Dream Guides - Really?

I am uncertain weather this is the correct area of the forum to post under, but seems ok to me. 'Beyond dreaming', perhaps?

These entities to which we refer to as 'dream guides'. To my understanding a dream guide is a reoccuring dream character that in some way guides you, in your dreams. Am I incorrect?

Please do not be offended by my uneducated, first opinion on the subject, but it seems to me that a dream guide is an imaginary friend in your dreams. A novelty that isn't necessary or as relevant to lucid dreaming as much as anything else is. It just seems a bit silly to me, that's all. But of course it's absolutely fine if you like the idea - I really don't intend to offend anyone.

I have some questions (assuming you have a dream guide):
1. What do you consider the purpose of your dream guide? Friendship? Instruction? Protection? I do not know. (In other words, why do you have a dream guide).
2. Is your dream guide the opposite gender to you?
3. Was it your intention to obtain a dream guide, or did it happen naturally?

Thank you in advance.

Personally, I haven't found my DG as of yet, but I have been looking ever since I began lucid dreaming.

I do however know a lot of people who have found their dream guide and I've read a lot of stories about the kind of dreams people have with their dream guides. To me the purpose of a dream guide is less an imaginary friend, and more for instruction and to provide help. I know of people who's DGs tell them that they are dreaming in almost all of their dreams, other people's DGs help them through the messages that dreams are trying to convey - allowing them to understand the normally cryptic and symbolic message with a better, more direct interpretation.

A lot of people believe that DGs are just part of your subconscious, designed to help you, others say that they are 'entities' and where you draw the line is up to you. To me, the idea of a DG isn't silly at all - a persistant and unchanging character who is there to help me understand and learn more about my capabilities within my dreams and can help me understand what my subconscious is trying to analyse is extremely valuable :)

I suppose you could call a dream guide an imaginary friend, but the way I look at it is if you believe in them, they exist, and if you don't, they don't exist. If you believe in one then your subconscious will create one to guide you through your dreams. If you don't believe in one then your subconscious will just never bother with them.

As for your questions, the main purpose it seems that they serve is to guide you through your dreams, hence the name. However they vary in what they do specifically. The two encounters I had with my possible DG would be for the purpose of teaching and "opening me eyes" so to speak. Others I have read about teach people different powers, and some are just random and sporatic in the sense that they have no specific traits.

My (possible) DG is a male, as am I. Some people have dream guides whose gender is different from them, while others have animals as a DG. I believe I read somewhere that somebody has a dragon as theirs (lucky :P).

When I had first started to lucid dream and had learned about DGs I wanted one immediately. I never really looked for it though, I just expected it to show itself to me. Then, a few weeks ago during a LD I asked a dream character to show me my DG. He said "don't you see? its right in front-" but was interrupted by an aircraft we were in crashing. After I had gotten out of the wreck I had turned around to see him walking towards me. He proceeded to give me a lecture about how big my ego was, and pretty much kicked my ass :roll:

Basically dream guides vary quite a bit and not everyone believes in them. I'd advise you to make your own conclusions based on experiences you gain throughout your dreams and decide for your self whether you believe in them or not.

I read your post in that snobby guy voice from Skyrim.

1. What do you consider the purpose of your dream guide? Friendship? Instruction? Protection? I do not know. (In other words, why do you have a dream guide).
Dunno, all my DGs have failed to do anything useful, so to annoy? I got myself a third DG recently and trying to use him for fun <.<
2. Is your dream guide the opposite gender to you?
No, first was male, second female, third male.
3. Was it your intention to obtain a dream guide, or did it happen naturally?
First two happened naturally, third one is just for the heck of it.

It is true that everything in a dream is a reflection of your own mind. This means that any guide would be a part of yourself.

Nevertheless, a dream guide can still be very useful and serve as more than imaginary friend. Imagination is a very powerful thing. If you imagine this guide to be the wisest part of yourself, the guide will wisely advise you. You can be your own teacher even when you think you have no clue.

There are numerous examples in the Tibetan tradition of practitioners who received teachings in dreams, and Tibetan dream yogis devote lifetimes to attaining the enlightenment that absolutely everything one experiences is created by the Self.

I've experience several "teachers" or "guides" in my dreams of all different species and genders. Each came to me naturally and I consider their purpose to be for me to gain a deeper understanding of myself.

Thecnelly your DG is a part of your subcouinsis that looks like what you most admier :D

At least it's a bit of fun, I don't believe it's an actual person contacting me, I like to think of it more as my subconcious communicating with me. You can learn alot from yourself.