Lucid Dreamings' Analogues and Equivalencies

As a conventional phrase in the technical description of categories of dreaming, so-called \LUCID DREAMING\ is usually understood to be defined as a dream-experience wherein the word "dream" or "dreaming" is COMING TO MIND (DURING THE DREAMING ITSELF) as an apt characterization of the experience, or of its milieu-setting. How-ever, the word \lucid\ (and its abstractive derivative \lucidity\), as customarily defined in a dictionary, hath a very-much broader signification and contextual nuance, and on account of this fact, the phrase \lucid dreaming\, as a technical term in the categorization of types of dreaming is well-deserving of being defined in a VERY-MUCH BROADER SCOPE OF SIGNIFICATION, in regard to the praecise phraseology which may be coming to mind (during he dream itself), in terms of characterization of the experience, or of its milieu-setting. Any such coming-to-mind MAY BE EITHER QUITE OVERT (CONSCIOUS), OR MAY BE SUBDUED (SUBCONSCIOUS) -- in the latter mode not necessarily entailing any specific coming into full overtness (during the dream itself) of any particular terminology for its characterization; but instead of a quasi-recognition manifested by a consequent course of action (sometimes including during the dream itself) which could not be engaged in if such RECOGNITION (DURING TNE DREAMING, OF THE FACT THE ONE IS DREAMING) had been totally absent.

Instances of such consequent courses of action (viz., during the dream itself) include ANY activities which WOULD NOT BE ATTEMPTED during ordinary waking-life, nor even so so much as considered (during ordinary waking-life) for deciding upon whether or not to attempt them. The on-going experience of dreaming is commonly known to abound in behaviours which the dreamer would not (during waking life) initiate, nor attempt, nor so much as consider for possible deciding on whether or not to attempt. THEREFORE, it can justifiedly be asserted that in a very large proportion (in the majority) of one's decisive activities during quite-ordinary dreaming are, indeed, of a "lucid" nature (or are motivated or abetted by "lucidity"). THAT IS TO SAY, during very-much-usual quite-ordinary dreaming, an ordinary normal dreamer CAN JUSTIFIABLY BE DESCRIBED AS LUCID from the quasi-aware (subconsciously aware) point-of-view. In regard to that mental level of quasi-awareness WHICH IS ACTUALLY DIRECTING-AND-CONTROLLING the ordinary normal dreamer's decisive courses of action or of activity during an ordinary dream, an ordinary normal dreamer is VERY MUCH QUITE LUCID INDEED during almost all of the course of time consumed in dreaming.

Just as a person who during the waking-state is acting in a customary waking-state modality can be said to be "lucid" WITHOUT ANY INSTANCE OF THE PHRASE "I AM AWAKE" (or "I am in a waking-state") coming consciously to mind during that interval (i.e., of time passed in the waking-state), even so likewise, a person who during the dreaming-state is acting in a customary modality can be said to be "lucid"WITHOUT ANY INSTANCE OF THE PHRASE "I am dreaming" (or "I am experiencing a dream", or "I AM IN A DREAM") coming consciously to mind during that interval (i.e., of time passed in the waking-state-of-awareness).

It is VERY MUCH A CURIOSITY that such an extreme stress is usually placed on the actual use (or non-use), in a very overt and outright way, of a particular word; that (as AN UNFORTUNATE RESULT) there is a commonplace ignoring of a mental attitude actually indicating that the very same word IS BEING HELD SLIGHTLY IN ABEYANCE (not quite coming-to-the-fore in overt expression), but in never-the-less BEING MADE USE OF IN THE BACK OF THE MIND. Much of the inner workings of the mind are direct by thoughts which, though entirely influential and even controlling, are kept out-of-sight in the rear of the mind -- a very good example of this DELIBERATE IGNORING OF AN EVIDENT FACTUALITY, is so-called "awareness" (and/or "non-awareness") of dreaming -- that is, of awareness, while the dream is in-progress, of the fact that oneself is dreaming. This unrealistic action of deliberate ignoring of evident facts about the subconscious nature of most ordinary thinking can, and often must, have dire consequences -- severe social conflicts arising because some person, or group of persons, although subconsciously agreeing with other persons (or group of persons) who are asserting some proposition, neglect to state their subconscious agreement in a direct outward way (perhaps because it may not be considered socially acceptable, in their own culture, to discuss that particular topic forthrightly), and thereupon are assumed to be rejecting the proposition when, in fact, they inwardly accept it. SENSITIVITY TO CULTURAL RESTRAINTS ON WHAT SORT OF TOPICS ARE CONSIDERED AS AVAILABLE FOR OPEN DISCUSSION AND DEBATE, and which topics are not so considered; is of importance for promoting co-operative relations being groups of persons of differing cultures, quite generally. Explanations about the nature and implications of various sorts of abilities in, and relating to, dreaming, is of primary significance for achieving international goodwill; for, mutual understanding along this line can lead to agreements in regard, and relation, to theologies and in general metaphysics; which agreements are necessary in order to promote international trust, confidence, goodwill, co-operation, and a LASTING WORLDWIDE PEACE AMONG NATIONALITIES.

