A Wisdom Archive on Waking Life

Dream FAQ Dictionary: How do my dreams interact with my waking life?
 
How do my dreams interact with my waking life?
[Section by asg102@psuvm.psu.edu (The Dreamer)]Dreams seem to be a way for the subconscious mind to sort out andprocess all the input and problems that are encountered in wakinglife. Therefore, a scientist could be working on a problem ... saythe structure of the DNA molecule. Then said scientist could have adream in which he sees two snakes intertwining in a double helix.When he wakes, he has discovered the structure of the DNA molecule(true story).
 
Students who study and get some good REM sleep retain the informationbetter and for longer periods of time than students who study longer,but have no sleep. This is because the brain needs time to processthe information, form sensible pattern out of it, and place it in longterm memory.
 
Dreams can also improve your emotional well-being, reduce stress,improve your creativity, and provide a playground for your mind whileyour body recovers and repairs itself.
 
[Comment by Brian Hostetler <bhostetl@silver.ucs.indiana.edu>]> dream in which he sees two snakes intertwining in a double helix.> When he wakes, he has discovered the structure of the DNA moleculeActually, this isn't true. You are confusing this with the widespread(and unproven) story about how the structure of the benzene ring wasdiscovered. Supposedly the scientist in question had a dream of asnake biting its tail. Anyway, Watson and Crick 'discovered' thestructure of DNA using models, not dreams.
 
[If I remember Chemistry lessons in school correctly, the dream storywas indeed about Kekul'e and the benzene molecule, I think. Anyway,even if this is a legend, it *could* well be true. Many people gaincreative impulses from dreams. -ot]
 
Source: http://www.faqs.org/faqs/dreams-faq

 
(See also: Dreams and Waking, Dream Interpretation FAQ, Dream Interpretation, Dream Dictionary, Meaning of Dreams )

Waking State The state of human consciousness when perceiving the physical world, conscious of other people and things. Termed the jagrat state in Hindu philosophy, it is the lowest of the four states into which human consciousness is divided: jagrat, svapna, sushupti, and turiya.
 
The reason we cannot remain continuously in the waking state, but must seek another aspect of consciousness during sleep, is that "our senses are all dual, and act according to the plane of consciousness on which the thinking entity energizes. Physical sleep affords the greatest facility for its action on the various planes; at the same time it is a necessity, in order that the senses may recuperate and obtain a new lease of life for the Jagrata, or waking state, from the Svapna and Sushupti. . . . As a man exhausted by one state of the life fluid seeks another; as, for example, when exhausted by the hot air he refreshes himself with cool water; so sleep is the shady nook in the sunlit valley of life. Sleep is a sign that waking life has become too strong for the physical organism, and that the force of the life current must be broken by changing the waking for the sleeping state. Ask a good clairvoyant to describe the aura of a person just refreshed by sleep, and that of another just before going to sleep. The former will be seen bathed in rhythmical vibrations of life currents -- golden, blue, and rosy; these are the electrical waves of Life. The latter is, as it were, in a mist of intense golden-orange hue, composed of atoms whirling with an almost incredible spasmodic rapidity, showing that the person begins to be too strongly saturated with Life; the life essence is too strong for his physical organs, and he must seek relief in the shadowy side of that essence, which side is the dream element, or physical sleep, one of the states of consciousness" (TBL 58).
 
Human beings, animals, and plants die not because of a lack of life, but because their vehicles become finally worn out, precisely because the life-currents within have become too strong, and the building power of the vehicles less able to repair the damages of the life-force. Paradoxically, it is the life-force which itself brings about both sleep and death, and thus life repairs its own damage, both building and destroying.

 
(See also: Waking State, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Body mind and Soul )

Waking Life is a digitally rotoscoped and animated film, directed by Richard Linklater and made in 2001. The entire film was shot using digital video and then a team of artists using computers drew stylized lines and colors over each frame. This is similar in some respects to the rotoscope style of 1970s filmmaker Ralph Bakshi. In a broad scope, Waking Life is about a young man in a persistent dreamlike state. The film follows its protagonist as he initially observes and later participates in philosophical discuss ...

