Hostile Dream Characters: Protectors of the Dream?
In the movie Inception, dream characters play an important role. According to the movie, dream characters are all part of the dreamer, and act for the dreamer’s protection. It’s therefore important to not to draw attention to oneself when in another’s dream, because their dream characters may notice you and will try to evade you from the dream, much like the body’s immune system when dealing with a virus.
This poses an interesting view. While the majority of my encounters with dream characters has been pleasant and informative, I have had experiences with hostile or threatening dream characters. For example, I recall the following lucid dream where I was kicked out of the dream when I was drawing attention to myself:
[i]I become lucid in a big, open building.There are people milling around on their own business. Everywhere I see things stacked up, like boxes, and chairs. I wander around and suddenly realize I’m dreaming.
First, out of sheer joy, i start to fly around and sing loudly. My voice is beautiful. I sing like an opera star. Very high voice. I pitch my voice as high as I can imagine and still the tone is clear and loud. I really enjoy singing like this, because I know I can’t do it in waking physical reality.
Then I have an idea to try and find real dream characters. On something that resembles a crossroad in this building I call out:“Attention everybody, I want only the real people to stay!”.
People look at me. Then one person comes up to me. He feels very powerful and wears something like a police hat. He frightens me, I protect myself with white light and want to defend myself— and feel myself waking up.[/i]
It seems this dream character acted like some kind of “dream police”, or protector.
After I had woken up I thought it could be that that dream character didn’t want me in that world and had sent me back to wake up. I drifted back to sleep and ended up in the same setting again, fully lucid. But not lucid in a controlling way. More lucid like realizing I’m still dreaming and I’m back in that same place.
I shout out apologies to the dream character who sent me back, it was rude of me to assume the people where not real.
The interesting part is that I was able to get back into the same dream, but this time in a more inconspicuous manner.
Does that mean I was in someone else’s dream? According to Inception’s theory, it would. But that also means that if you are nice, you are allowed to stay.
Another encounter where I was urged to “act normal”, in my lucid dream:
I’m in a little alley and try to fly. Surprisingly, I get a few feet in the sky. A cop jumps and holds my feet, demanding where I think I’m going. Because of his weight I can’t get any higher.
This dreamcharacter wasn’t threatening, or intended to kick me out of a dream - but nevertheless insisted on me being inconspicious in the dream.
In another case, just the act of me becoming lucid was enough for a dream character to act threatening:
[i]I’m in a car with my dreamfriend Wendy (this is a recurring dream character, based on a childhood friend). I say we should stop to be sheltered for the heavy rain. The car moves - hey, the handbrake isn’t on. I pull it. The car still moves, I try to brake with my foot and then it hits me - I’m dreaming!
I get outside the car do decide what to do. Then I realize I want to ask the Wendy dream character who she is, so I return to her. She is opposite me now and I ask:“Who are you?”
She looks at me and then says in a threathening way:“I will bite your nose off!”
I’m shocked by this reply and wake up.[/i]
The surprise in this example is that the dream character, who was friendly before I became lucid, turned hostile as soon as I lucidly asked her a Question. It seems in this dream, just turning lucid, was already a sign for the dream character to become hostile towards me. Or was she offended by my Question?
So it seems that you need to pay attention in your lucid dreams, because it is possible to be “kicked out” of your dream if you don’t behave yourself. Or is it “your dream?” Could it be that in those cases you weren’t actually in “your” dream?, but in some greater dream, a dream not solely created by yourself?
What are your experiences? Have you ever experienced hostile dream characters that have kicked you out of your lucid dream while you were having fun?
).
) but it does seem to happen, the movie reminded me of the few instances it did happen to me, and gave an interesting theory along with it, why it happens.
