Carlos Castaneda's Art of Dreaming

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Originally Posted by jamous

actually for awhile "the teachings of don juan" was standard reading in some schools. I think they ought to teach stuff about Castaneda actually, in English/literature of course.

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Lol reading classes include all types of stories, fiction and the like, so i'm not surprised that that was standard reading in some classes. English/literature classes can encompass pretty much anything, as well as they should. Imigination and creativity are the main ingrediants in these two courses.

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Originally Posted by jamous

(actually I'm glad to have any responses on this topic, as it keeps it alive! hahaha)

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Cool. I personally read the book assuming that the guy actually had the "experiences" that he spoke of, however I didn't assume his interpretations of what happened to be true at all.

On a different note...this is a show you guys would probably like, heh.

Effect and Cause ~ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tales_f...kside#Episodes

I'm trying to find a full length clip it is actually a fun watch =)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCniFVKOzv0

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0716939/

Nemo: How did you train yourself in waking life to be able to find your hands in your dream?

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Originally Posted by jamous

Nemo: How did you train yourself in waking life to be able to find your hands in your dream?

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Just kept reminding my waking self to look at my hands. After a little while I was doing it in my dreams. If memory serves it took less than a week of these reminders before I had my first induced LD.

The frustrating part has been maintaining consistency. I've found that I'm most likely to have LDs when my personal life is in good shape. If I'm being lazy or anxious or generally f*d up in any way then LDs are as scarce as hen's teeth.

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Originally Posted by jamous

3. Has anybody found any use in the book for "attaining lucidity"? Or anything else pertaining?

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Hi jamous I have found use for attainity lucidity in his book(s).

I’v had success with Carlos Castaneda’s so called art of dreaming in regards to how we make contact with” scouts” from other worlds in dreaming.
His books claim that although we have been energetically conditioned to perceive solely our world, we can isolate and follow these foreign energy scouts in dreams. I use this method a lot in lucid dreaming. I would say that 9 out of 10 dreams will be normal daily world content, but every so often I catch a view of these “scouts”.

I would say from my experience that I have seen many different types. Most look very weird in a dream, and in a short glace will turn into something I can recognize from our daily world. I guess “seeing” would be to keep my mind from changing the energy into something – not quite there yet.

I will say that following these scouts sure lead to great & wonderful worlds. Also,
I did use the “look at my hands” technique until I found them in my dreams.

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Originally Posted by little nemo

Just kept reminding my waking self to look at my hands. After a little while I was doing it in my dreams. If memory serves it took less than a week of these reminders before I had my first induced LD.

The frustrating part has been maintaining consistency. I've found that I'm most likely to have LDs when my personal life is in good shape. If I'm being lazy or anxious or generally f*d up in any way then LDs are as scarce as hen's teeth.

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That's really cool, and I feel you on the note of being spiritually fit (not lazy, anxious, etc.) to dream lucidly. Actually, the reason I'm so curious about the effectiveness of Castaneda's methods to induce lucidity is that I am currently reading Castaneda again (book 6) and am in a healthy place in my life. I've had a month-plus dry spell and hope to have more spiritually relevant and personal means and motives to attain consciousness in my dreams, as opposed to the many various pseudo-scientific (Laberge) methods and other various methods from this website.

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Originally Posted by Infinityecho

Hi jamous I have found use for attainity lucidity in his book(s).

I’v had success with Carlos Castaneda’s so called art of dreaming in regards to how we make contact with” scouts” from other worlds in dreaming.
His books claim that although we have been energetically conditioned to perceive solely our world, we can isolate and follow these foreign energy scouts in dreams. I use this method a lot in lucid dreaming. I would say that 9 out of 10 dreams will be normal daily world content, but every so often I catch a view of these “scouts”.

I would say from my experience that I have seen many different types. Most look very weird in a dream, and in a short glace will turn into something I can recognize from our daily world. I guess “seeing” would be to keep my mind from changing the energy into something – not quite there yet.

