Thread: Q&A with Daniel Love - Author of 'Are You Dreaming?'

@Ginsan

Thanks so much for the kind words and enthusiasm!
I'll get onto your questions!

What happens if you don't reach 12.000 pounds? Is it all or nothing? Will you do another project, will you do something very similar to this but slowed down?

To be honest, I'm trying to think positively and assume the project will succeed. But yes, Kickstarter is all or nothing, so if we don't reach the goal, there will be no funding for this project. If that is the case, then I will have to do some serious thinking about what to do next. I think realistically, this project wouldn't be able to go ahead without the funding - and unless a publisher or an altruistic millionaire comes along and decides to make it come to life, it wouldn't see the light of day - at least not for a long time. So, I'd have to fall back on a different smaller project (of which I have many).

However, I really want to make this happen, so the next 14 days are going to be a whirlwind of promotion and fund raising. If you can help in the process, I'd really appreciate it!


Is the idea for this book something like this? "Hey, look at how cool Saturn's rings are, wouldn't it be crazy to surf them and jump from ring to ring?!" or what you said about transformation dreams, that knowng things about the animal makes the dream better. Did I understand it correctly? Btw I think this has enormous potential, many things I find out through science are way cooler than anything I could have made up

Yes, you've understood perfectly. That's the essential principle for the entire series - you even went as far as to read my mind as to why Saturn was chosen as the logo! (playing amongst Saturn's rings has been a long term pastime in my dream-life).
It will go somewhat further than this and I hope to explore multiple angles, but essentially you've outlined the basic principle behind the series.

Sorry these are short replies, but I have an AMA over at reddit in half an hour - and I need to just let my mind unwind a little before that!

Come join in if you're in a questioning state of mind

I didn't see Saturn's rings in the logo until you mentioned it, I just made that up If it's in your book, that may be why it came up, I read part of it. Otherwise it's a pretty cool coincidence.

I'll check out the AMA soon. And if I had any money to spare I would have donated 20 or 30 bucks at least, but I'm broke. I'll think of other ways to contribute. I only have 1 friend and no Facebook or something like that, so the most I can think of at the moment is to mention it in DV chat. But maybe something else will come up. I really hope it will work out, I'm excited about reading it.

Thank you for replying and I wish you a nice day

Hey all,

You're still more than welcome to ask questions, the Q&A is an ongoing thing - I'm a big supporter of DreamViews, so I'll be here regularly. So, any excuse for interesting conversations about the dreamworld is good in my book!

Keep them coming!

What is your favorite thing to do in a lucid dream?

Do you have any items that you always have with you in dreams or lucid dreams? I have a watch and sword that I always have on me, one I thought up in waking, the other I bought in a dream mall.

You just gave us permission for more trivial, "this just crossed my mind and spent 30 seconds thinking about" questions I'm happy that you'll be hanging around here, you're so knowleadgable!

I lucid dream often, but I'm usually only vaguely aware that I'm dreaming. Last night I flew a bit but I don't know if I was even aware that I was dreaming, I just knew I was different from other people. I become lucid spontaneously. How do I make myself be more clear headed so that I can stabilize? I do have lucid dreams where I remember to use knowledge from my waking life memory to make the dream more vivid and not lose lucidity, but this is quite rare, maybe 1 in 10 or 15 dreams.

I'm pretty happy that I sometimes get like 5-6 lucid dreams a week, but man if those could have some more lucidity, I would be able to do so many more cool things At the moment I get way more enjoyment out of remembering normal dreams than being in lucid dreams.

Have you ever had an odd moment in waking life that made you think you were dreaming and if so what was it?

I've had a few but one that immediately comes to mind, while driving down a street I saw a red circular street sign (similar to a stop sign but smaller) that said "Reality Check". Definitely made me do just that, gave me a good laugh

Mismagius, the first time I went to the blood bank to get my blood checked (so I can donate) I got to the street but didn't know where it was. I asked an old couple and they said, "over there," so I looked and saw a van with "GIVE!" written on it in big letters Then I did a reality check and was amused. It was not a dream.

What is your favourite thing to do in a lucid dream?

