LUCID DREAMING

[ironmonk]

[quote name='Krush2k2' date='Feb 15 2006, 01:32 PM'][url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucid_dreaming"]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucid_dreaming[/url]

Is it a sin to try to engage in lucid dreaming?
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It is not a sin to engage in lucid dreaming.

What you do in dreams are not sins.

I have lucid dreams every now and then. Many of the lucid dream techniques do work. I have tried them and have had some of the best nights sleep that I have ever had. I've used reality testing and "flying to sleep". "Flying to sleep" - not a real name but I don't remember what they called it. FTS is simply laying down, closing your eyes, and imagining that you are floating out of your body, heading to the sky and just flying... then, then you realize that you are dreaming.


God Bless,
ironmonk

[Norseman82]

I read that the Creed song "Higher" is really about lucid dreaming - learned from Hindu monks - and that Scott Stapp used it to drive away nightmares:

[url="http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2001/001/37.90.html"]http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2001/001/37.90.html[/url]

The Hindu connection leaves me unsettled, for fear that it might be New Age connected. So be careful. I'd personally stay away from it until I hear a good solid priest say it's not spiritually harmful.

[Socrates]

Generally, I'd stay away from New-Age/Hindu "meditation" and other mental exercises, or using "lucid-dream" techniques to seek "spiritual truth" or guidance.

These sorts of things can open you up to demonic influence and deception.

But I'd say "lucid" dreaming in itself is not intrinsically sinful, especially if it occurs naturally - of course deliberately using lucid techniques to act out sinful things such as sexual fantasies would be sinful, on the same level as willfully engaging impure thoughts/masturbation.

[Krush2k2]

so assault on benny hinn during lucid dreaming-sin or no sin? lol

[musturde]

[quote name='Krush2k2' date='Feb 15 2006, 07:29 PM']so assault on benny hinn during lucid dreaming-sin or no sin? lol
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To just assault a heretic would be a sin unless you kill him, his family, and anyone he's had eye contact with. :

[Donna]

Don't try to fly...[i]that [/i]part of it is just spiritual thrill seeking...which is being a harlot not chaste to the Lord your God.

Edited February 16, 2006 by Donna

[photosynthesis]

[quote name='Socrates' date='Feb 15 2006, 07:39 PM']Generally, I'd stay away from New-Age/Hindu "meditation" and other mental exercises, or using "lucid-dream" techniques to seek "spiritual truth" or guidance.

These sorts of things can open you up to demonic influence and deception.

But I'd say "lucid" dreaming in itself is not intrinsically sinful, especially if it occurs naturally - of course deliberately  using lucid techniques to act out sinful things such as sexual fantasies would be sinful, on the same level as willfully engaging impure thoughts/masturbation.
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what if you do it to prevent lustful fantasies? I think having some degree of control over one's imagination can be a good thing, especially if one's imagination is sometimes disordered.

[sidemunch88]

just try not to think about that stuff while doing it

lucid dreaming is way fun i have done it many times

[musturde]

[quote name='Donna' date='Feb 15 2006, 11:37 PM']Don't try to fly...[i]that [/i]part of it is just spiritual thrill seeking...which is being a harlot not chaste to the Lord your God.
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How is it being unchaste to God? Iif you get thrilled by flying, i don't see a big deal. We already have air planes. The idea of flying isn't that bad. If you can control you're dreams, you'r limiting yourself to not flying? You might as well not thrill yourself in any other way either. Sorry if I'm wrong but I don't see anything wrong with it. I have issues with Lucid dreaming but this doesn't really hit me as one of them.

By the way, i just checked out your music page. I liked your stuff.

