In case you missed it, I am a Oneironaut. Since the term may not be familiar to you, here’s the definition: A “oneironaut (plural oneironauts) is person who explores dream worlds, usually associated with lucid dreaming.”
It is both a blessing – and a curse.
The blessing part is being able to “lives two lives” while many people, probably most, get through life with only one experience track: The waking-state.
This is the life experienced between the alarm going off in the morning and when you lose “consciousness” (and leave the here and now) at night.
The second life is the one that is experienced in dreams, especially the lucid ones.
You see, lucidity in dreams can be ultra-intense. Among the most intense I’ve experienced, there is no difference between the “clarity of recall” of an intense lucid dreaming experience and a “normal day awake.” Effectively, lucid dreamers have an expanded experience base from which to draw. Might it be a source of creativity? Perhaps.
The curse part is that in the lucid state, you scan perceive your senses and behold things, emotions, and events the likes of which you’d just as soon not have known about.
When an emotionally-impacting event is ahead in the oneironaut’s waking-state, there is often a warning. If someone from Elaine’s past, for example, tries to contact her, I get “the word” that the event is coming and so I ask Elaine (in advance) “How should we handle this?”
Two weeks back, I got exactly this kind of “heads up” and sure enough, last night – exactly as warned – here comes an attempted contact. Not that it is a specific knowledge of the future…but just the advance knowing that a phone call would be coming is…umm, how to say it? Useful.
You might – for reasons totally unknown to you – have “at-a-distance” awareness of some person’s health condition, imminent danger to them from something they fear…But, it may be a person you’re not really familiar with because even knowing someone in passing can “entangle” you. Non-local entanglement is one of the main research fronts in quantum physics these days.
I had an interesting experience last week yields another sense of how this “second life stuff” works.
In “The Realms” – as I call them – people don’t sit around playing harps and sing music of praise in some twisted versions of “Heaven.” No, they have jobs and in this particularly lucid experience I was working on finding a replacement employee. Because I was in a media management role of some kind. It was time to move on from that role…retirement of some sort.
There were a number of candidates, but I’d made my choice and it was finally time. The day )in The Realms) was spent with last-minute decision-making in my “other side, media role.” Wrapping up at work, I’d gone out with friends for dinner.
As the dream unfolded, a marvelous time was had by all. Come evening, I found myself back in the condo that Elaine and I have – in an area similar to, but a stylized “steampunked” version of Issaquah, Washington’s “Little Alps.” It’s an area I regularly frequent in my lucid dreams. I described it in my book Psychocartography (book tab, top of page, go ahead buy it…).
Here’s the useful learning part: Even in dream states, you get tired. So, after this full day of planning for my next “adventure” and having a marvelous high-rise office and going out with friends for dinner after – then coming home to Elaine and sharing our adventures for the day…well, I was just beat...
I laid down in the soft, comfortable bed, closed my eyes and immediately went to….
AWAKE!
Wait…what happened to sleep? Well, I popped from the dream of going to sleep to instantly fully 100% AWAKE?
Turns out that “going to sleep” on that side (in the lucid dream state) is what we call AWAKE back on this side! Wow! Bit of a mind-twister, isn’t it?
Weirdest damn thing ever. I mean think about it: Being tired in a dream, going to sleep in the dream and then just as sleep arrives in the dream? BAMM! Being slammed fully awake, totally recharged and ready to rock another day in the nominal shared reality waking state.
I’m posting this as a peek at the Other and because it lays out a puzzling aspect of dream psychology. It revealed that I need to work more on softening and slowing the transitions between worlds. Because about half of the important spiritual work is done in-between states.
The trick, near as I can figure it from reading about the Sleeping Prophet, Edgar Cayce (and to some extent listening to how poster Andy describes his meditations) is there’s a way to pause in the “state between waking and sleep.”
Except, for people like me, it’s not that easy. I slam wide awake here and at night as I go to sleep here, I’m pushed wide-awake there (over in the sleep worlds –The Realms).
I’m not sure how to slow down the transitions, except by trying to spend more “near sleep” time. This is accomplished by holding consciousness just lightly-enough so you can hear between “sides.”
In “The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind” Jaynes offer the notion that humankind’s past hearing of “voices of Gods” may have been due to right-left brain communication. Bicameralism as such deities may be processing artifacts from right-left brain communication. Who moderates the artistic and logical minds? Or, is genuine Spirit present? Or, is that just what we call it because we don’t know exactly what is going on?