Ooh, that's a really tricky one - I'm not sure that I have one single favourite thing to do. For entertainment, the obvious answer would be flying, it's difficult to beat in terms of the sensation of freedom. I guess that's almost universal for us gravity bound creatures. But, any form of bending of the rules of reality are fun - time travel, cosmic exploration, changing form, the list is endless really.

I suppose the main use I have for lucid dreaming is personal experimentation. I like to test the boundaries of the dreamworld, see what is possible, how the dreams are formed, their relationship to memory etc.
I think this is partly why lucid dreaming has been so enthralling my entire life, because the dreams are only half of the journey. Much of my dream exploration happens in my waking hours, as I sift through my dream journals, looking for connections, finding unusual events and experiences, and trying to establish connections, causes and all the rest. I also love to experiment with influencing dreams through waking activities, or through events timed to occur during REM (playing certain pieces of music, scents etc.).

It sounds rather silly, but one of my earlier practices - mostly in my teens and early 20's (although I still do it occasionally now) - was to build little circles of stones in places I particularly liked. This all occurred in my waking life travels. The idea was to create a structure of "portals" to help transport myself to these places in the dreamworld. Nothing mystical, just a practical way to connect that physical place to my dream life, in a way that appealed to my imagination. It was surprisingly effective. I think little practices like this can be fun experiments and help keep the entire experience fun and playful. Also any physical or practical dream practices seem, in my experience, to transfer to the dreamworld much easier than those which are entirely psychological.


Do you have any items that you always have with you in dreams or lucid dreams?

Actually no, I've not noticed any recurring items. There are a handful of locations that seem to be very recurrent and a large percentage of my dreams start in these. Fortunately one of these places is, unsurprisingly, my bedroom. So I've amassed various items that I keep in my room that come in handy during dreams. I have, for example, two wooden walking sticks; one shaped like a serpent the other a dragon. Both easily transform to the real creatures in my dream life. Also various taxidermy animals, which all "come to life" during my dreams. In fact, a great deal of my bedroom ornamentation is for this express purpose - they serve as useful tools to make dream control and experimentation easier, such as a "Genii Lamp" that I picked up in Morocco - which has a very useful Genii that appears when needed in the dream world.


Have you ever had an odd moment in waking life that made you think you were dreaming and if so what was it?

Plenty!
I have several friends that like to play practical jokes in these regards (many don't seem to grasp lucid dreaming, so they find it all hilarious). I actually secretly rather appreciate this, as it's great practice. One went to the effort of convincing the staff at a cafe to all tell me I was dreaming and to act in a peculiar manner - I'll admit it really threw me for a moment, as that usual wave of excitement washed over me, only to quickly be put in its place by a couple of reality tests.
Of course, malfunctioning street signs, digital clocks, or just peculiar events seem to crop up regularly in waking life. Actually, I do seem to be a magnet for strange events - so I have quite a long list!

I'm curious what you think of the results of the referendum the UK just had. I'll also totally understand if you want to keep politics out of this, but you did say "Feel free to ask anything you like at all." This is a question I'll be asking all my British friends. I didn't think the vote would go this way, and I feel anxious about it.

@Thinkintuit - No problem, I'm suffering from a #brangover (yes, I've just coined that term, I'm ashamed to say) from staying up all night to watch the results come in. I'll be honest, I've been on the fence the entire time, so I had no strong opinions either way. I could see some of the innate problems with Europe, its questionable relationship with democracy and the fact that the larger an establishment the harder it is for the people to exert influence. On the other hand, as a member of the EU I've enjoyed the freedom of movement, both for myself and for those it has brought into my life; England has certainly been improved by the lovely people from across the EU.

This whole referendum has been fascinating, especially how it has exposed just how divided the country was on this issue - it certainly seems to reflect social divides. Although I suspect that the vast majority of voters, from both sides, didn't have a full comprehension of all the issues. I certainly didn't and I invested a lot of time trying to do so. It is simply too much of a large and complicated situation for any individual to have a full grasp of.

Having immersed myself into the politics, I came to the conclusion that there was no one right answer - and certainly none which could fit a nice tidy slogan; each option had some serious pros and cons.

