Are Lucid Dreamers more in touch with the Universe?

[Seeker]

I've been pondering this for a while now and an experience I had this weekend seems to validate this. For the past few months, I've been reading Carlos Castaneda and am amazed at how closely the Natice American Shamanic teachings and lucid dreaming are coupled. According to their teachings, there is really no difference between waking reality and dreaming reality, it is a matter of where we chose to focus and hold our attention. In fact, in Carlos' books, lucid dreaming is one of the main tools used to practice and develop abilities in the waking reality, but I digress. This Saturday, my wife and I were mowing the yard, she waved at me to come and take care of something for her. When I got there, she pointed out a medium sized toad that was sitting next to a rose bush. Being the soft hearted person she is, she wanted me to move him before he got hurt. Normally, you have to make a couple of attempts to catch a toad. They usually don't like to be picked up and will pee on you. Not this one though. I reached down and picked him up. He made a funny noise, kind of like toads do at night, but softer, deep in his throat, and sort of modulated, like he was asking me not to hurt him. I lifted him to eye level and held him in my open hand. My wife and I were looking at him and discussing how beautiful he looked, especially his bright golden eyes. He chirped again softly as if to say "Thank you!". I carried him to another flower bed and gently placed him on the ground, again, he chirped and crawled under some of the flowers. At no time did he act wild or afraid or try to jump, it was kind of like we were on the same wavelength and communicating at some level. So, I guess what I am asking here is; Are Lucid Dreamers somehow more connected to nature and the univers than non-lucid dreamers, and can animals sense this connection and react to it?

[nesgirl119]

Well, I don't think that handling animals has anything to do w/the amount of LDing you have. In my opinion, they can sense the good in you. The more good you have, the more likely the animal will cooperate. One time, I was night-skiing, & found a cute little mouse, & went over to pet it. It just sniffed me, & let me pet it. My sis-in-law was amazed the mouse didn't try to run away/bite me. It just sat there, begging to be pet some more, & when I decided to pick it up, it crawled up my arm, & cuddled. Then it went back into its burrow, & wasn't running at all. On the other hand, I am almost always in tune w/nature, so that could be it. I may have LDs every night, but that isn't really the reason why animals are attracted to me, but maybe that is why my guess level is at a wooping 75%!

[Clairity]

Originally posted by nesgirl119 Well, I don't think that handling animals has anything to do w/the amount of LDing you have. In my opinion, they can sense the good in you. The more good you have, the more likely the animal will cooperate. Seeker, I agree with nesgirl. Animals sense things that people cannot and the toad may have sensed your intention to do it no harm. Even animal behaviorists state that animals pick up on your manner and body language and can sense your emotions. The toad's reaction is quite a compliment to you!

[dreamtamer007]

I think its possible. Especially to people that are not in tune with nature. Example is a person that might not even give other life forms a second thought could learn to be more sensitive to others. I think some of the Tibetan writings suggest that we (all off consciousness) all are one and we just need to wake up to that. I think that lucid dreamers are a very small part of this culture that is just starting to wake up.

[nesgirl119]

Originally posted by Clairity Seeker, I agree with nesgirl. Animals sense things that people cannot and the toad may have sensed your intention to do it no harm. Even animal behaviorists state that animals pick up on your manner and body language and can sense your emotions. The toad's reaction is quite a compliment to you! Thank you for agreeing w/me

[Clairity]

Originally posted by nesgirl119 Thank you for agreeing w/me

[Nirvana Starseed]

we all like to think we have a special connection to the things we want connections with. It is typical to imagine what a frog is thinking when we pick it up, 'he is saying thank you to me, he is saying don't hurt me......ect...... ofcourse that is all in our imagination. The frog is of a different awareness.......totally. You can inteprete it that way but you should realize.... The frog does not think like we do. It has no self awareness, It is connected to the universe directly part of the whole. That is why animals and nature are amazing to us. As a result they do not hold grudges. Frogs don't have self esteem issues. Nature can give you messages and you can interpret exackly what you need to at that moment, simply because they are connected to the universe. While at our point of evolution as an individualized entity we are cut off from that aspect until we evolve to the next level, the kingdom of god.

[Leo Volont]

Toads are cold blooded. If you warm them up, they are fast little critters, but if they are cooled down, then they become very lethargic. I maintain some feral cat feeding stations. The toads in the area, that come out during the rains, must have some quality that repells the cats and so they will not interfer with the toads, but the toads have discovered that cat food is quite tasty and the darn things will take over a Feral Cat Feeding Station. Well, whatever they do to repell the cats doesn't repel me, and I've found that giving them one good kick is enough to both kill them and to get them well out of the way of my cats... afterall, a toad is just a toad, but Cats are People.