Experientially, it seems the Creator/Universe operates most directly in this “shadow zone” – the borderland between World 1 (waking state) and World 2 (or World X of…n) which are the dream state realms. Interesting place to hang-out to be sure.,. but people like me see it only as a flash. Like going through Penn Station as rush-hour. Without the TSA dogs, lol.
The waking brain wonders how this borderland/station is dimensioned? Is part of it The Bardo? Part Hell? Part Heaven? Part Purgatory and maybe part “Just passin’ through?”
Frankly, I had never looked at the topology of the psychosphere in this way before (with thanks to Andy, though, for the hidden pointers).
One of my favorite books in terms of spiritual development is Edwin Steinbrecher’s “The Inner Guide Meditation: A Spiritual Technology for the 21st Century.” It’s a more structured route into this “middle zone.”
In the event you are not a metaphysician-in-training, the Wiki entry on Steinbrecher is a good introduction to what follows:
He was an American astrologer, lecturer, teacher, metaphysician and an astrological data collector, noted for works related to meditation and his precise Steinbrecher Collection,[1] entered on John Woodsmall’s Pathfinder Program.[2][3] He taught and lectured on the occult sciences, specifically in relation to practicing meditation[4][5] and wrote the book titled, The Inner Guide to Meditation.[6][7] The book has been referred in works of authors, in their books on esoteric subjects, meditation and intuition
Steinbrecher’s approach begins with a week, or so, of physical purification. No weed, no booze, well-rested, plenty of sleep, no drama in life, and so on.
Then you enter a soft visualization (meditation). See yourself outside a cave. As you begin to deepen your experience of the place, you move forward into the cave. Eventually, moving into its cool depths, Steinbrecher guides you to move ahead and to the left where you will see a doorway, portal, or entrance. Going through this and then moving ahead and to the right, you eventually emerge onto an inner landscape.
In this surreal place, you meet various animals. One of these, perhaps a mouse of a deer, will lead you to meet your True Spirit Guide. The Guide is always a wise old man. The fellow’s dressed in what looks like old Greek toga-like clothing. Staff and sandals.
He must be challenged though, as to his authenticity, by the meditator asking “Are you my TRUE Spirit Guide?”
For reasons unclear, the question must always be answered honestly. And, if the figure is not the “real deal” they will simply dissolve away. (This is how you avoid possession and other soul-endangering risks that may accompany such work.)
Eventually, after a complete emotional release (since, having at last “met yourself – your True Self” you may cry for a while) the Guide will, perhaps in future visits, begin to “call down aspects of your personality.”
These are aligned with the Zodiac and Tarot’s major arcana.
The True Spirit Guide will offer all kinds of “moderation” which helps people work through bumps and quirks of their persona. Followers report a growing sense of “wholeness” from this work. External changes follow as it becomes clear the New Age “As above, so below” is really an “As within, so without” but who are we to quibble? “As There, so Here” works, too.
I can’t recommend Steinbrecher’s book and practice highly enough; reading Steinbrecher’s book and at least giving it a good try.
What has become clear to me is that everyone alive has a “way” they live that is quite unique. Some, living intently on this side (waking) don’t ever dream. So attached they are to the waking state illusion. Others, like me (oneironauts) delight in exploring The Realms where we have useful projects and many types of learning which we’re free to move over to this world. (Trafficking knowledge between worlds is one way to think of it.).
The meditators, though: They work the middle with Universe may act most directly.
For me, the adventures continue: One is meeting up with my wife Elaine (over there) so that when we die (on this side), we will be able to continue adventuring over there. Understand that in your most enjoyable dreams, you can also have friends along.
Is this all just an ‘effect’ of DMT, the spirit molecule? We sure hope not because that one inescapable drug trip might explain wasting 20 percent of global resources over time. DMT, released near death is a powerful hallucinogen. This reinforces the importance of the “spirit life” question: Is there something we can eat to create more entheogen experience? They are quite delightful…but how real?
Elaine and I are not precisely sure how to do meet-up over there, yet. It’s not a “touch” and it’s not the Castaneda-like “slap of the assemblage point” that connects people. Instead, seems like two people have to agree to “work or build a common world” they can journey to both in sleep and whatever comes after (this side) life.
I’m pleased to report that we’ve making some progress, though. Last week, Elaine had a dream which described scenery that was very similar to the spectacular mountains of my favorite world. In hers, she’d gone to a resort – a high-rise of some kind – with floor to ceiling (and part of roof) windows viewing magnificent mountains. Jagged, snow-capped, and almost “reach out and touch” close.
