This is an absorbing account of a dialogue between leading Western scientists and the foremost representative of Buddhism today, the Dalai Lama of Tibet.For modern science, the transitional states of consciousness lie at the forefront of research in many fields. For a Buddhist practitioner these same states present crucial opportunities to explore and transform consciousness itself. This book is the account of a historic dialogue between leading Western scientists and the Dalai Lama of Tibet. Revolving around three key moments of consciousness--sleep, dreams, and death--the conversations recorded here are both engrossing and highly readable. Whether the topic is lucid dreaming, near-death experiences, or the very structure of consciousness itself, the reader is continually surprised and delighted.Narrated by Francisco Varela, an internationally recognized neuroscientist, the book begins with insightful remarks on the notion of personal identity by noted philosopher Charles Taylor, author of the acclaimed Sources of Self. This sets the stage for Dr. Jerome Engel, Dr. Joyce MacDougal, and others to engage in extraordinary exchanges with the Dalai Lama on topics ranging from the neurology of sleep to the yoga of dreams.Remarkable convergences between the Western scientific tradition and the Buddhist contemplative sciences are revealed. Dr. Jayne Gackenbach's discussion of lucid dreaming, for example, prompts a detailed and fascinating response from the Dalai Lama on the manipulation of dreams by Buddhist meditators. The conversations also reveal provocative divergences of opinion, as when the Dalai Lama expresses skepticism about "Near-Death Experiences" as presented by Joan Halifax. The conversations are engrossing and highly readable. Any reader interested in psychology, neuroscience, Buddhism, or the alternative worlds of dreams will surely enjoy Sleeping, Dreaming, and Dying.

In this, his most famous and influential work, Carl Jung made a dramatic break from the psychoanalytic tradition established by his mentor, Sigmund Freud. Rather than focusing on psychopathology and its symptoms, the Swiss psychiatrist studied dreams, mythology, and literature to define the universal patterns of the psyche.In Psychology of the Unconscious, Jung seeks a symbolic meaning and purpose behind a given set of symptoms, placing them within the larger context of the psyche. The 1912 text examines the fantasies of a patient whose poetic and vivid mental images helped Jung redefine libido as psychic energy, arising from the unconscious and manifesting itself consciously in symbolic form. Jung's commentary on his patient's fantasies offers a complex study of symbolic psychiatry and foreshadows his development of the theory of collective unconscious and its constituents, the archetypes.The author's role in the development of analytical psychology, a therapeutic process that promotes creativity and psychological development, makes this landmark in psychoanalytic methodology required reading for students and others interested in the practice and process of psychology.

Where Dreams Come Alivedocuments the initiatory patterns embedded in the journey of a Zulu woman's heroic confrontation with her calling to be a healer. The rich symbolic world of the African healer can be considered an image of a creative individuation that demonstrates the autonomy of deep psychic processes. Archetypal phenomena in the cosmology of the African healer are amplified through the stages of the alchemical opus and the psychology of C.G. Jung. These phenomena arise when there is a serious attempt to engage with the autonomous psyche. This in turn, suggests a return, with consciousness, to the instincts, to an inner numinosity, to the phenomenon of psyche and matter, and spirit in nature.A main focus in this work is the idea that there is a remarkable parallel between the valences given to dreams in the African healing realm as there is in the psychology of C.G. Jung. In a similar fashion to the analyst, the healer approaches the dream with respect for the numinosity of the dream images and messages. Attention to dream material is understood as essential for healing.The author's direct and personal collaboration with various indigenous healing communities in South and Southern Africa, Namibia and Botswana provides a rich backdrop to and foundation for her work. The meeting of two cultures in the therapeutic temenos and the ceremonial rituals of the African healing initiation provides the vessel for the transformation necessary for the emergence of something new and as yet largely unarticulated.

Bestselling author Carlos Castaneda introduces readers to the worlds that exist within their dreams.

