Christmas Books on Lucid Dreaming

[kookyinc]

Just in case anyone cares, a load of the stuff that has been sucking up my time and keeping me off of DV is gone, so I am making my triumphant return. Hello again all! Anyways, I took a break from failing at LDing, and I did some research. Christmas is coming up, and how better to celebrate than by making my friends buy me stuff? Oh course, I don't want to burden them with books that are not helpful, so here is a list of LD books that I was thinking about getting: The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep by Tenzin Wangyal Lucid Dreaming: Gateway to the Inner Self by Robert Waggoner Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming by Stephen Laberge Lucid Dreams in 30 Days, Second Edition: The Creative Sleep Program by Pamela Weintraub [note: I understand that the title is a bit sensational and that LDing in 30 days is not guaranteed or even possible for some. Please focus on the book, if you've read it] The Lucid Dreamer: A Waking Guide for the Traveler Between Worlds by Malcolm Godwin These are all on my list, but I was wondering if any DV members have read them and think that one is bad or another is really good. I'd also like any other book suggestions. Just note that I'm really not interested in anything too metaphysical, like shared dreaming or other stuff like that. Just standard books to assist the beginner lucid dreamer. Thanks guys.

[sisyphus]

I've read 2, 3, and 4 on your list. While I'd recommend 2 and 3, I didn't really think highly of Lucid Dreams in 30 Days. It pretty bland and doesn't go in to much detail. It's barely 100 pages. It just rushes through the basic stuff that you've probably already learned here on DV like reality checks and dreamsigns. The last one looks interesting, I might look for it.

[jasonresno]

I'm reading LaBerges book and I'm having a hard time getting through it. I understand that he is the pioneer of Lucid Dreaming and his info is really sound but his writing is just...dry. I kind of want to try another book and I'll be scanning this thread for recs!

[Hyu]

I wanted to ask about some suggestions for books about lucid dreaming, so this thread comes in quite handy. LaBerges book has been mentioned quite a few times on these forums, it's also quite cheap, so I'll get that one for sure. Lucid Dreaming: Gateway to the Inner Self by Robert Waggoner also caught my attention. Could someone clarify how deep this goes into the "metaphysical / supernatural" stuff though, and how these topics are approached? There seem to be quite a few chapters dedicated to precognitive & shared dreaming, healing and communicating with dead people. Personally, I don't mind this too much depending on how the book approaches it. The Lucid Dreamer: A Waking Guide for the Traveler Between Worlds by Malcolm Godwin sounds interesting but it's rather expensive :/ Unfortunately amazon doesn't have a preview for it, so it's hard to tell what the focus of the book is. I'd also welcome any other suggestions of course

[sisyphus]

I'm reading LaBerges book and I'm having a hard time getting through it. I understand that he is the pioneer of Lucid Dreaming and his info is really sound but his writing is just...dry. I kind of want to try another book and I'll be scanning this thread for recs! I can understand this assessment. Perhaps skip to the chapters where he talks more specifically and practically about MILD and then WILD.

[Snowboy]

communicating with dead people. Personally, I don't mind this too much depending on how the book approaches it. Umm... why would you want to communicate with dead people...? Sounds a bit suspicious and like something that you shouldn't mess with. Just putting in my opinion.

[sisyphus]

Lucid Dreaming: Gateway to the Inner Self by Robert Waggoner also caught my attention. Could someone clarify how deep this goes into the "metaphysical / supernatural" stuff though, and how these topics are approached? There seem to be quite a few chapters dedicated to precognitive & shared dreaming, healing and communicating with dead people. Personally, I don't mind this too much depending on how the book approaches it. Waggoner's book is very anecdotal. By that I mean, he frequently quote dreams from his own journal and then he interprets it and describes his feelings and reactions. Mostly, the whole book is his own personal journey to understand himself and his curiosity about dreaming. So his approach to the "beyond dreaming" stuff seems like a natural part of his journey and curiosity. He doesn't make it sound like witchcraft. Instead, he shares some of his own experiences and invites others to be open-minded and curious.

[Snowboy]

He doesn't make it sound like witchcraft. I see now. Still not leaning towards it, though. Whatever.

[Hyu]

Waggoner's book is very anecdotal. By that I mean, he frequently quote dreams from his own journal and then he interprets it and describes his feelings and reactions. Mostly, the whole book is his own personal journey to understand himself and his curiosity about dreaming. So his approach to the "beyond dreaming" stuff seems like a natural part of his journey and curiosity. He doesn't make it sound like witchcraft. Instead, he shares some of his own experiences and invites others to be open-minded and curious. Thank you for clarifying this. I have no problems reading about someone's experiences and his interpretations, but I imagine I would have a hard time reading through a book which suggests that talking to dead people is the most common thing in the world. Umm... why would you want to communicate with dead people...? Sounds a bit suspicious and like something that you shouldn't mess with. Just putting in my opinion. I don't. I checked out the book preview for Lucid Dreaming: Gateway to the Inner Self on amazon, and I saw in the index that the book had a chapter related to talking to dead people, which is why I asked how the whole beyond dreaming stuff was presented in the book.

[jasonresno]

Thank you for clarifying this. I have no problems reading about someone's experiences and his interpretations, but I imagine I would have a hard time reading through a book which suggests that talking to dead people is the most common thing in the world. I don't. I checked out the book preview for Lucid Dreaming: Gateway to the Inner Self on amazon, and I saw in the index that the book had a chapter related to talking to dead people, which is why I asked how the whole beyond dreaming stuff was presented in the book. Hit up my local borders and checked out Waggoners book. It was interesting but that's about it. For my tastes and intentions, actually learning to lucid, there was nothing really there for me. Im a bit leery on the precog and shared dreaming stuff as well. Unfortunately the local stores only have Waggoner and LaBerge.

[sisyphus]

Hit up my local borders and checked out Waggoners book. It was interesting but that's about it. For my tastes and intentions, actually learning to lucid, there was nothing really there for me. Im a bit leery on the precog and shared dreaming stuff as well. Unfortunately the local stores only have Waggoner and LaBerge. Yeah, caveat to everyone: The overall selection of books on lucid dreaming in the world is low. And it's even lower in physical bookstores. You will probably only find ETWOLD. Moreover, from the ones I've read, ETWOLD is the only good one that has a practical, "how-to" approach. The others are usually mixed with personal experience, cultural traditions and philosophy. There are more books out there that are less mainstream, for the adventurous readers: - books about Tibetan dream yoga - books by author Carlos Castaneda - books by author Robert Moss

[jasonresno]

I've been toying with the idea of ordering the book about the Tibetan Yogis. Have you tried it? If so: what did you think? I want something I can carry around with me, physically, that I can read and re-ignite my passion for LDing. I find, or at least gleaned from the forums, that a real zest for the "hobby" is required to make it work. I have a lot of dead time at work so I figured a good book, passionate but technical, could help keep me focused. By the way; Cowboy Bebop is a wonderful anime.

[sisyphus]

I haven't read it but it's next on my list. I'd so go for it you are interested. I'll say generally that books written by Tibetan monks can often be hard to read. This comes from reading about Buddhism and meditation. The topics are so cerebral and niche and the vocabulary is so specialized. So they try to translate things into English but you can tell something gets lost. Though, the better authors will carefully define the terms and explain their choice of translation.