[Socrates]

[quote name='photosynthesis' date='Feb 15 2006, 11:39 PM']what if you do it to prevent lustful fantasies?  I think having some degree of control over one's imagination can be a good thing, especially if one's imagination is sometimes disordered.
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Like who would actually use "lucid dreaming" for that purpose?
(I actually don't know whether anyone using it for lustful purposes either - just listing a way in which it would be sinful.)
Personally, I think it best to just let nature take its course in one's dreams rather than try to control them in that way. Dreams and sleep can be an outlet for certain things. One should attempt to control one's waking imagination, but worrying about one's "naughty" dreams and other unconscious activity is scrupulous and unhealthy, imho.

[Socrates]

[quote name='musturde' date='Feb 16 2006, 04:37 PM']How is it being unchaste to God? Iif you get thrilled by flying, i don't see a big deal. We already have air planes. The idea of flying isn't that bad.  If you can control you're dreams, you'r limiting yourself to not flying? You might as well not thrill yourself in any other way either. Sorry if I'm wrong but I don't see anything wrong with it.  I have issues with Lucid dreaming but this doesn't really hit me as one of them.

By the way, i just checked out your music page. I liked your stuff.
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Haven't you heard?? Airplanes are a blasphemous affront to God!
If God wanted us to fly, He'd have given us wings!

[Sarah_JC]

When it comes to dreams, It's never occured to me to do anything like fly. Even when there's hoards of zombies advancing on me.
I think I'm more afraid of heights than I am of zombies.

[God the Father]

Why would doing anything in a dream be wrong? I can't see how it could be at all harmful to anyone, unless you start going psycho over it.

[Ash Wednesday]

I've dreamt lucidly before. But usually it's been so fleeting that nothing really came of it. Momentarily "oh cool, I'm dreaming, and I know I'm in a dream!"

The time I remember most where I was in that situation I just went back in time to the 80s and revisited my childhood.

[quote name='Socrates' date='Feb 16 2006, 05:25 PM']Haven't you heard??  Airplanes are a blasphemous affront to God!
If God wanted us to fly, He'd have given us wings!
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[Desert Walker]

I absolutely love it when this happens. The best one I've experienced was when I found myself on the edges of a forest valley and I decided to just jump deep into it. When I jumped I went FLYING into the air high over the forest! At the height of my jump I had a sensation of weightlessness, and then I felt myself falling down again. I hit the forest floor on my feet and jumped again. It is was awesome! And I remember the valley was beautiful.

The weird thing was when the dream ended. I had landed on the ground again and was standing there, when suddenly I heard a helicopter flying near to my location. For some reason I thought I was being looked for and that I had to hide under the cover of the trees (probably came from watching so many action movies ). It ended after that.

I've had others. But I'm not so sure it's safe to INDUCE this kind of dreaming by technique. Hmmm... maybe I'm wrong here. What I was gong to say is that the unconscious part of our mind is very susceptible to suggestion by the Devil. He can and does lead people astray through it. But if you're in a lucid dream doesn't that mean you're conscious as opposed to unconscious? No ,I think I'm wrong there.

Carl Jung had dreams. His dreams were lucid. And his dreams were VERY bizarre! He encountered beings. These beings told him things. One of the things they told him was that he was some kind of prophet of a new religion, and that it was his responsibility to destroy the old religions.

[ironmonk]

Lucid dreaming is a great way to help solve problems... I learned how to do it from an Omni or Psychology Today magazine back in April of 87. They suggested an example that in your dream you could ask Einstein about a physics problem... other parts of your mind are working while you sleep... things that you might have forgoten could be found and "drive" the Einstein character in your dream to help you solve the problem.


[quote]Don't try to fly...that part of it is just spiritual thrill seeking...which is being a harlot not chaste to the Lord your God.[/quote]

I don't think so, because it's about having fun and an escape from stress. Dreams are just dreams and many books about the meanings of dreams are snake oil. Dreams are made up of things that we have experienced, seen, read, and sounds going on while we sleep. The meaning of something in dreams can vary greatly between people.

Many of my dreams are fights with evil... maybe this is because I want to be a hero or maybe it's because I feel a great struggle... maybe none of the above.


God Bless,
ironmonk