Robert Moss’s Blog & the Archaeology of Gratitude

June 1, 2009 by Ryan Hurd  
Filed under Lucid Dreaming

Check out the new blog by renown dream worker Robert Moss.  I say new, but he’s really been at it for six months already.

Moss has an approachable style to working with dreams, and he never ceases to inspire me.  In fact, his classic book Conscious Dreaming came into my life just as I was wandering around the American West, looking to find a graduate school where I could learn about dreams, consciousness and psychology.  I was excavating a village site in Yosemite Valley at the time.  The park service was putting in a new parking lot –  pretty much anytime you kick up a rock in Yosemite Valley you have to call in a team of archaeologists because it’s all sacred ground.

In the evenings, I went back to my tent and read Moss’s incredible stories of his shamanic lucid dreams, and how he learned to value the dream’s path over his attempts to control the experience.  Moss isn’t too worried about our conscious and sometimes childish attempts at dream control, though.  He writes, “Dreams are wiser than our everyday minds and come from an infinitely deeper source.”

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Lucid Dreaming, Religion and Cognitive Science

April 30, 2009 by Ryan Hurd  
Filed under Lucid Dreaming

dream lotus flower 300x225 Lucid Dreaming, Religion and Cognitive ScienceFor my San Francisco Bay area readers, I”m announcing a free public event titled “Lucid Dreaming, Religion, and Cognitive Science” taking place next week at the Institute of Buddhist Studies. I’ll be speaking about the history of lucid dreaming with a focus on religious and scientific applications, and will be joined by two other dream scholars, Kelly Bulkeley, professor of religion studies at the Graduate Theological Union, and Eleanor Rosch, professor of psychology at University of California Berkeley.

If you are interested in hearing about the secret history of lucid dreaming, as well as how ancient lucid dreaming wisdom is cross-pollinating with the latest findings in cognitive psychology, then please join us!

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New lucid dreaming blogs

March 12, 2009 by Ryan Hurd  
Filed under Lucid Dreaming

A couple quick blog recommendations today:

The first is a new blog about dreams and consciousness: Oneirology +.

The focus is on lucid dreaming and science of sleep. They post articles, images, and original blogs that explore the interconnection of mind and brain as well as cognition and consciousness in dreams and sleep states.

And for an original look at dreams and lucid dreams, go to Lucider Waking. Lucider writes about lucid dreaming from the perspective of transpersonal psychology, and also has some original pieces that explores the topic from an East-West vantage. He doesn’t update often, or have an RSS reader yet, but there’s plenty of material to whet your palate.

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Exploring Sex & Lucid Dreaming

March 9, 2009 by Ryan Hurd  
Filed under Lucid Dreaming

second life dream sex 150x150 Exploring Sex & Lucid DreamingFor a topic as popular as lucid dream sex, it’s strange that there are few valuable guides. Part of this disconnect is because lucid dreaming is marketed as the ultimate “virtual reality ” but, in practice, erotic dreams are not so easy to control.

In fact, sexuality is hard-wired in our minds alongside terror just as much as ecstasy. That is probably why the world’s wisdom traditions have explored sexuality as a serious, and sometimes perilous, pathway to the spirit and the Divine.

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New Lucid Dreaming Expert Site

December 8, 2008 by Ryan Hurd  
Filed under Lucid Dreaming

lucid dreaming book cover medium 200x300 New Lucid Dreaming Expert Site

Veteran lucid dreamer Robert Waggoner has launched a new lucid dreaming portal called Lucid Advice. Besides announcing his new book Lucid Dreaming: Gateway to the Inner Self, Robert invites people to post their questions about lucid dreaming, Dear Abby style.

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Lucid Nightmares - Fear, Initiation, and Beyond

October 13, 2008 by Ryan Hurd  
Filed under Lucid Dreaming, Nightmares & Dream Terrors

Cernunnos by Gary Bonner

Cernunnos by Gary Bonner

This is my final post on scary lucid dreams, also known as lucid nightmares. So far, we have looked into attitudes about nightmares, and some of the stumbling blocks to appreciating lucid nightmares at face value. Now, in part V, we’ll explore some alternative ways to frame these important experiences.

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Lucid Nightmares & Frightening Near Death Experiences

October 9, 2008 by Ryan Hurd  
Filed under Lucid Dreaming, Nightmares & Dream Terrors

hell Lucid Nightmares & Frightening Near Death Experiences

Hell, 2006, Daniel Cheng

Today I want to talk about lucid nightmares using the metaphor of frightening Near Death Experiences (fNDEs). Both of these states of consciousness are under-reported, most likely due to the taboos I explored in Part I of this series.

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The Dark Side of Lucid Dreams

October 8, 2008 by Ryan Hurd  
Filed under Lucid Dreaming

Despair, 1994, Alex Grey

Welcome to part III of my series Lucid Nightmares.

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Exploring Imageless Lucid Dreaming

September 16, 2008 by Ryan Hurd  
Filed under Lucid Dreaming

<i>Myth of the Void</i>, 2005, acrylic on canvas

Myth of the Void, 2005, acrylic on canvas

Below is a segment from my paper on imageless lucid dreaming that I”m presenting next week as part of the online Psiber-Dreaming Conference. I use visual art to help describe these lucid spaces that are difficult to put words to. Read more

My Lucid Dreaming Knol

September 3, 2008 by Ryan Hurd  
Filed under Lucid Dreaming

lucid dreaming knol1 My Lucid Dreaming KnolAlways experimenting with new online publishing venues, I just wrote my first knol. Knol is Google’s attempt to out-wikipedia Wikipedia. So far it has not attracted too much attention, but I found this newborn article directory site to be pretty user-friendly. I like that that the author can control how collaborative the knol can be, from wiki-style groupthink to hands-off-this-is-mine.

I also like that Google is interested in verifying the identity of authors who write a knol. They even offer to call you at your home to verify your credentials. So this is a great way to get the word out if you are a freelance writer or otherwise looking to build your name or expertise.

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