Thursday, November 10, 2011

Recalling my first Lucid Dream experience

Hi
     I thought I would talk about the very first Lucid Dream I ever had.   I was doing all the steps every day, and getting a little discouraged, but I had no idea of what was about to happen.
That first dream.  Now any of you who have experienced it, you know exactly what I am talking about.  There are just no words...I will try however, to relate it. Remember, I am just relating dreams. Dreams that I was able to remember.  I have found that remembering dreams is the most important thing. This first time was something I will always remember. I had never experienced anything like it.  Actually, I was getting ready to give up on Lucid Dreaming. I was having no success at all.     Until this happened.

     It was just before I woke up.  I was in that half awake half asleep phase, where sometimes abstract images sort of float around in your mind. Little memories of things you have seen, or remembered. Kind of like a half awake daydream.  Nothing out of the ordinary, when bang, this array of colors appears. It begins to swirl around like a whirlpool, getting more colorful every second. Like a pattern of rectangles spinning down.

     I remember thinking, "reality check now!"  I remember thinking it and doing it.  I held up my hand... (in the dark room)   and looked and glanced away, and looked again.  It was different.   Immediately This pattern got as bright as a painting on a wall, and I thought  "This is it!  Its really happening!  As soon as I thought that, The swirling got bigger and closer and Started to pull me down into it.  Now this was not scary, and I was not afraid at all.  I knew I was asleep!  I knew I was dreaming!.   I knew it and was cheering all the way down, Like on the best roller coaster you can imagine. Which of course is exactly what it was too!

     There are actually no words to describe this correctly.  There was no doubt in my mind, This was the real thing.  This incredible feeling came over me. Peace and comfort. I will NEVER forget it!   I reached the bottom of this whirlpool thing on the side of a mountain with this amazing green grass.   It reminded me a little of the scene from   The Sound Of Music, where they are running down the hill.

     What I did next will stay forever in my mind.   I started to run and flap my arms like a bird would.   In the waking world you would never do such a thing,  because It's well...impossible to fly you know?  It is impossible. At least when you are awake anyway.   In here?  I knew I was dreaming and It was possible here.   So, well,  off I flew!   For some reason, I had to keep my arms moving or I would descend.  I remember trying that a time or two and just took right off again.  What a feeling!

      The next thing I knew I was going up and into that whirlpool thing again.  Then I woke up. Stunned.  I could not believe what had just happen. So I put it in the Journal, and went about the day.   Could not wait  to sleep again... Even now, it seems strange to be writing about this. I know how it sounds. If I was somebody reading this, I would not believe it.  As strange as it may sound, it did happen.  I'm just writing it down.

     That is a short version of what happened.   My friends..When The first dream happens, trust me you will know. There will be no doubt in your mind.  For those of you who have felt this, you know just what I'm talking about.         Totally   Completely  astonishing.     If you are just starting out with this, Keep going.  Just keep doing the steps. Trust me, It will be worth it! 
Peace G

Monday, June 27, 2011

A Personal Theory

Hello!
I am going to partially change my subject for a minute here.   I was in bed before, and my mind was preoccupied with something, so I got up again and am writing it down.  (please excuse my bad writing skills)...

The subject was the question of...  Faith vs. Evolution.   My mind was centering on How can they both be correct?   OK First Faith.  We are told and taught, that the earth was created in so many days. 6 days...

Billions have believed this to be true.   Now I'm not trying to sway anyone to believe anything here, and for now, I will leave out the rest of the history and the reality of faith, and not bore you with any hypothesis.  I will concentrate on the subject at hand. that's all.   I have my own personal beliefs, very strong beliefs, But I'm not going to go into that right now.  I will try simply to give my opinion on this.  Looking at it as rationally as I can. With an open mind.   That clears that up, I guess.

OK, Faith goes on for thousands of years, and continues.  Now however, something new comes to light in the last hundred years or so.   Evolution.   Evolution says that the world was formed over billions of years. Man has evolved over eons. The scientific evidence is a rock solid case, don't you think?  I mean there is no question as to how old the Earth is scientifically. None at all. At least according to our current state of technology anyway. And the technology appears to be completely sound. The evidence speaks for itself. Loud and clear.  I have to admit it is fairly obvious.  Fair enough so far?...

Faith tells us, that the Human Race came from Adam and Eve.  Sometime after the earths creation,  and all humans are descended from them. (keep in mind, some scholars disagree in the lengths of the "days" mentioned in the Creation)...

Now, Science on the other hand, says man evolved from Whatever form Man started out as. Lets for the argument's sake say apes. (actually it was more like small mammals I think).   Anyway,  They have complete proof that  a form of early man did exist. The evidence is everywhere. artifacts, Bones, cave dwellings dating back a lot further than can be possible, according to what faith says.  There is also total evidence of dinosaur bones Millions of years old. No doubt. They are that old. OK?  I'm just bringing up the facts here, I'm not taking a side at this point.  As I said, Approaching with a clear and open mind. 
Science shows that these dinosaurs were destroyed in a catastrophe of some sort. A meteor or Asteroid hit the Earth, and wiped them all out.  Scientific proof supports this. At least to the point to where There is little doubt remaining.  The Craters are there. They are. Science has given proof of their age too.   Whether or not  a collision with something wiped out the Dinosaurs Is debated,  But for the most part is accepted in the scientific community.  OK then. There is some Hard evidence and some cold clear facts. It appears that did indeed happen.  Its pretty well cut and dried.  I'm not going to go into the discussion of theology Verses Science, on the Age of the Earth or Dinosaurs right now,  I will just let the facts speak for themselves...


What I am going to offer is an opinion on something.  For the argument, I will say that Early man did evolve. He evolved and was there. Writing on the cave walls, and all that.  He existed. He did.
My point here is this... What if something like what happened to the dinosaurs so long ago,  also happened  to our friends the evolved cave people?  And what if this happened 7,10, 20, or 50 thousand years ago?   There would certainly be signs that they existed,  and there certainly is.
OK.  Lets say that  is what happened. there gone. leaving all this proof of evolution behind.  Done deal. No question.   They were here. Evolution happened...To them...

Now, back to the earth a few thousand years ago.  There are no cave men left by now, for whatever the amount of time.  But they were here!  Just like the Dinosaurs.  And they evolved.  That being the natural order of things anyway, They changed and adapted. They Evolved and were made extinct. (for argument sake) OK?...

Now, God looks on the Earth. Its now time For Adam and eve. Adam first. then Eve. The rest is his story. . Faith tells us that we did indeed come from this start...Adam and Eve did exist. And only a few thousand years ago.  HOWEVER, they did not evolve from early man, because early man was  destroyed earlier by something.  Something that Science has not proven yet.

This leaves the field open for the suggestion that there was indeed Creation. And  there was also evolution.  Man was created By God, in God's image. Exactly when and how It is stated in the Bible.  That is Faith.       Valid scientific proof is given, Showing evidence of something else. That is Evolution. It goes on and on, we are most likely never going to know what really factually happened. I really hope we do someday though... To tell you the truth? We have a lot more important things to worry about anyway... I only brought it up cause it was stuck in my head this morning, thought it may make something interesting to write about.

As I said, I'm only stating facts as I know them.  I did not take any sides, up to this point. That was not the purpose here.
I wanted to put this out as a suggestion, and see what you may think of it.  It may sound strange, But there has to be SOME kind of explanation, Because the facts are there...  We cannot just ignore something because we don't want to believe it for whatever reason. I have seen that happen too.. That would go for both sides equally.   Evolution seems to be a fact, and Faith is a fact.   There has to be some kind of  logical equation to explain what we don't yet understand. All the facts are there. Maybe with a little reasoning together, we could all agree on the Truth, when it is presented to us... Now I know there are holes in the little theory presented here, But It could have happened that way.. It's more likely something totally different I guess. Who knows?  Maybe someday we will know. Anyway ... I guess I have said my little story for today.  As you can clearly see, I am no expert. on either subject. 