I can understand feeling anxious, the feeling is even more pronounced being here and this happening around you!
My intuition tells me that it is likely that very little will change in on-the-ground. I don't think that either result would have been "the right thing", it is likely that it is the collective attitude of the nation and how we move forward that will decide if we move in a positive or negative direction - the same would have been the case if the outcome had been different. Although, I think in this scenario, people are less likely to just go on as usual.


Europe is clearly in need of reform, and it certainly needed something to shake it up. Staying in would have been business as usual and the slow descent into a superstate would have probably occurred over time - which I don't think would have been a good idea. However leaving is a big gamble and could be worse for the UK in the long run.

I think that realistically what will happen is just a lot of juggling of red tape; there will be more in some places and less in others. But, the world will continue to turn and those with power and money will do what they can to minimise disruption to their investments. On a personal level, a lot of people I know will be worried about where they stand in the UK and if they'll be "thrown out". I don't see that as being very likely, as it is in no-ones best interests. Although, I'd not be surprised if an unexpected side-effect of all this will be a sudden surge of panic marriages between British and EU citizens!

Personally, I'm cautiously optimistic. I think there are difficult times ahead, but it's nice to see democracy is still alive - whatever the result. I think it has the potential to bring a cohesion and positive attitude back to the British, something that has been lacking for a long time.

Only time will tell, but one way or another it's going to be a complicated, unnerving and fascinating time. Hopefully, heading into the unknown, we'll make positive steps into an uncertain future. My only worry is the danger of tribalism and small mindedness taking hold. Still, I'm an optimist and I think the British people are kind, decent and diverse and that we'll make the best of a very uncertain time.

One thing I do know for certain, is that I really should have slept last night!

Hi Daniel. I have been following you and your project for a while now. I'm not in a position to help fund your project, unfortunately. I do have some questions about it, however. I have a general idea what the books will be about, but I've had this doubt in the back of my mind since I became aware of your campaign. I'm an inexperienced lucid dreamer, so for me the joy of lucid dreaming is all in the discovery. I can read all the books about it, all the techniques, all the experiences, but nothing really beats the actual first-hand experience. I feel this is sort of like going on holiday after having read all the experiences, looked at all the pictures, etc., and then finally when you are there you aren't that impressed because you already know what it's all about. This happened when I went to Greece with my wife. She planned the trip, read all the testimonials, looked at all the pictures and found all the sweetest sights, while I knew barely anything apart from that we were going to the islands, and our experiences seemed quite different. I was mostly awestruck while she didn't have many surprises. So in this regard, what can you offer me, as a reader?

Thanks for taking the time to read this. I hope you don't take this as a dig at your project. I'm sure it'll be very cool!

Originally Posted by TheApprentice

Hi Daniel. I have been following you and your project for a while now. I'm not in a position to help fund your project, unfortunately. I do have some questions about it, however. I have a general idea what the books will be about, but I've had this doubt in the back of my mind since I became aware of your campaign. I'm an inexperienced lucid dreamer, so for me the joy of lucid dreaming is all in the discovery. I can read all the books about it, all the techniques, all the experiences, but nothing really beats the actual first-hand experience. I feel this is sort of like going on holiday after having read all the experiences, looked at all the pictures, etc., and then finally when you are there you aren't that impressed because you already know what it's all about. This happened when I went to Greece with my wife. She planned the trip, read all the testimonials, looked at all the pictures and found all the sweetest sights, while I knew barely anything apart from that we were going to the islands, and our experiences seemed quite different. I was mostly awestruck while she didn't have many surprises. So in this regard, what can you offer me, as a reader?

Thanks for taking the time to read this. I hope you don't take this as a dig at your project. I'm sure it'll be very cool!