I will say that following these scouts sure lead to great & wonderful worlds. Also,
I did use the “look at my hands” technique until I found them in my dreams.

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How did you recognize these scouts?

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Originally Posted by Infinityecho

Hi jamous I have found use for attainity lucidity in his book(s).

I’v had success with Carlos Castaneda’s so called art of dreaming in regards to how we make contact with” scouts” from other worlds in dreaming.
His books claim that although we have been energetically conditioned to perceive solely our world, we can isolate and follow these foreign energy scouts in dreams. I use this method a lot in lucid dreaming. I would say that 9 out of 10 dreams will be normal daily world content, but every so often I catch a view of these “scouts”.

I would say from my experience that I have seen many different types. Most look very weird in a dream, and in a short glace will turn into something I can recognize from our daily world. I guess “seeing” would be to keep my mind from changing the energy into something – not quite there yet.

I will say that following these scouts sure lead to great & wonderful worlds. Also,
I did use the “look at my hands” technique until I found them in my dreams.

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Wow, after all Castaneda went through with those beings, I dont know if I'd dare to follow one!

I'm also curious about the find-your-hands method, is it an effective method to be able of having an LD every 1-2 nights, for instance?

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Originally Posted by polmc

Wow, after all Castaneda went through with those beings, I dont know if I'd dare to follow one!

I'm also curious about the find-your-hands method, is it an effective method to be able of having an LD every 1-2 nights, for instance?

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Judging from my own experience and what I've read in this forum and elsewhere, having intentional LDs is part desire, part sustained application of one or more of any number of techniques, and part luck.

I think Castaneda's 'hands' method is as good as any, but probably no better. It does have the virtue of being simple; you will always have hands to find in your dreams.

I haven't come accross ANY one-size-fits-all explanation for dry spells or lucid-bonanzas either.

It occurs to me just now that ritual has always been used to engage attention on a deep level. Perhaps setting up a personal ritual before bedtime would serve to fix the intent to get lucid. Lighting a candle (& putting it out before sleep), making an offering, addressing one's intent to the 4 directions, or ______________ (you fill in the blank) could work. The shear wierdness factor of such a ritual sould have an impact. It also occurs to me that if ritual is used it should be a private matter. Talking about it would quickly make it mundane, draining its effectiveness.

Haven't followed any scouts - not sure I'm ready to go there yet.

Totally agree with you :)

When starting out, and learning stop an “ordinary dream” I would roam the streets and practice the “find my hands” and hoped to see my hands during dreaming to start to be Lucid.

I was looking at my hands, then focusing quickly on (say three to four objects) then return looking at my hands. I found when I did do this in dreaming my dream lasted longer, and this helped to solidify the dream and surrounding landscape from shifting to a dream change or back to ordinary dreams.
Learning to keep a dream scene last, seems to help to find these "scouts".

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Originally Posted by jamous

How did you recognize these scouts?

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I think it is personal; it’s more a feeling when you identify them. They affect you in your own personal way- mine is electric or energetic,
They are energy or something giving off energy. No faking it, if you start to find them I think you’ll find they start to show up more often – or maybe we improve on isolating them from our dreams. Not quite sure.

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Originally Posted by Infinityecho

When starting out, and learning stop an “ordinary dream” I would roam the streets and practice the “find my hands” and hoped to see my hands during dreaming to start to be Lucid.

I was looking at my hands, then focusing quickly on (say three to four objects) then return looking at my hands. I found when I did do this in dreaming my dream lasted longer, and this helped to solidify the dream and surrounding landscape from shifting to a dream change or back to ordinary dreams.
Learning to keep a dream scene last, seems to help to find these "scouts".




I think it is personal; it’s more a feeling when you identify them. They affect you in your own personal way- mine is electric or energetic,
They are energy or something giving off energy. No faking it, if you start to find them I think you’ll find they start to show up more often – or maybe we improve on isolating them from our dreams. Not quite sure.

