Its funny you mention this breathwork, in a yoga class I took about a week ago the istructor paused 1/2 way through the class, and did a similar breathing technique. I was shocked how in under 5min, it could significantly induce a deeper relaxation. Looking forward to using those techniques more. Thank you for the link, very helpful
As for he Astral Projection, I think Andrew may be a believer in it, but I dont thinkmhe has been able to do it yet either. He says though, one way to tell the difference between if you are having a very vivid lucid dream or and AP, is to pick up a book, and begin reading it. If the words change, or are funky, or you have trouble reading it, odds are its an LD. If you can read it perfectly normally, its most likely an AP. Thought that was pretty insightful.
I am a believer in AP. Never done before though. I used o be agnositc on it a few years back, but in light of all the other crazy stuff I have learned people are capible of, it has made me a believer. Things like Dreams of Clarity, and Remote viewing have really made me question the limitations of time and space on the body and mind.
Expectation drives pretty much everything in dreams. Iāve had dreams where I can read text fine, and dreams where I canāt. AP folks say that āif you can change anything, itās a dream, if you canāt, itās AP.ā But expectation can drive that. Anyway, Iām still agnostic about it, but I tend towards the notion that itās all dream. But regardless of whether the astral plane exists, the AP literature has useful techniques and teachings for dreaming practice.
Intereting. Its the opposite for me in a way, I can read the text fine, but something is usually off with it, and if not, when I go to re-read it, it starts to change, or shift, or get weird. Difficult to describe, but Doing the dream journal has definitely taught me that writing words in a dream and reading words in a dream, are two major dream signs. Something is off, difficult to describe, but its not quite like resding in reality.
Have to thank you my friend for recommending Allan Wallaces Dreaming yourself Awake book! It is fantastic! It has got to be one of the best LD books I have read so far.
The other day I read a passage that said that 85% of people who read text in a dream, and then go to re-read it have it change and shift. So that stat definitely fits with your experience of not having it change, I did not realize that for 15% of people it stays completety stable, very interesting. He says the same numbers apply to checking a digital watch in the dream.
On pages 110-111, you may find the passage about the Dali Lama somewhat informative. He says in 1992, his holiness gave an advanced teaching on energies of the body, and how to mold and shape them into a separate conscious body, that could be ejected out of the body, and roam and observe anywhere in the world at the spead of thought. (Sounds very much to me like and an AP teaching, but he does not use that label).
Hopefully that passage might increase your faith a little more in AP
The older I get, the more I believe that the higher the faith and belief in something, the higher the probability it will occur in your life.
I think itās good to know about re-reading and clock state tests, if for nothing else than to maintain your state reflection/awareness while awake, and to promote this thought that āat any point, I could be in the dream state.ā That has helped me get lucid in the past. I had a LD just last week where I encountered a dream sign, but felt totally, entirely awake, and even felt a bit silly doing a state test (nose pinch, could breathe!). But IMO, they are entirely impractical as day-to-day or being your #1 state test to do in those moments of āstate doubtā, as they require interacting with external dream objects that may not be handy at the key moment.
that is a good point, oftentimes I will forget to wear a digital watch.
Have you been able to do sitting meditation or walking meditation in your dreams?
If so, have you noticed that the monkey mind is calmer or even non existant? Or is the idle chatter still present? Also, have you been able to internally feel amd find your heart heart rate?
Iām not lucid enough yet to get to doing meditation in lucid dreams. I find that with doing the TYoDaS foundational practices along with zhine attention meditation that my mind is overall much quieter and less prone to random thoughts taking me away from the present moment. Oh, it still happens of course, but I catch these moments much sooner than I used to. #1 issue at the moment is losing stability of awareness in emotional situations. This is reflected in my dreams where I frequently yell or scream in anger against people causing harm or just being frustrating.
āNothing real can be threatened.
Nothing unreal exists.
Herein lies the peace of Godā
That is a difficult problem for everyone. No easy solution. One thing that helped in my own life was when those types of situations arise, to say to myself āit doesnt matterā nonchalantly, or āits not realā or āyoure not realā. A friend who taught me some stuff from the book A course in Miracles, taught me those phrases a few years ago. I thought they were nutty at the time, but its actually a really powerful practice. Fast forward to this year when I read chapter 12 of TWRs book, and those phrases where echoed in his words of āthis is dream angerā or āthis is dream sadnessā or this is ādream frustrationā. Catching it early is the hardest part, before the emotion completely consumes awareness. But if you are lucky to catch it early, it gives a space where awareness can enter, and a sort of detachmnet from the emotion can take place, often letting the emotion fizzle away in a few minutes. Practice is the key.
Love this teaching by ET:
Wanted to let you know I had a dream about you and @KhyungMar yesterday. We were walking in a open room with high ceilings,and the two of you were explaining to me that in this room whatever you dream up in your mind, will happen. How I did not become lucid there is beyond me, but I think its showing that the study and practices are starting to permeate the dream realm.
I think she is your consciousness that youāre trying to awaken in the dream. Part of you wants to wake up in the dream and another part (the woman) is still sleeping and not able to awaken (at least not yet).
Iām familiar with Eckhart Tolleās term āpainbody.ā I wouldnāt exactly equate it with the waking state. Itās more like all of the emotional/physical pain that we carry around with us in the physical and energetic body rooted in past karma and trauma. Perhaps we are more aware of it in the waking state but it may appear symbolically in dreams.
That is a really interesting point. She may be the part of the consciousness that is still fighting against lucidity, or is doubtful of the minds ability to do this.
Really cool you mention this, because in the LD a few months prior to this one, I was flying around a house trying to find someone to tell that I was Lucid Dreaming, and I came into a room where there was a woman asleep at a table, who I tried to shake awake, but she would not wake up!
I was womdering if there was a connection between the two different women, now Imthink there definitely is.
I just saw this video tonight, would really reccomned their youtube channel:
I think you and @fenwizard may both be right, that she may be my Anima, represented in my last 2 LDs. She may also be a Dakkini or Goddess, guiding me,
Not sure, but still very fascinated that both dreams centered around female figures.
Try clicking th play button 2x. Its just audio, no video.
I only listened to the first half before posting it, have to warn you that the second half when they get to the dream, it is not the most family friendly content or material
