The States That Will Not Be Commanded

There is a class of human experience that answers to no direct order. You cannot tell yourself to fall asleep. The instruction arrives at a locked door. Sleep refuses the simple transaction of command and execution. Instead, it assembles itself once certain conditions are present, and those conditions include, strangely enough, the act of picturing yourself already inside the state you are trying to enter. Lying down begins it. Closed eyes continue it. Imagining yourself asleep, entering the self who has already arrived, completes the condition, and only then does sleep agree to appear.

Continue reading → The States That Will Not Be Commanded

Sleeping with the Lights On

Do you sleep with the lights on?  Or do you require total darkness for your evening slumber?

Continue reading → Sleeping with the Lights On

Color Dreaming and Active Lucidity

Do you dream in color?  Are you lucid in your dreams?  Are you able to actively dream while awake?

Continue reading → Color Dreaming and Active Lucidity

The Value of Urban Dreams

In Recognizing the Uncommon Mind we discussed dreams and their associated value in living:

You’re right about dreaming. It is important for children. When those dreams reach beyond the family dynamic, however, those very dreams become dangerous.

One of my favorite assignments for my new writing students is a research project involving their parents.

Continue reading → The Value of Urban Dreams