I seem to have extraordinarily vivid dreams. Often when I describe my dreams to others, they are astounded by how bizarre and also how clear they are. My friend Will likes to joke about how while he is sleeping, I am out roaming the universe at night. And indeed sometimes it feels like I am. I wonder if it's because I've read so much sci-fi. I do think sci-fi works like those of Arthur C. Clark can actually expand your imagination.
Not too long ago I had a lucid dream in which I was walking down a staircase, and then came upon a beautiful mosaic. I remember it very well because of how clear and detailed it was. I remember thinking (in my dream) that there was no possible way my brain could manufacture what I was seeing.
I could see the roughness of the grout between the tiles. I could feel the imperfections in the stone. There were little chip marks, little scratches, and all of the little details that exist in real-life objects when viewed up close. All of that was in my dream. I woke up with the distinct impression that I had actually been somewhere else, somewhere real.
Assuming that I was not experiencing astral projection, the question comes up, where did all that complex detail come from? How could that near-infinite visual data be stored in my head? I know for certain that I had never seen that mosaic before in real life. Was it being recalled from other things I'd seen, or was it actually being generated?
And the data wasn't only being generated (or recalled) and displayed in a static way, but it was being rendered in real time! I could walk back and forth adjusting my point of view, and the image would change accordingly. The light even played across the mosaic form a nearby window with perfect accuracy!
The most powerful computer in the world with top-of-the-line graphics could never display that much detail in real time, with seamless motion and lighting effects. And I find it hard to believe that the brain could either! The amount of data that enters our eyes is so vast! It is one thing to realize that our brains actually absorb so much information, organize it, and make sense of it all. But to generate that much data while dreaming?! Surely not.
I've had enough of these extremely vivid dream experiences to know this wasn't a fluke. Either the brain is far more powerful than we ever imagined, or I really am out exploring the universe at night. The second option almost sounds more likely.
SPF
Some might say that when you are asleep, the dominant left hemisphere of the brain is no longer in control, eliminating all filters it usually puts in place so as not to overload your senses. They might go on to say that the right hemisphere has unlimited creative potential which can only be fully addressed when it is free from the logical and sequential processing the left hemisphere seems to prefer.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I believe we are manifestations of a Universal Mind (Goddess/God) and as such we do potentially possess infinite wisdom. We keep ourselves from accessing the knowledge, because we are too firmly rooted in the collective hallucination we call Reality, or the material plane. I believe that when we dream, all inhibitions are disabled. We see Reality for what it is, and only then can we access the wisdom of the Universal Mind, a.k.a. collective consciousness, a.k.a. Akashic Records. So I'd say you experienced some nocturnal space exploration. (^_^)
JJ