strange i know

[indian]

Wierd but does anybody else ever think that maybe our dreams are reality and reality dreams?

[ll_billym]

No.  Dreams are part of reality whichever way round it is, they are not separate.  Anyway, you'd better not act the way you do in what is generally accepted as reality the same way you do in what is generally accepted as dreams otherwise you'll dream yourself right into prison.... well I would anyway.

[Clare A]

Billy! - hee hee hee! Very Jack Kerouac...

indian - dreams can be useful to inform everyday life. They usually are giving you a message to act upon. Not literally, perhaps, but they might symbolise something you need to do. For example, to dream of killing your aunt doesn't mean you should do literally that! Perhaps, though, that you should 'kill' the influence she has upon your life. If you really can't distinguish between dreams and reality, it may be either that you need more sleep, or to stop being so mentally stimulated during waking hours.

[Dark Angel]

actually, indian has a point. As you said,  Clare A, dreams are not to be taken literarily. But there seems to be a symbolic meaning in them. For instance you dream that you see that you are in a gang of bikers cruising down the motorway, when suddenly you see one of your biker mates who is riding behind you, draw a gun from his leather jacket and pointing it straight at you. 

This may mean that you shouldn't trust someone whom you do trust...

[newtron]

When I was a kid, I read most of Carlos Castaneda's books, which deal with his experiences under the teachings of a Yaquis sorcerer, Don Juan.  He talked about "dreaming" where one is in concious control of one's dreams, therby making the line between reality and dreams very thin or non-existant.  One of the techniques that Castaneda used to gain control in his dreams was to try to look at his hands in his dream.  As a kid, I was fascinated by this and tried this technique unsucessfully.  Recently I've started trying this technique again.  Every night before I go to sleep, I tell myself to look at my hands in my dreams.  The other night I actually did it.  It was very wierd.  In my dream, I found my self in a dangerous situation and was very scared, but then all of a sudden , after looking around,  I realized that I was dreaming and that I didn't have to be scared because I could do what ever I want in my dreams.  So I imediately instantaneously removed myself from the dangerous situation and put myself on a train in the middle of the mountains in Colorado, where I had a spectacular view.  At this point I remembered to look at my hands.  So I did.  I felt like I was in complete control.  It was a great feeling.  I then started to look around and try figure out exactly where I was.  Shortly after that I lost control  and went back to my normal stream of concious- like dreams.  I havn't been able to do it again since, but I am still trying .  It was a ver cool experience.  Sorry to ramble, but your question just make me think about this.   

[kick3m0n]

indian...you're right....that's the matrix for you!

[indian]

sometimes my dreams seem to carry on from before or i go to the same places in my dreams which dont exist in reality- wot does that mean? Newtron i am so jelous i think i'll try it, is that like lucid dreaming?

[newtron]

Yes, lucid dreaming is dreaming while being aware that you are dreaming.