Dreamtime Work

Neva, I think that Tibetan Buddhist ideas of lucid dream have more to do with facing the permeability of reality and also being mindful of our states from one phase of "reality" to the next, but I also think it may have something to do with releasing desires, since dreams do indeed reveal our secret motivations and some of the id-generated content that lurks in the back of our brains. :)

I've also had some lovely otherworldly dreams that I think have revealed spiritual realms to me, so sometimes they can be a way of conveying messages to us, I think.

ps. In considering the buddhist practice of lucid dreaming, I am wondering if they look at that as a different kind of dreamtime work that is not associated with the releasing of desires or if it is just another avenue for doing so?

Yeah, I've heard people say they never dream too. I can't imagine that would be true but, from a buddhist perspective, we dream because we have desires so if someone were able to have no desires at all, maybe they wouldn't dream. i don't embrace everything in buddhist teachings, just sharing a different perspective.

Yes, surrender and acceptance are key. I think I've always lucid-dreamed--it's just much more typical in my adult life than it was when I was a child. I wonder if there are certain conditions that make lucid dreaming easier for some people as opposed to others. I guess it varies from person to person. I mean, I know some people who swear they never dream because they can't remember anything.

Nina: I also have never been able to lucid dream, though I've come close more than once. It is something I'm asking for and that I hope will come. However, you have the right approach to whether or not it does....surrender and acceptance. I totally agree.

Neva & Nirmala, I've also closely followed my dreams for many years and it's pretty much second nature by now to pay attention and draw or write them in my journal when it's an important issue.

But I've never been able to lucid dream. At first, I was upset and tried really hard. Now, I just don't worry about it. If it comes, it comes:-)

Ah. Repeating a mantra. What a great idea. I always set intention, or almost always, yet never thought of adding voice that might repeat in the dreamtime. Great clue. Thanks.

Neva, simply setting an intention before you go to sleep or doing something like chanting a mantra over and over can really help (often, I've done this, only to have the mantra repeat in my dream, which becomes a cue that I'm dreaming).

Oh, lucid dreaming. Ok, that's different. I have gotten close to lucid dreaming but have not been lucid in dreamtime yet. How did you accomplish it or was it something that came naturally to you?

I can see the benefits of each state....lucid dreaming and dreams where something is revealed without the conscious mind getting in the way of the message. Both feel very valid to me.

If you have any lucid dreaming tips that worked particularly well for you, would you share them? Thanks!

Neva, since the 8th century Tibetan Buddhists have used lucid dreams as a vehicle for understanding how consciousness occurs, and how our thoughts and mental states can affect/effect changes in our environment. It's actually very cool--there are ancient Tibetan texts that talk about meditating in a lucid dream state. The way I utilize it? Being very conscious of what's going on in a lucid dream and how I can make things happen, occurring to my mind state. It's very empowering.

That's one of the techniques I use but it only applies to lucid dreams. I feel that there is a universal collective consciousness that makes various images and symbols resonate with particular meaning, which is pretty awesome. I'm familiar with Jung's symbols and archetypes but I too use personal interpretations when applying them to my dreams. I feel like dreams also constitute a realm that isn't necessarily "imaginary" but created in the same way that consciousness creates the universe and perceptions of the universe. In this sense, I think that things like astral projection and communicating with spiritual guides--which may seem kind of woo-woo--are very possible when you're in a dream state. But this is why I love the fact that I lucid-dream so much--when you're not at the mercy of the scene, you can intentionally direct a dream so that you are able to elicit the information that you need or want.

I'd love to hear more about the Tibetan Buddhist perspective. My own work is based on personal awareness and training, rather than Jungian or any other type of dream interpretation structures. It probably has stemmed more from my association with and resonation with the Native American teachings than any other. I did read somewhere.....in some Buddhist text, that we only have dreams because we have desires.....did you ever read that?

What is the Buddhist perspective on dreamtime work, in your own awareness?

I've worked a lot with dreams myself, particularly when it comes to examining Jungian archetypes and getting fodder for creative projects. I also have recently started examining lucid dreams from a Tibetan Buddhist perspective, which is endlessly fascinating--especially when it comes to apprehending the nature of consciousness.