As for Myself?  I think if we are supposed to know, we will someday. I however will stand for Faith. I will believe that God is Alive, and is watching from Eternity, wherever that is, and is Perfect in his plan. As is demonstrated by the incredible wonder of  the Universe we are in. Faith tells us that God is perfect. And is perfect in his designs. Take a look at the Universe around us. It is in perfect order. The magnitude of that order is so great, that our minds cannot even grasp it. This in itself, points to the existence of a perfect Creator...  I will also not ignore science, and scientific fact, Whatever it is, for science is the language of intelligence. It is only ourselves who are lacking in the skills to read it properly.   As for the size of this Universe and all the possible worlds, (and Universes)  there could be,  well, we will know someday too I guess.  there are no limits.The word doesn't even apply.  The answer is probably going to surprise us I'm sure.   I certainly don't know any more than anyone else does, and I didn't want to give that impression.


I have lived a life of incredible ups and downs. As I look back on it for a minute, I find it hard to believe I did everything I did. Experienced everything I did. From the top of the world to the very bottom, and more than once too.  I found and lost Love. three times.   Had 3 careers.  Lived all over the Country.  Was rich, and was poor. Had a home, and was homeless.  Was healthy, and had cancer.  Along the way, I found faith.  I also stumbled in that faith. Also more than once.  I have Been a musician, Not a good one, but I played with some notable people
I've been called... "the best in the business"... "legend"... And "Big Gun"... (I have no idea why),  by some, and rejected by the same, and others. This also more than once. I have never talked about this stuff much, it's just boring.   It's not really that important to people anyway, It just happened how it did. It was what it was. I'm sure a lot of people have the same kind of stories. Nothing special about me.  I am just a guy writing a story in a Blog... maybe though, I will write something about my life. Maybe it could help somebody not to make the same mistakes you know?   In the end, There really are no limits.  It's really an incredible thing when you think about it...

For those of you who know me, well I'm not telling you anything you don't already know. Thanks for the Patience guys. And you know I will love you always.    The full truth however on my life, has never been told. Not even to you guys.  Not that it's bad, because it's not.  It's actually been one amazing ride!  If I could see myself at 5 looking at my life to this point.  Well, Even I would not have believed what I saw.  I am so thankful for both the good and the bad. That is after all, how we learn isn't it?
OK,  Next post, back to our regular scheduled program.  I'm sure I have bored you enough.
Peace

Time Is Really A Result

Today, I went for my bike ride, usually about 25 miles or so. Getting used to it now, but when I first started  Man, it hurt! Over time, It didn't hurt anymore.

When I got home, I got some ice tea and sat in the yard. The sun was shining through the clouds, creating a streaming light show of straight line rainbows, from the bottoms of them. One my most favorite sights of all time. Just a beautiful day.

As I sat there, I remembered the first time I had ever seen that sight. I was 10 Years old, and living in Fair Lawn New Jersey.   I was walking down the street in front of our old house that was there, which,later was replaced by a Temple of some kind,  preventing Visits there in later years. kind of sad actually.

I was walking with my sister Patty, and  Junior,  a friend.  I remember seeing that sight, and stopping in awe.
As I looked up, I said "the end of the world" to my sister... (seems the end of the world was going to be a good thing back then)... There was no fear, no Knowing anything about Anything about God or whatever may cause that, Just a good feeling.
Looking back now, Man,Wasn't It Great to be a kid? to just look up and say that? just "matter of fact" sort of   ya know?

Then I said something, I remember to this very second. I said  "In the year 2000, I will be 50 years old". Remember, this is 1960, and the year 2000 may as well have been  the year 2 Million to me, Cause Time stretched out in front of us like an eternity. All 3 of us Really were not concerned about it, We were Just walking down the street daydreaming.

At the time, I had no idea ,I was at the moment of creation of a memory, that would turn that moment into one of those signposts of life, One of the crumbs that we would throw down behind us as we went along, so we would remember our way home If we ever got lost someday. We were just walking down the street, and unknowingly just passed it by...who knew?

Well today Is the year 2010, And I saw that sky again. Just like it was in 1960. This time, instead of moving on...I stopped. Then  I remembered . I remembered An entire Lifetime in what was most likely, only a few seconds. 50years had passed by since that day, and I was only now, once again, seeing that crumb... To me? Right then, It seemed Like 50 minutes had passed. So Before I left the moment this time,  I made sure I picked up that crumb,carefully filed it away, and replaced it with a new one.  That my friends, Is Joy and wonder! Give it a try you might just like it...

It reminded me of some lyrics. (from 100ys)
Half time goes by.
Suddenly you're wise.
Another blink of an eye.
67 is gone.
The Sun is gettin' High.
We're Moving  On...

TIME  What is it really? We can see the time we went through, but not the time we will yet go through.

Maybe, that's because Time is not the road. Maybe time Is the RESULT of our passing down the road. Left behind for us to measure and chart and use, Like the Crumbs we leave behind in our lives.

The fabric of space controls things. ENTROPY, If you will, is the controller.
And TIME is whats left behind as footprints. not was lies before us.

I know, that's a little bit of deep water, But THINK about it. We cannot go faster down the road of Entropy, by making our clocks go faster, you know? The path is chosen by us, and all we can do with TIME, is leave our crumbs behind for us to measure it with.

I brought that up tonight, because, Today was one of those days I will measure My Time on this Earth with.
50 Years?
Hey...."don't Blink"
PEACE   G

Welcome to THE FUTURE IS NOT BROKEN! The place to voice your solution opinions.

Good Morning.

   Well,  It's winter here alright.  45 degrees in the day, and 5 below at night.  What I could walk through yesterday afternoon, I can now Ice Skate on.  The good thing about that is, in about a Month, It's all going to be a memory. That's in the Future though. For now, I guess I have to live with it. I know It will improve, so It's cool.
   Anyway, speaking of the future, As in our future, it works the same way as how I just described.   I don't have to tell anybody here that we are going through some really difficult things.  For one reason or another, a while back, a lot of things started to happen, that affected our lives, and not in a good way either.

   All of a sudden, in what seemed the twinkling of an eye, we found ourselves struggling just to stay alive.
The last 5 years for me, have been a roller coaster, I don't know about you guys, but it has been quite an experience. Not all of it good either. Some of it actually, really not good.  That's just me, I know I'm not alone here. I'm just saying, I'm in the same boat you know? I'm not complaining, I'm just trying to make a point about something on my mind

   My point is this.  I can look back on that 5 years, and say to myself, "well I really made some mistakes didn't I?"  Or I could say,  "oh man, What am I gonna do now? Look at this mess! I don't know where to start anymore".    Well I could say that, and I have said that. You know something though?  I could do that for a decade, and it would not change a thing.  In fact it would make it worse.  It always does. So I thought, "well what are you going to do, Go back and change it?  I cannot.   We cannot change anything about the past. So worrying about it, is useless. We can blame the banks, we can blame the Govt. We can blame everybody else, or blame ourselves, On and on.   The past is broken. We can't fix it. That is just the way it is. There is something however, that we can look to for an answer.
   That is, The future. And the FUTURE is not BROKEN!  The future is something we can do something about.