Interestingly, she was putting something on the windows – a film of some kind – because it was needed for “privacy.” That gets into a whole other area of dream work and it brought many questions about telepathy into focus.
Because in telepathy, there’s a very down-deep “spiritual undressing” that necessarily occurs as part of the deepest-levels of human communication (a kind of soul-level communion) is approached. When you think about it, “getting naked” in the physical/waking world is no biggie; after all, that’s a single input –visual.
Telepathy and close spiritual bonding goes far beyond the ‘visual/clothing’ part. and maybe – just possibly – it’s why humans don’t presently enjoy telepathy. For it to work, there has to be far more honesty at all levels between people. I’m talking open to the point where all past pain and joy, suffering and learning, is shared. Personal hell to heaven range sharing on all levels. Think you could handle that?
No risk of it (telepathy) in this waking-world, though. We have evolved a world of lies and self-deceptions, facilitated by an odd kind of contextual honesty.
Maybe there’s a transition path I’m just not seeing: Maybe the Internet (and social media) is how we all learn to communication more widely and deeply as a stepping stone to breaking down the barriers between people so telepathy can arise. But, I don’t think it’s the “true route.” Instead, a life partner seems an easier path. Baring one’s soul to a mate is one thing, but to 4,000 followers on FB? Thanks, but no thank.
There you have it…a few Oneironaut Notes to ponder… Maybe some useful things to “reflect deeply on” should you find some down-time over the holidays ahead…
In this season, the presents that matter most are the ones to our selves and our partners.
Write when you get rich,
George@ure.net
George,
This is why I enjoy your posts. One day, hard science and analytics; metaphysics and woo woo the next. It’s like a box of chocolates.
Specially overloaded loaded with nuts…lol…..
Thought might be a good day to tell about my last major healing. Went to see young friend 30-35 year old. He had a ruptured appendicts and they had to clean him out twice. He was doing fine I thought but went by to see him at hospital before he went home. Walked in room and there was family strange and then looked at him. Had read about the gray but had never seen it. Dark gray scary. The docs had told the family to call priest for last rites. I literally ran out of hospital and did my healing thing. Went back about hour later and they had sent the priest home. His skin was as normal as could be. He got out of hospital next day. Used to do lots of healings but found most problems are the persons own fault and if you heal them they wont change what caused it.
“The curse part is that in the lucid state, you scan perceive your senses and behold things”
I have lucid dreams I can tell you you are right on it is like a second life and in color I might add I dream in full color … I build things can put them together take them apart check them etc.. what sucks is I built the home we are living in during one of the dreams and when I woke up I wasn’t anywhere near what I was in the dream and was visibly disappointed .. all that work and nothing done..
Once in a while I will get warning dreams and take particular close attention of those.. so many times I have gone into buildings and knew where everything was because I was there at some point in a dream and had myself scared because I knew something was going to happen that i had dreamed about.. seen activities from afar..
years ago I was in a test group of 27 people the test was to do deep relaxation to study sleep deprivation.. then kept a log anyway.. the test went for about three months then they gave up on it.. when I went to work on my own realized I needed more time so my egg timer came out and for almost forty years that is how I lived one timer segment from another a day off of work was an eight hour day average well lets say I tried to cram three lifetimes into one and it took its tole on the health..
what is funny is even today I rarely get more than three hours of deep sleep..
George I have had the good fortune to have spent many years being with the woo-woo types. Something for Andy to ponder. Seems that a lot of my friends in that world were Star Childs. The one commonality they seemed to share was having verified NDEs and some multiples. The one thing they wont share with us earth bounds is that they are Star Childs until they feel that you wont be judgmental of them. I have often wondered the why for the NDEs unless it is to jar them back into their reality. Know that about 98% or more of your readers will label this as BS so use your good judgment on posting. Oh in quiet times after you know them you catch them looking up. They are looking at home.
Thanks. Im kinda going through another “Awakening”, of sorts.
Reading vast quantities of Gnostic texts, Re-reading Hermes
‘THE Mind, O Tat, is of the very Essence of God, if yet there be any Essence of God.”
Quite a few other books amd spending time alone, in quiet reflection.
Good Stuff George!
