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I recently came across this brief teaching from the Dalai Lama. I thought it might be of some value to share here. "In order to train in the path that would allow us to transform death, the intermediate state, and rebirth, we have to practice on three occasions: during the waking state, during the sleeping state, and during the death process. This entails integrating the self with spiritual training. Now we have three sets of three: Death, intermediate state, and rebirth Dharmakaya, Sambhogakaya, and Nirmanakaya Sleeping, dreaming, and waking In order to achieve the ultimate states of Dharmakaya, Sambhogakaya, and Nirmanakaya, one must become acquainted with the three stages of death, intermediate state, and rebirth. In order to become acquainted with these three, one must gain acquaintance with the states of dreamless sleep, dreaming, and waking. “To gain the proper experience during sleep and the waking state, I think it is crucial to become familiar, by means of imagination, with the eightfold process of dying, beginning with the waking conscious state and culminating in the clear light of death. This entails a dissolution process, a withdrawal. At each stage of the actual dying process there are internal signs, and to familiarize yourself with these, you imagine them during meditation in your daytime practice. Then in your imagination, abiding at the clear light level of consciousness, you visualize your subtle body departing from your gross body, and you imagine going to different places; then finally you return and the subtle body becomes reabsorbed in your normal form. Once you are experienced at visualizing this during daytime practice, then when you fall asleep an analogous eightfold process occurs naturally and quickly. That’s the best method for enabling you to recognize the dreamless sleep state as the dreamless sleep state. But without deeper meditative experience of this in the daytime, it’s very difficult to realize this dissolution as you fall asleep. “In the Highest Yoga Tantra practice there are two stages for any sadhana or visualization practice: the stage of generation and the stage of completion. In the stage of generation, the more basic of these two, this whole eightfold process of dissolution is experienced only by the power of imagination; you just visualize it. But in the second stage of practice, the stage of completion, by means of prana yoga, including the vase meditation, you bring the vital energies into the central channel, and you actually bring about such a dissolution, not just with imagination, but in terms of reality. You bring about such a dissolution, and at a certain level of this practice the clear light will manifest. “If you’ve arrived at that point in your experience and practice, then it’s very easy for you to recognize the clear light of sleep when that naturally occurs. And if you have arrived at the point where you can recognize dreamless sleep as dreamless sleep, then it’s very easy for you to recognize the dream as the dream. “This discussion concerns the means of ascertaining sleep as sleep and dream as dream by the power of vital energy. That’s one avenue leading to that result. Now, going back to daytime practice, if one has not reached that level of insight or experience through the vital energy practice, then during the daytime you accomplish this by the power of intent, rather than power of vital energy. Intent means you have to strive very diligently, with a lot of determination. In such practice, recognizing dreamless sleep is harder than recognizing the dream as dream. “Different factors are involved in the ability to recognize the dream as dream. One is diet. Specifically, your diet should be compatible with your own metabolism. For example, in Tibetan medicine, one speaks of the three elements: wind, bile, and phlegm. One or more of these elements are predominant in some people. You should have a diet that helps to maintain balance among these various humors within the body. Moreover, if your sleep is too deep, your dreams will not be very clear. In order to bring about clearer dreams and lighter sleep, you should eat somewhat less. In addition, as you’re falling asleep, you direct your awareness up to the forehead. On the other hand, if your sleep is too light, this will also act as an obstacle for gaining success in this practice. In order to deepen your sleep, you should take heavier, oilier food; and as you’re falling asleep, you should direct your attention down to the vital energy center at the level of navel or the genitals. If your dreams are not clear, as you’re falling asleep you should direct your awareness to the throat center. In this practice, just as in using the device sent by LaBerge (see p. 106), when you begin dreaming it’s helpful to have someone say quietly, ‘You are dreaming now. Try to recognize the dream as the dream.’ “Once you are able to recognize the clear light of sleep as the clear light of sleep, that recognition can enable you to sustain that state for a longer period. The main purpose of dream yoga in the context of tantric practice is to first recognize the dream state as dream state. Then, in the next stage of the practice you focus your attention on the heart center of your dream body and try to withdraw the vital energy into that center. That leads to an experience of the clear light of sleep, which arises when the dream state ceases. “The experience of clear light that you have during sleep is not very subtle. As you progress in your practice of dream yoga, the first experience of the clear light occurs as a result of focusing your attention at the heart center of the dream body. Although the clear light state during sleep at the beginning is not very subtle, through practice you’ll be able to make it subtler and also prolong its duration. Also, a secondary benefit of this dream body is that you can be a perfect spy.” He laughed in his usual style. Realizing how much time the teaching had taken, and how late it was, he got up, bowed to all present, and left. We slowly gathered our notes and pads, resting in the aura of a knowledge that was both vast and difficult to grasp."

I Have a Dream speech by Martin Luther King .Jr HD (subtitled) - YouTube I watched this again and, I have to say, it really is something. It's hard to imagine a leader giving such a moving speech today.

