy nature and riding in the park so I’ll just have to eat the bugs!
Gnats aren’t the only bugs on the rise; the most recent concern around New York is the dreaded bedbug invasion, yuck! It sounds absurd but this latest infestation could end up costing the city millions of dollars in lost revenue. Everyone from vacationing families to corporate convention planners are canceling their trips to Manhattan due to this influx of bedbugs. The problem isn’t limited to lower end motels and theaters either; they have been reported everywhere, from the subway to some of the most exclusive places in town. If you are planning to stay in a hotel this holiday season, as disturbing as it sounds it’s a good idea to pull off the sheets and check the seams of the mattress for bedbugs. You can easily find out more details on the subject (and how to perform a proper inspection) if you simply “Google” it. I’m not going to elaborate here because the whole thing makes me ill.
Many bugs also carry bacteria and disease. One of the most well known bug diseases in this region is Lyme disease. This is a debilitating disease that attacks its victim in many ways. It can virtually settle anywhere in the body and reap all kinds of havoc. Lyme disease is transferred to its victim by the tiny Deer Tick. Many conspiracy theorists believe that Lyme disease was created in a laboratory just off Montauk Point, Long Island on a tiny government research facility known as Plum Island. I recently learned (while watching Jesse Ventura’s “Conspiracy Theory” show) that Nazi Scientist, Dr. Erich Traub was the so called “Godfather of Lyme Disease.” In fact, his specialty was bio-warfare and his research revolved around delivering diseases to the enemy via bugs, more specifically, ticks! Now I don’t hear things on TV and just take them as fact, so I did confirm all this with other sources and the report was accurate. I don’t want my blog to become a hot-spot for conspiracy theories and paranoid hype but I’m already afraid of bugs… the thought of insects being used as a delivery system for diseases is horrifying. Even if they are only being used for scientific experiments there’s always the chance of a containment breech. It may have already happened, who knows?
Another bug that is out of control and seems to completely outnumber people is the wily cockroach. There are billions and billions of these little critters in New York alone. When I used to live in Rego Park, Queens I dealt with the issue first hand. I won’t gross you out with all the disgusting details but in the end I packed my bags, abandoned my apartment (and everything in it) and ran to the hills. I’m not exaggerating; I left my furniture, stereo equipment, clothes… all of it! The building I was living in at the time was in Park City. (The big apartment buildings you can see from the LIE as you pass Junction Blvd). The infestation problem was compounded by the religious beliefs of many of the other tenants. It was against their religion to kill in any way, shape or form. Even calling an exterminator was the same as killing the bugs themselves. I have the utmost respect for religion and completely understand, and even agree with that way of thinking. Even if you do exterminate them, roaches (German Cockroaches specifically) leave tiny egg sacks behind which hatch hundreds of babies and the problem starts all over again. If you aren’t careful you will simply pack them up and move them right into your new home. We all know the ultimate cockroach theory; that the only species to survive a nuclear blast would be the cockroaches. If that’s the case cockroaches might be the next species to evolve on this planet! If there are still any people around, they could end up being the intruders in a cockroach’s apartment, or even a roach motel! Let’s hope that the cockroaches evolve with the same religious beliefs as my former neighbors!
Please forgive me if you feel that this topic is not appropriate for the holiday season. Just remember that this is the time of year the biggest, scariest bugs appear! I’m talking about all the cockroaches that invade your wallet and try to eat up all of your money! These bugs are relentless, but they are also the easiest to avoid.
Thanks for reading…
I love nature and I have learned to respect all living creatures BUT if there’s one thing I can’t stand its bugs. I certainly respect a bug’s right to exist and I understand their importance in the grand scheme of things, just as long as they don’t come in my house. Certain bugs are welcome, like ladybugs and lightning bugs (fireflies) but of course those aren’t the ones that come in my house, the ones that do are ants, spiders and those giant Jersey Mosquitoes that will impale you like a shish-kabob. I don’t even mind ants too much, as long as there isn’t a whole army of them and they aren’t great big mutant ants. I always look forward to first frost because that pretty much ends the bug season and I can once again turn my outdoor lights on without having a swarm of insects flying all around my head.