Andy:
Many misunderstandings and false beliefs about Christ will clear if you realize that there is no past or future in Christ. To say that Christ was or will be is a contradiction in terms. Jesus was. He was a man who lived two thousand years ago and realized divine presence, his true nature. And so he said: “Before Abraham was, I am.” He did not say: “I already existed before Abraham was born.” That would have meant that he was still within the dimension of time and form identity. The words I am used in a sentence that starts in the past tense indicate a radical shift, a discontinuity in the temporal dimension. It is a Zen-like statement of great profundity. Jesus attempted to convey directly, not through discursive thought, the meaning of presence, of self-realization. He had gone beyond the consciousness dimension governed by time, into the realm of the timeless.
The dimension of eternity had come into this world. Eternity, of course, does not mean endless time, but no time. Thus, the man Jesus became Christ, a vehicle for pure consciousness. And what is God’s self-definition in the Bible? Did God say, “I have always been, and I always will be?” Of course not. That would have given reality to past and future. God said: “I AM THAT I AM.” No time here, just presence.
I set two alarms, half an hour apart. I hit snooze on the first alarm three times. This gives me time to wrap up any dreams, look for useful messages, and make plans to act on those messages.
I have been experimenting using George’s idea of listening to Classical Music to relax. I listen to Toccatta in G Minor which last 6:30 minutes while doing Transendental Meditation. Following the meditation I read a few sections of the book “The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle.
The goal is my life long hope of having a vision, that is correct & meaningful. I believe it is beginning to work because I am having prophectic dreams that wake me up in the night. The problem is that the dream content is foggy when I wake up, which doesn’t do me any good. I have never been much of a dreamer except when a teenager & you can guess what those were about.
Reading this article and the comments is like listening to a conversation in a foreign language I don’t speak.
I know I dream, current & former wife both say I talk in my sleep, frequently.
Occasionally I awake and know I was dreaming about something right on the edge of remembering.
But the few dreams I can remember clearly were not pleasant. Not at all.
Get a cheap tape recorder and ask her to record you! Play these back and see what they jar?
For you George, i used to have a beautiful cabin next to a small mountain lake with a small waterfall that was visited every nite as I went to sleep. You and Elaine might build your dream place and meet there every nite in a drowsy state. Doesnt have to be done concurrently as telepathy will take care of it. Something else and you will have to find literature on it is Astral Sex and the how to. Dont know how but have had it done to me and there is nothing like it on this plane. Also dont sweat being away from Elaine in the hereafter. My experience tells me you will be around all your time travelers in a much different atmosphere than we are currently enjoying. Had better close out on these thoughts as probably a large majority of your readers will think we are ready for the funny farm. Certainly wont try to convince them any differently. Its theres to learn and with time they will.
When I was in my medically induced coma, given heavy and way too much of several kinds of medications/drugs, my spirit was completely awake inside of me. I understand now that not only my consciousness but God’s consciousness is aware of every single hair on our head and cell in our body, and every single thought. I experienced this great unconscious in a conscious state. I would open my eyes in the ICU and my eyes would close to the other world, then I would close my eyes in the ICU and open them in the other world and go and visit the high himalayas meeting with incredible humans on earth, attend magnficent ceremonies, spiritually perch around far more evolved spirits than myself, then close my eyes to that world and with one blink be back in this one. This went on for 8 days. I reached this state another way, though, high high fevers 105 plus, septic, and near death. So, you can go there in your dreams, conscious or unconscious. You can go there in death. You can go there in sickness, drug induced or not. You can go there with drugs, not all come back. You can go there in life, in a vision, in a dream quest. You can go there via divine intervention, think Andy, or Joan of Arc, or many other mystics across the centuries. You can go there in your sleep, like Edgar Cayce, and he did not remember that upon waking where he had been, thus he had a stenographer. You can also go there as you evolve your soul upward via meditation, and simple living and searching, and cause the veil between the unconscious and conscious mind to tear and dissolve forever and truly become AWAKE, this is also known as the God Man or God Woman, completely CONSCIOUS all of the time, and able to communicate telepathically, and of course, have very many qualities and abilities. This is better outlined in Elisabeth Haich’s books, “Initiation” as well as others. I didn’t need to have my experience to know that we don’t die and our spirit lives, however, a lot of people start with their prayers, meditations, dreams, coincidences, divine intervention as far as blessings and miracles and things that happen most incredibly, and enough of these experiences are sprinkled now, all over the internet and in books and videos for people to research and learn from and not be called mentally ill or strange. George, my thoughts on you and Elaine are this: you both are twin souls come together now to support each other as you bring a needed message to the world. Yet, both of you help each other grow, not one ahead of the other, but each of you walking side by side. What a incredible model of love on earth. So, as Edgar Cayce said, “we don’t go to heaven, we grow to heaven.”