I am looking, primarily, for video resources, followed by audio resources, followed by written resources, on the subject of becoming a proficient conscious or lucid dreamer. I would prefer to avoid all the esoteric mumbo-jumbo stuff. In fact, you can consider that with anything I post at these forums, I want nothing to do with ceremonies and esoteric processes. All spiritual practices are ultimately very simple, it is man in the physical who complicates them. Looking for materials or places where personal experiences in conscious or lucid dreaming are shared. Looking for clear, simple instructions in techniques. Conscious dreaming, lucid dreaming and dream yoga all apply. I want to start having fun with my dreams. I want to adventure and explore. But ultimately, I want to invent, learn and practice. This is my primary motivation. My intention is that the majority, if not all, of my dreams become conscious or lucid. No matter the consequences, if any. 90% or more conscious or lucid dreams, 10% or less dreams where I am not conscious or lucid, the reverse of my current experience. Conscious or lucid dreaming every night on a regular basis. No long intravels between days of lucid dreaming. No intravels at all, or very short ones. It has been (I started to write it is, which would perpetuate the undesired state) somewhat difficult for me to become conscious or lucid in my dreams. I would find a Dream Sign, something that shows up in many of my dreams, and use that to become conscious or lucid. Then the Dream Sign would stop showing up, or I would stop noticing it somehow. Maybe this Vipassana "retreat" I attended will have one advantage, that in learning to "tune in" to my body and what it feels like, what is going on with it. Because I would not be looking to changeable external ques to become conscious or lucid, instead observing my body and breathing, maybe that will help. Training now in using the pendant a friend gave me, holding it, saying, "Lucid Dream" 3 times, then tuning into my body at that moment. We'll see how that goes. I have done, and experienced, some terrible things a few years back when I was having more conscious or lucid dreaming experiences. But I am not as I was then, I am not a Christian anymore, and now I have this meditation training, including Vipassana. I have forgive myself for my actions, worked on any fear I have in me, and freed myself to be as monstrous as I need to be, no restraints, restrictions or rules. But I have sent out a warning to all Dream Characters, so that they will not show up in my dreams if they are not forgiving and patient. I figure once I get everything out of my system I will settle down and be better. I included this brief overview to give you an idea of how I am as a conscious or lucid dreamer and a little of my background. This should help you figure out the best resources to share. As always I appreciate your help. I am moving on from my studies in meditation to focusing on a handful of areas for these few months I still have a home. They are: conscious or lucid dreaming, writing and maybe some Blender modeling/UE4 mapping. I would like to use my dream time for meditation and to learn Unreal Engine 4 (UE4.) These are my intentions. Not goals, because, for me, a goal is something to be attached to, and an intention is not. I have these strong desires and intentions, but I must also flow, or keep my boat pointed downstream. Makes life easier. For those of you confused about this topic, wondering why, my answer is simple. When you become conscious or lucid in a dream, you know you are dreaming while you are in a dream. At that point there is, literally, nothing you can't do. Among other things you can learn anything, practice anything, fly, walk through walls, receive advice about your life and explore the depths of the ocean or the universe. The dream world is a world free of all the restrictions of the waking, physical world. Even time is irrelevant in the dream world. In 5 minutes of lucid dream time you can gain years of study and practice on any subject. People are generally unaware of this, that is why you may not have heard about it. If this subject interests you, look up conscious or lucid dreaming at your local library or bookstore. I started a thread at Dream Views covering one aspect of the dream world: http://www.dreamviews.com/general-dream-discussion/158993-what-if-dream-characters-feel-themselves-real-we-feel-about-ourselves.html Thank you for your help!

Sketchbo0k said: "I would love to learn this. Could you perhaps write a bit about it in a new thread?" Dream Yoga is becoming quite popular. There are many varieties. I practice the Bön method which comes from a very important tantra called the Ma Gyü. There are significant differences between views from different practices. In particular, western dream teachers tend to emphasize content, whereas the Tibetan approach does not concern itself too much with content. There are Tibetan practices that involved dream content but it's not important in the dream yoga practice itself. For the Tibetans, the practice is much more about recognizing the nature of dream and how that relates to our lives, deaths, and the nature of mind. The content, according to the Tibetans, is simply a reflection of the content of our daily lives, feelings, and thoughts. In the Bön view, as well as that of many shamanic and indigenous cultures, waking life is no more "real" than dream life. From the perspective of waking life, being awake seems real and the dream seems illusory. From the perspective of the bardo and the absolute, waking life is equally illusory and transient. Dream yoga trains us to become aware, in the dream state, that we are dreaming. In the dream state we are not limited by the same physical, emotional, and psychological constraints as in the waking state. Once we are able to become lucid in dream, we can use that additional freedom to change things that we have difficulty changing in our daily lives. We can take advantage of the fact that we sleep approximately 1/3 of our lives (25 - 30 years for the average person), and try to give ourselves some of that additional time to practice. If we are able to become lucid in our dreams we are more likely to be aware and mindful during our daily lives and we are more likely to be lucid at the time of our death (and beyond, if you subscribe to such notions). The ultimate goal of dream yoga is to help us move towards complete liberation so that we may be of benefit to all others. The basic method involves daytime practices for setting the proper intention upon awakening and before sleep, practices to reinforce the dream-nature of our waking state throughout the day, practices to induce certain types of dreams, and practices for developing and stabilizing lucidity in dreams. If you are interested in this, there are several ways to get instruction. The book -The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche gives a comprehensive outline of the method and practical instructions. It's all you need to get started. He also hosts online workshops on dream yoga once or twice a year through glidewing productions. More expensive but also much more supportive with personalized instruction from Rinpoche and the opportunity to connect with other practitioners in an online forum. Finally, he occasionally hosts retreats on the topic - the most recent was last month. Quite an amazing experience - he's a phenomenal teacher and knows how to connect these sometimes esoteric teachings directly to your life in a very practical way. One word of advice - this is a practice that takes a long time and lots of patience. It is very easy to get frustrated and give up. Be prepared to really make an investment and it will eventually pay off. As I mentioned, there are lots of other resources in different traditions. Alan Wallace has written a book on Tibetan dream yoga, Dreaming Yourself Awake. I can't comment on the book but Alan is also an excellent teacher. I'm hoping there are other practitioners here that will introduce their practices. Good luck and good dreaming!

And why would the astral realm be a real place where you can witness things. If it happened in sleep time, fine the dream was more vivid than anything else, like being awake it started off somewhere that's exactly like the real world, but if you think about it, while there's something that makes it different to other dreams, there's probably no indication that this place is outside your own psyche. So what you learned there says things about your unconscious, not about what happens when we die, our unconscious doesn't necessarily know that. In general, while our unconscious knows a lot, it's not infallible.

Had my first lucid dream when I was four. Lucid dreaming has been one of the cornerstones of my life. I'll go long periods without remembering a dream or not being lucid, but I've had tens of thousands of lucid and semi-lucid dreams. Some of my dreams have been more vivid than anything I've experienced in waking life with my real body. I distinguish between lucid and semi-lucid as this: lucid is full control or near full control, decision making and environment shaping; semi-lucid is aware but not influencing. So about a year or so after starting daily qigong and cultivation I had the impulse to start working in my dream state with energy cultivation as well. My intention was to work the Micro-cosmic orbit in the dream state. I would just hold the intention in my mind as I lay down. I did this daily for a few weeks and had this experience: The oddness of that multi-layered sensation sort of overloaded me and I lost the dream state and woke up smiling at the 'success'. Forward now to last Monday. I'm not working and I decide to take a nap in the middle of the day. I'm now at the age where I want to have back all the naps I didn't want when I was my son's age. So I drop off and as I'll do occasionally now, I set the intention to work with energy in my dream. Had a very unique experience. Now I've experienced sleep paralysis and full hypnagogic visions, but never had a physical manifestation on my 'real body' from a dream state sensation. Until this time. Really makes me wiggle inside to think just how far this rabbit hole goes...