This past Summer I was mountain bike riding between Woodbury and Bethpage and I was amazed at the number of gnats flying around in the woods during the day. I grew up close to the Bethpage State Park and I certainly understand that there are bugs in the woods BUT, I never had to worry about eating a mouthful of gnats while bike riding! It’s absolutely hopeless, you’re eating gnats no matter what you do. Sure, you can keep your mouth shut but they’ll still go right up your nose. I’m no expert but I always thought gnats only come out at night. I don’t know if there’s been an increase in the gnat population or maybe the bug people just don’t spray pesticides as much as they used to? Either way I’m still going to enjoy nature and riding in the park so I’ll just have to eat the bugs!
Gnats aren’t the only bugs on the rise; the most recent concern around New York is the dreaded bedbug invasion, yuck! It sounds absurd but this latest infestation could end up costing the city millions of dollars in lost revenue. Everyone from vacationing families to corporate convention planners are canceling their trips to Manhattan due to this influx of bedbugs. The problem isn’t limited to lower end motels and theaters either; they have been reported everywhere, from the subway to some of the most exclusive places in town. If you are planning to stay in a hotel this holiday season, as disturbing as it sounds it’s a good idea to pull off the sheets and check the seams of the mattress for bedbugs. You can easily find out more details on the subject (and how to perform a proper inspection) if you simply “Google” it. I’m not going to elaborate here because the whole thing makes me ill.
Many bugs also carry bacteria and disease. One of the most well known bug diseases in this region is Lyme disease. This is a debilitating disease that attacks its victim in many ways. It can virtually settle anywhere in the body and reap all kinds of havoc. Lyme disease is transferred to its victim by the tiny Deer Tick. Many conspiracy theorists believe that Lyme disease was created in a laboratory just off Montauk Point, Long Island on a tiny government research facility known as Plum Island. I recently learned (while watching Jesse Ventura’s “Conspiracy Theory” show) that Nazi Scientist, Dr. Erich Traub was the so called “Godfather of Lyme Disease.” In fact, his specialty was bio-warfare and his research revolved around delivering diseases to the enemy via bugs, more specifically, ticks! Now I don’t hear things on TV and just take them as fact, so I did confirm all this with other sources and the report was accurate. I don’t want my blog to become a hot-spot for conspiracy theories and paranoid hype but I’m already afraid of bugs… the thought of insects being used as a delivery system for diseases is horrifying. Even if they are only being used for scientific experiments there’s always the chance of a containment breech. It may have already happened, who knows?
Another bug that is out of control and seems to completely outnumber people is the wily cockroach. There are billions and billions of these little critters in New York alone. When I used to live in Rego Park, Queens I dealt with the issue first hand. I won’t gross you out with all the disgusting details but in the end I packed my bags, abandoned my apartment (and everything in it) and ran to the hills. I’m not exaggerating; I left my furniture, stereo equipment, clothes… all of it! The building I was living in at the time was in Park City. (The big apartment buildings you can see from the LIE as you pass Junction Blvd). The infestation problem was compounded by the religious beliefs of many of the other tenants. It was against their religion to kill in any way, shape or form. Even calling an exterminator was the same as killing the bugs themselves. I have the utmost respect for religion and completely understand, and even agree with that way of thinking. Even if you do exterminate them, roaches (German Cockroaches specifically) leave tiny egg sacks behind which hatch hundreds of babies and the problem starts all over again. If you aren’t careful you will simply pack them up and move them right into your new home. We all know the ultimate cockroach theory; that the only species to survive a nuclear blast would be the cockroaches. If that’s the case cockroaches might be the next species to evolve on this planet! If there are still any people around, they could end up being the intruders in a cockroach’s apartment, or even a roach motel! Let’s hope that the cockroaches evolve with the same religious beliefs as my former neighbors!