@TheApprentice No problem at all, I really appreciate your thoughts on this and certainly don't take it as a dig.
You make some interesting points and I can certainly agree that novelty and surprise add a new dimension to an experience; often the less you know the more impact it will have. However, I think in the case of lucid dreaming, we are dealing with altogether different territory. No one can ever know the private realms of another's dream world - it is a place that is, in the truest sense, absolutely unique to each dreamer. Even as an experienced and lifelong lucid dreamer, I have yet to experience even a single lucid dream in which I have not been struck by awe, surprise and wonder. Our minds may be ours, but that doesn't mean that we know our own inner workings and landscapes. Even our memories can be a surprise to us, after all, possession of a memory is very different from an awareness that one possess it. As the pioneer of lucid dreaming d'Hervey de Saint-Denys points out, a famous photographer may take thousands of photos in their lifespan - so many that it would be possible to show them one of their own photographs, and for them no not realise it is their own work. Our minds possess countless more impressions and memories than any photographer could ever hope to make, so we are in possession of many more memories and experiences than we are aware. Surprise is part of the fabric from which our very minds are woven.

In the case of this project, it is absolutely not my aim to create a "travel guide" to your personal dream-space. Instead it aims to be a series of keys that will unlock doorways to new and unexplored realms of your mind. The books will act as a "software update", a means with which your brain will be better equipped to build more detailed, exciting and, indeed, surprising dreamscapes.

As I'm addressing your travel analogy, let me offer one of my own. Imagine you are a primitive human being, in a time long before our understanding of our place in the universe had been developed. One night, you look up at the stars, and you a struck by their mystery. With your limited understanding of the world you may assume that these points of light are similar to something you are already familiar with - distant camp fires around which other tribesmen tell their stories, or perhaps they are fireflies that have become trapped in some mysterious dark amber. The imagination of our prehistoric friend is limited by his knowledge of the universe. He may feel awe and wonder, but it will be of magnitudes much lower than is deserved for the true majesty of the universe. When he looks at the constellation Orion, he may see the smudge of light in Orion's belt, perhaps he assumes it is a crushed firefly. With our modern understanding, he would know that it is a vast kaleidoscopic nebula, a birthplace of the very stars themselves, some 1,344 light years away. In this case knowledge does not suppress or stifle his experience, instead it would catapult it into realms of awe that he was unaware were even possible. How much more wonderful his dreams and daydreams would be if this knowledge were available to him!

This is very much the approach I want the project to take. These books are designed to make our dreams more wonderful, not less. To be food for inspiration and the imagination. They will certainly not steal away any surprises, in fact, they will (I hope) be a catalyst with which our minds will be able to fashion wonders and surprises that they are, as yet, not fully equipped to create.

I hope that answers your question!

Hey Daniel, a few days ago I had asked a question but you forgot to answer. I said I got lucid often, but very rarely have the clarity of mind to stabilize and prolong the lucid dream. Do you know how I can start a lucid dream with more clarity? I always DILD.

@Ginsan - Sorry I missed your question, I'm sure you can imagine that I'm juggling so many things at the moment, it's easy to miss things occasionally. Still, I do apologise!
To answer your question: My first suggestion would be to revamp your reality test practices. Whenever you reality test in waking life, build the habit to stop and engage your mind. Really allow yourself some time to consider your surroundings and circumstances. Also take some time to process how you would behave if you had discovered you were dreaming. You need to make this behaviour your standard post reality test state of mind.

In the dream itself, you'll obviously need to do the same thing. I've always found that speaking (or singing) your thoughts out loud in the dream is a very effective way to increase your clarity and focus. It's an unusual behaviour, and something we'd not do in waking life - so this helps remind us of our situation and seems to help focus the mind. I'd also strongly suggest engaging as many of your senses with the dream world as possible - especially your sense of touch. Feel the textures of the environment, engage in the experience as much as possible. Anything that engages multiple senses is a good practice - such as clapping or singing. These also tend to help prolong the dream.

Your state of mind is also very important. Try to maintain a calm, objective attitude - something like an alien observer of another world. Extreme emotions are risky, they will either wake you or you'll be dragged down into non-lucidity. It's a fine balance to maintain, but it will become easier with practice.

I would strongly suggest the speaking/singing option. It's always worked wonders for me when I've had dreams lacking in clarity and focus.

Let me know how you get on, and if this doesn't work, we can try a few other techniques.

Good luck!