Anybody ever practice Tibetan Dream Yoga? What was it like? How did you do it? With who? You know, tell us your story.

http://www.powerofdreams.net/dreamlanguage.html Your limbic system controls "breathing" and "emotion". Both of which are considered necessary for developing and using energy like "chi"... I have had the pleasure of learning a second language after my first, English. The difference is that once you have solidified one language, it is difficult to relaize that thought itself has no language until you learn a second. True fluid language skills come when you don't have to "think" about it to "express" thoughts, feelings, emotion, or details that become instantly clear to the listener. You realize that you are dreaming in another way. You realize that your mind is functioning by using whatever expression, and it was not English it has been babbling all this time, or any other language, even if the end result is the ability to speak it. I realized this is true of walking and moving about. I don't have to think about it, plan it or worry about whether it is the correct way or not. We simply do it once we know how, and call this muscle memory. Even if it is much more than that. So as we move into meditation, and practicing movements, we slowly learn a new way of being. We drag a bit of the limbic into our control, which focusing on breathing and controlling it is. Limbic exercise. And asking any "healer" using chi, they will tell you that it won't flow without breathing and emotions, also both limbic. Science, Language and the Dreaming Brain Only the executive and sensory functions are off line while the rest of the brain is active. This includes the rational thinking and sensing part). The Limbic system, the part of the brain that associates emotions with sensory information, is highly active while in the dream state. Dreams process unresolved emotions though this process in the limbic system. Language centers on the left side of the brain are off-line but the same centers on the right side, responsible for processing associations, are active during dream sleep. Therefore the language of dream is that of association, in particular emotional associations, not the literal naming by which we identify things in waking life.

I used these terms manas and store consciousness because I think the author captured the interplay between manas and store consciousness so well. I had a dream of a grape vine growing entwined on a pergola structure, it was so entwined that at its trunk it was almost impossible to tell what was vine trunk and what was pergola post. On top of the structure the branches had grown around the beams, and the tendrils had also wound themselves around the beams. I propose that this is the state that manas and store consciousness are in, echoing the article I referenced. What to do about this state differed in my dream though. Where Thich Nhat Hanh states “When we meditate, we practice looking deeply in order to bring light and clarity into our way of seeing things. When the vision of no-self is obtained, our delusion is removed,” in my dream instead I began separating the vine from the structure, starting at the tendrils, unwinding them, then unwinding the branches, and after some time coming to the trunk which had grown around the post to the point that it was was indistinguishable from it. I couldn’t unwind it as it was hard wood, not pliable like the tendrils and branches, so instead I held the trunk and the post above where they were enjoined and worked at pulling them apart. They did come apart but the whole structure started to topple over so I pushed it up again, and then this happened again, the structure started to topple and I pushed it up again, and then it started to topple a third time, and this time I just walked away. When I looked back the overgrown heavy old vine had disappeared along with the structure, but in its place a new young vine had been planted with no structure around it, and I marvelled as I realised that the vine had never needed the structure in the first place. This is why I said earlier that both manas and store consciousness have to be extinguished at the same time. But my dream is more relevant to the concept of the koshas, where even anandamaya kosha whose description is remarkably similar to the description of nonduality experience, needs to be disidentified from. Anadamaya kosha in my dream would be the structure, and my ‘self’ would be the vine. Once anandamaya kosha is disidentified from, my ‘self’ is seen as the newly planted vine free of all structures that are identified with. So I have a diametrically opposite view it seems, for I don’t want to get rid of my self, I want to get rid of my attachment to anandamaya kosha (and all previous koshas, body, emotional and mental identification) leaving my self free of all restricting consciousness states.

I have this strange dream few weeks ago. I dream that I was practicing Pole Standing Tai Chi...in a place where I should not be doing. That was how I felt. Somehow, I was with another student and there was a teacher in front of us. I didn't get to see his face or who this teacher was or if he was an immortal. What happened was that I felt the chi moving in my arms. In a way that the chi was shifting weight on my arms from left to right. Giving the sense of motion of titling my body from right up left down and left up and right down. I was rocking from left to right and right to left like I was on a boat. I felt this movement in the dream. I am pretty sure my actual body was experiencing this sensation as I was dreaming this scene. Then, the scene changed. Now, I found my arms were in front of me, in front of my upper dan tien. My wrists were bend and the palms facing outward. Again, I sensed my chi was moving in my arms now and slowly being projected like waves. My arms were moving like before doing the Pole Standing Tai Chi. Moving right up and left down and left up and right down. Throughout the entire dream sequences, I felt this rocking sensation the whole time.... Anyway, I just picked up two books by master Waysun Liao, "Tai Chi Classic" and "Restoring Your Life Energy...." And probably would begin to practice Tai Chi.... It would blow my mind if I could make great progress from the book....

The harder part is not only to create a religious dogma though, but have people to buy into it too. People at the time bought into resurrection as it was part of teachings that resonated with them. In terms of interpretations in general, there's just no unique POV. If you see a vivid dream with deities you can interpret it as being symbolic, as being divination, as having eater rotten food the night before, as meaningless, as connected to recent events, as connected to your childhood as many things tbh. Remember this isn't a repeatable experiment, it's a one-off experience, so there can only be many interpretations and they can only be subjective.