A groundbreaking history of the human mind told through our experience of dreams—from the earliest accounts to current scientific findings—and their essential role in the formation of who we are and the world we have made."A resounding case for the mystery, beauty and cognitive importance of dreams." —The New York TimesWhat is a dream? Why do we dream? How do our bodies and minds use them? These questions are the starting point for this unprecedented study of the role and significance of this phenomenon. An investigation on a grand scale, it encompasses literature, anthropology, religion, and science, articulating the essential place dreams occupy in human culture and how they functioned as the catalyst that compelled us to transform our earthly habitat into a human world.From the earliest cave paintings—where Sidarta Ribeiro locates a key to humankind’s first dreams and how they contributed to our capacity to perceive past and future and our ability to conceive of the existence of souls and spirits—to today’s cutting-edge scientific research, Ribeiro arrives at revolutionary conclusions about the role of dreams in human existence and evolution. He explores the advances that contemporary neuroscience, biochemistry, and psychology have made into the connections between sleep, dreams, and learning. He explains what dreams have taught us about the neural basis of memory and the transformation of memory in recall. And he makes clear that the earliest insight into dreams as oracular has been elucidated by contemporary research.Accessible, authoritative, and fascinating, The Oracle of Night gives us a wholly new way to understand this most basic of human experiences.

In a deepening of the thinking begun in The Myth of Analysis and Re-Visioning Psychology, James Hillman develops the first new view of dreams since Freud and Jung.

Pagan Dream GuideThe shocking vision in dreams of a savage tiger shark gripping one’s leg is just the sort of thing to wake one up late at night, in a hot, heart-pounding sweat. Conversely, it would perhaps seem difficult for most folk to view the image of a beautiful blue butterfly with anything other than ageless delight and wonderment. In the dreamworld anything is possible, but things may not always be as they initially seem!This dream guide does not profess to be all-encompassing; no list ever can be. Within these unique pages you will discover the meaning of many dreams and associated symbolism. The guide may therefore be used as a general handbook to enable the seeker of truth to enhance their psychic ability to reach deeper regions of the mind.The dreamer is usually the best person to interpret the dream. However, a better understanding of symbolism can help a great deal.This concise inventory of dreamtime imagery will hopefully prove to be valuable to all explorers of greater insight, especially those wishing to partake in the ancient arts of divination. This is not an egotistical claim by the author, for the mysteries of the gods works through all things. We contain within our beings, real concrete aspects of divinity.The gods are of us, we are of the gods! The relationship is a symbiotic, two-way affair. It is as simple as that! Sacred aspects reside within all who sincerely care to look for them.Dreams and symbolic images may be linked to events of past, present or future. The honest seeker in his/her interpretation of dreams must keep this fact in mind, always.

Science journalist and lucid dreamer Alice Robb explores fresh, revelatory research to uncover why we dream and how we can improve our dream life.While on a research trip in Peru, science journalist Alice Robb became hooked on lucid dreaming. With practice, she mastered the uncanny phenomenon in which a sleeping person can realize that they’re dreaming and even control the dreamed experience. Finding these forays both puzzling and exhilarating, Robb dug deeper into the science of dreams at an extremely opportune moment: just as researchers began to discover why dreams exist. They aren’t just random events; they have clear purposes. In essence, we cannot learn without them, nor can we overcome psychic trauma.Robb draws on fresh and forgotten research, as well as her experience and that of other dream experts, to show why dreams are vital to our emotional and physical health. She explains how we can remember our dreams better—and why we should. She traces the intricate links between dreaming and creativity, and even offers advice on how we can relish the intense adventure of lucid dreaming for ourselves.Why We Dream is a clear-eyed, cutting-edge examination of the meaning and purpose of our nightly visions and a guide to changing our dream lives in order to make our waking lives richer, healthier, and happier.

“[A] solid how-to book . . . For amateur dream researchers, this is a must.”—Whole Earth ReviewLucid Dreaming—conscious awareness during the dream state—is an exhilarating experience. Because the world you are experiencing is one of your own creation, you can do the impossible and consciously influence the outcome of your dreams.Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming goes far beyond the confines of pop dream psychology, establishing a scientifically researched framework for using lucid dreaming. Based on Dr. Stephen LaBerge’s extensive laboratory work at Stanford University mapping mind/body relationships during the dream state, as well as the teachings of Tibetan dream yogis and the work of other scientists, including German psychologist Paul Tholey, this practical workbook will show you how to use your dreams to:• Solve problems• Gain greater confidence• Improve creativity• Face and overcome fears and inhibitions• Create a new sense of empowerment and liberation in your lifeThe techniques you’ll learn in this exciting workbook will make your nightly dream journeys more enjoyable, increase your understanding of yourself, and make you realize that the possibilities of expanding consciousness are far greater than you might think.