Please forgive me if you feel that this topic is not appropriate for the holiday season. Just remember that this is the time of year the biggest, scariest bugs appear! I’m talking about all the cockroaches that invade your wallet and try to eat up all of your money! These bugs are relentless, but they are also the easiest to avoid.
Thanks for reading…
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Dreams 0002
By a route obscure and lonely, Haunted by ill angels only
Where an Eidolon, named night, On a black throne reigns upright,
I have reached these lands but newly, From an ultimate dim thule
From a wild weird clime that lieth, sublime,
Out of space – Out of time.
-E.A. Poe -
I thought it would be appropriate to begin my second dream post with a segment from another work of Edgar Allen Poe, this one entitled, “Dream Land.” I feel Edgar Allen Poe really captured the essence of the dream world in his poetry.
The other night I had a dream that really moved me. Technically I would call it a nightmare but I rarely have scary nightmares. In the unusual instance that I do, the fear usually gives me a certain level of consciousness (within the nightmare) and I’ll move it in another direction. The dream I had the other night was a recurring dream. I find that nightmares and recurring dreams are the easiest dreams to “wake up” in. Recurring dreams especially because there’s a point in the dream when you realize that you've been there before (sort of like a Déjà vu). This is the point where you can “wake up” and become consciously aware that you are still inside of a dream and possibly seize control of your surroundings.
This particular dream started in an unknown house with a couple of friends, I didn’t recognize them but I felt like they were friends. The general atmosphere was very pleasant, as if I was anticipating a party or some sort of good time. It didn’t take long before things started to get weird. I felt that my new friends were setting me up or planning to harm me in some way. Eventually my “friends” went away and were replaced by several older, deformed looking, hillbilly mountain men who were not friendly at all, they chased me around the house and I was forced to defend myself from their attacks. The problem was that every time I defeated one of them, he was replaced by two more! I didn’t know what to do but I knew I had to get out of there. When I ran out of the house and down to the street I was suddenly confronted by a large bulldozer, it blocked my way by pushing a bunch of debris and cinder blocks across my path and then took position behind the debris pile. I quickly turned around and tried running the other way but there was now a great big semi truck (like an 18 wheeler) pulling up and blocking the street on that side. I looked to my side and realized at that very moment steep gravel embankments appeared on either side of me. I was boxed in and knew that it would be impossible to get out. I noticed that there were some construction workers on the other side of the bulldozer so I tried to yell out to them, to let them know that I was trapped in there. My attempts to get their attention were unsuccessful, I think they were in cahoots with the deranged mountain men and were just ignoring me. I attempted to walk up the steep embankment but I couldn’t escape that way either because all of a sudden I was on crutches. This is the moment that I realized I was dreaming.
In reality I recently broke my ankle and I’ve been walking with crutches for the past couple of months. I don’t think my crutches were with me throughout the dream, only when I tried to climb up the embankment. Realizing that the dream was constantly changing, to keep me trapped, is what made me aware that I was dreaming. It’s common to wake up (for real) when something like this happens. Learning not to wake up is very difficult and typically only comes with practice and experience. Once that part of the dream passed the crutches were gone, fortunately I didn’t wake up and the dream started over. I felt like I just got off a roller coaster and ran around to the back of the line to ride it again.
I went through the same scenario a second time except this time when I left the house, instead of running out the door I tried jumping out the bathroom window. I remember thinking that if I went out a window I could run to a different street and avoid getting boxed in by the bulldozer. I jumped out the window and found myself in a junkyard type of place. While I was trying to find a way out of this massive collection of junk, I remember looking closely at some of the items in the lot. There were antique stoves, refrigerators, all kinds of strange things. It was like a gigantic labyrinth made up of antique appliances and furniture. I enjoyed climbing through all this stuff but the bottom line was, I was trapped again and couldn’t get out.
When you think you are trapped in a dream it’s instinctual to wake up (for real) because of the fear and panic that envelops you. Sometimes you might even remember making the conscious decision to wake up knowing that it’s a way of escaping. Learning not to be afraid is the key to staying in the dream and possibly achieving consciousness inside of the dream.