I bear in mind that there have been many changes in the interpretations of the teaching, even in the Theravadin tradition. In the end, I'm going with: Therefore… be ye lamps unto yourselves. Be ye a refuge unto yourselves. Betake yourselves to no external refuge. Hold fast to the Truth as a lamp. Hold fast as a refuge to the Truth. Look not for refuge to any one besides yourselves. And how… is (one) to be a lamp unto (oneself), a refuge unto (oneself), betaking (oneself) to no external refuge, holding fast to the Truth as a lamp, holding fast as a refuge to the Truth, looking not for refuge to any one besides (oneself)? Herein, … (one) continues, as to the body, so to look upon the body that (one) remains strenuous, self-possessed, and mindful, having overcome both the hankering and the dejection common in the world. [And in the same way] as to feelings… moods… ideas, (one) continues so to look upon each that (one) remains strenuous, self-possessed, and mindful, having overcome both the hankering and the dejection common in the world. (Digha Nikaya ii 100, Pali Text Society DN Vol. II pg 108) Isn't the question really the meaning of "one-pointedness", of "one-pointedness of mind"? That's the consistent thing in the four initial concentrations, in my reading, and in my practice these days. I'll wait, then! I don't practice sleep or dream yogas, I just look to fall into one-pointedness of mind as I am waking up or falling asleep. The thing about insight meditation--how exactly is a person supposed to see the chain of dependent causation for themselves, without experiencing the cessation of ("determinate thought" in) feeling and perceiving? And to do that, is to have arrived at the concentration that eluded Alara Kalama and Uddaka Ramaputta (Gautama's teachers), and which required the supremely talented Gautama the Shakyan six years under the Bodhi tree--right? I do see that action of the "consciousness-informed body" is possible, without "determinate thought". From that, I have an appreciation for the illusory nature of identifications of self in the five groups, but I can't claim to have cut off the hindrances like cutting off a palm tree at the stump, and I can't claim to have the perfect wisdom of insight into dependent causation. I only have enough to appreciate Gautama's way of living, mindfulness in the four arisings, which I believe involved regular experience of the cessation of ("determinate thought" in) the activity of the body in inhalation and exhalation. I don't hear anybody teaching that. Maybe they're teaching it, but not in so many words?

The Parimukha is front of the face, not front in general. Mukha is face/mouth. So containing the only source to Anapasati, the chest area is still excluded. Imo even taking Anapasati in isolation it's sufficient, as it's impossible to feel the breath in other places in the front of the face but other Pali texts are even more detailed. I see from your response that Bhikkhu Thanissaro assigns a different interpretation, all I can say is that I fully trust the interpretation of the senior Theravada monastic who teaches me. So here I guess each will trust the sources they trust and their translation/interpretation, so you we'll agree to disagree on this. By point of focus, I refer to point of focus of the first four steps of the Anapanasati, the Samatha part of it as this is the part where the question of having the awareness on nostrils/upper lip vs hara is mostly relevant. You open some new and interesting points but today unfortunately I don't have much time, so in short, - re sleep, Samatha before sleep is a good practice. Eg In dream & sleep yogas ( these are not Theravada practices ) it is common to include a Samatha meditation step. - re bridging conscious to our subconscious and unconscious. In my view that's the most important aspect of meditation. Most meditations do that to some extent, insight meditation does this more so than others. Samatha ( which pre-existed the historical Buddha) is not enough for this and hence the historical Buddha provided us with his insight meditation.

Anybody notice in their dreams the cycling of earth (caves, tombs), water (rivers, lakes), fire (war, fighting, traveling), and air (flying)?

@TaoNow One dream I am glad to share (and also “brief”): I find myself in a wooden structure, some monks or priests gathered to train… The master, whose spiritual presence was striking, releases a single resounding palm strike to the large wooden support beam near him. The energy released by the strike expanded into the wooden structure and seemed to permeate up and through my being. That’s pretty much all I remember. I enjoyed the experience and the “sound” of the wood and the strike simply had a mysterious energy which seemed to transcend the dream-state and permeated my waking awareness. Like a transmission of information beyond the comprehension of the conscious mind. Something subtle, but I am changed from this dream. My favorite dream thus far involved learning stepping variations for a specific form within my system, they stepping methods were quite practical when I applied them in training the next day, it was actually quite helpful. When I mentioned them to my Sifu he then shared a few experiences like mine which resulted from his training. Are you aware of the theory of Morphic Fields as postulated by Rupert Sheldrake?

Ok, I don't have a clear view of what you are looking for in shielding so I'm stopping here. It might be interesting for you to learn that Shuigong also has protective visualizations in its dream practice. These aren't humanoid figures though. Bodhicitta. Either you use the extra energy in pursuits of altruistic love and higher causes or it escapes through habitual vices. That's how I see it, but you might want something else per your teacher's recommendation that you quote.

Is there a thread for dreams?