Hi Daniel, it seems to me from the way you're answering questions on this thread that you prefer to take a more scientific stance on this whole topic. My question though is, do you believe that lucid dreaming has potential for spiritual growth and enlightenment? Do you think it's possible that some of these so called realms or characters we meet may also be actual spiritual in essence?
I'm asking because I read that ancient buhdist monks used something called yoga nidra for spiritual attainment.
I very much believe in spirit, not just our consciousness but that there are layers to this world spiritually we do not perceive in our regular day to day lives.
Maybe this makes me a borderline kook to some but I know what I've personally experienced and so I do believe there is more potential and significance to lucid dreaming than our two hemispheres of brain communicating.
I have also been a lucid dreamer since childhood, similar story actually I had terrible nightmares and it was my way of finally taking control.

^This is a good question. I would like to tack on a follow up question to it as well. Although I don't currently believe that "some of these so called realms or characters we meet may also be actual spiritual in essence," I do try to keep an open mind to this or similar possibilities. I do believe that the experiences we have in our lucid dreams, and then subsequently in some of our daytime lucid dreaming practices, often give many of us a sense of connection to everything around us. That connection as well as mindfulness are concepts and experiences that some may liken to a spiritual mode of thinking/being. Is this not a happy side effect that could be a positive influence on the world? What are your thoughts on this and do you think that some of the odd scientific experiments like the double slit experiment (in regards to getting a different result when being observed as opposed to not being observed, one reference: Do atoms going through a double slit) open up the possibilities at all? As you can see, it is something I am grappling with.

@Dreamwalkwr

Thanks for your question - As I think we're all very aware, this is one of those topics that really divides the lucid dream community, so I want to just prefix my answer with a couple of points. Firstly, my views on any subject are always a work in progress, I'm always open to new ideas and new data, there are many views I hold that I am sure will change or evolve over time. Secondly, I could write an entire book answering your question, it's a subject with a huge variety of subtleties, so, I can't really address all of those in a forum post. However, I hope that you'll respect that I'm going to answer your questions with complete honesty, rather than attempt to be diplomatic simply to try and appeal to as many people as possible.

So to get onto your questions...

do you believe that lucid dreaming has potential for spiritual growth and enlightenment?
This is a deceptively complicated question. It seems simple on the surface but the problem here is the lack of definition of what you personally mean by "spiritual growth" and "enlightenment". These things can mean so many different things to different people. For one person, spiritual growth may be their blossoming relationship with Jesus, for another it may be a more vague sense of personal connection with the universe, for another it could be a deeper understanding of the Hindu holy texts, it could be a pagan or shamanic connection with the universe etc. The same holds true for the term "enlightenment", even amongst the many and varied sects of Buddhism it is defined very differently (for example the theravada view is very different from that of the various Tibetan schools). Without knowing exactly which definitions you are using, I would be trying to answer a question that has almost limitless interpretations.

This is one of my major problems with terms like spirituality. If you actually take any two people who call themselves "spiritual" and ask them to clearly explain their beliefs, you'll rarely if ever have two people agree with or believe what the other believes - even those that follow the same spiritual systems.

I certainly believe that lucid dreaming can be used to explore whatever spiritual beliefs you may hold, I would caution anyone that even the most convincing and profound insights a dream may offer, could easily be no more than an illusion with no real worth. An analogy I commonly use to explain this is that you could have a very compelling and convincing dream of winning the lotto, but when you wake your bank balance will still be the same. So caution in interpretation of these experiences, and not simply assuming because it felt profound that it was, is necessary.

I don't think this is a sceptical way of thinking - after all, isn't the spiritual quest one in search of truth? So it would make sense, to me at least, that when searching for truth one must have standards to judge truth, and one must also be cautious about our conclusions.

One of my biggest gripes with most spiritual and religious paths are that they very often place human beings on a pedestal. For Christians we're Gods special creation, for Buddhists humans are in a unique position among all creatures to attain enlightenment, and so on. For me, this seems very convenient for us humans, and to be frank, quite conceited. It seems at odds with a lot of spiritual talk of humility and the fight against ego driven behaviour.