   Try and look at it this way.   We live in America.  It was started in 1776.  It's now 2011.  Now America, we can  look at as if it were a person's life.. In this case It's a Country's life OK?
A person is born, is a child, then a teenager, than an adult.    America was born. America was a child, then a teenager, NOW it's an adult.
   We have gone through our birth. The revolutionary war.  Tough fight. America won It's Freedom.  Then came some growing. Expanding. Inventing. Exploring. Growing Like A child would.   Then came the "tween" years, like when your 10 or 12. Not a child not an adult. Puberty.  Conflicting feelings.   The CIVIL War for America. Now Those were some bad days.  However, it did end.
   So NOW, the child begins to grow.  And Grow America did!  The evidence speaks for itself on that.
All is well   Until, TEENAGE years.  Oh man, the teenage years.    The ROARING 20s!  Parties, Money,  New cars, Great jobs, the whole thing.
   Then comes what I have always called,   "The Sledge Hammer Effect".  You know, that time when reality finally comes along  and  BAM...Right in the face.  The wake up call Most of us have at one point in our lives or another.  NEVER fun..     That for America, would be the GREAT DEPRESSION.  I don't have to go in to details about that either, You know what I mean.  Very bad times indeed.   In a person's  life, that would mean, Time to roll up the sleeves, because your on your own!   Most of us do just that. And...we learn, and grow.  In America, That  was I would think,  the growth after the 30s. Then the 40s, Then Another Victory, Then Prosperity.  Following me?   OK.

   So now, we see America as a child, a "tween",  a Teenager, and a young Adult.   There is another phase I have not mentioned, Mid  Life  Crisis.   For a person, It means change, not necessarily Good Change.  Usually some Kind of panic change or whatever. There is a little waste there, both time and money. I know I have been there.
   Well,  That's where We are now in America.  Mid Life Crisis.   We cannot go back, we can just look back. It doesn't help. Except to learn.  So we make some mistakes, we all do, and have.   So the question now, would be I guess, now  what?

   As I said, It's the future.  It's not Broken.  There is nothing there yet.  It's all up to us!    You and me.  All of us.   We are All to blame in one way or another for this mess. I know I did my part. OK,   Now what can we do?    The first thing would be to stop the blaming, and finger pointing.  Myself included. Finding things or people to blame, is not going to make our problems go away. It is a waste of time, And we spend way too much time doing it. It doesn't take a lot of wisdom to be blaming, however it does take some to find solutions. Blaming is easy. Finding an answer is not.

  You can turn on your TV any time of the day, and you will see all the blaming you could want. What we need I guess, is a place to find answers. Or for people to have some ideas, and share them with other people. If you are hearing or reading this, please, by all means, post a comment. Maybe we could begin to reason some of this out together. I would love to hear from you.

    We should try Looking at the situation rationally and logically.  Put  down the fear and anger, concentrate on the problems, and Stand TOGETHER, and take one step at a time, TOGETHER, as one.  One Nation.  Not just say that, but actually do it!  We cannot wait for somebody else to fix this. We have to fix this. All of us.   That would be a good start in my opinion anyway.   We have a lot of problems, and a lot of differences I know.  It's not as simple as I make it out to be.  But it is  a good place to start, don't you think? Just like in Kindergarten. We have to cross the street, We better hold hands.

    It's been a cold winter, but Spring is coming.  It is as sure as I am writing this.     Spring is coming for America too.  It all depends on what we do with it.    You know what?  We CAN do it.  We CAN get over this and we will.  YOU can, and will get past this.  Wait.  It will happen. One step at a time. We have to cross a busy street here, But we can do it.   I didn't write this to make anyone think I have some kind of solution to all this, It was just my opinion.  I do have some thoughts on the subject though, but that's for another day. For now,  Please feel free to share some thoughts!
Peace G

Monday, April 18, 2011

Oak Island. Another Lucid Dream

HI
The other night I had a strange experience in an unusually clear dream.   After the reality checks in the dream, and I knew I was dreaming, I just let the dream move on by itself.  Wanted to see what it would be.
It was the usual things you see in dreams, mostly about people I know, and flying and things like that.  Good dream actually.

Well to make a long story short, all of a sudden it changes.  Now I am on a beach, I didn't know where. To those of you who practice this, you know what I mean. It's pretty normal.   Then, I hear somebody calling me over, so I follow.  I cannot remember the face. This person says to me..."Look just past the red, it lies there".
That woke me up, so I wrote it down.
The next morning, I did some research on the words  Island and Red on Island and all that.
As it turns out, there is an actual place like that.  It's called Oak Island in  Nova Scotia someplace. It has some kind of treasure there that people have been searching for, dating back about 150 years.   They Don't know whats there, but one one of the search company's dropped Red Paint down this man made tunnel, like 200 feet into this maze of them, to see where it would come out in the water.   They actually found Palm tree wood and coconut skins in their drilling, and some Gold fiber and other things on the bits. 220 feet down. This is not from anywhere near this area, ONLY in Egypt.  So the question is, What is down there?
I had never heard of Oak Island before that night, as well as I can remember, But the mind is a large place, and I could, and probably did read about it someplace, I guess..I don't know. This dream felt strange that's all.
Thought you may find that interesting.     Check out Oak Island for yourself. Look it up, it's there.
Peace   G

Friday, April 15, 2011

THE FIRST LUCID DREAM EXPERIENCE.

Hi
I thought I would talk about the very first Lucid Dream I ever had.   I was doing all the steps every day, and getting a little discouraged, but I had no idea of what was about to happen.
That first dream.  Now any of you who have experienced it, you know exactly what I am talking about.  There are just no words...I will try however, to relate it.
It was just before I woke up.  I was in that half awake half asleep phase, where sometimes abstract images sort of float around in your mind. Little memories of things you have seen, or remembered. Kind of like a half awake daydream.  Nothing out of the ordinary, when bang, this array of colors appears. It begins to swirl around like a whirlpool, getting more colorful every second. Like a pattern of rectangles spinning down.

I remember thinking, "reality check now!"  I remember thinking it and doing it.  I held up my hand... (in the dark room)...  and looked and glanced away, and looked again.  It was different.   Immediately This pattern got as bright as a painting on a wall, and I thought  "This is it!... Its really happening!  As soon as I thought that, The swirling got bigger and closer and Started to pull me down into it.  Now this was not scary, and I was not afraid at all.  I knew I was asleep!  I knew I was dreaming!.   I knew it and was cheering all the way down, Like on the best roller coaster you can imagine. Which of course is exactly what it was too!

There are actually no words to describe this correctly.  There was no doubt in my mind, This was the real thing.  This incredible feeling came over me. Peace and comfort. I will NEVER forget it!   I reached the bottom of this whirlpool thing on the side of a mountain with this amazing green grass.   It reminded me a little of the scene from   The Sound Of Music, where they are running down the hill.

What I did next will stay forever in my mind.   I started to run and flap my arms like a bird would.   In the waking world you would never do such a thing,  because It's well...impossible to fly you know?  It is impossible. At least when you are awake anyway.   In here?  I knew I was dreaming and It was possible here.   So, well,  off I flew!   For some reason, I had to keep my arms moving or I would descend.  I remember trying that a time or two and just took right off again.  What a feeling!...

 The next thing I knew I was going up and into that whirlpool thing again.  Then I woke up....stunned. I could not believe what had just happen. So I put it in the Journal, and went about the day.   Could not wait  to sleep again... Even now, it seems strange to be writing about this. I know how it sounds. If I was somebody reading this, I would not believe it.  As strange as it may sound, it did happen.  I'm just writing it down.

That is a short version of what happened.   My friends..When The first dream happens, trust me you will know. There will be no doubt in your mind.  For those of you who have felt this, you know just what I'm talking about.         Totally   Completely  astonishing.     If you are just starting out with this, Keep going.  Just keep doing the steps. Trust me, It will be worth it! 
Peace G

EVER WONDER WHY THESE GREAT BANDS NEVER PLAYED AT WOODSTOCK?

Part two of Woodstock 69.  These are the bands that never made the party,   

1. THE BEATLES,  John Lennon  was insisting that the Plastic Ono Band play  as well. The promoters Didn't Agree with him.  Hence, No Beatles at Woodstock.  The band broke up a year later. (I can only imagine what Woodstock would have been with this band there).  

