Page 136 - Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Vol. 3

Mysteries of the Mind 117

to define the process by which many of these their pilgrimage to these holy places to seek
mysteries manifest, the actual region of the advice and healing from their dreams. After
brain that gives rise to these enigmas remains rigorous periods of fasting, prayer, and sacred
as unknown as the secret of human conscious- ritual, they would attempt to induce revelato-
ness itself. Perhaps one must look outside of ry nocturnal visions by spending the night in
the brain and begin to search for evidence of the temple. This practice was commonly
the human soul to explain dreams and their employed by the cultic prophets and the kings
symbols, the higher levels of awareness that of the ancient cities of Lagash in Sumer and
may be achieved in various altered states of Ugarit in Syria.
consciousness, and the riddle of ESP
Plato (c. 428–348 or 347 B.C.E.) saw dreams
(extrasensory perception), the mind express-
as a release for passionate inner forces. In the
ing itself outside of the traditional boundaries
second century, another Greek, Artemidorous
of space and time.
of Ephesus, produced the Oneirocritica, the
encyclopedia that was the forerunner to thou-
M Delving Deeper
Anderson, Mark K. “Awareness: Mystery of the sands of dream books throughout the ages.
Mind.” Wired News. [Online] http://www.wired.
In Hinduism, it is believed that the
com/news/print/0,1294,51765,00.html. 15 April
immortal soul within the physical body is able
2002.
to leave the “house of flesh” during sleep and
Chalmers, David J. “The Puzzle of Conscious Experi-
to travel wherever it desires. It is also thought
ence.” Scientific American Special Issue: Mysteries
that the passing to the next life after death
of the Mind 7, no. 1 (1997): 30–37.
may be compared to a sleeper awakening from
Cosmiverse Staff Writer. “The Conscious Mind May a dream. The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
Be Electric.” Cosmiverse [Online] http://www. states that the soul, the “self-luminous being,”
cosmiverse.com/news/science/science05170201. may assume many forms, high and low, in the
html. 17 May 2002. world of dreams. “Some say that dreaming is
Hellmich, Nanci. “When Sleep Is But a Dream.” but another form of waking, for what a man
USA Today. [Online] http://www.usatoday. experiences while awake he experiences again
com/life/llead.htm. 27 March 2001. in his dreams.…As a man passes from dream
Tart, Charles, ed. Altered States of Consciousness. New to wakefulness, so does he pass at death from
York: John Wiley & Sons, 1969. this life to the next” (Brihadaranyaka Upan-
ishad, 4.3.11–14, 35).

The Mesopotamian and Egyptian courts
Dreams employed skilled professionals who sought to
interpret dreams and visions. The Israelites,
hether in ancient or in contemporary by contrast, believed that interpretation of
times, dreams are a mystery of the dreams could be accomplished only with the
Wmind that everyone has experienced. Lord’s guidance. “For God speaketh once, yea
Quite likely, most individuals have also pon- twice, yet a man perceiveth it not. In a dream,
dered the meaning of their dreams. Whether in a vision of the night, when sleep falleth
these sleep-time adventures are considered voy- upon men in slumberings upon the bed; then
ages of the soul, messages from the gods, the He openeth the ears of men, and speaketh
doorway of the unconscious, or accidental by- their instructions, that he may withdraw man
products of insufficient oxygen in the brain, from his purpose and hide pride from man”
down through the ages thoughtful men and (KJV: Job 33:14). The Talmud, the Hebrew
women have sought to learn more about this sacred book of practical wisdom, reveals that
intriguing activity of the sleeping consciousness. the Jews gave great importance both to the
Among the ancients there were the dream dream and to the one whom the Lord gave the
incubation temples of Serapis, Egyptian god of knowledge to interpret the dream. Joseph and
dreams; and later, of Aesculapius, the Greek Daniel were two Israelites who attained high
god of healing. Thousands of people made regard for their skill as dream interpreters.

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