Lucid dreaming

[argonsagas]

It is a very good read for someone who is willing to looks beneath the surface in search of answers to unusual questions.

There are questions that I have had for years, but could find no one to provide definitive answers .

They are not to be found here, either, but the book does offer something positive: it suggests not looking.


Lucid dreaming is not unfamiliar. When I was a small child I had a dream-state friend that I would regularly meet. Many times the dreams would pause with daybreak and then resume from where they left off at the next opportunity.
A few years later, when I experienced nightmares, I learned to interrupt and alter them, then take them in whatever direction I chose.

I never thought that this was unusual until I read about it on-line.

[Rob S.]

I strongly suggest, after you finish Journey To Ixtlan, the follow up, Tales Of Power.

Have you encountered Don Genaro yet? He plays a large part in Tales Of Power.

[argonsagas]

Yes, I completed reading it.

I have no doubt that much of what is said within the book has been drawn from actual experience.
Whether Casteneda did it himself, or has created a story about the experiences of others, it deserves its categorization as non-fiction.

[Rob S.]

Than get thee to a bookstore!

To paraphrase the cover blurb from Tales Of Power, Don Juan appears, unexpectedly, in a big city, perfectly clothed in a business suit and shiny shoes, which blows Carlos' mind.

[argonsagas]

How your brain conjures dreams

From Popular Science:



You dream for two hours every night, but for something so common, it’s a remarkably enigmatic process. Only in the past few decades, with the advance of technology like fMRIs that lets us record and visualize activity in the brain, have neuroscientists begun to figure out how and why we experience these reveries. While sleepy interludes seem to rely on many of the same mental processes we use while awake, researchers are still trying to understand the way they work together during slumber. Here’s how we think our brains drive our nocturnal hallucinations.
A. Remember

Dreams tap memories stored in connections between brain cells, which the hippocampus tracks as they form. At night it directs neurons to replay recollections, facilitating long-term storage. That could be why reality seeps into our visions—but not why they tend to warp reality.
B. Envision

Our most vivid imaginings occur during the REM phase of sleep. Activity increases in brain regions that control movement and process optical inputs, like the visual and motor cortices, which likely create what we “see” and “do” in slumber. It’s not clear what triggers these areas at night.
C. Feel

The almond-shaped amygdala helps generate feelings like fear, anger, and anxiety. It and other emotional domains are more rowdy during REM sleep, which could explain why strong reactions happen frequently when we doze. We may rely on this process to dull the sting of difficult memories.
D. Decide

Despite their disjointed nature, dreams still contain semirational thoughts, likely thanks to areas supporting conscious cognition. The anterior, or front, portion of the cingulate, a semicircle in the brain’s center, influences motivation and decision-making—and can switch on while we’re snoozing.
E. Escape

During REM, neuroscientists see suppression of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, which is critical for executive functions like directing attention, solving problems, and reasoning. This might help explain why we rarely realize we’re asleep, despite some outlandish scenarios.

This story appears in the Fall 2020, Mysteries issue of Popular Science.

[Rob S.]

Just read Tales of Power.

All the information you listed, was brought up to Don Juan by Carlos himself. "That just shows there's something happening," he told Carlos.

Just keep trying to find your hands in your dreams. Then I'll give you the next steps.

BTW, Don Juan told Carlos to disregard 'regular' dreams - they are meaningless.