The Sphinx is a symbol of ordered civilisation, such as “Government” The Sphinx riddle in Greek mythology of the word puzzle that Oedipus has to solve to become the King of Thebes, is an analogy for leaders chosen for their ability to solve problems and help the people In Egyptian mythology, the sphinx is said to symbolise the solar deity called “Horus of the Horizon” “Horus of the Horizon” is “Torus of perspective”. The sphere which brings forth directional perception, within which dimensional space can exist “Horus” is the personification, of what we would call today “Torus”, or what is detailed in the correctly translated Old Testament “Torah” It is no different to the Om symbol. Which is no different to the numbers, 1, 2, 3 Which is not different to any other TRINITY FREEMASONS Entered Initiate – Primary (Internal) Fellowcraft – Secondary (External) Master Mason – Gateway (Directional) CATHOLIC Father – Primary – Thought (External) Son – Secondary – Emotion (Internal) Holy Spirit – Gateway – Spirit (Directional) ROSICRUSCIAN Head – Thought Heart – Emotion Hara (Gut) – Action DAO Qi – Mind Shen – Heart Jing – Body TCM Upper Dantian Middle Dantian Lower Dantian BUDDHIST Thought Speech Action SUFI Head Heart Hand PHYSICS – ELEMENTS Gas – Sky Liquid – Sea Solid – Earth ASTRONOMY Earth – Brain / The Complex Venus – Veins / The Flow Mars – Muscle / The Flesh EGYPTIAN Akh – Arch Ba – Bear Ka – Carry ILLUMINATED (Un) The Eye – Mind / Sun / Sky (To) The Waters – Heart / Moon / Sea (The) The Hand – Body / Solar System / Earth All these things are merely application of 3 phase states of the torus One that can be applied at any level across the macrocosm/microcosm. To any torus, sphere or cell The sun in the sky, is no different to the mind in your head Your hand itself, with the the thumb centre, fingers surrounding, and palm between internal and external curvature Width, Depth and Height, are not possible until you have a sphere of influence, giving “direction”, to which these things can be applied 4th Dimension - Width 5th Dimension - Depth 6th Dimension - Height These are directional extensions (see image below) Without the 1st, 2nd and 3rd torus/sphere dimensions, to give concept of direction. There would be be nothing to “face” or “point” in those directions, in order to perceive or correlate width, depth, height There would be nothing for up, down, left, right, north, south, east or west to exist within All geometry, needs exist within a sphere. Or it could not exist All patterns of 4, are “relative” conceptual alignment Such is the SPHINX, sitting prone to the SPHERE (the torus, which allows the perception of its horizon. “Torus/Horus of the horizon”) 3 is balance within the sphere. Source 4 is balance upon the sphere. Subject 3 allows you align across all centres of influence (gravity) across the spheres in phase The light focused in the centre of your eyes, the same as the sun in the sky The light focused within the centre of the eyes of someone else, the same as the sun in the sky The light focused in the centre of your eyes, the same as the light focused in the eyes of someone else The hole in the centre of the galaxy, the same as the hole in your pupils The same as any gateway or conduit Within a deep meditation, I have passed through the eye of Sagittarius. The super-massive black hole at the centre of our galaxy, no different than passing through the pupil of an eye (interestingly enough, turning into a lion as I did) I traveled up a massive vortex spire, similar to what is described as Mount Meru. Until I burst through into a semi-physical dimension, which glowed of a golden white light, different to any other I had ever seen A council of giant beings lined the inside walls where I entered. Bodies all made of luminous glowing light. Heads shining a light so brilliant, they shone like suns, impossible to look at They all seemed to be some type of avatars. Asleep, connected to forms of themselves, elsewhere. As I guess, I myself would have been asleep, before entering my avatar One awoke, and asked what I was doing back so early When they hugged me, I felt a warmth and love like family, but also a tremendous electrical like force, pulsating between their head and my own. Like polarised magnets, or orbs, which are not supposed to be as close to each other as they are when hugging This place felt familiar to me like home, while I was there. But also felt something like a dimensional laboratory I told them my friend I had returned to collect the turtle, to take it to Earth with me They did not seem to like the idea, but did not try to stop me. Only warned me “do not let it breed with anything else on Earth, because it lives for 15,000 – 20,000 years” This turtle seemed very different to the turtles in this world. It felt like something very ancient, sacred and beautiful Though, I did not get to see it. As I placed my hands into a large black hole to collect it, I was ripped back to Earth into my physical body My point is, that 3 allows you to go anywhere, across time, space and creation. And align with anything, or anyone Source, God, unity, or otherwise I have felt the solemn longing for home, standing on the bow of a viking vessel, sailing silently across the cold night waters of the most beautiful and calm fjord I have ever seen. Watching the moon and clouds in great detail. Watching a blue glowing bio-luminescence passing under the boat, with caution I have stood on the verge of breathtaking cliffs. Impossibly big, seemingly larger than anything we have in this world. In a world where the curvature of the horizon seemed immense compared to our own. Like I was on a much larger planet I have experienced deaths, real enough to now say I know what it feels like to be stabbed in the chest by a spear or sword. I tasted the steel in the back of my throat. Felt the feeling of weakness and panic, at being able to pull it from my body Waking up crying because I can still feel the physical pain and sadness of dying and having my life taken from me unfairly early. Pains which can take quite some time to subside after waking Real experiences, far removed from any dream I have ever experienced in my 30 years prior to being initiated I know what it is like to experience deaths, pains, joys, pleasure, lives and worlds, in places and times, other than in my own waking world These are just a couple of examples of many experiences like this The point being, that the “sphere” we see as “mind” is not limited to the seat of our physical body Nor to dimensional perception such as width, depth and height. Left and right, up and down It can be extended across all torus, spheres or cells It is fairly simple through meditation, to "collapse" your physical form into the sphere of mind, free from these dimension perceptions. So that your hands, arms, legs, feet and entire torso, feel as though they have been shrunk down into a small ball in the middle of your forehead Which is free to roam through time and space, without any limitations like width, depth, height, left, right, up, down, forward or reverse There is no need to "travel" within such structure. Within the orb of focus, you can phase directly anywhere, or within anyone, at any time. Easily and instantly Within such, things like distance and time, do not exist Within 4, you cannot do this. 4 aligns across the linear planes, to the structure and systems relative to the sphere. With your linear physical bodies and appendages, projecting "measure" such as distance and time It is reference within the physical. Which, as I stated before, has very little to do with the first 3 spheres In Illumination we see systems of 4 as within linear perspective, as limitation. Which usually only exist for the purposes of interaction and communication within the physical mediums They are, generally, not something which is supposed to be analysed. As to do such, is either as redundant, or recursively pointless, as reflecting upon a reflection I am not saying that systems and rules of 4 are not important, because of course to exist within this world, communicate and interact, they are incredibly important I am just saying that these systems are "subject" to the source, not of the source itself. And should not be considered in any way of the source itself Unless your intention is to cut yourself off from your own potential The concept of “you” that you referring to, where you shake your hand and look at it in space, means you are wired to perceive yourself (in mind) and the construct of your existence, as emanate and subject of a physical form (4, 5, 6) Which at its “conceptual” minimum, is 6th dimensional Though more precisely, “looking at your hand” or perceiving your physical form, as relative to construct or mind, is perception between the 60th to 69th dimensions (or degrees) What we refer to as "gravity" (for example) is the 36th dimension (or degree) The first 9 dimensions are conceptual This means, there is no width, depth, height. There is no physical body, with no hand, no planet, nor physical form of any sort. Only concepts, within which geometric principles can be applied, through which such things can eventually come to exist All “negative form before zero” as you described, would again, be subject to a sphere of influence, before such dimensions could exist. Regardless of whether it could be perceived by us within our own spectrum Consideration of these things is the same as cancelling out sound waves. Redundant to form “Dark matter” and negative spectrum or dimension, are merely a type of gateway, through which a phased reality can be allowed to exist, persist and sustain itself. Through itself When I gave you this diagram, I was not being figurative about the correlations and universal alignment listed within it The black hole in the centre of the galaxy is not “like” the pupil of your eye. “It is” the pupil of your eye We exist in a phased reality The external body of the universe outside of us, is very literally the exact same one as the internal body, of the body you walk around in It merely exists in phase Considerations of negatives outside of this phase relationship between internal and external body, are irrelevant They, like concepts of God, are unknowable by design of the system But the system itself, is all knowable, from creation to decay We are merely a directional phase within the medium, experiencing cycles which shift through each other, limiting in perception to the spectrum of our particular sphere of influence, within it If we were able to look at the sky, and see into the relative spectrum or dimension of “space” and things like we call “dark matter', we would see flesh and blood Space would appear as a network of bloody entrails and tissue, with electrical pathways between it. Suns concentrating like neurons in the brain. Electrical pathways coursing between them, no different to those within the human brain What exists “negatively” is only an illusion of our directional perception, as beings native to the sphere of the Earth in which we were formed To those born on a different planetary system, with a different mathematical (geometric) configuration to our own system, we (and our world) could be completely invisible Theoretically, our worlds could even inhabit the same space, within different spectrum. Without one being aware of the other Like two people in the same town who have never met, and do not know each other exist The “reality” is, that we do not need to travel through space to find other inhabitable planets. All we need do is talk to another person. This is the same as visiting another planet We are all formed in much the same way, through exactly the same processes. So the perspective of things such as planet, stars, etc, appears the same. Even if we exist within our own world, we still exist within the common. It is just the alignment between these two that is tricky It could be that we are all be living on different planets, in much the same way we live in different houses, with different seats of physical perspective But whether or not we are, is irrelevant. The potential of our influence and alignment is the same regardless If indeed we do end up needing to physically travel through space, it will not need be in a craft designed to travel linearly across measurements of distance. It will be within an orb able to shift (phase) through to higher or lower spectrum of dimension Much like zooming out on a digital map, to then zoom in on somewhere on the other side of the world. Moving to the other side of the universe, instantaneously Except within the relation of our bodies physical structure, to the universe The “unity” that you speak of, in reality, is all we are Everything beyond this is an illusion of directional precept, allowing linear perception But every sphere is the same We stretch across the phase in transit of cycles, giving us the polarised, dual nature of things formed around a source which is passed through/within every sphere, at ever level The influence stretches from the largest spheres of the universe, to the smallest of cellular construct We exist in between the push/pull of the phase relationship between them Body <==> Bodies - Gravity Magnetism <==> Polarised Magnetism - Time Growth <==> Age The Freemason understanding of the concept of sacred utterance is a little off. Like many teachings they aligned to their order, it is based off of Illuminated understanding and processes, within various ancient mystery schools But as with what is described in the story of Hiram Abiff, those who properly understood the secrets were gone Meaning, many of the teachings of modern Freemasonry (as with certain religions) are based off the translations and understanding of those who never actually went through any type of genuine initiation. At least, not under the guidance of any that could be considered ascended In Illumination a sacred utterance is any word (usually within single syllable relation), which is phonetically pure to both the meaning of the word, and the symbol or number Within numbers, there is a very particular phonetic sequence, which is “sacred”, which is the EXACT meaning of the the sequence, as well as the symbols for the number, and the word used to convey within language A sequence, which tells the story of creation 1 – Un 2 – To 3 – The “Un to the” as a process, can be related to thought, emerging from your mind “Un to the” as a process, can be related to a God bringing forth creation “Un to the” as a process, can be related to the big bang, forming the universe “Un to the” as a process, can be reltaed to the sun, shining its light forward to promote life “Un to the” as a process, can be philosophy. It can be psychology. It can be religion. It can be spirituality. It can be medicine. t can be the astronomy. It can be astrology. It can be physics. It can be biology. It can be geometry. It can be mathematics It can be the basis of any conceptual reality It is the process of “creation” itself Which is the primary sequence we call “numbers” But, it can also be formative to “decay”. Which is the secondary sequence we call “letters/words” (Hiram Abiff - “Decay apparently”) This is what makes it sacred “Un to the” relating to “1, 2, 3” is geometrically perfect, as a process across both internal and external manifested spheres There is a very specific sequence from 1 – 12. Which are the dimensions of first perspective concept One that I will not give publicly. But which very specifically, and undeniably, tells a story of creation And there are versions of this sequence, that are relative to any of the “aspects” within that creation, or individual perception of source They are phonetic keys, within language. Connecting the limiting “decay” system of letters and words, to the unlimited “creation” system of numbers NUMBER = CREATION LETTERS = DECAY Like Arthur pulling the sword from the stone Record yourself saying the name “Arthur” and play it backwards. It will still say Arthur, regardless of if you play it backwards or forwards The limitation within language (particularly "English") is what the story of the sword in the stone is about Pull your intention within creation, from within the limitation of the applied layers of decay above it? You will earn the right to rule England, and its language This is another type of “sacred” phonetic key. One which cannot be limited by the algorithm of connective language It is the same reason I refuse to use full stops at the ends of paragraphing And why I write in concise verse structure In Illumination, we spend many years studying language, to free ourselves from its limitations. Down to understanding the meaning of the individual symbols we use for our numbers and letters We study things like semiotics, phonetics, morphology, phonology and syntax to a degree that very few people in this world ever will We break down all possibly combinations of a words formation and phonetics, correlating it not only forwards, but backwards Looking for phonetic matches in words, with the same meaning read backwards as forwards. To find algorithmic "keys" within the language These keys can give you tremendous insight into people and their use of language, which they do not know they are giving you. That most would be helpless to prevent "showing you", even if they were aware of it This is a major part of how we re-wire our brains to think in both directions cyclically, instead of linearly For years we read everything, both backwards and forwards. Words backwards, sentence forwards. Whole sentence backwards. Words forwards, sentence backwards. Cutting not only the sentence to pieces to pieces, but the individual words within them, to form sometimes hundreds of “alternate algorithm” meanings and translations One simple three word sentence, can be broken down in hundreds, if not thousands of hidden meanings and messages. Especially when you start using alternate phonetics It is a rather painful process to go through. As once you have trained your brain to start recognising the patterns fluidly to a significant extent, the world begins to bombard you with “messages” constantly To the point of madness, in public places where you are surrounded by atmospheric input Like the world realises you can “see and hear” it, and suddenly decides it want to tell you everything, about everything, all at once These patterns are not “chaos” as many believe them to be. It simply feels that way, while your brain is being impossibly overloaded It simply takes many years of training your brain, to see them and forget them, taking only the important things you need to see from the overload of possibilities. It is a process of alignment, that feels like having your mind destroyed. Excruciating painful, both mentally and physically. Until you adjust to the new pathways and blood flow in your brain But this alignment, aligns you within much more than just patterns of numbers and language It aligns you within those around you as well You will hear a stranger say something in passing to their friend, which is relevant to the exact thing you were thinking of at the time A woman at the shopping centre, telling her friend “don't forget cereal for Sam”. Which is my name Reminding me, just as I was about to leave the supermarket, that I also needed to get cereal Cereal, which ended up being the exact same cereal she was buying for her Sam Much like the friend of yours ringing with a pain in their back, exactly like mine. Just after you read my post (mine in in my back, under the right should blade, extending down behind the ribs) This type of alignment is constant, once you train your brain to recognise the patterns The more you recognise the patterns, the stronger, more pronounced and noticeable these alignments within the world become I will see a snake slithering across the road as a leave my friends house. Two days later (on the 3rd night) I will see one slithering opposite to this on the road outside my house, as I am arriving home Things that happen on one side, then happen exactly the same (or near identical) on the other side Apparently, this is part in parcel of becoming a centre of gravity within a logos. Things around you begin to gravitate within balanced internal/external cycles I will not go too deep into this, other than to say it is part of what I was originally speaking about, when I came to find helpfuldemon, about needing to isolate during initiation I sometimes find myself actively having to ensure I do not inadvertently influence someone to my alignment Making them want to give me something, or act in a way they would not normally act, because of their interactions with me Then, to your question about concentrating on my affliction … I never said my affliction was a problem I genuinely appreciate your help with it, and you are right, that it is something similar to what people describe as a hydra … Something particularly unpleasant to feel, emerging out of your face (mouth and nose), as well as your rear-end, in the middle of the night Something which feels like an invisible octopus curling its tentacles around your face and thighs, and there is nothing you can do about it I would, of course, love for it to be finally over, which is why I am grateful to any of your suggestions on what could speed along the process But I do not see it as a problem More as a necessary process. Something I must endure, until it finishes its purpose in realigning me across dimensions Its purpose is to seek out and triggers pain (mind), fear (heart) and impurities (body) within me A process, during which I am polarised across the medium Within this, if you resist it, you are only resisting a mirror of yourself it applies to you helpfuldemon seemed to me, to have a very, very deep understanding of what happens when you are “aligned” in such a way, polarised to fight a version of yourself Which says to me they are genuine initiate. Yet, I do not understand why their guardians did not give them very particular and relevant keys they needed towards the understanding they have It is almost like taking someone out into the cold rain, where you know they are going to be miserable. Then leaving them there Which is why I came to share some of what I know I have only ever encountered one other person online, who has been through this process, before I read his thread on levels of initiation If I manage to complete my purge, the "hydra" will have pulled everything it needs to from all spheres of my form, and it will leave me And I will carry a light in this world, that very few people ever achieve As I said before, I am hoping the end is Easter this year, which will mark the end of the 12th year 12 years since I met the woman with the blood-red hair, where the water meet. The woman who I await to return, that I call “soul-mate”. Loved for 12 years, without any contact I'll either succeed in beating the affliction, or it will kill me I am not really worried either way (though I would obviously prefer the primer, to the latter) I only mentioned the affliction, to explain why it takes me some time to read through things and respond Thanks again for your help. I do appreciate it Hopefully, I've given you something helpful in return