Read more here: » Waking Life: Encyclopedia - Waking Life

Disaster : Dream Interpretation Dictionary - Dream: I am in a natural or manmade disaster
 
Dream: I am in a natural or manmade disaster  
Description: You are confronted with overwhelming natural or man-made disasters. The dream may involve a flood, torrential rain or tidal wave. Variations include earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, lava, firestorms, lightning strikes, tornadoes, typhoons, cyclones, hurricanes, or some other desolation. Man-made disasters include attacks by atomic bombs, chemical warfare, and so forth. You are usually terrified in a catastrophe dream, as you rlife seems in jeopardy. (Dreams of drowning that are not connected with a disaster are classified with Falling or Drowning dreams. Dreams about getting wounded or dying that do not involve a calamity are classed with Injury or Death dreams.)
 
Frequency: Disaster dreams are fairly common. Some people have them often, others only in times of crisis. They typically occur when you feel that some waking life emergency is impending or has just taken place.
 
Usual meanings: You may believe that something in your waking life feels like a disaster or that you feel destroyed by circumstances and fear that you cannot survive this catastrophe. You may be feeling overwhelmed by something that seems chaotic.
 
Questions to ask yourself:
 
Earthquake or disaster variation:
What situations in your waking life feel at risk? What did you do in the dream to escape destruction? How can you get the help you need in the waking world to stabilize the situation and yourself? Is there any possible benefit from the drastic change that's underway?  
Flood variation:
What situation in waking life is making you feel overwhelmed? Do you feel profoundly sad about current life circumstances? What did you do in the dream to save yourself? What can you do in the waking situation to improve it or get support? Tornado or great wind variation: What is it in waking life that is making you feel storm-tossed? What did you do in your dream to protect yourself from the storm? How can you improve your waking life situation? How can you resolve your inner turmoil and return to a stable state?  
Fire or volcano variation:
What is waking life is making you feel hotly aroused right now? Anger? Passion? Fever? Inflammation? What did you do to cope with the destructive fire in the dream? What do you need to do about the waking circumstances? How can you calm your internal fire?  
Snowstorm or ice storm variation:
What situation in your waking life might be making you feel frozen out or loveless at this time? Is there any circumstance at present that makes you feel frozen with grief? Is there something in your environment making you feel cold with fear? How did I cope with the ice and cold in my dream? Did I take action? What can I learn about my waking life situation to thaw out any icy feelings or invite warm, loving ones?  
War and explosion variations:
What is making me feel under angry attack at the moment? What did you do in the dream to protect yourself and others? What could you have done in the dream to protect yourself and others better? How can you best resolve or cope in the waking state with the anger present in you or others? What might you learn from this period of inner and/or outer conflict?  
Source: http://health.discovery.com

 
(See also: Dream Interpretation, Dream Dictionary, Meaning of Dreams, Dream Interpretation Disaster, Dream Dictionary Disaster  )

Death is only a change of form. Death is only separation of the astral body from the physical body.
Birth follows death just as waking follows sleep. You will again resume the work that was left off by you in your previous life. Therefore, do not be afraid of death.

This is an excerpt from the book What Becomes Of The Soul After Death by Sri Swami Sivananda.

Read more here: » Conquest Of Death: What Is Death And How To Conquer It

Hindu Quotes: As a Great Fish Swims
 
As a great fish swims between the banks of a river as it likes, so does the shining Self move between the states of dreaming and waking.
 
- Brihadaranyaka Upanishad

 
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(See also: Hinduism Archives, Hindu Quotes, Inspirational Quotes, Love Quotes, Friendship Quotes, Life Quotes )

Read more here: » Hindu Quotes: As a Great Fish Swims

Muslim Quotes: At Dawn, an Angel Proclaims
 
When a person wakes up in the early hours of dawn, an angel proclaims, "Glorify the Lord, Most Holy!"
 
- The Prophet Muhammad, as reported by Al-Zubayr bin al-Awwam

 
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(See also: Islam Archives, Muslim Quotes, Inspirational Quotes, Love Quotes, Friendship Quotes, Life Quotes )

Read more here: » Muslim Quotes: At Dawn, an Angel Proclaims