Gates of Dreaming


  Of the supposed seven gates of dreaming, only four is presented in Castanedas book 'the Art of Dreaming'*. They are:
 
1. To be conscious while dreaming, and to be able uphold a particular dream scene.
2. To Dream within a Dream.
3. Seeing ones physical body while dreaming, and being able to move in dreams. Awareness of dreaming body.
4. To be able to Travel and Dream together with others. It contains three ways to travel; one, to travel to concrete places in this world, two, to travel to other worlds and three, to travel to places which exist only in another dreamer intent.

The first gate of Dreaming is of course the most important one. To pass this 'Gate' don Juan suggests that Castaneda should watch his hands (or whatever :-) while dreaming. That is, Dreaming that he is aware of Dreaming... The important step with this technique is that it makes the practitioner aware that he/she is falling asleep, and aware while falling asleep. To maintain awareness while crossing into the dreaming state, to extend awareness into sleep...

Ken Eagle Feather have an interesting observation: Just before falling asleep there is a comfortable 'blackness' in which it is possible to be fully aware. He describes it like being wrapped up in a warm heavy down quilt during a cold winter night. Cosy! He says that this blackness is the threshold to dreaming. ['a Toltec Path' p.185]

This 'blackness' can also be experienced after (or just before) waking up in the morning. Practice to be aware while in this blackness is good, and it is my experience that this requires a minimal amount of extra energy.

Victor Sanchez is saying that dreams reflects the way one lives during the days. Those who live Freudian lives gets Freudian dreams. He says that Dreaming is the Not-Doing of ordinary dreaming, and to be successful in Dreaming one has to practice alot of Not-Doing during the day. This seems logical, Not-Doing saves energy and Dreaming requires energy. Recapitulation, by the way, is recommended in 'Art of Dreaming' [cc9].

Click here to read Victor Sanchez describing when he found his hands.

Florinda Donner describes alot of Dreaming in her book 'Being-In-Dreaming', however this is of such a high level that I doubt that it will have any practical implications to the ordinary practitioner. Comments?
 

  

-oo-


*  Ken Eagle Feather have some suggestions for the last three Gates of Dreaming in his book 'a Toltec Path'. He says that there are indications in Castanedas other books to these, and I agree on that. They go as follows:

5. Ability to use the dreaming body in everyday life.
6. To move the  physical body to another location.
7. Fire from within, to step beyond this world with ones total being.

 

BACK