Oneironauticum

The Next Oneironauticum is Saturday, November 15

noreply@blogger.com (jennifer) — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 20:50:00 +0000

Our oneirogen for the November Oneironauticum will be garlic. Very little literature exists about the effects of garlic on dreams, and what there is sometimes connects garlic with nightmares. Two original core Oneironauticum members (visionary artist Vibrata Chromdoris and permaculture landscaper David Shamanik) report consistent strong, positive dream experiences brought about by ingestion of garlic.

A couple hours before bed, we'll eat a light but very garlic heavy meal of Caesar salad and garlic bread. Afterward, we'll chew parsley or eat mints (both counteractive to garlic breath). As always, remote participation is welcomed. To participate remotely in the Oneironauticum, enjoy a pre-bed snack that makes ample use of garlic. Try not to eat heavily, as large meals before bed often impede sleep. You may also, as always, participate by simply going to sleep with the intention to join us in our group dreaming experience. Anyone who participates, either in person or remotely, is welcome to post their dream experiences to this site. Contact us if you're interested.

Sweet Dreams

Satisfying Dream, remote dream by Bill

noreply@blogger.com (jennifer) — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 05:59:00 +0000

I lived in an apartment building with about 20 units. A good mix of seniors, families with kids, interesting single folks, etc.

Everyone else in the building was wonderful and friendly to talk to, and there was a playground out back full of kids and all the kids were hanging out back there, playing hopscotch or basketball, etc.

I remember that I was deeply aware that this was my day This was my life. I felt very centered and at peace with how I was spending my time with these foks. There was nothing else to do that day but interact with my neighbors and sort of visit and hang out for a bit and then perhaps help one of the elderly ladies with her groceries, that sort of thing. It was really pleasant. There was even a busybody neighbor, very much like Mrs Kravits on Bewitched, she came to my door to discuss a tenant’s pet cat that keeps getting thru the gate. It seemed that she was basically trying to get me to fix the gate, but I countered her with pointing out that even if the holes in the gate were fixed, the cat would be able to just jump over the gate or something and then the busybody lady sort of hemmed and hawed with no further strategy to sway me to her side and get me to fix the gate. Odd detail but it was a really nice, pleasant place to be.

Also pleasant because (I’ve read that) dreams of a structure or a building are said to represent the self. Therefore to have such a dream where the basic theme is relaxed harmony tells me that something cool is happening in me.

visions and possession: dream experience by Jennifer

noreply@blogger.com (jennifer) — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 20:29:00 +0000

The Women’s Visionary Congress Oneironauticum is perhaps the strongest experience I’ve had yet with Calea zacatechichi. That’s saying a lot. The night was extremely cold. Curled shivering in the pullout bed of my beloved VW Westfalia Baby, I drifted into a particularly clear state of hynagogia and had a beautiful dream vision.

I saw a tree growing very slowly. It started out small and spindly, and then began to widen and extend out. The trunk thickened and branches spread out, and up, slowly but steadily until it had become a huge, great, venerable tree. Then a series of images passed before me, a bird’s eye view of different grand old trees. I saw an enormous chestnut tree, the image so clear I could discern the shadows of fluttering leaves against the sun dappled trunk. A giant redwood followed, towering and majestic, then a dense, ancient pine. Each of these trees, and several others, stood powerful and time worn.

Later in the night, I thought I had woken. I looked down at the foot of the bed where two gorgeous Asian women sat talking to each other. Though I could see them clearly, noting the fine curves of slender faces and their delicate features, I couldn’t hear what they were saying.

Still later, I moved suddenly from what felt like a deep sleep, starting upright from where I lay on my side, hissing with my hands held like claws. I had been possessed by the spirit of a cat. It passed through me in a moment, gone before I could even consider it. Rather surprising.

Finally, some time around dawn, cuddled down into what had become a deliciously toasty cocoon of blankets and sound asleep, again, I felt a chill wind pass through me. Now, I’m from Buffalo, and I know the feeling of a gust so cold you can feel it in your bones. It was so frigid it woke me straight up, where I discovered myself warm and cozy.

Dreams from the Women's Visionary Congress Oneironauticum

noreply@blogger.com (jennifer) — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 20:00:00 +0000

Though we did not undertake a group dream sharing the morning after Oneironauticum, several people related their experiences to me the next morning. One of the speakers, a caniosacral therapist who works with an activist network of recently returned Iraqi war veterans, experienced a deep encounter with her son. A junky who she fears may end up in prison, he came to her in her dream and told her that he was doing what needed to be doing and that she needed to let go of it. She found this very healing.

An impressively bearded man named Pasha experienced strange sensory phenomena, not entirely out of keeping with the findings from past Oneironautica, although his occurred while awake. Before sleeping, a glowing light hovered around his head. Upon waking, he experienced ringing in his ears.

Marcela, who had been dreaming of birds during the stay at Wilbur, had a precognitive dream in which one of the Congress attendees had fallen quite ill. In the morning, we discovered that this person had indeed been very ill the night before. Marcela’s partner Seabrook, who rarely dreams, pursued the Chontal tradition of using the Calea for oneiromancy, divination through dreams. He asked for guidance with the land they recently purchased. In his dream, he saw a house made in the shape of a molecule. He examined a model of the house closely, explained how it would work, took it apart and put it back together.