However, I also very much believe that this wonderful mysterious universe is far more vast and deep that we could possibly hope to understand. We're a young species who have barely just grasped the basics of language and science. There are certainly levels to our reality that we have absolutely no inclination of, we don't even know they exist yet. Does that mean I think they are available through spiritual practices, well - probably not. I've studied lots of spiritual paths, I've experimented with various practices - even partaking in some unique rituals with tribes people and their sacred plants. When I really push myself past what I personally want to be true (I'd love to feel I'd connected to some deeper level of reality), and I focus on what is most likely to be true, then I often find that my human need to feel important is distorting my perception of actual events. Even the most convincing visions I've experienced, when I've looked at them objectively, often I can find far more plausible explanations.

Do you think it's possible that some of these so called realms or characters we meet may also be actual spiritual in essence?

Again, the problem here is I'm not sure what "spiritual in essence" means to you. Do you mean another layer of reality, beings from other dimensions etc.?
I certainly think that it is a possibility, but I would say that it is low on the scale of probability. I think our brains are perfectly capable of producing the most convincing hallucinations - I also don't think that this, in any way, belittles or lessens the wonder of the universe. In fact, it gives me more awe and wonder. It is an amazing thought that out of a couple of handfuls of organic matter, our consciousness springs into existence. The universe has crafted these amazing things we call brains, out of itself, and uses these to gaze back in wonder upon itself. What an absolutely enthralling and entrancing mystery this is! As the famous Carl Sagan quote goes "We are a way for the universe to know itself". I can't think of anything more wonderful.

Perhaps there are other layers to the universe, perhaps the universe knows itself through many different eyes and in many different ways.

Maybe, just maybe, certain manipulations of consciousness may help us tune-into other aspects of reality. I certainly don't rule it out completely. I just think that because this is something that appeals to our human needs, it's something that makes us feel special, that we need to be especially cautious when our spiritual beliefs seem to very neatly fit our human wants and fears.

So, as someone who really wants to understand the truth of the universe (and accepts that this is likely impossible for any human being) - I try to be as sceptical but as open minded as possible. I don't want to accidentally delude myself with my own wishes and in doing so miss out on a real wonder of the cosmos.

One of my main issues with texts and "experts" on lucid dreaming, is that many of them make claims about spirituality (whatever their version of that word means), as if they are factual, rather than personal subjective beliefs. Many dreamers, especially younger enthusiastic dreamers that are eager to learn, will accept their claims on faith alone. This can lead to all sorts of odd contradictory beliefs. It can also be a huge drain on the time and mental energy that these impressionable new dreamers - it may take them years to work through these ideas until they realise that they were just the beliefs of individuals and not some objective reality of our universe. This is time which could have been invested in learning verified and wonderful facts about our cosmos. Facts that, as a species, we've only just uncovered and have been very hard won. I find those that promote spirituality in this way to be reckless and I find it very hard to respect nor trust them. I have absolutely no problem with speculation and personal beliefs, as long as they are clearly stated to be these things. To expand further on my earlier point, there are those who will read a book on the Tibetan Buddhist approach to dreaming, alongside one that explores a shamanic, Sufi, or Hindu systems (to name only a few). Not all of these can be true, perhaps none of them are. Certainly if we try to mesh such diverse ideas together, we're not only being somewhat flippant and disrespectful to the original systems and practitioners, but we're also just cherry picking those things that suit our own personal tastes.

I'm rambling and these are just unedited thoughts off the top of my head.
I hope it makes some sense.

@fogelbise - I'll try and expand on your questions later, I think I need to take a short break after writing that essay!

Daniel, I like your approach of focusing more on the science and less on the spiritual. I consider myself a spiritual / Christian and certainly think LDs can enhance one's spiritual journey without necessarily being spiritual in itself. For example, in the same way science does too.If you are spiritual, the complexity of cellular biology may move a spiritual individual on their journey as it can point one to a creator....or not, depending on your belief in God. I have performed some of the miracles in the Bible, in lucid dreams, which I find makes them "more real" to me. I also think the similarities between NDEs and LDs gives me a better understanding of that experience without having to nearly die in the process! When John the apostle says he was"in the Spirit" when he saw the revelation from God, I now think I know kinda what it was like for him and certainly believe he didnt make it up but had a valid experience of some sort. So it is very helpful, even if just pure science of the mind.