Once again I managed to stay asleep and the dream started over. Each time the dream started over I was able to keep the enjoyable part going longer than before. This time I also started to remember how the dream played out in the past. I worked my way outside yet again, this time everyone who was out there, which mostly seemed to be construction and utility workers, stopped what they were doing and came after me. I thought it was funny how they all just dropped whatever they were doing and came towards me, like some sort of zombie movie. This part of the dream played out exactly like it had at some other time (not during this sleep session). For some reason I knew that all of these deformed people who were trying to attack me, had only a limited time to do it (why I don’t know?). I fought them off one by one, I remember running around smashing their heads with some sort of bat. To balance out the equation someone else had also joined the battle to help me escape, it may have been Matt but I’m not 100% sure. I noticed a couple of the deranged freaks talking to each other and saying that their time was running out, they had to get back but to where I don’t know. I knew that I had succeeded; I found my way out and knew that it was over. The last thing I remember thinking about was whether I wanted to wake up or not and the next second I was truly awake. I was lying in bed and I remembered everything, as if I just came back from a vacation or something like that. I was a little disappointed that I didn’t stay in and do some exploring but at that point I had no choice, the moment I thought about waking up I was instantly awake.
As I lay in bed awake I was looking around the room to make sure I was truly out. The dream was so vivid that it took a few minutes to make the transition back to waking life.
I knew I needed to write this stuff down quickly but I didn’t have my book, or even just a paper and pen handy. The only thing close to me was my lap-top so I grabbed it and started typing away. There were a few problems that impeded my progress; I type slowly, the TV was still on and whatever show that was on was distracting me. My thoughts started clouding and the dream memories started slipping away. I did manage to retain the main parts of the dream but I had originally remembered many more details. Lately my dreams have been repressed and difficult to remember so this dream was very refreshing. Even though I became conscious inside the dream, this experience still only skims the surface of possibilities. Sometimes it’s possible to wake up in a dream and have much greater control of your actions and surroundings. You might just change the dream into a totally different dream, or even take the next step into Astral Projection. You might find yourself awake inside of a dream analyzing all of the things that make up your dream world. It’s fun to stop and look at these things, even if it’s just a can of soda or a piece of furniture, in your dream world it will have a very unique look. As you look around at the building blocks of your dream world, you might take it a step further by taking your consciousness out of the dream world and into reality, while still remaining in your dream vehicle (for lack of a better word).
Many people have had an experience where they wake up and realize that they are floating above their beds, looking down at their sleeping bodies. (A person may experience this while their body is undergoing some type of unpleasant trauma, such as an operation, an injury or even an attack). It may come in the form of a fall, often as we literally fall into sleep, or you might find yourself floating up towards the ceiling. (Sometimes your mind translates this into a falling sensation). 99% of the time we immediately wake up (for real) from the fear of falling, or the fear of landing! but if you can ride it out and not wake up, you may find yourself outside of your body. Even when this happens the fear is overwhelming, you literally feel that you are dead and your instinct is to jump back into your body. With practice you can conquer these fears and truly have some amazing experiences. There is a cord that attaches your consciousness to your body and as long as that cord is there, you will always be able to get back to your body, usually just by thinking of it. I will elaborate more on Astral Projection in future posts but if you find this topic interesting, I encourage you to go to the library (or bookstore) and take out several books on the subject. There are important things that a person should learn before practicing Astral Projection. The important thing is not to be afraid, all of these things are normal, human functions that simply require a bit of practice and patience to understand.
The main theme to all of these topics is conquering fear, which is not easy in a country run by fear mongers. It’s also important to be as sober as possible. Some people do find success in using certain substances to enhance their dreams or to loosen up their consciousness but as discussed in my first dream post (“Dreams 0001”) many substances will suppress your dreams and hinder your success. Years ago I used to smoke “Wild Lettuce” to enhance my dreams and it worked great. This stuff had no effect in reality but it would make my dreams much more vivid. The next morning I would also have no problem remembering most of my dreams. For some reason Wild Lettuce was outlawed and is now very difficult to find (I guess the government doesn’t like things that promote self discovery).