2. THE DOORS,   Jim Morrison Said it would be a second class repeat of The Monterey Pop Festival 2 years previous, and turned it down flat.  

3. LED ZEPPELIN,  The popular band  wanted to be billed as the headliners of the venue. The concert was not designed that way, so no LED ZEPPELIN either.

4. THE BYRDS, (birds), They said they were getting  tired of the concert scene, so they opted out as well.  

5. JETHRO TULL,  Tull thought it was just another gig, just like a lot of them did, and just simply didn't want to do it.

6. FRANK ZAPPA AND THE MOTHERS OF INVENTION,  declined,    (never knew why).   

7. FREE, Declined as well.  

8. MIND GARAGE,   Who?   well whoever they would have been if they had gone, thought it would be a flop. I'm sure they were a great band but,   (oops).  

9.  JEFF BECK,  was booked, but the band broke up a week before.

10. IRON BUTTERFLY, They got stuck at the airport, they tried to secure a helicopter, but were turned down,  Hence, a no show.

11. LIGHT HOUSE,   Felt bad vibes and declined. 

12. THE ROLLING STONES,  Keith Richard's wife had just given birth and Mick Jagger was in Australia. 

13.  JONI MITCHELL,   Had to do the Dick Cavett show, could not make it.  

14. BOB DYLAN,    As legend has it, His son got sick. He was also tired of the throngs of hippies flocking around his house.

15. ERIC CLAPTON,   Was busy with Blind faith.

      LAST BUT NOT LEAST

ROY ROGERS,   Was asked to play last. The song was going to be "HAPPY TRAILS TO YOU", Roy Declined. (would have been cool if he had played though).

I can only imagine what Woodstock would have been like, if all these Great performers had been there. 
Well,   thought you may find that interesting.
Peace.

G

The Woodstock That Never Was

     Here are some interesting facts about the Woodstock Festival in Aug. 1969, which may surprise you.

     For about 25 years, I lived in the town of Wallkill NY.  Maybe 60 miles or so from Manhattan, up Rt. 17 West.   What I did not  Know, is that the place where I worked for 25 years, stood on the site where the Original Woodstock was contracted to take place, there in Aug. of  1969.   

     The meetings had taken place, the acts were booked, and preliminary contracts were signed. Right in The Town Of Wallkill.    As A matter of fact, The street those contracts were signed is named "Woodstock Lane".

     I always wondered why it was called that, but never really looked into it till lately.  Sure enough, that is why it's called that.    Even know the place where the contracts were signed too.   Right on that road. The place is still there.  A piece of history, that never was, and yet is.  I guess it was just overlooked, then forgotten along the way, in the wake of the Actual Woodstock which took place about 20 miles or so, up Rt.17 in the Town of Bethel. 

     The building stands there in silence, Holding whatever secrets it knows inside it's walls, as the traffic flows past, unaware.    An ironic anti-icon if you will, testifying to something that should have happened but did not. At least not there.  But to me, it is part of the phenomenon called "The Woodstock Nation", that existed for those few days in Late Summer 1969, And I thought it should be remembered as such, so I brought it up today.     I think to myself   "I wonder how many people actually know this, outside of maybe a few who still live around there".   (by the way, the area is now homes and An Industrial park, a nice area.

     Another thing about that road is that, My Niece lived Right there on Woodstock Lane for Years, And was probably not even aware of the significance of the Name.   Right there, maybe a hundred or so feet away from the actual building.      I don't know if she is aware of it till this day.  Gonna have to ask her.

     I thought you may find that interesting, as it was Just the opposite of the description on the title here.
 This house was extraordinary history, that stayed ordinary, for whatever reason there was.

     The original festival that was planned to be there, was denied, due to concerns over sanitation. A sound Business decision on the part of the town at the time I'm certain. Still would be today actually, nobody's fault that it was not held there, just fate. however...

     This is the site where the Concert WANTED to be held, but couldn't, And in the spirit of the whole Generation of the 60's and early 70's, There SHOULD be some kind of recognition for that. If only a footnote.   But I have never seen anything, and no one talks about it either, It's just forgotten, and that's a sad thing, cause it is the world's loss I guess.    Coming up next, Acts that were asked to play there but did not. I think you will find it interesting.
Peace
G

When The Student Is Ready, The Master Will Appear

Have you ever wondered how certain things in our lives that we do, that seem insignificant At the time, are the things that affect it the most?  Like say, that first sight of the one who, would become your spouse, or the glimpse out your car window at the house where you are destined to spend the rest of your life?

Things like that. And what if you had not looked that way that day, or made that call or whatever.

This would pertain to the not so good choices too. The ones we would like to have back if we could. It all seems to go hand in hand somehow. I don't know, or would even imply to say I understand things like that, but I think they all go together and make all the pieces fit in the end.

Maybe, all things do work together for good, and we just can't, or won't see it at the time.

There is someone who is very dear to me, who once told me... that all situations are put there for us to have the chance to use them for the very best end, bad or good, it's all the same.  It's just up to us to see that and act upon it. I am paraphrasing a little here, but you know what I mean.

I suppose that if we could think like that, we could have a little more peace in our lives, and be at least confident in most situations, whether they are good ones or not so good ones. That way of thinking, although sound, is a very difficult thing to live up to, and very rewarding when we try.

So maybe each situation, bad or good, really COULD be seen as a chance for us to make the most out of it, and learn from it, or experience love from it, or happiness. Things like that.

I'm not trying to preach or lecture. I'm just reflecting on it. I am 59 years old, and Believe me, I have seen my share of all of that. I just wish I had the ability at the time, to see that, and not just hindsight about it later on. However if we did have that ability at the time, there would be no learning or growing from it, Or obtaining wisdom from it.

WISDOM is given as a tool to teach others on it after we ourselves, have learned from it, and not necessarily for our own benefit, although it does benefit us a great deal When We use it in any capacity.

WISDOM is the tool forged for others, taken from our own growth. It's our job to recognize it and use it. That is just my own statement and opinion... not necessarily the truth. I have no intentions of implying anyone should live like that. Its just a contemplative thought.

What my point here is this. When we begin to understand situations for what they are, That is, when the correct decision makes itself known to us.... We grow. Sort of like, when the Student has studied, and learned, the "Master"... or the Truth,  will be made known to us.
I'm sure everybody has thought at least once in their life,  "I wish I knew then what I know now".  That would be nice, however It doesn't work that way.  Hindsight can be used to help us though. 

So we should, in my opinion try to make the best of any situation, for there is a way in each one for us to make the best of it.

That is what was on my mind tonight.

Thanks for reading
PEACE
G

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Lightning Dreams Number 2

I know I seem to be off the subject of Lucid Dreams here, I'm really not.  The events I am writing about  today,  were directly responsible for me becoming interested in them.  For one reason, every time Lightning hit me, I had an incredible Dream experience. After which my life had dramatic changes. Changes Both in my circumstances and my way of living. Even in my way of thinking.  (Always for the better) 

June 6 1977...

In 1977, I was living in Paterson New Jersey.  To those of you who may be familiar with that city, I lived 2 blocks down from East Side Park.   This is the largest park in the city.   On the West Side was the park for the Great Falls. Actually a fairly famous waterfall. It was Named by Alexander Hamilton. The city itself I believe, was partially designed by him too.   It's interesting reading. Worth a minute to look it up.
I was on the East Side though.  At the time, I was working in the city. I had a good job times were OK.  A lot less to worry about back then. Nothing like today.  A lot simpler. Actually most of the big concerns we have now, as far as bills go, didn't even exist yet back then. No cell phones or internet. Not even Debit cards. It was sort of the tail end of the time when TV was king.  Just before the Electronic Digital Age we have now came about.  Even though the worries were proportionate to the expenses and problems of the time, looking back at it, It really was much simpler.

