Dreams of Transcendence

[StephenBerlin]

Dreams of Transcendence Of all of the applications for lucid dreaming, I believe that transcendence offers us the most significant reward. Of course a well-deserved case can also be made for healing. Healing is “restorative” and transcendence is “expansive.” Their disparate merits depend on your situation. If you are physically or psychologically disabled, the priority for healing is obvious. But - with acknowledgement to Maslow for pointing it out - if you are healthy, with a roof over your head, food in the fridge and a steady income, then and only then will Transcendence occur to you as a worthwhile pursuit. I completely agree and add one additional observation. An encounter with transcendence has value to anyone, at any time and any place, regardless of his or her individual position on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Transcendence reveals deeper and higher dimensions of experience which are normally blocked by either interference from sensory input or by our consensually assigned and accepted human limitations. In general, based on my experience and the self-reports of others, transcendent perceptions primarily express in colors so vivid that they convey an enhanced spectrum, music from octaves that exceed the capability of human voice or instruments, emotions of sufficient intensity to trigger orgasms of the heart, visions of history and events with an all-encompassing comprehension, Light so exquisite that in its Presence all form dissolves, and Love so immediate and penetrating that naught but itself can abide. There are certainly different degrees of transcendence and many means through which it may express. Lucid dreaming does not solely hold the key. Meditation, sensory deprivation, near death experiences and presumably death itself are obviously other conducive circumstances - as may be hallucinogenic drugs, asceticism, trauma, fervor and psychosis. There are more of course, but the point I want to make is that I believe lucid dreaming is the fastest, safest, most effective and most versatile of any method. If you seek transcendence, lucid dreaming deserves your time, attention and effort. If other paths for you have failed, you really need to give this one a try. So, from my personal dream journal, I am going to present for your consideration three lucid dreams with evident elements of transcendence. My most truly transcendental dreams, however, I am not relating for good reason. They were so transcendent that they cannot accommodate our addiction to story and form. Their content and emotion were so “off the known map” that I know it would be futile to attempt to mirror even their reflection in words. The following dreams are thus “somewhat lower on the scale of transcendence.” Nevertheless, they should be interesting to read, and I hope they provide appreciation for lucid dreaming’s incredible ingenuity in attempting to make the divine comprehensible to us. I could never consciously compose these. They were spectacular to experience. ******* I realized I was dreaming and began to fly. I was peacefully soaring over low rolling hills when I suddenly shouted, “I want to see God!” A curious fact is that I don’t recall any preliminary reflection, thought or intent to say this. I just simply blurted it out. As I came up over the crest of a hill, I saw before me a vast plain which extended to the far horizon. In the distance stood a huge tree, alone, striking me by its singularity. Being lucid, I immediately sensed that this is where I should fly. As I approached the tree, slowing my speed of flight, its topmost tender branches, as though stirred by a slight breeze, opened to form a lush green cup. I effortlessly descended into it. The branches gently closed around me. While held in their embrace, I was overcome by emotion and the overwhelming realization that I am unconditionally loved. Although no words were heard or spoken, I awakened with the certain knowledge that this Love abides with us always, and we cannot, for any reason, be separated from it. ******* I was watching what seemed to be the production of a music video. I somehow realized that I was dreaming and decided to perform an experiment. In previous lucid dreams, I understood that the other dream characters were only “in my imagination.” This time I wanted to “pretend” that all of the characters were individually real and sentient beings - not just creations of my dreaming mind. As I tried this, the dream characters became astonishingly real. One girl in particular struck me with compelling appeal. I stepped into the “video production,” embraced her, and we began dancing. We kissed. It was very passionate, and I felt the thrill of infatuation. We continued dancing and soon began floating above the floor in what seemed a swoon. Some unseen force then began pulling us straight up. We were now waltzing in what can best be described as a vertical spiral - up and up, higher and higher, faster and faster. Then, in one magnificent burst - like a huge exploding firework or the “big bang” - the entire cosmos flew out from the two of us in all directions. We found ourselves dancing in the blackness of space. No ceiling above, no floor below - just the beauty and immensity of an infinity of stars surrounding us. I noticed that the music to which we were now dancing was the voice of Englebert Humperdink echoing through space: “I danced the last waltz with you, two lonely people together. I fell in love with you. The last waltz will last forever.” My dancing partner pointed and told me to look. I turned my head and saw what looked like an animated statue of a Greek goddess - holding and moving a stick - conducting the music and our dance. As we waltzed in space, she orbited around us. It seemed as though the entire universe, the music and the conductress - All Existed just for us. Eventually floating leaves appeared, we seemed to sink into them, and this marvelous lucidity came to an end. ******* A lucid “witnessing” dream: I was standing in awe of massive architecture which surrounded me. Its effect was powerful and intimidating. Night began to fall and I noticed that people were beginning to assemble. I looked and saw a large platform or stage. Huge torch-like fires were burning on both sides in massive metal bowls. I realized that I was in a stadium of some sort, and I began to be pressed upon by a throng of people. Suddenly, from the darkness, Hitler stepped forward between the flames and began shouting at the now enormous crowd. I was engulfed by hysterical adoration. The scene was fascinating. Being lucid, I was stunned by the reality of it. It was as though I had actually been transported back through time. Without any apparent act of lucid will, I began to float off of the ground and hovered above the crowd. Then I felt myself being pulled backward. Still astonished by the spectacle, I watched it recede. I passed above a wall surrounding the city, then over countryside and villages. I was being transported through the air over Europe. Since I was flying backward in a standing orientation, I turned my head and looked over my shoulder. Amazingly, my dream provided a perfect change in perspective, both to my side as I turned, and then, when my attention became fixed on the landscape behind me, it was advancing toward me exactly as it should. Once again I remember specifically acknowledging my lucidity as I marveled at my dreaming mind’s ability to contrive this incredibly complex visual experience. Soon, still flying backward, I passed above what I assumed to be the coast of Europe and out over the Atlantic Ocean. At this point the dream changed in a manner that is impossible to describe in terms of chronology. I experienced an intricate unfolding of stunning emotional and visual imagery. What I witnessed can only be approximated in retrospect. It came in a flood, and I could only gape in astonishment. I saw time, past and present, love and war, family and isolation. All this and more than I am ever likely to fully recall was presented in a magnificent pageant of art and architecture, battles and blood, old newsreel footage, birth, disease and death, food, furniture and antiques, timepieces, books and music, clothing, tools, weapons, transportation, weather, religious and sacred symbols, nations and flags, race, calamities, destruction and completion. I estimate that this dream lasted from 60 to 90 minutes and I awakened weak with exhaustion as my blood thrilled and my heart pounded. It changed me. I knew I had been privileged to behold a divine and mystical drama. It was and is the Magnificent Epic of Man. I feel that I lived and am living the fullness and entirety of it. And so are you. We are, after all, One. /Stephen Berlin