A woman from the Bay Area had a rare flash of lucidity that freed her from an unpleasant dream. In the midst of an anxious situation, she realized that what was happening was too unlikely and must therefore be a dream.

Minutes of the October Oneironauticum, by Jennifer

noreply@blogger.com (jennifer) — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 18:19:00 +0000

An inspiring, marvelous group of women and men gathered for the Women's Visionary Congress at Wilbur Hot Springs. For Sunday night Oneironauticum, approximately forty people gathered to hear about the Calea zacatechichi, our oneirogen for the evening. Being the sort of people who like to have in depth information, several attendees asked questions about potential interactions between Calea and other substances. In the experience of Oneironauticum participants, any substances that noticeably inhibit dreaming will overpower the Calea. Large amounts of alcohol, THC containing substances (marijuana, hashish), or medication that aids sleep (Benzodiazepines, such as valium, xanax, and klonopin, or Zolpidem, also known as ambien) all generally suppress the effects of the Calea, probably because they inhibit dreaming. Nobody who has participated in Oneironauticum has reported any adverse reactions from combining Calea with other substances. I also recommended not driving after consuming the Calea. Many people begin experiencing dreamlike states within half an hour of drinking the tea. Operating this world heavy machinery is not advised in dream states.

After the introduction of the Calea, we discussed dream states. Rick Doblin, founder of MAPS (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies) shared that he and his wife had kept dream journals (among other journaling) during her two pregnancies with their children, to present to each later in life. Marcela, who led the group in yoga during the Congress, told me stories of her rich dream life. Like me, she remembers on average three dreams per night. These dreams are so vivid that she often wakes up laughing, crying, or exclaiming. Another young woman reliably receives guidance in her dreams when she’s faced with important decisions.

Of those gathered, about half partook of the Calea zacatechichi tea. A few also smoked the Calea just before sleep, also a traditional way the Chontal people of Oaxaca ingest the herb.

October Oneironauticum Roadshow

noreply@blogger.com (jennifer) — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 19:31:00 +0000

On Sunday, October 12, I'll be leading a special session of the Oneironauticum as part of the Women's Visionary Congress at Wilbur Hot Springs.

Participants in the event will be invited to partake of a tea made with the herb Calea zacatechichi, a plant used by indigenous peoples in the Mexican state of Oaxaca for the purposes of oneiromancy, a form of divination based on dreams. In some Mesoamerican cultures, people believe that dreams happen in realms beyond those we consciously perceive and that the contents of dreams can convey meaningful messages or prophecy. The herb also induces lucid dreaming.

Calea zacatechichi, a member of the sunflower family, grows from central Mexico south to Costa Rica. The leaves are dried and made into a very bitter infusion. Sunday night, Visionary Congress participants who choose to will explore the realm of dreams as visionary experience, using Calea zacatechichi as an ally.

As always, remote participation in the Oneironauticum is encouraged. Unlike most of the oneirogens we usually select, however, Calea zacatechichi may be difficult to find. You can order it online from a large number of herb vending websites, and more exotic health food stores may stock it on their shelves. If you don't acquire the herb, however, feel free to join the group simply by setting your intention to participate in the Oneironauticum on Sunday night. All dream participants, those who attend the Oneironauticum and those who join remotely, are welcome to post to this blog. Contact us if you're interested.

Dream Images, by lissa ivy

noreply@blogger.com (jennifer) — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 19:17:00 +0000

Crafting Dream Pillows

Making morning tea

Minutes of the September Oneironauticum, by Jennifer

noreply@blogger.com (jennifer) — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 00:11:00 +0000

In attendance at the September 27 Oneironauticum were dreamers Erik Davis, lissa ivy tiegel, Dean Mermell, Lesley Freeman, Christine Benvenuto, Katherine Rochlin Fenster, Anna Rockwell, Juliana Snowfox, and yours truly, Jennifer Dumpert.

We began the evening by crafting dream pillows stuffed with herbs, flowers, and essential oils that promote dreaming. Each dreamer chose a combination that suited his or her own dream intention from among:

Mugwort: Promotes lucid dreams, astral travel, visionary, psychedelic dreams. Contains thujone, the active ingredient in absinthe.
Roman Chamomille: Calms dreams, reduces stress, aids sleep. Helpful for those who experience nightmares or restless sleep or who simply have problems sleeping.
Lavender: Increases alpha waves, promotes tranquil, calm dreams. Relaxes the nervous system, reduces tension and irritability.
Rose: Works as an antidepressant, promotes happy, pleasant dreams. Stimulating, uplifting, good as an antidote to sadness and fatigue.

Using the herb or flower subtly conveys these characteristics. The essential oils (we used the same four) are stronger.

Over brunch, we discussed our dreams. Many of us experienced very deep sleep marked by a large number of dreams. Several dreamers also encountered continuity from one dream to the next, either recurring themes or, in one case, a song that reappeared throughout the night. Dean dreamed of a blond woman, a remote dreamer attempting to encounter the rest of the Oneironauticum group. She seemed surprised to have achieved her goal. The previous evening, we had discussed the rarity of smells and tastes in dreams. Erik reported much more vivid dreams than usual, including one with a delicious taste.