[nina]

I know that LucidApple has alot of experience in this area. Where has Jeff been anyway? Well, I know that he has a special connection with animals. But I'll let him post about that if he ever gets around to it. Also Deepak Chopra has said that he has actually had a bird fly down and land on his shoulder before. And I've experienced this also with the birds that come around our house. We have these feeders and all the different birds like all their different seeds...but it seems like whenever I want to see a bird I just think about it, and sort of "will" it to come and it usually just appears out of no where. My favorite is the female downy woodpecker...they are so cute. My mom and I were identifying these birds in a book and I pointed one out and said, I'd love to see that one! And low and behold it showed up at our feeder the next day. Deepak talks alot about the power of intention, and that if you put those intentions out into the universe you will have some cool results. I've found this to be true about alot of things...but I don't want to go too off-topic EDIT: just to make this a more relevant post...I think that it has more to do with how intuned you are with nature and the collective consciousness...and lucid dreamers seem to be...so I think that yes, we are more in touch with the universe...but not the people who use their lucids to just do stupid stuff and not learn anything.

[Howie]

Originally posted by Aquanina Just to make this a more relevant post...I think that it has more to do with how intuned you are with nature and the collective consciousness...and lucid dreamers seem to be...so I think that yes, we are more in touch with the universe...but not the people who use their lucids to just do stupid stuff and not learn anything. I agree with nina. There can be very many ways to use lucid dreaming. Some people, it comes to them naturally. I have always been jealous of that. But I am begining to think otherwise. Had I not had to painstakingly go through and learn many of the techniques I may just be out there lucid dreaming and had never gained the insight that I have to become more aware. Or more intuned, as Aquanina had put it. But to the original question. I think lucid dreamers are more intuned for the most part. And animals, although through instinct, are much more intuned to nature than we can probalby know. So there could be that connection at some level. Seekerthat sounds like a really good book. I would like to read that. I have just finished a book myself. It is called Awareness. It sounds similar in the regards to waking life and sleeping and how most of us are sleepwalking through life.[/color]

[bathos]

Originally posted by Seeker I've been pondering this for a while now and an experience I had this weekend seems to validate this. For the past few months, I've been reading Carlos Castaneda and am amazed at how closely the Natice American Shamanic teachings and lucid dreaming are coupled. *According to their teachings, there is really no difference between waking reality and dreaming reality, it is a matter of where we chose to focus and hold our attention. *In fact, in Carlos' books, lucid dreaming is one of the main tools used to practice and develop abilities in the waking reality, but I digress. Just keep this in mind when you consider using Castaneda's writings as guides to some kind of truth: His books are bogus. They are straight up fabrications written in the UCLA library. Does that mean there is nothing valuable in them? Well, it depends on your definition of value, I guess. But, read his books as fiction....enlightened fiction if you want to be really generous.

[Seeker]

Originally posted by bathos Just keep this in mind when you consider using Castaneda's writings as guides to some kind of truth: *His books are bogus. *They are straight up fabrications written in the UCLA library. Does that mean there is nothing valuable in them? *Well, it depends on your definition of value, I guess. *But, read his books as fiction....enlightened fiction if you want to be really generous. I WOULD dismiss them totally if there was not such a strong correllation to my experiences in lucid dreaming. They are works of fiction, true, but the basis of almost everything in these books is lucid dreaming, or dreaming as he calls it. I can find very little wrong with his explaination and application of lucid dreaming. That is why these writing hold such a great attraction to me. Leo, kick a toad, go to jail They may be cold blooded, but they do feel pain and have feelings.

[Lucius]

Originally posted by Aquanina I know that LucidApple has alot of experience in this area. Where has Jeff been anyway? He has been good, not very active on the forums but good I still went over to his place about 2 weeks ago and we talked for ages, hes really the guy you need to talk to about all sorts of things Anyway, I believe that animals do sense the good intentions and will trust somebody that has the best intentions with them better than somebody that is there to hurt them, they instinctively sense this. As for LDs, I think the good intentions and the being in touch with the universe sort of go together in the same boat, ultimately. I think there are few people that use LDs for a good purpose, while not being a kind person at the same time. It just sorta would clash with eachother. Thats like a spiritual master who is a complete asshole, than he is not what he claims to be. I think somebody who truly uses his LD for the purposes mentioned and to 'get more in touch with the universe' is usually a kind person aswell. Being in touch with the universe mostly results in kindness aswell (and not being in touch does not result in hatred or something of course, not necessarily). So its hard to answer the question regarding the animals, however we humans have similar instincts don't we? We too feel a persons 'vibe'. up to a lesser extend and we don't run away, but its just a toned down version of what an animal does. Animals are more emotional, humans are more rational.