I remember every morning waking up at 5:00 and going across the street to the old fashioned sit down kind of coffee shop/deli place on the corner.   Every day I would go in there and Listen to the chatter and news about what was going on in the city.  Lots of interesting people in there too.  Cops, Firemen, Politicians and teachers. I remember sitting there every morning and listening and talking to them. People like the Principle of East Side High School, or the Editor of the Newspaper.  Had some pretty interesting conversations in there almost every day. I was there every morning.  THIS particular morning however, was a little different.
After I left the coffee counter in the morning, I would go up into East Side Park and read the paper and finish my coffee.   East Side was a typical city park, nice place but could be a little dangerous at times.  I used to walk around picking up trash and throwing it away. There was always comments to me about it too.  Some people just didn't like that.  But I did it anyway.
I used to sit in the Garden in the morning on the top of the terrace hills facing East. There was this big cement seat in there with fountains around it.  Something for Mother's Day I think.  There was this large American Flag in there, and this Great view of the New York Skyline with the sun rising in the morning.   I brought my radio with me, and at 6:00 am  they would play the National Anthem on the station.   So every day, That's how I started. Watching the sun rise over New York, with the National Anthem playing on the radio.  I have to tell you, I really miss that. It was always inspirational.
On a previous day, I had found a Baseball Bat and ball and glove in the Park. I used to walk around in the morning using the Bat as sort of a walking stick. It made me feel safer too, cause there were always things like Wild dogs and Rats and stuff. Never once had to actually use it for protection, but it didn't hurt you know? I remember the people I used to talk to in the coffee shop used to call me, "Bat Boy", cause of it.  It was all in fun. They knew I was up in the Park picking up trash and Garbage cans and stuff in the morning, so They kind of respected that I guess.    Actually when I moved, I did give the Bat to somebody in there. I don't remember who that was, but I was moving soon and just gave it away one morning.

Anyway, back to the subject. This one particular morning I went up to the park as usual at 5:30 or so. I walked there this time. Most of the time when I walked, I had an umbrella with me in case it rained.  Well I'm sitting there and the Sky gets darker, and darker.  I'm kind of exposed where I was, so I decided to walk to the Gazebo in case it did rain.    So I brought the umbrella and the bat and started walking.   As I was walking A guy I worked with came driving by. He says  "You stay out here, Your gonna get hit by Lightning!"   Well I knew that wasn't gonna happen cause I already had been hit by it.  What are the odds of  TWO times?  It seemed safe enough, so I said I would see him at work, and off he went.   ( I wish I had THAT decision to do over again).     
It could not have been a minute later, when the wind picked up, and the Sky got that  Nasty Storm look to it.  I mean it got dark. It almost looked like Tornado clouds.  The most threatening clouds I have ever seen.  Before OR since in fact.  The clouds actually seemed to be directly above me. I could see the bright sky on the edges of them. I was right in the middle of a small intense storm cell, and I was going to get hammered by it any second!   I remember thinking,  Uh , Oh,   this was not a good Idea, and started to run toward the Gazebo.  And HEY, I almost made it too!  They say  "Almost doesn't count, except for horseshoes and hand grenades."    Well you can include Lightning in there too!  I'll explain that in a minute.
  About maybe 200 yards or so from the Garden I was in, was a Cage with some Deer in it. The deer of course were having nothing to do with this, so they were in the little shed they had, and they just sat there watching me run.  Now If deer could laugh, I'm certain these 3 would have.   I can still remember those faces. looking out the shed door, with the funniest looks on them.    I was almost tempted to get in that shed, but it was fenced in and I was not climbing any Iron fence. Especially with THOSE clouds.

Now the wind is picking up, and I'm running as fast as I can.  This wind was the strongest I have ever felt, and as I was running, all around me there were tree limbs getting ripped off and thrown around.  Not small ones either. I'm talking foot and a half by 2 feet in diameter, and weighing hundreds of pounds. This was no joke. I have been in a lot of hurricanes and storms, but they paled compared to this.   Then came the first Lightning...

I can describe this lightning only one way.  I remember when I was a kid, I used to watch The Little Rascals. There was one episode where they went camping, and it started to Lightning, and the lightning was chasing  them and Petey the dog.  Striking maybe 3 feet behind them As they ran away screaming.  Every once in a while hitting them in the rear end.  If you have ever watched the little rascals, you know the scene I'm talking about.  It was funny then, but not now, cause that was exactly what was happening to me!
Now it's starting to rain. coming down in buckets. The wind had to be blowing a hundred miles an hour, cause it was blowing the rain sideways. Right into my face.  I was about 30 yards from the Gazebo, when I had to stop and duck   right next to this giant Oak tree.  (you see where this is going right?)   So I'm ducking down there, and trying not to get killed. My umbrella got pulled inside out and ripped from my hands.  Now I still had the bat in my hands.  By the way It was a METAL bat!   So I figure I would pick it up and keep on running.  I know that was about the worst thing I could have done. At the time, I wasn't thinking about that, cause I could feel the hair on my neck starting to stand up. Once that happens in a lightning storm, you are in serious danger.    So I get to another Oak tree and crouch down next to it, when the next thing I saw was the Huge bright flash, and heard this huge crack.  Well I had about a quarter of a second until that bolt reached from the tip of that bat in my hands, to me.  I was a little lucky, cause The lightning had actually struck the tree, THEN the bat, THEN me.  That tree blew up like The tree in the Movie,  "The Natural",  when he made his own bat.  It was exactly like that, only I was right next to it.  I have no idea how I was not killed. It passed right through me. It felt like I was getting hit by a train!  I only felt that for a split second before I was out cold again.  This time I remembered the strike. At least a second or two of it.     
Before I continue, I would like to add something.  Even though I knew how dangerous Lightning was, I was still curious about the dream I had in 1966.   So when this happened, I really wasn't afraid, until I actually felt my hair stand up, and knew I would be struck.  I did not feel that in 1966. I was just knocked out by the Wall blowing up.  There was no time to be scared in back then,  but this was different. I actually knew it was coming, when I got to that tree. That was frightening.  And I did get hit again. So PLEASE be careful of lightning. It is nothing to fool with OK?...
 
I believe that what happened next, was the reason I started to study Lucid Dreaming.  After the Bolt hit me, I thought I was awake, but I really was not. I was just laying there stunned.  What I remember of those few minutes, or whatever it was is this.
I remember getting up and walking back to the seat in the Garden, Where I picked up the Paper I was reading. Only it was not the same thing. So I read it, and It showed the Name of the town where My family lived, upstate New York,  And It showed a Rebuilt Railroad station being used for a Library.  What got me though, was the Date.  It was Years ahead.  It was in the 1990's.  This was 1977.