We also discussed how, over the course of 2008, the Oneironauticum has changed the way we dream, and how we think about and understand dreaming. One aspect of our oneiric inquiry involves the nature of narrative. Creating a linear narrative is always, in waking life as well as in dreams, an act of editing that selects what gets included or not in the “story” and then takes impressions, perceptions, thoughts, actions, encounters, etc. and lines them up one after the other, even though in actuality these things often happen simultaneously and even chaotically. In our discussions, we have observed and sometimes deconstructed our dream narratives, coming to understand them more as holograms that become linear when we play them back in our memories or as stories for others. As we’ve discussed this over time, many of us have developed greater ability to perceive the sometimes disjointed, simultaneous, often chaotic form of the elements that together form the narrative of our dreams.

The Next Oneironauticum is Saturday, September 27

noreply@blogger.com (jennifer) — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 22:25:00 +0000

The next Oneironauticum, is next Saturday September 27. For this session, we'll work with olfactory oneirogens (dream inducing substances). Folk remedies have long included herb stuffed pillows, used for curing headaches, colds, and other minor ailments. From this tradition, we also get the dream pillow, filled with flowers and herbs that hold a scent known to promote vivid dreams. As many variations exist on these pillows as there were grandmothers making them, but the most frequently used oneirogens include lavender, rose, mugwort, and chamomile.

Before sleeping, we'll make our own dream pillows using fresh herbs and essential oils to whatever proportion most suits each of us. As always, remote participation is welcomed. To participate remotely in the Oneironauticum, make your own pillow at home, or dab a scent onto something to be placed on your pillow. You may also, as always, participate by simply going to sleep with the intention to join us in our group dreaming experience. Anyone who participates, either in person or remotely, is welcome to post their dream experiences to this site. Contact us if you're interested.

Sweet Dreams

Eight Legged Elephant, by Vibrata

noreply@blogger.com (jennifer) — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 20:28:00 +0000

This turned out to be an extraordinary night of dreams, rich in detail and emotion. Dale Pendell’s calea zacatechichi liqueur was prominently effective right from the start, with a period of hypnagogic shopping through rows and rows of little items—bottles of pills mutating into little stuffed toys, all in great quantity and detail. I realized as I was experiencing this that the imagery may have been influenced by my day’s trip the grocery store. Once again, I’m reminded of the theory of the dream state as the brain’s way of processing memories.

The night’s dreaming was broken up by a brief trip to the bathroom (a lot of fluids before bedtime) and the Galantamine dosing. Each time I woke, I was reminded of the Eight Legged Elephant, an experience from the dream in the first period of sleep, after the calea. The imagery was so rich that I made my way through in all in a state of awe and each time I awoke, I was filled with excitement to have experienced it.

I was surrounded by creatures of all sorts, known and unknown. My cat Bohdi was there, but so was this strange elephant that was having a hard time getting a standing position because it had so many legs. I watched his handlers trying to help him up. The surroundings were rich in activity, sometimes distracting. The cats had been fighting and I noticed bloody gouges on their bellies.

There was a gathering, a party and a lot of consumption of intoxicants. We were talking about various substances, and there were a lot of people around, and in the confusion one girl took a bottle of ayahuasca that was sitting there and downed the whole thing. We were pretty concerned for her as she was about to leave for home and though she said she felt fine, we knew it wouldn’t be for long. I explained to her what she had ingested to try and prepare her for her journey.

My friend Seth paid a visit with a very strange device he had invented, some sort of teleportation-time-travel-helmet-telephone-thing. I was surprised and excited to see him. Only his head appeared, and I could hear his voice.

After the Galantamine, the scene was like a party with strangers in costumes and music and laughter. I had deep and emotional conversations with people. One woman and I talked with a puppet. The puppet seemed to upset her. I asked her questions about her feelings about the puppet and had an empathetic wave come p of deep childhood delight and joy, yet I could sense that she had a feeling of loss. I explained that I still knew how to be a child and that it was possible for her too.

I suppose that defines the difference between the first periods of my dreaming, with the calea, and the second part, with the Galantamine, was the depth of emotional and psychological responses. Dale’s brew produced a prolonged deluge of sensual imagery, inducing awe and excitement. The Galantamine dreaming was notably more mental, with thoughtful processing.

Divination Dream, by Christine

noreply@blogger.com (jennifer) — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 19:51:00 +0000

My intention this night was to dream for the purpose of divining. I went to bed hoping for some sort of prophecy. Unfortunately, I was very tired when I went to bed after an active day, which for me, can be the worst for getting good dreams. I went to bed a cross between optimistic and a little self-critical, not sure what to expect, hoping to get something, and wishing that I had slept more the night before so my chance of getting a grand vision would be maximized.

I had one dream during the divining part of the evening. A context for this dream is that I have spent a long time in my life studying the Tarot, a popular tool for future seeing, and my first deck was the Ryder Waite. These cards have a particular border around the central image for many of the cards cards, and the colors are notable in how they contrast one another.