Thanks for reading…
Where an Eidolon, named night, On a black throne reigns upright,
I have reached these lands but newly, From an ultimate dim thule
From a wild weird clime that lieth, sublime,
Out of space – Out of time.
-E.A. Poe -
I thought it would be appropriate to begin my second dream post with a segment from another work of Edgar Allen Poe, this one entitled, “Dream Land.” I feel Edgar Allen Poe really captured the essence of the dream world in his poetry.
The other night I had a dream that really moved me. Technically I would call it a nightmare but I rarely have scary nightmares. In the unusual instance that I do, the fear usually gives me a certain level of consciousness (within the nightmare) and I’ll move it in another direction. The dream I had the other night was a recurring dream. I find that nightmares and recurring dreams are the easiest dreams to “wake up” in. Recurring dreams especially because there’s a point in the dream when you realize that you've been there before (sort of like a Déjà vu). This is the point where you can “wake up” and become consciously aware that you are still inside of a dream and possibly seize control of your surroundings.
This particular dream started in an unknown house with a couple of friends, I didn’t recognize them but I felt like they were friends. The general atmosphere was very pleasant, as if I was anticipating a party or some sort of good time. It didn’t take long before things started to get weird. I felt that my new friends were setting me up or planning to harm me in some way. Eventually my “friends” went away and were replaced by several older, deformed looking, hillbilly mountain men who were not friendly at all, they chased me around the house and I was forced to defend myself from their attacks. The problem was that every time I defeated one of them, he was replaced by two more! I didn’t know what to do but I knew I had to get out of there. When I ran out of the house and down to the street I was suddenly confronted by a large bulldozer, it blocked my way by pushing a bunch of debris and cinder blocks across my path and then took position behind the debris pile. I quickly turned around and tried running the other way but there was now a great big semi truck (like an 18 wheeler) pulling up and blocking the street on that side. I looked to my side and realized at that very moment steep gravel embankments appeared on either side of me. I was boxed in and knew that it would be impossible to get out. I noticed that there were some construction workers on the other side of the bulldozer so I tried to yell out to them, to let them know that I was trapped in there. My attempts to get their attention were unsuccessful, I think they were in cahoots with the deranged mountain men and were just ignoring me. I attempted to walk up the steep embankment but I couldn’t escape that way either because all of a sudden I was on crutches. This is the moment that I realized I was dreaming.
In reality I recently broke my ankle and I’ve been walking with crutches for the past couple of months. I don’t think my crutches were with me throughout the dream, only when I tried to climb up the embankment. Realizing that the dream was constantly changing, to keep me trapped, is what made me aware that I was dreaming. It’s common to wake up (for real) when something like this happens. Learning not to wake up is very difficult and typically only comes with practice and experience. Once that part of the dream passed the crutches were gone, fortunately I didn’t wake up and the dream started over. I felt like I just got off a roller coaster and ran around to the back of the line to ride it again.
I went through the same scenario a second time except this time when I left the house, instead of running out the door I tried jumping out the bathroom window. I remember thinking that if I went out a window I could run to a different street and avoid getting boxed in by the bulldozer. I jumped out the window and found myself in a junkyard type of place. While I was trying to find a way out of this massive collection of junk, I remember looking closely at some of the items in the lot. There were antique stoves, refrigerators, all kinds of strange things. It was like a gigantic labyrinth made up of antique appliances and furniture. I enjoyed climbing through all this stuff but the bottom line was, I was trapped again and couldn’t get out.
When you think you are trapped in a dream it’s instinctual to wake up (for real) because of the fear and panic that envelops you. Sometimes you might even remember making the conscious decision to wake up knowing that it’s a way of escaping. Learning not to be afraid is the key to staying in the dream and possibly achieving consciousness inside of the dream.
