Theos-Talk Archives (June 1997 Message tl00141)

   I tend to agree with most posts from Jerry S. (for whom I entertain
considerable respect).  However, I have a different view about two of his
recent posts regarding dreams and celibacy.  Namely:

          1.  Based upon my having lived a lot of years and, consequently,
having experienced a lot of dreams I do not agree that "dreams are the Higher
Self communicating to us ...".  If this were so, every dream would be a very
significant vision or even revelation.  But the fact of the matter is that
dreams, at least for most of us, tend to be quite ordinary in content,
frequently "disjointed" in presentation and occasionally incomprehensible in
nature.  Of course, I do not deny the occurance of visions and even
revelations during some intervals of unconsciousness (having experienced a
few in my time).  However, they are the exception and not the rule.  My
experience to date has been that anyone who seriously investigates the nature
of dreaming  (keeping a "diary" of them, analyzing their content, etc.) will
discover that they are not of much significance.  Others may disagree --- and
some of them even write books about the importance of dreams in our lives.
 They are entitled to their opinions but they generally don't sell many
books.  Has anyone seen a "best seller" lately?  IMHO dreams are simply the
brain's method of sorting through and filing away information destined for
permanent storage.  To use an analogy, it is comparable to "cleaning up" or
"defragging" a computer hard drive.  My systematic investigation of numerous
dreams led me inescapably to the following conclusions:
                  (a)  All of them had some connection with reality ---
generally with recent
                        events even though they seldom accurately "mirrored"
those events.























                  (b)  A few of them turned out to be premonitions of future
events although,
                        again, those events were not accurately "mirrored."

                  (c)  Everyone dreams during extended periods of
unconsciousness (i.e. normal
                        sleeping patterns for the most part).  The fact that
we tend not to
                        remember dreams does not constitute proof that we
don't have them.  How
                        many of us can even remember what we had for lunch
ten days ago?
                  (d)  The Higher Self <can> communicate with its attendant
physical brain
                        during periods of unconsciousness ... but it also can
do it during periods
                        of consciousness. Only with some degree of
difficulty, though, depending
                        upon the individual.
                  (e)  Thus, all dreams have some relevance to our lives ...
but very few are of
                        real significance. Consequently, we should respect
them but not be awed
                        by them.








          2.  Regarding celibacy, the essential thing is not to sublimate or
deny our physical nature but to learn how to control and rise above it.  For
the Biblically inclined, try 1st Corinthians 13:11 ("When I was a child, I
spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I
became a man, I put away childish things.")














                                                                       Dennis