In my dream, the general landscape was somewhere between a Ryder Waite card and a real life winter scene. It was midnight and a light snow was falling. The snow on the ground was bright. On it, lay a Reindeer. Living, breathing, lying on it's left side. I could only see it's hind legs and the back of it's body, but I knew it was a Reindeer. Keeping it in focus was a frame that was suspended in air, framing the Reindeer in the snow, with the dark sky behind it. This frame borrowed it's aesthetic from the Ryder Waite tarot, so what was on this "card" was one Reindeer, lying on it's side. Hmmm...

The symbols I derived from the dream are that it was a card representing the element earth and the physical world. It also appears significant that the time of day is night in the the animal pictured appeared to be in a state of deep dreaming. I looked up Reindeer to find information on their symbolic meaning. This was the more interesting thing that I found. "...persistence, and resoluteness, and an interpretation from a teacher in the Vajrayana Buddhist tradition who wrote, 'Deer are shy by nature, and their presence in a landscape represents a dimension where fear is unknown."' I've heard that Reindeer antlers have been used for divining. Many times since our dream night I have gone back in my mind to the image of that Reindeer, sleeping soundly in the midnight snow and I feel my body relax as I watch this animal expand and then sink into the ground with each cycle of breath. I wonder what he is dreaming about.

Early in the morning I had many dream fragments which stand out. I suppose if I wanted to, at the time, I could have woven them into a narrative, but I didn't and now, they stand on their own.

getting fish on College Avenue during the Christmas holiday. I am one of the few people out and it feels peaceful and quiet outside.
drinking soda and wondering where I got it.
a dog
climbing through a crack in a wall to get out of the building where I was
preparing for a group recital
a rainy day

Rolling Stones' New Bass Player, remote dream by Bill

noreply@blogger.com (jennifer) — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 19:48:00 +0000

I dreamt that I was chosen to play bass for the Rolling Stones, sort of a live audition thing.

The key elements were being mysteriously picked up in a limo, being poorly dressed, and puttering about on a private jet.

I was wearing a pair of grey levi's and a button-up plaid shirt tucked in. I looked like I was a regular guy whose wife dressed him with whatever was on sale at Mervyn's, and of course this contrasted with the Stones' own faboo sense of style, but no-one was picking on me or anything.

I remember being in the limo (remember that I have a history of Stones/Jagger dreams, and this is the third or so that involves an anonymous limo ride to destiny) and being with 2 guys who had picked me up, they were friendly/winkey but elusive like, "we'll let you know what is going on shortly, my friend" and eventually we get to the airport. In fact the limo-at-airport was a hoot, because we were following the standard over-road signs ie: "Main Terminal - United" "All Departures" or a dedicated lane Iʼd never noticed before for "Rolling Stones Jet" and as we are driving the limo directly out to the tarmack they tell me "OK, it's like this: Mick and Keith saw you play bass on youtube and they wanted to try you out for some shows over in Asia, and that is all we know. you should be able to handle it just fine, kid"

We drove right up to the Stones' private jet and I boarded like one does at the burbank airport, no tunnel just up the stairs. Once on board it was what you'd imagine of a private rock 'n' roll jet, smoking clearly permitted and little party enclaves all around, wide seats, scantily-clad stewardess with great champagne, beds, drapes, etc. Lots of rock n' roll-looking businessmen talking to each other. Really great! It seemed to be about 1976 or 77, style-wise.

The two guys who had been driving me sorta said 'well kid, you're on your own now, have a good time, we've packed your black fender bass over there for you and we'll deal with getting you some new clothes once we land" and then during the flight, I was sorta nervous, sitting there wondering who to talk to, and I decided to listen to some music from my bag. I was fumbling about, when all of the sudden Keith Richards comes over and is like "well, you must be Bill the bass player! how do you do, mate! I'm Keith, what sort of tunes you got there for us?" and - this I remember VERY CLEARLY - I had a floppy disc of the Replacements "Let It Be" LP, professionally marketed as a retail format, as there were LPs, CDs, cassettes, 8-tracks, there were also floppy discs.

Turns out that Keith was a HUGE Replacements fan, so we sorta sat there for a bit listening to the disc, smoking cigarettes and discussing rock music.

Mick joined us and I got an introduction, but he was a bit aloof; very much like "oh Bill, right. well, welcome lad'

He asked if I had rehearsed any of the new music for the show I was to be playing tomorrow with them in Japan, and then it hit me: I had no fucking clue what songs we were going to be playing and beyond partying with them on the plane, I had no opportunity to learn anything. no rehearsal time, no sleep time, nothing.

I remember being not worried about it though, since I had heard so many of Bill Wyman's mistakes over the years. I knew that the bass could be a bit loose, but them's big shoes to fill, y'dig?

Dream in the San Francisco Hills, remote account by Nat

noreply@blogger.com (jennifer) — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 19:42:00 +0000

Starts with myself, and Fur and Erik and Vivek and someone else driving up into the hollywood hills except transfered to san francisco and made much more strangely rural. Actually it looked a lot like pismo. We drive around and eventualy end up parking near a steep grassy hill next to stores that looks sort of Japanese (the whole place, streetsigns etc). And we start to walk up a steep steep path and into a super green lush japanese forest where the path winds around and small structures hide in the shadows.