This was long before "reality checks" With Lucid Dreaming and all that, So in the Dream I kept reading.  I saw the state these things were in THEN, and the state they WOULD be in in 23 years.  There was a Big difference.  I distinctly remember looking at that, and saying to myself, "What happened there?"    In the dream, the answer was clear.  The story said, "Through private charities, These were able to continue and serve".  That's all I saw. Then I woke up.  This time I was alone.  I was laying next to the burnt tree and Scorched Bat.   I believe it was at THAT moment, when I decided to move to My family's town.   (The same one in  the Dream)      I was already thinking about leaving, but this kind of made it pretty clear what I should do. It took me a while, but I finally did move there.
I did actually end up making donations for the places I read about in the Dream that day.  Library and Soup Kitchen.   I have a post here that already tells about that.    
Anyway, that's what happened that day in Paterson New Jersey.   There is nothing mystical about it.  It's just a case of somebody getting knocked out and remembering a dream.   But man, What a Dream.
So that's why I say this is related to lucid Dreaming.  I believe these were the First 2 I ever had.     I Don't know how many of you have been hit by a Lightning Bolt.  Maybe you would remember, maybe not.  But I did remember these dreams, and they changed me forever.   That's why I'm talking about Lucid Dreams on here.
I have since had plenty of Lucid Dreams.  Most of them were simple dreams, flying and all that, But a few were extremely insightful. This has worked for me.  Whether it works for anyone else, I can't say.  I only know, it did for me.
One thing more.  When you find yourself in a bad situation, or need to make a difficult decision, or whatever it may be, My advice is, Follow your heart.  The first impression of the Heart is usually the correct thing to do.  It's usually the most difficult also.  I try to keep a rule with myself. It's a simple rule.  That is to Simply Do the Right thing for the Right reason, and follow my heart. The heart can give you some really tough answers sometimes though, so be prepared for that.   In the past, I did not follow that rule, and found myself in worse situations, than if I did.  So I need to learn as well.
I believe that something good is coming. All we have to do is expect it.  So, follow your dreams my friend. Follow your Dreams. The problems you and I face today are considerable, and the answer will not be an easy one.  Just remember that there is an answer.  It lies inside us. Each of us.
Well, that's my story of 2 of the 3 events I experienced with Lightning.  I have one more story about it, But that's for another day.
As usual, Thanks for reading
Peace  G

Monday, March 7, 2011

Lightning Dreams Number one

Hi
My blog is based mostly on my experiences with Lucid Dreaming, among other things. During the course of my life, certain things have happened to me to get me interested in the subject and start to research it.    This story is about one of those times...

June 6 1966,  I was living in New Jersey in a lakefront community.  It was summer and all the families who had Summer homes were there, so all my friends from around the area were there too.    There was a Lake Catering Hall/Recreation center/game room building there that actually had it's own Drive in Movie Screen outside it, where on 2 nights a week there would be a feature movie there for the residents.  It was actually kind of a sit outside and watch place with the big screen, but no cars.     It was on one of these nights that something interesting happened to me. Something that changed my life.

OK, long story short.    The movie was playing on the screen. It was,  "The Devil At 4:00".    I had seen it already, so I was inside the Rec Hall in the Kitchen talking to my friends who worked there.   I was sitting on a big floor freezer against the wall in there talking.    The weather began to get nasty outside, and the movie was halted due to it, so people were coming inside and ordering stuff in there.   Normal thing happened all the time.  So I'm sitting there and outside the window, there are flashes. Lightning. real close too.    I remember the lights going out, and Me looking out the window, saying  "Saint Elmo's Fire", cause the lightning seemed to hit close somewhere and bounce around. Never saw anything like it at the time.

No sooner did I say that, but I remember another flash coming.  I remember seeing the Lightning hit outside in a tennis court, Then I remember waking up in the back of a car. As I remember, it was a Police Car.     It was a strange feeling.  I remember opening my eyes and looking.  I had absolutely no idea of where I was, what happened, or who I was, or anything else for that matter.

I don't know how long I was actually like that, it's kind of fuzzy now. It was a long time ago.  So, I will skip to the next day.  I went up to the Rec Hall that morning and saw this 10 foot hole in the wall in the kitchen and the top of the freezer was not attached, but had hit the wall on the other side of the Kitchen.   The freezer I was sitting on.     I found out that a Lightning Bolt had  come in from the SIDE somehow.  Like it hit the ground and bounced sideways, and then struck the wall directly behind me. Knocked that wall out, knocked the power out, and knocked me out too!   I got hit right in the back by both the Lightning and the the wall blowing up, and thrown across the room.  It looked really nasty...

Now I start to remember.    I had to be revived somehow in whatever car that was the night before.  I was out cold.  Very deep.  I was OK now, but at the time I was not.   I'm not going to try and say Near Death, but It COULD have been that.  I say that because of the DREAM I had while out.

  I'm not going to claim it was near death.  It is just difficult to describe it. It was most likely some kind of neural biological thing in my head from the Shock of the lightning. Anyway, it was strange.   Now, everybody in my family knows about this, but not about the dream I had.
I remember this.  I remember standing in some Hallway. Very bright light all around.  I remember walking down the Hallway and meeting some person standing next to 2 doors.  One I saw had a stairway going up to bright light, and the other was just dark.  I didn't have much choice of which one I had to take, cause this person took my arm, pointed me to the dark door, and said "You are to see this", and the next thing I knew I was going down this kind of tunnel slide. Like the ones at water parks you know?  That is about as close as I can get to describing that.     So I'm going down this thing and I get to the bottom.    The bottom consisted of Something like water, maybe 2 feet deep, only the water was actually some kind of fire in the form of water.  Fire that did not burn me. I don't remember even feeling it.
I start walking, and these things started jumping on me. All over me. I didn't feel them either but they were on me.  They were these small nasty looking things yelling out about things I have done, or places I had been, and things like that.    I remember picking them off and throwing them.  I remember walking forward and grabbing and punching and throwing them aside.  I was not afraid.  Something was telling me I would not be injured by them.  So I walked through this fire water. Grabbing, punching, and throwing these things.  Then I saw something I will never forget.    I came up to this big like block thing right in front of me, with no way around it, so I stopped.  So did the things around me.   I stopped, looked up and heard a voice. The voice said "The face".   I was thinking,  "the Face?  The face of what?"   I kept looking up and there were these  things like the bottom feet of a bathtub standing on an old floor, only made out of some Kind of Gold color.
I looked up higher and It was actually the feet of a Big Seat sitting on the big base I told you about.  There was someone sitting in it too!    Now I was getting a little uneasy.  cause I had no idea what was happening, or why, or how I got there.   The higher I looked up, the brighter the person in the chair got. I remember hearing in my head, or whatever it was, that voice again.   I don't remember the exact words, but it was something about  a face.  (Now,I know this is going to sound strange enough, without me making something up, so I'll just leave it at that)..
I kept looking up.  and got about halfway up. This form was made out of some kind of transparent Gold  Liquid, that looked like water.  kind of moving around.  Like the water in a pool with the wind blowing on it, making it circulate around.  That is as close to what it looked like as I can relate.  I can't think of the words to describe this.  The only word would be "Living water".  maybe "living creature".  I say that because I could feel that and see that in this.  Just living moving transparent Gold with deep moving colors of..."Life".    Totally beyond description.  It was more..real,  than I was.  Even that doesn't explain this.  Try to imagine anything You have ever seen, felt, or imagined. This was something on a totally different level.   Like a blind person. Blind their entire life, suddenly getting sight standing by a huge waterfall with a rainbow.    He wouldn't be able to explain that, or even comprehend what it even was.  Something that was always felt, but never seen. Now being seen, impossible to describe.    This  Gold colored water was flowing around, peacefully.Like a River.  I stood there just staring. I heard more being said, but don't actually remember every detail. Something encouraging, not frightening. It made me feel safe. I knew I would not be harmed by this. It was just something my mind was seeing. And the higher I looked,  the brighter it was getting. I really wanted to see this now.
So I'm staring and trying to look higher, when the next thing I knew, I was saying..  "where am I"..    in the back of a vehicle.  
I had no Idea of where I was, what anything around me was, or who I was.  Totally a blank.   This did not last too long, thank Goodness, because the next day I was able to remember a lot.  Eventually it all returned.   I remembered the dream too.  I have been trying to piece it together for decades now.  I'm fairly certain it was just a case of being zapped with lightning  and remembering things.  Like you remember those abstract things from a Dream, or if you pass out.  That's why You always say, "Where Am I", when you wake up, cause your mind is very active during those times. Probably jumping from scene to scene, until you wake up, and you think it's the next "scene" of your dream.   It was like that  only clearer.
OK that's enough for now.   This has happened to me twice in my life.  Both times from being struck by lightning.  I was actually hit by it twice, and shocked by it a third time.    The second time? even stranger than the first time.   That's for tomorrow I guess.
Remember this.  This actually happened to me.  You don't need to believe that, It's up to you.  I do however, appreciate you reading this, and always do.    Wait till you hear the story about the next time I got hit later in Life.
Till then     Peace  G

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

A Short Story I wrote a while back. Based on a night I had in a Hospital in Upstate New York. All in fun. Not to be taken seriously.

