Where do dreams take place?

[kuurt]

They say that our spirit separates from the body while sleeping and floats a few inches above it.  So when we start dreaming does our spirit and astral body leave the physical body completely and go off on the astral plane somewhere?  Is that where our dream takes place?  Or are we still near the physical body when dreaming and just imagining the dream in our mind?  Or is it a combination of the two?  And if it's a combination of the two, then how do you know whether a dream is taking place in your head (imagination), or whether it's taking place on one of the astral planes?

[Stillwater]

To me, the signs indicate that dreams and projections both take place in our heads.

Note that this doesn't mean they are "unreal", or have no connection to metaphysical realities, just that the actual processing of our sense experience seems to be wired through our brains in both cases.

We have this idea that because we seem to be traveling away from our beds in a projection, that we have moved, and are therefore some other place, but my interpretation is that the movement all happens in a "mental space".

Some data points that to me back up this interpretation:

-our physical world personality is with us through all the experiences

-it is easy to wake from a projection or dream and be instantly "back" in our bodies, which suggests that we never left them to begin with

-even models that include some form of travel indicate that our physical body is always close by, but I think they are ignoring the obvious

-sense experiences from our physical surroundings often enter our dreams and projection experiences

-the same conditions which promote dreams also promote projections

-becoming excited often rouses our physical body and takes us out of the experience


My view of it all is that dreams and projections are closely related experiences; they exist on the same continuum, and only distinctions of the level of lucidity distinguish what we call a dream from a projection.

There will be others with different interpretations, of course.

[Volgerle]

dreams and projections are in the non-physical, there is no 'space' as we know it, maybe even 'no time', all of these things pertain to the physical 3D experience with its rulesets

hence it is difficult to 'locate' any experience that is not what we commonly term as 'physical', it is not in our body or brain or whatever, but it is (real), that is the most important point, any experience is 'real', go with that and things become easier

[kuurt]

If dreams and projections both take place in our heads, then what about those instances where someone traveled to a friend's house and later that friend reported to have seen them as an apparition? 

If we can think of somewhere and be there instantly, that could explain how we could wake from a dream or projection and be instantly back in our bodies.  I'm not sure if I've ever experienced instant travel in these nonphysical experiences.  Don't they say that's possible in the nonphysical? 

dreams and projections are in the non-physical, there is no 'space' as we know it, maybe even 'no time', all of these things pertain to the physical 3D experience with its rulesets 

But if there is no space in the non-physical, how could I go from my house to a friends house?  Am I just changing the images in my head and imagining traveling there? 

This stuff is so confusing.  Isn't time and space suppose to be an illusion even in the physical?  So we're never really traveling at all even in the physical, we just perceive ourselves as traveling?  We're standing still at all times and the images we see seem to be moving (changing), making us feel like we're moving when we're not?  And all minds are joined which is how that person's friend was able to see them as an apparition? 

[LightBeam]

For me, my dreams are a direct replay of something that had held my attention during the day, either good or bad. For example if I watch a movie with volcano erupting, I will dream of such scenarios. For me personally my dreams are a temporary thought formation of my subconscious emotions triggered from my physical life. And sometimes, not even from my own physical life experiences, like the example of just watching a movie with intense emotions.  On the other hand, I have many APs, which are very different from dreams and during those explorations, I have no fears no matter what I encounter. They are 99% very pleasant, enjoyable and exciting, because my consciousness leads the experiences. And although dreams also take place in the astral, to me they are more symbolic and as I said instances of thought molding energy, surrounding your physical personality. Sometimes my dreams are very bizarre, then I just laugh when I wake up, what is going on in my sub consciousness LOL. That's why I am more focused on my APs.
So, to sumarize, to me dreams take place in the non-physical area sort of almost duplicate, the closest to your physical personality perspective, and the experiences are lead by your subsonsios thoughts however you understand subsconsiosness to be. It forms temporarty scenarios out of raw energy but most in a form of symbols than acuality if you will. The subconsiosness to me is all about symbolism. But here is another thing. We think that we are here and the non-physical is some place else. Well, it is more complicated than that. The only reason you cant perceive the so called non-physical is because of your 5 senses and the activity of your brain. As soon as these are shut off you are free to see and explore what actually is happening around you. You ARE in the non-physical right now as you are reading this. Just the veil of the body awakefullness is not letting you truly SEE. As soon as you fall asleep, your subconsiosness finds itself already there, we don't have to leave our bodies, it is just a matter of focus of the layer of energy worlds that you want to perceive. Now, I am not clear about time and space in the non-physical. All I know if that when I AP, I can fly and perceive distance. Not necessarily passing of time, but again I experience series of events. Perhaps it is not the same space and time as we perceive here, or it's just our thoughts navigating experiences based on what we know of this physical world. Whatever it is, I don't care much to understand because we cant, but I know that based on your expectations you can experience magnificent thngs during AP that cant compare to the best vacation here on earth . Just learn to AP and enjoy.

[Nameless]

Okay, this is how I am interpreting. I think of our minds as this huge antenna array that is grounded inside our heads straight into not only our physical brains but all of our physical bodies. From this antenna array we can pick up untold volumes of information; anytime, anywhere, any distance.

The only thing lacking is our own ability to tap into this array. In other words we operate much like a radio tower or satellite. We don't actually have to be in Hollywood to watch a production, just turn on the tv. The production was REAL, it happened; we saw it, we experienced it and we can share it with others but WE WERE NOT THERE PHYSICALLY.
(sorry, not shouting just emphasizing).

So a dream happens, it's real and all we need to do is go inside (within) and tune in. And since we are also transmitting there are pieces of us pretty much everywhere.

[Volgerle]

But if there is no space in the non-physical, how could I go from my house to a friends house?  Am I just changing the images in my head and imagining traveling there? 

Exactly because there is no timespace / spacetime in the NP you can go to your friend's house in past present and even potential future states, then retrieve information, get instant validations (past, present) from the physical., remote view, etc. 

[Volgerle]

Did a quick search and found I wrote more on this topic years 7 ago here:

http://www.astralpulse.com/forums/welcome_to_out_of_body_experiences/skeptic_who_wants_to_believe_is_it_a_dream-t34120.0.html;msg282464#msg282464

(and see how time flies in the physical/3D on the Pulse, incredible....  )

[Xanth]

Dreams take place between the 43rd and 44th dimensions, next to the astral takeaway and below the out of body resort. 

[serge]

They say that our spirit separates from the body while sleeping and floats a few inches above it.  So when we start dreaming does our spirit and astral body leave the physical body completely and go off on the astral plane somewhere?  Is that where our dream takes place?  Or are we still near the physical body when dreaming and just imagining the dream in our mind?  Or is it a combination of the two?  And if it's a combination of the two, then how do you know whether a dream is taking place in your head (imagination), or whether it's taking place on one of the astral planes?

To me dreams as well as physical reality are the product  of  our mind activity. The mind to me is the individual centre of consciousness. Waking experience and dreaming experience occur at two separate levels of consciousness and this is why they appear to follow different rules  (time and space)and logic. You are referring to the spirit separating from the body. I am not sure that this is the case. The spirit (or mind) does not have to go anywhere to dream. However, I should add something here. In the waking state in bed at night I have seen once  the  double of my wife's entire body floating about 2 inches above her physical body. It was like a copy of her body made entirely of thousands of  minuscule lights. The body in question which I believe is called the etheric body (not the dreaming spirit) was hovering up and down following her breathing. This experience was a turning point in my quest for a higher reality.