At one point we have to jump 2 feet over a stream from one old building/dock to the next and I notice that the whole house is filled with something strange and it scares me so I trip and land on my chest and slide a bit backwards towards the water but get up and am fine.

At one point three black cranes pas us going the other way in a single file line and we move to let them past.

Minutes later three tall men in black overcoats pass us going in the direction we are and we move over for them too.

And somehow I think they are the same three creatures.

We finally get to the tiny Japanese restraunt in the woods we've been heading towards and they're upset we're missing two members of our reservation and instead of paying a big fee for each missing person we've taken three random people who wanted to eat but didn't have reservations and they sit with us.

The dinner is very involved but it has faded from my memory. One woman with us drank tons of sake and when I looked over at the bar she was almost naked but looked like a fat wrinkled old man with a loin cloth on. I ate these little crunchy fatty things that later when I looked at them looked like giant bugs, but then like candy.

The guy serving us was moving to Chicago to teach inner city kids how to work with Tax Software, and Business Software and he was going to be in Pilsen but he said there were "windmills nearby" and he would be at 19th street and Bourbonais but he thought 19200 was 19th, when actually its 192nd. And that puts him deep in the industrial area. So we looked at Fur's iphone and the sattelite photo showed it was a weird harbor/residential/industrial area with some oil wells and maybe windmills on a spit of land that was only a few blocks wide and looked like someplace in Jersey.

Then I woke up.

Complex Narratives and Unexpected Visitors, by Jennifer

noreply@blogger.com (jennifer) — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 19:40:00 +0000

During the first part of the night, after drinking the delicious calea zacatechichi liqueur, I had a very complex, detailed dream. Three different dream narratives of more or less the same string of events all ran simultaneously, or else they went back and forth. In the first one, I left the place where we’d conducted Oneironauticum, a small wooden house at the end of a long rural road. I started to walk home, realizing I was barefoot and this might be problematic (a common experience in my dreams). Eventually the road turned onto a busier, more urban stretch. I passed through a large, rusted, part boat, part old market, with stalls where people sold various things. I edged along a filthy, crumbly bit of sidewalk by the side of an ancient swimming pool.

In the second narrative, several of us got in a truck and drove away from the wooden house, that was also a bar where people asked us questions about how the Oneironauticum had gone. The truck rounded the corner from the rural road to the more urban one. We stopped at a small store, the kind that’s attached to a gas station and only sells nasty food in packages. From the parallel dream, I knew the old market lay further down the road, so I urged the group to drive there to find food.

The third narrative started at the end of the rural road. To get back to the city, I boarded a large boat, like an ocean liner. We traveled up the coast, passing the decrepit old market on the left. I saw San Francisco in the distance. Then a large, dark cloud suddenly appeared from the direction of the city. Everyone else ran for cover but I stood on the deck as the cloud surrounded me.

After waking at 5:00 to take the Galantamine, I dreamed of us, in the space where we slept. We’d all woken up some time around the middle of the night and several dreamers participating in the Oneironauticum (in the dream, many more than actually slept in the space) had decided to go home. Many other people had arrived, however, wanting to participate. A few different crowds of people wanting to join milled around the space; they’d all heard about the Oneironauticum and thought it sounded cool. It seemed to me, however, that they might think it was a kind of hip hop event instead of a phenomenological dream group.

Minutes of the August Oneironauticum, by Jennifer

noreply@blogger.com (jennifer) — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 22:18:00 +0000

In attendance at the August 16 Oneironauticum were dreamers Vibrata Chromodoris, David Shamanik, lissa ivy tiegel, Geneva Bumb Shanti, Christine Benvenuto, and yours truly, Jennifer Dumpert.

During the evening, before sleeping, we discussed dream states, as we so often do. Thanks to Jeff Warren’s excellent book Head Trip, I’ve recently been introduced to mind state called Hypnopompia, the mirror twin of hypnagogia. I thought the two were the same state, both hypnagogic states bookending either end of sleep. But in fact, where hynpagogia refers to the onset of sleep, when we drift through phases of dream imagery (see my previous post, hypnagogic bliss), hypnopompia refers to the first stage of waking, when our recently dreaming minds try to make sense of reality. Probably my favorite state of being, hypopompia—for those of us who experience it strongly—feels a little bit like the confusion of being born again every day.

For the evening’s oneirogen, we enjoyed leftovers. We began with the calea zacatechichi liqueur Dale Pendell made for the Oneironauticum held during a weekend retreat at the Ojai Foundation called Visionary Practice: Ritual and Reshaping Consciousness, led by Erik Davis, Dale and Laura Pendell, David Presti, and yours truly. The Each dreamer started out with a small glass, and then, well, it was so yummy that we all had another. In the end, we drank the bottle (in fairness, it was a small bottle). Then we went to bed. At 5:00 a.m., we woke and each took 4mg galantamine, an extract of Lycoris radiata (Red Spider Lily).

Our experiences with each substance accorded with those in past Oneironautica. The calea zacatechichi caused most of us to dream of each other, or to feel as if we or someone else in the group had woken up and was moving around the room. The calea evoked emotional responses. Once we took the Galantamine, however, our dreams became more vivid, very detailed and clear, mentally sharp.