     I don't know too many people who have an alarm clock nurse, but I have one!  I am having tests done in a Hospital in Upstate New York, and it requires that I stay  for about a week. Most of them  have a bright white smile, and are Always friendly, professional and caring.  Sort of like Charlize Theron in the Movie she was in with Jeff Daniels, where she was a waitress,  and he was a lawyer. Remembering the scene where he was hyperventilating, and she gave him the paper bag to breathe into. When he looks up he sees the face of an Angel smiling down.  Trial and error it was called.  An outstanding comedy.  Yeah? Well only in the movies. Unfortunately, not for this puppy.

     This is what actually happened. (well almost)

     I practice lucid dreaming.  That's where you are approaching Theta REM sleep from the initial Beta sleep pattern. Your mind is actually able to control those dreams as you wish. Very relaxing, and helps you overcome fears and things in the waking day. Like for example, you are afraid of heights.. you dream of flying, and after a while you will not fear flying anymore. When you wake up, you remember the entire dream. You can even plan the dream during the day with meditation. The whole dream only lasts a few minutes, and it requires a lot of practice, and patience. That's the theory Anyway. It does however, work for me, and I love it. But that's not what I want to talk to you about today. I mentioned it because it helps to achieve the proper perspective comparison for what happened here. Anyway, Back to my story. I was dreaming  I was in the middle of scuba diving in Florida, with no air tank or Goggles,  Looking for mermaids with my beautiful Scuba Instructor, Roxanne.

     Everything was perfect. I was gliding under the warm tropical water eating a cheeseburger, reading the headlines in the Newspaper of how I had just won the lottery, while sipping on a tall drink with one of those little umbrellas in it.   Hey, its a dream, OK?    I'm having a blast.  (until)


     I feel tugging on my arm, and a voice saying," Wake up! Wake up!  Oh No!  Your line is tangled!  I don't want another bleeder!"   So I think to myself, "Line?  what line?  I don't even have an air tank down here".
And  "Who is bleeding?  Roxanne Are you OK?   There may be some underwater vines or something surrounding that treasure chest, so stay behind me and you will be OK".  And then I opened my eyes and said.  OH!

     I see it's my Nurse. The real one, that I had not seen yet. (I guess Charlize  was busy).  What I see is a face with a big smile, which consisted of one tooth on the bottom, sticking out over the top lip.  This face was wearing glasses and a flashlight on it's forehead, being held  there with what looked like a shoelace.  The flashlight's bulb not being turned on yet,  Matched the round lens of the taped together glasses, which featured a delightful magnified pair of half crossed eyes, which were Wide and piercing.  (with a slight spin). This made the face look like it had 3 eyes. One in the middle!   It was also wearing some kind of plastic shower cap thing on its head, with little swirls on it, which was failing to cover the long  brownish green matted hair. The face reminded me of the  Stay puff  Marshmallow man in the movie Ghostbusters,  only with with one tooth in the Middle, And a third eye.

     In My present state of mind, it looked like Medusa coming in for the kill, carrying the eagle that would daily devour the liver of Prometheus on the rock, because he gave the world the knowledge of fire. My Medusa however, had 3 eyes, and one tooth, wearing a big evil Gerber Baby face smile.   She was  holding a needle, and leaving a trail of drool, as it began It's descent toward my face.

     And I said.    (Oh!).

     Now the face begins to speak. I think  it said, "How are you?" But it sounded to me like a gleeful  "Ahh Rooo".  As it was getting closer holding that big needle, and wearing the same smile.
Then I believe what was said was, "alright now your going to be OK,".  which sounded Very much like, "Alright,  now you are going to pay!  Which was spoken in an Elmer Fudd Accent, coming from that big Empty, one tooth mouth. The only thing missing yet was the Elmer Fudd  laugh. You know the one.  (So I guess it could have been worse).    
That is the best description I can think of for what I saw so far.
As you can tell by my description so far, I am slightly confused about what is going on here. Then I hear  "Can't have no more tissue damage,  So Howed till".    Well now I was beginning to understand what was going on here. 

     The last sentence was,  I was supposed to hold still to avoid tissue damage. The tissue damage being the area of my arm where the IV was put in. It seems that Florence Nightingale here, checks on sleeping patients status, by yanking on the plastic tube coming from the IV pump while the patient is asleep, to see if it leaks. I suppose if you yank too hard on these things, Oops  it will leak.  The rest will be left to imagination, as to the tissue damage part. (for now)

     So now I'm thinking , That's  what those little yelps I heard were earlier, Just before I fell asleep!   I heard a series of them, starting at the far end of the hall, and working their way down toward my room. Maybe one every 5 minutes or so.  Every once in a while, A slight scream or muffled yell and crash of a glass. Then the sound of bare feet shuffling quickly, followed by this Thump.  Followed by dragging sounds and low moans and whimpering.  Then shushing, mixed with the sound of the Elmer Fudd giggle, then sheets rustling, then just this low weeping sound.

     Well, needless to say, it was now too late for me to worry about that. I had become the next in line. And I was gonna be, "OK".    The Flashlight comes on in the middle of the forehead, lighting up the area around the top of the bed.
And I said.   (Oh).  

     So now my brain starts sending signals. Run!  Run Now!   Huh? what was that?  I look up and see the Evil Gerber Baby Face with the 3 eyes and Medusa cap, flashing  that same  smile, standing next to me  holding   A great big Needle!  Now doing the Elmer Fudd Giggle too!   "Huh Huh Huh Huh Huh".  So of course the first impulse anyone would have, would be to    Leave of course!   So,  I immediately  jump out of the bed.   As I do this, The IV comes out.   

     "Oh!   Hey!   Ouch!"   (So that's the TISSUE damage!).    So I begin to claw my way away from the bed, running in my bare feet.   Got to be something her to help me  I think,  so I grab the water glass and  Smash it on the floor!   From somewhere in the back of my mind, I hear Short Round saying,  "Big mistake Indy!  Big Mistake!"   (Oh really, you think?)   OK there has to be something else here then!   I grab the phone and Crash!   Magazines, then a box of cookies. Nothing is working.   I can now feel my feet being grabbed.  I was slowly being dragged back across the floor to the bed.    All I can say is   No! No! No!   Please!    Next thing I know, I'm being lifted on the bed where I pull up the covers, moaning quietly, "No No No".   Then I realized,  This is Exactly the sound I just heard from the room next to me 5 minutes before.    Well, I had to do something here, or I was toast,  So,  I pointed toward the sky in the window, and yelled    "Look, an Elephant!"  She says, "Oh Weally?"   But the face just kept coming closer, and the head was shaking back and forth.  "Dah udder guy in dah udder  woom , just  twied dat my fwend!     Huh Huh Huh Huh Huh".   (Oh, give me a break already!). 
    