@Rothgar

Thanks for sharing your experiences and viewpoint. Please don't get me wrong, I'm certainly not anti-spiritual. While I don't align myself with any spiritual tradition, I certainly find them all fascinating and there are many gems of wisdom to be found. My aim is simply to promote lucid dreaming for what it is, so that people can then take that knowledge and apply it to whatever purpose or exploration they wish. This becomes impossible when authors weave their own beliefs into the subject.

I prefer to avoid discussions on spirituality, mostly for the reasons I outlined in my huge post above; it can simply mean so many different things to different people - and I'd not like to be so arrogant to assume that I have any authority whatsoever to discuss such matters, let alone tell people what they should believe. Indeed, that's why I take issue with authors that do, I feel it shows a certain lack of humility. It's always been my opinion that we are all born into the mystery of this universe, all as ignorant to what it really means as each other. I do however love discussing these things, and learning and sharing thoughts with people of all backgrounds, faiths and beliefs. We may all be born into a strange and mysterious universe, but we're all in the same boat - and, if we can be humble in our own beliefs, then we can all share the adventure together.

Being an author and an voracious student of life, I've been compelled to read almost every spiritual text available. There is a lot of beauty and poetry to be found in most of them. In regards to the Christian faith, I've often pondered if in Genesis 1:27 the passage "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth" that "likeness" may have not been referring to a physical image at all, but to the nature of our inner creativity. After all, what better likeness does humanity have to the Christian god than when we dream and create our own inner worlds?
To be clear, this isn't a belief of mine, but a thought that regularly arises when I discuss dreaming and religion with my Christian friends. I thought perhaps you may enjoy it.

Thanks again for your thoughts, I'll certainly be writing a book covering spirituality (from a neutral standpoint) in my new series. If you'd like to share your views and experiences, I'd be more than happy to include them - your faith is one that is regularly ignored in many books on dreams, so it'd be nice to give as many views a voice as possible.

Thanks for the honest opinion Daniel. I'm not particularly religious but I do believe that even if our own spiritual growth is formed by our own imaginings it is still significant if it's helping us to become better people. Nothing to do with ego but just to find our way past everything that's blinding us to what really matters in this world. People are very materialistic snd concerned about their image that they forget about doing what's right.

Hey Daniel = D I'm trying to use your suggestions and I hope it will help. I had 3 more questions about exploring limits of the dream world, but they're secondary and here is what I really want to know.

How good can one really get at lucid dreaming? Can you do whatever you want in any given lucid dream? Let's say you suddenly get the idea to ride a skateboard through a musical piece with the road representing the movement of the music, going faster, slower, up, down, the road splitting and recombining, getting launched in the cliax, the environment changing in harmony with what the music is doing. Or when you want to dilate time so that your 40 minute dream seems to last twice as long, or create fake memories so that you start the dream with a backstory of a few years and the memory of it, can you reliably do things like this? By reliably I mean that you won't lose lucidity nor control and that you'll experience something close to what you wanted. "something you wanted" Includes a change of plan during the dream.

I'm asking about you because I think you're very close to the ceiling of skill or you are so far that you have hugely diminished returns on your practice compared to most of us. If I overestimated what you can do and how reliably, please replace "you" with "someone extremely skilled" while creating an answer.


I love that you're here answering our questions it's so cool that I can explore your thoughts and experiences regarding dreams I feel like a kid in a candy shop!

@DanielLove Haha, those friends sound like a lot of fun! The cafe prank sounds pretty impressive, would loved to have witnessed that one.

Question: As a non-fiction author have you ever thought about writing fiction? Dreams and lucid dreams certainly provide plenty of material and possibilities!

I would love to read a book based around the idea of lucid dreaming, I've searched around but it's pretty hard to find anything like that.

Originally Posted by DanielLove

@fogelbise - I'll try and expand on your questions later, I think I need to take a short break after writing that essay!

No worries, I think you covered the gist of my add on question in your responses to Dreamwalkwr and Rothgar.

Hey guys, I'm not ignoring your questions - I'll get on to them as soon as possible At the moment, it's looking like it'll be once the campaign is complete this Sunday. If I find the time beforehand, I'll certainly pop in and do what I can!