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And what have you done with them (if its not personal, or course)?

If I am successful in communicating with them, I asked them to take me to their world. I play hitchhiker and tag along for a ride.
I travel to other places, sometimes I have a hard time remaining there at these places long enough and find myself waking up.

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Originally Posted by little nemo

Judging from my own experience and what I've read in this forum and elsewhere, having intentional LDs is part desire, part sustained application of one or more of any number of techniques, and part luck.

I think Castaneda's 'hands' method is as good as any, but probably no better. It does have the virtue of being simple; you will always have hands to find in your dreams.

I haven't come accross ANY one-size-fits-all explanation for dry spells or lucid-bonanzas either.

It occurs to me just now that ritual has always been used to engage attention on a deep level. Perhaps setting up a personal ritual before bedtime would serve to fix the intent to get lucid. Lighting a candle (& putting it out before sleep), making an offering, addressing one's intent to the 4 directions, or ______________ (you fill in the blank) could work. The shear wierdness factor of such a ritual sould have an impact. It also occurs to me that if ritual is used it should be a private matter. Talking about it would quickly make it mundane, draining its effectiveness.

Haven't followed any scouts - not sure I'm ready to go there yet.

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interesting idea with the ritual

I followed a scout once but i don't remember where i went.

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Originally Posted by Infinityecho

If I am successful in communicating with them, I asked them to take me to their world. I play hitchhiker and tag along for a ride.
I travel to other places, sometimes I have a hard time remaining there at these places long enough and find myself waking up.

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So you were successful in stabilizing your dreaming attention, allowing you to recognize the disturbances of the scouts? I'm reading about the inorganic beings right now, and they sound like scouts. What's the difference? They both appear to you and take you to unimaginable worlds. I guess the scouts aren't conscious beings like the inorganic beings?

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Originally Posted by ranma187

I followed a scout once but i don't remember where i went.

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How did you know it was a scout? How did it appear to you?

Has anybody heard the voice of the emissary?

[QUOTE=jamous;512967]So you were successful in stabilizing your dreaming attention, allowing you to recognize the disturbances of the scouts?QUOTE]

edit: Did you do like Carlos and move from item to item and scene to scene in some buzzing vortex? Probably not like that specifically, but something of that nature?

I'm currently reading The Art of Dreaming by Castaneda. If there's anyone who read it and understood what they read about reaching and passing the "seven gates of dreaming" could they please give a brief explanation of it?
Currently I'm just reading about the anorganic beings, that they can be lured to meat you, that you can rob them of energy needed for "dreaming", that you can follow them to their worlds and there is a mention about a voice of some sort of Dreamguide which is sort of an authority of inorganic realms. What's it named in the English book?

PS: I had my first worthy to be called Lucid Dream again last night; first night after reading Castaneda in bed before sleep. I deamt that I was dreaming and slowly waking up in bed. While I was lying there, motionless, I suffenly realised that this situation might be a Dream. In an instant I pushed the blankets off of me and got up out of bed. I walked towards the wall at my bed's feet-end and tried to poke my finger through the wall: my favourite RC. I noticed how the wall felt sort of like hard, but at the same time clayable and flexible so I could push my finger into it. kinda like Candlewax that is still a bit warm and soft.

I ran towards the wall and dove headfirst into the surface of the wall the way you would dive into a swiming pool.I ended up in a blackness with ALOT of motion and quickly lost consciousness. Only to gain it back again some seconds later; again in my room. I also vaguely remember testing Gravity and noticing how it felt as if Gravity was reduced times 4.

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Originally Posted by SKA

I'm currently reading The Art of Dreaming by Castaneda. If there's anyone who read it and understood what they read about reaching and passing the "seven gates of dreaming" could they please give a brief explanation of it?
Currently I'm just reading about the anorganic beings, that they can be lured to meat you, that you can rob them of energy needed for "dreaming", that you can follow them to their worlds and there is a mention about a voice of some sort of Dreamguide which is sort of an authority of inorganic realms. What's it named in the English book?