reality and unreality has been a cornerstone topic for much of the seeking in my life. probably because my first memory in this life was a dream... a nightmare really. a nightmare so profoundly terrifying it brought about my second memory of an out of body experience... due to the nature of this first memory of my life, i've always been rather obsessed with the variety of conscious states and the nature of what we call reality. and dreaming is always at the center of my suspicion about the fluidity of reality. dreaming, lucid dreaming and waking dreaming and the nature of awareness and self awareness always hover near when its on my mind. bear with me as i try and share my obsessive suspicion about the nature of the reality of dreams, or the relative unreality of the 'manifest' waking world... or just skip my words, but know no matter what, i'm not stating facts here, this wonderful conversation has motivated me to try and share this one more time, because it seems to fit the topic. one aspect i've always found exceptionally intriguing and of vital importance to the nature of reality cornerstones on the seeming fact that my memories of dream experiences can be just as vivid as those i form in the waking world. and my ability to learn about myself through my reactions to scenarios in dreams can teach me just as much about my essential nature, as lessons learned in the waking world. because of this, there is quite a bit of reality to me in dreams... when they can reveal truth about my nature and impact me in memory. not to mention the fact that dreams are often not recognized as dreams until i waken in them, or until i wake physically, but when in the dream, it's always real. second aspect is that my method of becoming consciously aware in this life, my earliest conscious memories of becoming aware of myself, mirrors exactly the manner in which i become lucid in dreams. when i become lucid in a dream, the dream is already in motion, the setting of the dream, the scenario and the players are in mid action, as was i moments before becoming lucid... when something triggers my awareness and i 'wake up' in the dream, only then do i realize the nature of that level of reality... but my lucidity does not start as the dream starts, i become aware in mid dream when something triggers my personal awareness. the tibetans talk about the layers of dreaming. the san bushmen talk about it. the australian aboriginal people still carry a vivid connection to the Dream Time and all speak openly about the dream like nature of our shared waking life dream. coming to consciousness in my 'real' waking life was the same as coming to lucidity in dreams. my first recollections in this life were several years into my body's presence and my conscious awareness came online one evening while asleep ironically enough. ok so with that set up, here are my first three memories in this life: my first memory in this life is a dream. i did not know it was a dream, nor did i know there was such a thing as dreaming. i simply became aware i was doing something i loved. i was sliding down our carpeted stairs on my bum... diggity diggity diggity, flump to the bottom. then scamper up and do it again. so the memory starts as i'm in mid falump, already going down the stairs. as i reached the bottom landing the dream and looked into the washroom, the dream turned instantly into a nightmare so profoundly terrifying that it spawned my second memory in life, which is that of an out of body experience. i was 3-4 when i dreamt it. my mother said we moved out of that house a couple months after my 4th birthday. the stairs ended in a hallway that went right and left. right was the den, left was the washroom. from shadows behind the water heater, in the far corner of the room stepped a black hooded man holding a two handed axe. he began walking toward me with intense, loud footfalls. i turned in horror and began to clamber up the steps. and as i approached the top step... i slipped and begane to slide backward on my belly. hands outstretched, scrambling to stop myself... i could feel and smell the musty carpet sliding under my hands. the footfalls of the headsman growing louder as i slid down toward the landing. in my mind i knew that the moment i hit the landing, he would arrive and swing the axe. as i approached the landing... in pure, raw desperation... with the full focus of awareness on 'getting out of this'. i shifted there was a moment of reorientation. the stairs were gone. the headsman was gone and i was hovering, massless over the bed of a small boy with a mass of red hair. this is my second memory. looking down at my own sleeping body but not knowing it for a few lingering moments. all traces of fear were gone. there was simply a bit of shock and a processing of what was being 'seen'. i looked down at a sleeping boy with big red hair. something struck... conversations about red hair and praise from adults... "is that me?" i asked silently and pop! i opened my eyes and was looking up at the ceiling at the spot i had just been peering down on my body from moments before. my third memory was 'what was that?' for a long while this memory was relegated to the non essential disregarded portion of memory but something triggered me to recall it in my teen years and from then on... my obsession with exploring the myriad varieties of conscious states was born, and thus began my lifelong pursuit of entheogens, breathing methods, mild self asphyxiation, meditation and, on occasion, street drugs. reality versus unreality what neti neti and many of you have shared in this conversation resonates... but particularly neti neti's two quotes, as well as much of the dream philosophy i've read from the tibetans, resonate with my experience of awareness and the nature of reality/unreality. the i thought and the experience of reality/Self/Brahman co-arise simultaneously and that is why any notion of a creator of clay models and the universe as an automated machine made by some grand architect have never passed my gut/taste test. anyway, enough rambling, i'll wrap this up... ever since that recall in my teen years, all through the countless lucid dreams i've had my entire conscious life, and often in my waking life i have this incessant presence in my mind, this nagging suspicion that all awareness of self.other.yin.yang.the ten thousand... is very dreamlike. it has given rise to the following notion I feel inherently that one moment I will awaken within the 'real world' in the same manner that I become lucid during the dream state a multitude of times.