If you're interested in reading past posts about these oneirogens, see the Galantamine archive, the June Oneironauticum road show invite, the minutes, and my account.

The next Oneironauticum is Saturday, August 16

noreply@blogger.com (jennifer) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 09:37:00 +0000

For the August Oneironauticum on Saturday, August 16, we'll enjoy some leftovers.

We still have a supply of various oneirogens from previous Oneironauticum sessions. This month, session participants will choose from a number of dream inducing substances that we've found effective during past sessions. Available oneirogens for Saturday include:

Galantamine, or Red Spider Lily extract. For the first Oneironauticum in January, 2008, we experimented with this powerfully dream-inducing alkaloid. Galantamine produced some of the most powerful group dream experiences we've had yet.
Valerian Root, Melatonin, and vitamin B-6. These three supplements combine to enhance dream recall and vividness. We worked with this combination for the May Oneironauticum.
Calea zacatechichi. This plant used by indigenous peoples in the Mexican state of Oaxaca for the purposes of oneiromancy--a form of divination based on dreams--produces intense dream states. In June I was a presenter for a workshop at the Ojai Foundation, along with Erik Davis, Dale and Laura Pendell, and David Presti, about Visionary Practice. My part of the workshop, unsurprisingly, involved dream as daily visionary practice. Workshop participants tried a tea (infused by Dale) of Calea zacatechichi the first night of the workshop, and a liqueur distilled by Dale the second night. For the August Oneironauticum, I'll bring along the rest of the bottle of Dale's excellent Calea distillate, the delicious liqueur.

As always, we encourage remote participation in the Oneironauticum. Remote participants can join us in exploring one of the oneirogens listed above. Also, as always, dreamers can participate remotely simply by setting the intention to join us before going to sleep. All dream participants, those who attend the Oneironauticum and those who join remotely, are welcome to post to this blog. Contact us if you’re interested.

Sweet dreams!

dreaming and preparing to dream

noreply@blogger.com (lakshmi) — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 01:17:00 +0000

It seems that I am already preparing for our next dream night. My house mate and I have started a new ritual in our home. When it begins to get dark, we light candles, rather than keep the lights on. This has been tremendously helpful in preparing me to go to bed and I find that I am fast asleep by 11:30. Prior to beginning this ritual, I would be up until 12 or 1:00. Not being bombarded by artificial light is allowing my mind to wind down naturally and is preventing me from getting caught up with the numerous tasks which can keep me up. Besides getting to bed earlier and getting a good night sleep, my dream world has been flourishing. I would not have attributed my sporadic dreaming to my inconsistent bed-time, but now that I am going to bed earlier, it makes sense that my dreams are more regular and active. The other night, perhaps as a way to prepare for our next dream night, I had a dream that I was with a colleague of mine and invited him to join our dream group. We were talking about a dream ritual and we spoke about drinking Spider Venom as a way to induce dreaming...

The night of our last Oneironauticum I had a long dream which stand out to me. As I mentioned above, my dream world tends to be sporadic, so to have what felt like a long novel of a dream seemed remarkable. I dreamed that I was dreaming that I was with a group of people who were lucid dreaming. I was trying to make things happen, as I've heard people do in lucid dreams. Earlier, when I was awake, a fellow dreamer told me about lucid dreaming and having fire come out of her hand. I tried to do this, unsuccessfully, in my dream. Then, we walked over to a large, round building which was over a large body of water. Coincidentally, it turned out that most people who attended the July Oneironauticam had dreams about water. I saw colleagues from my current job in my dreamscape. One woman, who is a PhD psychologist, is commonly regarded as a Shaman by those who work with her. The other woman, is someone who is not at all interested in the unconscious. An old colleague of mine is also there, someone I used to have a big crush on. We have a flirtation and romance, but it turns out he is in a relationship with his spiritual sister. I remarked that it was better than being in a relationship with his biological sister. We then have a long and detailed esoteric conversation about the planets and the energetic nature of human consciousness which is a cross between being somewhat daunting and highly flirtatious. The dream ends with me walking up the road towards another man, and then I wake up.

I was quite amazed by the weaving of the group dream and my individual dream. The detail and length of this dream was also significant and our group feels like a true booster shot to activate my unconscious. Almost a month later, I am struck that this group has found it's way into my psyche and I look forward to our next meeting.

Dream Images, by lissa ivy

noreply@blogger.com (jennifer) — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 17:35:00 +0000

Feline and Foot

Morning

Describing Dreams, remote account by Alex

noreply@blogger.com (jennifer) — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 17:34:00 +0000

I tend to only remember the dream I was having right before I wake up. But I know the moment I get out of bed it will start to fade from memory. So I lay in bed and think about it, which sets it into memory. When I think about it I usually hop around the timeline, one thing will remind me of another, and eventually I will have a linear story. Before I shower (which resets my mind) I will sit down at my computer and type it out in story form. This process imprints the dream deeper in memory but it shifts it from the real life feeling of the dream world, to a weird new state, similar to remembering something that happened in elementary school, you know you were there but it doesn't feel like you.