PS: I had my first worthy to be called Lucid Dream again last night; first night after reading Castaneda in bed before sleep. I deamt that I was dreaming and slowly waking up in bed. While I was lying there, motionless, I suffenly realised that this situation might be a Dream. In an instant I pushed the blankets off of me and got up out of bed. I walked towards the wall at my bed's feet-end and tried to poke my finger through the wall: my favourite RC. I noticed how the wall felt sort of like hard, but at the same time clayable and flexible so I could push my finger into it. kinda like Candlewax that is still a bit warm and soft.

I ran towards the wall and dove headfirst into the surface of the wall the way you would dive into a swiming pool.I ended up in a blackness with ALOT of motion and quickly lost consciousness. Only to gain it back again some seconds later; again in my room. I also vaguely remember testing Gravity and noticing how it felt as if Gravity was reduced times 4.

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"the emissary" is the guide whose voice you hear.
I think I'm about where you are, chapter 5ish. As you progress I'm sure the details of the 7 gates will be illuminated for you. Really interesting book, though it took me awhile to get into it with all the new vocabulary and all (emissaries, inorganic beings, scouts, assemblage points, etc). But now I've got the hang of it all and it's truly fascinating reading about such a different but cohesive composition of philosophies. You know what I mean?

And cool dream. I really want to have another lucid dream, so I can try polishing my "dreaming attention" (is that what it's called? you know, as opposed to the "second attention" or the so-called ocean which the river of the "dreaming attention" runs into) Have you ever tried doing what Carlos did? With the focusing on items that then pull you to them?

Yeah I read about Castaneda's Dream where he focussed his Dreaming attention on a tractor outside of a window far away and how he was pulled towards it in an instant.

I stopped reading for about 4 days when I went downtown to have some fun, but now that I'm back I'll start where I left off in the Art of Dreaming and make some notations and symbolical drawings to help explain Castaneda's wisdom to myself and to get it in perspective so I'll have an easy oversight of what has been read.

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Originally Posted by SKA

Yeah I read about Castaneda's Dream where he focussed his Dreaming attention on a tractor outside of a window far away and how he was pulled towards it in an instant.

I stopped reading for about 4 days when I went downtown to have some fun, but now that I'm back I'll start where I left off in the Art of Dreaming and make some notations and symbolical drawings to help explain Castaneda's wisdom to myself and to get it in perspective so I'll have an easy oversight of what has been read.

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yea, I'm probably a chapter or so ahead of you, and it's gets really interesting. You ought to read alot of it over again, it helps it to resonate a bit.

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Originally Posted by jamous

So you were successful in stabilizing your dreaming attention, allowing you to recognize the disturbances of the scouts? I'm reading about the inorganic beings right now, and they sound like scouts. What's the difference? They both appear to you and take you to unimaginable worlds. I guess the scouts aren't conscious beings like the inorganic beings?

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I've just read Castaneda having followed a scout into the inorganic world. From what I understood the Inorganic beings are beings with very slow moving energy; like trees. They're static and slow as opposed to humans and animals that move fast and seem to be "hasty" according to Don Juan. Scouts are reflections of these inorganic beings just like the voice of the emissary.


Now it would be handy if some people who read and understood this book would be able to make a list of terms used in the book along with a brief description. terms like Dreaming Attention, Second Attention, Scouts, inorganic beings, The Emissary...etc.

Anyone?

I think I'll do that actually, it would be a good literary analytical excercize

I have just arrived in chapter 8 now. This book is fascinating. I find myself reading for hours on end starting 12 o'clock and then suddenly realise it's 03:30.

please let's not forget to make this oversight of Castaneda's terms and their brief explanations. It would clearify alot.