I have finally understood why I was angry and frustrated of Taoists denying my ideas and made-up technique. I failed to understand what we search for was different and our understanding of Internal Alchemy was never really the same. Classic Taoism & Internal Alchemy Classic Taoists are just fans of the Tao Te Ching, like old Chinese philosophy/poems and maybe even have a bit of religious believe in talismans and shamanism. Classic Internal Alchemists, however, believes in meditation where one think of deep, sometimes dark, things to overcome their traumas and inner demons. Their version of "spiritual" is psychological rather than supernatural. They use Qigong in hope of, not immortality or true longevity like living for 1000 of years, but to heal their mortal body and mind. I, however, was searching for the Xian immortal version of Internal Alchemy. To live for as long and how young I want, to become strong enough to split mountains and seas, like in the Xianxia novels. Before you say that was childish, yes it was, however, in my defends I do have and am diagnosed with atypical autism so I have all the right to be a bit childish and dream about the impossible. Also that buzzing feeling that keep take the shapes of the meridians on the acupuncture maps did make me believe of was right and you were wrong, blinding me with arrogance. I'm sorry for my outbursts and being mean. Totally not because my mom forced me as punishment for my arrogance... Joke aside. I will still leave this community because this community doesn't support my search of the Xian immortal art or whether it is real or not. Thank you for the experience of understanding arrogance. P.s. please delete my account as I will not be back. P.s.s. My Yin Yang Lotus technique wouldn't have caused Qi deviations since it focuses on moving/generating that (physical) buzzing feeling (not emotionally) rather than your inner thoughts and demons like classic meditation does. Bye.