Vivid dreams are as complex as reality. Trying to describe them does a disservice to their beauty, not that that should stop us. I feel that story form is the best way but trying to convey any experience in story form reduces the resolution. I love story telling but even when you feel like you've said enough to make an image in your listener's minds, they will still never truly feel your experience.

How the brain turns sensory experiences into a single coherent existence is absolutely amazing. I like the kind of science that shows: when you are asked to play a song in your mind while in an fMRI machine, the same places light up as if you had be really listening to a song. But of course this makes perfect sense. How else could it be done? All imaginations hijack the sensory processors to produce the internal experience. But what makes us not see purple dragons flying down the street is because the brain has a "reality first" protocol. You can imagine all you want but the brain will choose to display reality. And that's why dreams are so great! They are a true reflection of your mind, sans real external experiences.

Processing Short Term Memories, by Vibrata

noreply@blogger.com (jennifer) — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 19:44:00 +0000

After a week of rather colorful, detailed dreams, I went to bed with high expectations. It was a while before I fell asleep but I was enjoying the music. I was thinking about the dreams I had during the week and thinking about the dreams I had earlier in the week and thinking about the conversations we’d all had before going to bed.

In a hypnagogic state, I realized I had random images of the day’s events flitting quickly through my head and in a moment of clarify, I remembered talking about how dreaming may be the way of converting short term memories into long term memories. Perhaps having the music keep me awake was allowing me a period of awareness of my brain’s processing.

Then, to my surprise, I was wide awake and about 6 hours had elapsed with no recollection whatsoever. The concert was still laying, and it seemed as if I hadn’t been aware of any of it, nor had I had any dream activity. It wasn’t until I went back to sleep after the concert was over that I finally drifted into an active dream space. In the dream, I had transported into the future and the group of us sleeping together in the loft for Oneironauticum were awake in the morning and all having brunch.

house tour, by David

noreply@blogger.com (jennifer) — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 19:37:00 +0000

I dreamed I was giving a tour of a house to the group of us sleeping in the loft for Oneironauticum, except it wasn’t actually those people. The house was architecturally interesting, with a glass enclosure in the front overlooking the oceanand a big pool in the back. The owner’s daughter was interested in our group and joined us in the tour. This worried me, since several people in the group were naked.

Hypnagogic Bliss, by Jennifer

noreply@blogger.com (jennifer) — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 22:45:00 +0000

I got into bed just past midnight and snuggled in to the opening bars of Somnium. Before long, I drifted into a deep hypnagogic state. In his 1987 book Hypnagogia, psychologist Andreas Mavromatis defines four hypnagogic states: first vague patterns, shape and light (for me often like pointillism), then floaty imagery, sound (maybe voices), perhaps the sensation of movement (that feeling of falling or involuntary jerking), then what he calls autosymbolic phenomena, vignettes or images that represent feelings or thoughts, and then finally hypnagogic dreams, usually shorter and less involved than dreams in REM sleep.

People who fall asleep easily, like me, usually spend less time in hypnagogic states. A long bout of it, then, is a real treat for me. Soon after I laid down, I drifted into that first stage. Bright, pixilated points of light danced around my field of vision like pixies, forming into kaleidoscopic whirling clouds. I continued through all the stages. Faces emerged from the swirling patterns and then become part of a surging crowd of people, a chilling wind blew through the tops of trees at night, a cartoon rodent tried to sell me a sailboat. I cycled through stages of hypnagogia, surfacing close to waking but then sinking down again. At first I tried not to pay much attention. That’s my normal trick for trying to maintain the state, since I always seem to wake myself up if start to notice things too much. But then I realized the hypagogia was staying constant. I could watch it like a movie, fully attentive, and not lose it. It was fabulous.

After what seemed like a long time, I fell asleep. I woke several times throughout the night, however, each time because the music had gone almost completely silent. I would wake up and think, “that’s strange, it’s over but it’s still dark”. Then I would hear distant strains and lie awake until the music returned. Each time, I fell asleep as soon as it filled the room again. I was clearly listening, and also in some way aware that the music had ended before it was supposed to. The piece ended sometime around 7 a.m., but I didn’t wake up then.

In one of my dreams, a very rich man had given a friend of mine a mansion to court her. My friend and I kept discovering things wrong with it, though. The glass dome observation deck started leaking in the rain and we realized it was just saran wrap. Then we discovered that the mansion was really a VW bug.

Minutes of the July Oneironauticum, by Jennifer

noreply@blogger.com (jennifer) — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 13:53:00 +0000

In attendance at the July 12 Oneironauticum were dreamers Erik Davis, Vibrata Chromodoris, David Shamanik, lissa ivy tiegel, Dean Mermell, Lesley Freeman, Christine Benvenuto, Matthew Wiegland, Leia, Tristan Naramore, and yours truly, Jennifer Dumpert.

Before going to sleep, we talked about topics relating to dreams, as we usually do. We discussed current research that attempts to explain why humans dream. Current theories include the idea that dreaming helps process short term memory into long term memory. We also discussed our recent dreams. I related stories from the string of lucid dreams I’ve had lately. In one, I found myself able to shoot flames from my fingertips or produce fire and hold it cupped in my hand. Both these ideas appeared in participants’ dreams.

