From: pv@gagme.chi.il.us (Paul Vader)
Subject: Re: Perverse Lucidity
Summary: Feeling skeptical again
Originator: pv@gagme
Organization: Inline Software Creations
Date: Sat, 15 Aug 1992 00:01:07 GMT

mike.mcaulay@spacebbs.com Writes:
>If I may be permitted to wax philosophical here for a minute, I would say
>that being at war with one's self to some degree is endemic to members of
>our society.  One of the great things about LD's is you can use them to
>resolve these tensions.  Here are some suggestions that have worked well
>for me:

That wasn't the point I was making in my article at all. I don't mean "inner
conflict" in the new-agey crystal rubbing sense. More that whatever part of
my brain set up the dreams I was talking about seemed to resist fiddling
around when I went lucid. I was asking a practical question. The lucidity
itself was setting up the tension, not the silly dream.

>Get into the habit of interpreting *all* of the characters in your dreams
>as embodiments of archetypes and/or drives within yourself.

I find it hard to believe that dream images express themselves in some
universal code. If I am having a sexual dream, it is not about trains going
into tunnels (unless perhaps I am on the train in a stateroom with someone).
As others say here, the only person that can really analyze your dreams is
yourself. Another person might help you by saying something that gets you
thinking, but you're doing all the work. The groups that get together for
Jungian encounter sessions would do just as well if they just talked
together without any preconceptions about what something might mean.
probably better.

>When you find yourself in conflict with another being in a dream, embrace
>or befriend hir, then ask hir who s/he is and what s/he is trying to
>communicate to you.  Take it from me, this can be *very* instructive.

Unless it spoils the plot of a fun dream. Otherwise I agree. The non-player
characters in your dreams don't often cooperate much though. It would be
nice if they wore signs.

>Finally, in attempting to understand the message of a nightmare, it's
>helpful to remember that nightmares in general are symptoms of dis-ease or
>unbalance in the psyche.  Hence, any correct interpretation of the dream
>will necessarily involve identifying a belief- and/or behavior-system that
>needs to change.  In other words, your nightmares are criticising the way
>you lead your life.  Keeping this "twist" in mind can sometimes give you
>insight into a dream that is resisting interpretation.

I have no idea what "disease or unbalance in the psyche" means. How about
spicy food, tangled blankets, or stress? Just because you have a scary dream
or nightmare doesn't mean you have some black mark on your soul (whatever
*that* is). Suggesting that somebody has a problem because they had a bad
dream can do more harm than good, especially if someone with a degree claims
to have the only answers.

Your message underscores some of the problems I have with this newsgroup.
Dreams are as close as most of us get to a mystical experience, so it's easy
to assume that something secret and mystical is really happening. Does it
have to be so? Can't dreams be (at least sometimes) enjoyed for what they
are and be studied empirically? LaBarge's folks for the most part seem to
think so. Do any other skeptical dreamers read this group?

I apologize in advance if someone thinks I'm stomping on their toes. I don't
mean anything I'm saying here to be a personal attack (except my .sig,
George). PV
-- 
Paul Vader              | "I said to them there's another one that the
pv@gagme.chi.il.us      |  Nitty Ditty Nitty Gritty Great Bird does, and
Systems Analyst, lurker |  says if you want to see a rainbow, you've got to
and ex-Zen poet         |  stand a little rain" --Spy, #560 (On Halcion)
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Newsgroups: alt.dreams