In my experience, there are actually three categories of dreams (could be more, but these are what I've encountered). Normal dreams (ND) -- where one isn't really in control but is a dream character going through a dream universe Lucid dreams (LD) - where one IS the dream character, in control of one's actions and depending on the level of lucidity, the dream universe itself. It is still all "made up" (Pratibhasika Satya). Spiritual lucid dreams (SLD) - where one is the witness of the dream characters, universe and often interacting with deities or other beings. There is complete clarity that this is a dream, and the contents of the dreams are often spiritual teachings/transmissions being given. I found that SLDs are most vivid, and are similar in nature to Astral/Causal travels.

I thought it was the other way around. As Lu Yan told Tripitikas when he had passed through the gate-of-no-gate into the Forbidden Kingdom: "Where you came from is the dream." Only on rare and auspicious occasions will a causal realm event be transmitted to the lower dimension with enough energy to break a natural law.

I dream a lot, and have always wondered what they mean in terms of a hereafter, or what their purpose is. Last night I dreamed a dream that made me realize, the purpose of life is to entertain the Gods with our souls in dream and in the world. We are all actors.

1)So far I know not how I got to lucid dream, as those were very few times.In most cases I was able to control something/myself but wasn't aware that it was a dream, I think there was only one time where I was conscious that it was a dream. 2)None, the times it happened it just happened. 3)On the times I could control something, I would do things considered impossible in real life, like flying around(once with wings, other times without it), or use/control powers like telekinesis, force-field(of sorts) or even the elements of nature. Once, just once, I interacted with some person/being and they taught me "the secret of phasing" by literally grabbing my hand and pushing an object through it and moving it around in my hand. To this day I can still recall that sensation vividly. 4)Considering I never did a thing I guess one "tip" would be to have an intense desire over a subject or something you want to dream of, preferably for a few days.Then one day "it'll just happen". 5)It really is the world where anything is possible...go wild.

Perhaps we are already in a dream world, in life ? The indigenous central desert cultures here have 'Rainbow Serpent Dreaming' : 'the world' and everything in it is actually a dream , dreamed up by a huge snake curled up underground , under Uluru . hence , all of this .... our 'life' is seen as a dream . When big snake wakes up, the dream will be over - everything 'finished' .