Hey Jahfonde.

You have been to the astral, yea? You see how time gets skewed a little between a temporal dimension like our physical one, and an eternity it exists within like the astral.

It's an interesting question but if we don't work to come to know the truth, we continue to speculate about things rather than experience them. Just from experience with OBE's it seems to me that we are always dreaming and if we don't do the work to awaken here and now, we will continue to dream when the body that we are using dies.

I like your "strand coming down" explanation. What we are is the being, the exact reason we exist. We are an individual extention of the verb of being that manifests down from the highest dimensions, so I see the way you describe is not far off at all.

Our real home should be wherever we are, using the center of consciousness. Our real life is a process of learning and actualizing without falling into nihilism and our real job is our duty we have to our own being.

Do you remember real life events as easy as dreams or events in dreams more/less than real life events?

yes, i most certainly have been to the astral.

in reference to your, "do you remember your dreams better then real life experiences" question:
it depends, like its never been, the same stream, of difficulty with either one,
like i just depends on what dream, and what life experience, know what i mean? like i remember some dreams, more then some life experiences, and some life experiences more then some dreams.

"our real home is wherever we are".
i love that.

thanks for the reply.

row row row your boat gently down the stream merrily merrily merrily merrily life is but a dream

My old guru used to say that samadhi (enlightenment) was when you were awake but it was like you were asleep.

Meaning, you were detached and at peace as an observer, though awake.

You didn't react to circumstances, you had your own experience, which was better than what anything else was going to bring you, anyway, so you weren't looking around and desiring anything from the world. You were asleep to the temptations, etc.

I personally feel that the real gem of consciousness-itself shines whether you are asleep or awake, alive or dead.

We all have that gem, but do we keep it polished? Or at least wiped up now and then?

I am certain that there is something in us that is worth more than life itself. Now I'm off to row my boat . . .

Jahfonde, my experience has pretty much been the same as you describe. Some things stick out more than others.

Yes Scot, that gem of consciousness is a good way to describe it, though it can have different qualities to me.
A polished lump of coal is still not a diamond. Know what I mean?

I think a lump of coal wouldn't know how to use the oars to row. A diamond could walk on water.

I don't think you have to wait until you are spiritually advanced to start finding the answers, rather you just keep getting closer to that truth each day that you devote yourself wholly to the work.

I have similar questions and thoughts. For example, sometimes I reflect on the fact that there are billions of people on this earth with lives of their own, who have problems, concerns, aspirations...who live and die. Remembering this helps to put things in perspective for me. It helps me to become more self-aware and less fascinated by my own thoughts/feelings.

Gabrielle

Can only agree with you Jahfonde.

Life here seems to be such a short learning experience...
That's why I think there is actually no time to lose, things happen in the present, and our understanding about the way things work improves as we improve ouselves internally, from moment to moment.

I'm getting that printed on my T shirt to wear: "Today I will be less fascinated by my own thoughts/feelings."