Once that this quaestion as to the correct-and-propre employments (i.e., both in relationship to the waking-state and to the dreaming-state) of the term \lucid\, may be resolved, thereupon it may be necessary-and-useful to consider, and to treat-as-concerning, categorization of employment, in the vocabulary of metaphysical reasoning, of the TRUE NATURE OF DREAMING-IN-AND-OF-ITSELF, in contradistinction to the true nature of waking-state existence in-and-of-itself.

NOW, in standard theologies (including those upheld in major world-religions), it is usually-and-commonly understood that THE MATERIAL UNIVERSE IS A FIGMENT ARTIFICIALITY MANUFACTURED AND MAINTAINED, in-function-and-in-operation, by a totality of-intelligence-and-of-power inhaerently intrinsic to the might (or almight) of the divine pantheon (or interlocked or internetworked sets of divine pantheons -- including, such as, the "IX ORDINES ANGELORUM" -- '9 Orders of Angels' [of Dio-nusios the Areiopagite], or of the Mal>akiym), that divine pantheon being understood to be functioning-and-operating in co-operative concert for this grand purpose of universewide mutual beneficence extended gratuitously for the welfare of living beings. In the most intricate systems of theological metaphysics, there may be an emphatic statement implying a fundamental contrast between, on the one hand, the dependent material universe of mortal beings, and on the other hand, all-providing, all-beneficence-gratuitously-and-likewise-magnanimously-proffering magnificent universe of immortal divine entities.

This basic-and-fundamental contrast may be overwhelmingly asserted in a metaphor of contrast between impermanent material irreality and permanent subtle transcendent-reality : the material universe being described, in all due propriety, as a divinely-produced MAYA ('Illusion') [as it is customarily-and-routinely characterized in the books of Upa-nis.ad (the systematic description constituting the concluding-section of diverse of the various books of Aran.yaka of the Weda)], which is, in-and-of-its-mere-self, meaningless and purposeless, but unto which is divinely imparted (by way of divine grace) an IMPUTED meaningfulness and purpose, in-so-far as it may be -- WHEN BOLSTERED by a vast quantity of assistance freely provided by divine entities naturally residing in transcendently glorious divine realms (beyond ken of mortal mind) -- servilely hardly-although-strivingly-capable of subordinately serving divinely-instigated meanings-and-purposes.

It is understood (in standard antient-and-antique theological litteratures) that, even as divine immortals may, from-occasion-to-occasion make glorious visitation into the mere material world of their mortal ardent admirers; even so, correspondingly, divine immortals may, very frequently indeed, invite-and-transport (temporarily) mere mortals to perceive (beholding palaces built of immortal jewels; harkening to the resounding chants of divine choirs of angeloi; smelling the sweet redolence of divine blossoms in heavenly flower-gardens), awe-struck, the magnificence of transcendent reality -- this being effected through the mode of DREAMING; for, the holy DREAM-WORLDS (to be visited invitedly by pious mortals) are the realms of EVERLASTING DIVINE BLISS which is the source OF LIFE AND OF LIGHT for faithful mortals, shewing to the pious their heavenly source of blissfully-forthcoming POST-MORTEM REWARD.

[written 9th of July 2021]