Once again I managed to stay asleep and the dream started over. Each time the dream started over I was able to keep the enjoyable part going longer than before. This time I also started to remember how the dream played out in the past. I worked my way outside yet again, this time everyone who was out there, which mostly seemed to be construction and utility workers, stopped what they were doing and came after me. I thought it was funny how they all just dropped whatever they were doing and came towards me, like some sort of zombie movie. This part of the dream played out exactly like it had at some other time (not during this sleep session). For some reason I knew that all of these deformed people who were trying to attack me, had only a limited time to do it (why I don’t know?). I fought them off one by one, I remember running around smashing their heads with some sort of bat. To balance out the equation someone else had also joined the battle to help me escape, it may have been Matt but I’m not 100% sure. I noticed a couple of the deranged freaks talking to each other and saying that their time was running out, they had to get back but to where I don’t know. I knew that I had succeeded; I found my way out and knew that it was over. The last thing I remember thinking about was whether I wanted to wake up or not and the next second I was truly awake. I was lying in bed and I remembered everything, as if I just came back from a vacation or something like that. I was a little disappointed that I didn’t stay in and do some exploring but at that point I had no choice, the moment I thought about waking up I was instantly awake.
As I lay in bed awake I was looking around the room to make sure I was truly out. The dream was so vivid that it took a few minutes to make the transition back to waking life.
I knew I needed to write this stuff down quickly but I didn’t have my book, or even just a paper and pen handy. The only thing close to me was my lap-top so I grabbed it and started typing away. There were a few problems that impeded my progress; I type slowly, the TV was still on and whatever show that was on was distracting me. My thoughts started clouding and the dream memories started slipping away. I did manage to retain the main parts of the dream but I had originally remembered many more details. Lately my dreams have been repressed and difficult to remember so this dream was very refreshing. Even though I became conscious inside the dream, this experience still only skims the surface of possibilities. Sometimes it’s possible to wake up in a dream and have much greater control of your actions and surroundings. You might just change the dream into a totally different dream, or even take the next step into Astral Projection. You might find yourself awake inside of a dream analyzing all of the things that make up your dream world. It’s fun to stop and look at these things, even if it’s just a can of soda or a piece of furniture, in your dream world it will have a very unique look. As you look around at the building blocks of your dream world, you might take it a step further by taking your consciousness out of the dream world and into reality, while still remaining in your dream vehicle (for lack of a better word).
Many people have had an experience where they wake up and realize that they are floating above their beds, looking down at their sleeping bodies. (A person may experience this while their body is undergoing some type of unpleasant trauma, such as an operation, an injury or even an attack). It may come in the form of a fall, often as we literally fall into sleep, or you might find yourself floating up towards the ceiling. (Sometimes your mind translates this into a falling sensation). 99% of the time we immediately wake up (for real) from the fear of falling, or the fear of landing! but if you can ride it out and not wake up, you may find yourself outside of your body. Even when this happens the fear is overwhelming, you literally feel that you are dead and your instinct is to jump back into your body. With practice you can conquer these fears and truly have some amazing experiences. There is a cord that attaches your consciousness to your body and as long as that cord is there, you will always be able to get back to your body, usually just by thinking of it. I will elaborate more on Astral Projection in future posts but if you find this topic interesting, I encourage you to go to the library (or bookstore) and take out several books on the subject. There are important things that a person should learn before practicing Astral Projection. The important thing is not to be afraid, all of these things are normal, human functions that simply require a bit of practice and patience to understand.
The main theme to all of these topics is conquering fear, which is not easy in a country run by fear mongers. It’s also important to be as sober as possible. Some people do find success in using certain substances to enhance their dreams or to loosen up their consciousness but as discussed in my first dream post (“Dreams 0001”) many substances will suppress your dreams and hinder your success. Years ago I used to smoke “Wild Lettuce” to enhance my dreams and it worked great. This stuff had no effect in reality but it would make my dreams much more vivid. The next morning I would also have no problem remembering most of my dreams. For some reason Wild Lettuce was outlawed and is now very difficult to find (I guess the government doesn’t like things that promote self discovery).
Thanks for reading…
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