       So I prepared for the worst.     Just then my cell phone rings!   Yes! The Phone!  She picks it up, and says  "Not now!"  Then the Land line phone on the table rings.  She picks up.  "Yes".  I'm thinking.  I'm Saved!   just give me the phone.  (I felt this wave of relief fall over me).   She says to the phone,  "Hey, Wat is dis?  Party Central?  We In Dah middle of a vewy  vewy  sewios procedure!  not now!  Huh Huh Huh Huh Huh".  And she hangs Up!.  (great)
So naturally I said, "who was that?"   "Oh, justya tista".  (my sister).  " She sounded a wittle worried. Huh Huh Huh Huh Huh!"   Really?   So I said this,   " By now she is probably Locked, Loaded, and on her way over here"

And she said,  (Oh)

     Well, after the ordeal, She left before anybody got there.  On the way out, She said,  "Sweet Dweams"..
To which I replied,  "Oh you can bet on it!  Huh Huh Huh Huh Huh".

Short and Almost true story about a night in the Hospital a while back. I actually wrote this while I was still in the room the next day.    I actually never saw her again after that night.
Well that's my little story.  
G


Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Step By Step Lucid Dream

People have asked me lately about a short list of how to lucid dream  Here is mine.
1.  Keep a Dream Journal right by your bed and write down exactly what you can remember   Do this right away, Don't get up.  You will forget the dreams if you don't log them.

2.  Do Reality checks during the day.  Like glancing at your watch,  then looking away, and glancing back.  When you look back at the watch, The Time is the same. There will be of course, no change.   Do this during the day.  This may sound a little strange,  however, It prepares your mind for when you will do the same thing in your dream. This is very important.

3.  Think about the dream you had, or want to have during the day. Keep any image in your mind.

4.   Look at the dream Journal when you go to bed. Think on it when you go to sleep.

5.   Repeat  in your mind, as silently as you can, as to not stay awake. Something like,
  "The next time I have a dream, I will be aware that I am Dreaming. Am I dreaming? Is this a dream?  over and over till so it's the last thing you think of before you fall asleep.  

6.  When you are asleep, Do reality checks in your dream. How? Well you have trained your conscious mind on reality checks in the daytime already, so after some practice during the day, your mind will do it while you are asleep also. That's why  the practice of daytime reality checks is so important. It prepares your mind to do it when you achieve REM sleep. 

    In REM sleep, (sleep cycle stage of sleep),  in your dream, Do a reality check.    Look at your watch,  then look away, just as you did while awake. The Time or something will be different. You're  conscious  mind remembers the reality checks during the day, when nothing changed.  Now something  has changed. It know that this is not possible, So the conscious mind enters the dream. It will be aware that you are dreaming, because you practiced the Mantra, from step 5, before you went to sleep. You will now be dreaming with the conscious mind being aware that you are dreaming, and observing the dream.  For the first few times this happens, you will probably wake up at that point. I know I did. It's perfectly normal. The conscious mind gets surprised at it at first, and wakes you up. This will pass though. After a few times doing this, you will remain asleep, while your conscious mind observes and remembers the dream. The key here is to train your mind to remember the dream. That is why the dream Journal, when you wake up is important also. It helps you to remember your dreams.   With practice you can learn to control  these dreams, and that  is where the fun starts.

7.    Don't get discouraged.  This takes a little time.  The entire key is to remember your Dreams.  As I was explaining yesterday,  It's like say,  you had an accident, were knocked out for a week, Woke up with amnesia.  Doesn't mean it didn't happen, cause it did.   You just don't remember.  When you do finally remember, It's as clear as a bell. Same kind of thing here.  Except without the accident of course.
As I said, Remembering is the key! It's very important!.

I will be on line later Till then My friends.
Peace   G

Monday, February 7, 2011

SOME DREAMS CAN'T COMPARE TO THE REAL THING

     My band did a show one time at the Bitter End in Greenwich village in New York, a year after the attacks in 2001. I had the privilege of being able to dedicate one of our new songs to FDNY, and NYPD, who responded that day.   A friend of mine's husband was injured there as well.
Well, I sometimes get a little emotional about that, and I knew I had to do it, so all day I prepared myself for it.
As it turned out, we were running late. We got to Bleeker St maybe 10 minutes before the show, and ran inside.

     The place was packed with people. Just wall to wall.  Made our way past all that, and ran into the dressing room and got ready. Of course everybody had to stop and sign the wall, as is the tradition. I found a spot and wrote my name there. The only spot I could really find, was on the ceiling in the middle. Let me tell you, There was every name you could imagine there. I managed to get it right between a world famous singer from New York,  and A Female lead singer from the 60s and 70s.   (sorry can't mention their names here),   I could not believe how many  Famous people had been there over the years. Every name, Every singer, every comedian. There were what seemed like, thousands. Only had a minute or two to actually do it, but I remember it to this day.  That is quite a room. If you ever get to the Bitter End, you should check it out.

     Anyway, we tuned up for about 30 seconds, and ran onstage.  The stage lights were really bright, so I could only see the first row of tables, but I could  hear the rest.
Now the band is announced. everybody yells and claps, most  had never heard us before, so It was pretty much all good I guess.
I was OK with that, Not nervous. Not really at all. Until It's my turn to actually speak.  So the boss announces I will do a dedication. Still OK.   A lot of people there did know us and were cheering. and the show was being taped.  So it took a few seconds for that to sink in, and I'm thinking now, "open your mouth, and try not to say,   ahh homina homina I'm the chef of the Future!" You know like Ralph Kramden did? I guess I had about a fifty fifty chance of actually saying that. I was pretty nervous.

     Now my sister had told me something  about putting up a wall between you and everybody else there. The Idea is to look and speak, be friendly,  personal, make some eye contact, Just don't let emotions seep out if you can. Pretty much a rule of thumb. I don't really get stage fright, but this was different. This needed to be professional.  So I took a deep breath,  opened my mouth, and heard a voice from the audience, in a speaking tone, not yelling, but I heard it all the same.  I'm not gonna say who it was, but I knew the voice.
The voice said "This is one of  the high points of his life!"  You can actually hear that on one of the Videos that   were made that night. Not on the Studio video one though.

     Anyway,  I heard it, and I realized it was true, So I just said what I had to say. I managed to get through it OK I guess.     I Used to work in the 78th floor of  the WTC, running stock reports to People a while back, so I needed to do this correctly.  The song was  "Nighttime Skies"  an original from the Band. (the track is on the link here for listening to our band in case you're interested.)   The Boss was kind enough to let me introduce that song, which is my Favorite.  (I will be forever grateful Jack,Thank you).   I get to play the bass and some slide stuff on this song, on the CD but only Bass that night.  I worked out Bass runs for months.  Well it all went OK.  I didn't stutter (too much),   and we finished the set.   45 Minutes later, outside the front door, We are told that some of the songs could actually be hits.  One could actually be number one.  That was possibly the greatest compliment in my entire life. If you happen to be reading this, I'm not going to mention your name either, cause I would not do that without telling you. You know who you are,  so Thank You!  ( I don't remember the song he said though).

     It was a good night. We did OK.  After the show, we hung out a little. Got a lot of compliments from people.
But the thing I remember the most was Walking down Bleeker Street  with another Musician I knew, carrying my bass. The streets were packed with people.  People in Cafes and in tables on the sidewalk, Or sightseeing or waiting in line for shows and other stuff.  Watching us walk past.  I remember the feeling of walking down that Street,  and  My feet felt like they were off the ground, and I was just floating.  Indescribable feeling I will never forget it.   That was in 2002 and a long time ago now, and a lot of shows later.  But It really was one of the high points of my life.  I watched one of the videos not long ago, and I can distinctly hear that voice speaking that night, about the High Point, and It was exactly that too.

     It seems like a dream.  But it wasn't.  It actually happened.   A great night. I am so thankful for the chance to have done that.
 
     As good as that night was, I have tried to copy it in dreams for a while. Couple of times now. I always seem to wake up when the Lights come up on stage in the dream versions.   I guess maybe some experiences are better left as they are.  This is one of them.   

     Man, I just realized I was off the subject and going on again. sorry bout' that.  Just felt like writing tonight. I'll get back to my posts in a few hrs.

G