[Neo Neo]

Well said, I have been feeling similar to this lately. There are uses and applications for lucid dreaming that are beyond what we can imagine. Sure its good to use lucid dreaming for problem solving, flying, and even fun, but it seems that the next area of exploration has to do with these dreams of transcendence. Especially if lucid during a dream with transcendence, or to consciously initiate the transcendence. I can identify with what you mean about words not being able to describe experiences like this. If I can figure out how to increase my frequency and technique for lucid dreaming, I will definitely be exploring this area as it seems like the next step and realm of experience that we are all ready for.

[Sageous]

Welcome to DreamViews, Stephen! I too think Dreams of Transcendence are a wonderful, if not paramount, potential of lucid dreaming, and I think your efforts deserve a bit more response than one response ... it is a tough subject, though! We seem to have a couple of things in common, one of them being that I too started a Dreams of Transcendence thread a couple of months ago. I think you might find it interesting. Please note also that I didn't post any of my own dreams until post #40, in case you're curious about my experience. Maybe people involved in that thread will find this one and continue the conversation, as this is one subject that deserves more than a glance. Good luck with your work, Stephen, and I hope to see you again here on DV.

[StephenBerlin]

Thanks for the comments and kind words. If I had realized that a thread was already started on this subject, I would have placed my posting there. Being new to the Forum, I'm just beginning to learn my way around and how all of this works. (I'm better at dreaming than I am at waking). I appreciate Sageous that you provided the link to the original thread so anyone interested can locate both. I included 4 segments on the subject of Transcendence in a series of 11 videos pertaining to Lucid Dreaming I uploaded to YouTube back in 2007. That sounds like ancient history, but the content hasn't aged. If anyone is interested, you can simply search my name on YouTube or Google. Everything I've done has been free without advertising, and I don't endorse or promote any specific belief. That's all for today my friends, and again - I really appreciate your contributions and insight. /Stephen

[Neo Neo]

I posted a thread in Lucid Experiences that included some dream entries of transcendence, and is on the topic dream consciousness. Have you read Lucid Dreaming: Gateway to the Inner Self? Its by Robert Waggoner and he does a great job of describing lucid dreaming and also touches on the subject of dream consciousness. Waggoner also does a good job of presenting his ideas while leaving the judgement up to the reader. Apart from the influence of our own unconscious/subconscious mind, dreaming has its own consciousness. To me, this is reflected by dream behavior as well as dream character behavior. What stood out to me is Waggoner's description of dreaming being like the ocean. He relates dreaming to the ocean and questions how much control we really have when lucid. There was a part that talked about how the dreamer is not the one driving the ship, or controlling the sea. Waggoner was making a point that our unconscious, our dream, has a whole lot more to it than meets the eye, and that while lucid dreaming does offer vast amounts of control, it does not come close to taming the dream. I think this is an important point that Waggoner brings up. Its humbling to me. I have read a lot of people's experiences of dreaming on this forum, and have had my own share of incredible experiences with lots of control. However, when it comes to beyond dreaming, or dream consciousness, we are left to our own opinions and thoughts. Even though there are people here with tons of lucid dreaming experience, I am sure there are still areas of exploration that are uncharted. To me, transcendence is one of them. I hope people will realize the implications of this and are inspired to explore it. In Lucid Dreaming: Gateway to the Inner Self, dream characters are addressed in detail. Waggoner discusses what happened when he started treating dream characters as actual conscious people, not just as figments of our unconscious. When he started doing this, interactions and dreaming significantly changed. Conversations became intelligent, and he was even shown supposed information he did not have conscious knowledge of. Last summer, I began to experiment with this too, and my dreams started to change as well. I started talking to my own "dream characters", and they started replying with very intelligent responses. I started surprising them by talking to them. After a while, I stopped referring to them as "dream characters" and as dream people. At least I changed the "character" part . Now with transcendence, it steps up the playing field into more unknown areas. I think that these dreams of transcendence can happen on their own and by us consciously initiating them. As I said in my previous post, I plan on experimenting with this further when I get the chance to lucid dream.