We then bedded down and put on Somnium, a seven hour electronic music piece composed by Robert Rich, designed to match up with the phases of sleep and increase the intensity and recall of dreams. We slept on beds and futons spread out among the various open floors of Vibrata and David’s airy loft, wired for sound with speakers all through the space.

Over brunch the next morning, we shared dreams from the previous night. Several participants reported particularly strong hypnogogic imagery. Hypnogogia, that drifting state in which we see floating, drifting images that may coalesce into proto-dreams, happens at the onset of sleep. Robert Rich writes of Somnium, “the music is aimed at the nebulous territory that exists in your mind when you are hovering between awake and asleep, when you are still aware of your environment, yet detached, when your half-sleeping mind wanders into the realm of hypnogogic images and dreamlike non-linearity.”

The majority of participants also reported dreams involving water (pools, rain, the ocean). Somehow, as we all went to sleep, the water cooler was left partly open. By morning, the leak produced had sent streams across the kitchen floor. Throughout the night, as the water level decreased, the cooler let off occasional bubbling blurps of sound. Anyone familiar with water dispensers knows the sound; it’s the same sound you get when you pour liquid quickly out of a bottle. The event hosts (far away from the bottle spatially but still in audible range) and the two people sleeping near the bottle all consciously noted the sound during the night. Nobody else had any conscious perception of having heard a water-related sound layered over our dream concert.

Because the majority of us dreamed of water, and because the theme of the night involved sound, we concluded that most of us must have had our listening senses well tuned, such that even though we didn’t consciously perceive the sound that clearly indicated water, we clearly mostly processed it at an unconscious, dreaming level.

The Next Oneironauticum is Saturday, July 12

noreply@blogger.com (jennifer) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 17:10:00 +0000

For the July Oneironauticum, we’ll explore an auditory experience designed to promote vivid dreams. Over the course of the night, those of us gathered in the same space will sleep to a recording of Robert Rich’s seven hour composition Somnium, a psychoactive soundscape arranged to match up with the phases of sleep. Rich scored this music to increase the intensity and recall of dreams, in part by keeping dreamers closer to the border to wakefulness during sleep. Visit Robert Rich's website to read his commentary on Somnium.

Robert Rich started giving live, all night concerts for sleeping Bay Area audiences in the early 1980s. During these sessions, Rich would alternate playing more active sound with what he called “slow foggy textures and strange ambient sounds”, timed to accord with the regular cycles of hypnogogic and dream-rich REM sleep. The audience, in sleeping bags, would doze and coast through the varied dream states we all experience throughout the night. In the morning, Rich served the waking concert goers tea and, as with the Oneironauticum, people discussed their dreams.

As always, we encourage remote participation in the Oneironauticum. You can purchase and download an MP3 of Robert Rich’s recording Somnium online, or buy a CD directly from Robert Rich's website. Remote participants can also try sleeping to a different music recording. Put your Brian Eno ambient CD or light piano music on repeat, or just leave your iPod running on shuffle. Whatever works. Also, as always, dreamers can participate remotely simply by setting the intention to join us before going to sleep. All dream participants, those who attend the Oneironauticum and those who join remotely, are welcome to post to this blog. Contact us if you’re interested.

Sweet dreams!

Vivid Sensations, Readable Dream Texts by Jennifer

noreply@blogger.com (jennifer) — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 22:16:00 +0000

For the June Oneironauticum at the Ojai Foundation, I downed my bitter brew of Calea Zacatechichi and then followed moonlit paths through the grounds to our spacious yurt, spectacularly perched on the edge of the Eastern lip of the valley.

Erik and I alternated between a sensual sexy vibe and giggling like children, particularly once we’d hunted down a persistent rustling that turned out to be a very cute mouse who barely deigned to scurry away, retreating several times only as far the outside edge of my flashlight’s circled beam.

Though not particularly different or more numerous than usual, my dreams that night were extremely vivid. In one scene, I saw a very high ferris wheel in the distance, with the San Francisco skyline behind. I could make out people raising their arms as they got to the top, barely lower than the tops of the buildings. For a moment I felt the vertiginous sensation of cresting the top of the incredibly tall wheel in one of its rocking gilded gondolas. Then my perspective switched back to my distance view. As I looked at the wheel through a window, I leaned my hand against a wall that began turning. I realized that the wheel was stationary and that it was my building that was turning. I clearly felt the wall sinking down in its rotation and woke up with the sensation still vivid, as real a feeling as my fingers hitting keys as I write this.

In another dream, I discovered the notebooks of a work colleague and realized he’d been taking notes every time we talked on the phone. Among dream enthusiasts, it’s well known that we’re rarely able to actually read text in dreams. In fact, one of the more well known ways of testing to determine if you’re dreaming is to try and read something and see if you can make it out. I could clearly read what A. had written, however, and even made out some sentences in blue ink highlighted with light purple, and other notations in black ink, some underlined. Most of what he had written concerned fairly mundane observations of my reactions to things, e.g. “Jennifer seems excited about lightning in Japan”. The final thing I read said “Jennifer is still pretty, though she’s clearly getting older”. When I reported this dream the next morning, Dale Pendell laughed and commented that I’d gone to a lot of work to get that message from the spirits. Thanks a lot, spirits.