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Thematic Index of the Collected Works of the Mother
© Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust

sleep and dream

2.1.6.a -- general remarks on sleep (10)
06, p. 184 The sleep before midnight gives the most rest physically.
07, p. 070-71 A good short discussion of what sleep is and why we sleep “Sleep is the school one has to go through, if one knows how to learn his lesson there, so that the inner being may be independent of the physical form, conscious in itself and master of its own life.There are entire parts of the being which need this immobility and semi-consciousness of the outer being, of the body, in order to live their own life independently.”
08, p. 277 Some brief remarks about the phenomenon of somnambulism told in the greater context of a discussion about occultism and the ability to exteriorize one’s consciousness out of the body.
15, p. 140-46 Here are many of Mother’s statements and teachings about sleep and rest and interpretation of a few dreams of sadhaks. To see these pages can lead to better understanding of this topic. Guidance is there also for how to rest well.
15, p. 399-401 Excellent discussion here of the causes and kinds of unrestful sleep, the true purpose of sleep, how to have more conscious sleep by preparing before sleeping and the double good effects of making use of one’s nights.
16, p. 068a Mother explains the experience of a sadhak who wakes up feeling as if a lot of talking and noise has been going on all night. “In your sleep you are becoming conscious of the noises that the mechanical thoughts of the most material mind make in their own domain.” (also under: 3.2.4)
16, p. 232 Mother advises, “In his letters, Sri Aurobindo has given very complete and detailed descriptions and explanations of all the activities of sleep. Reading these letters is a good introduction to the study of this subject and to its practical application.”
16, p. 408-09 Why are the hours before midnight better for sleep? “Because, symbolically, during the hours before midnight the sun is setting, while from the first hour after midnight it begins to rise.”
17, p. 017 Mother answers someone who experienced depression for no apparent reason when he woke up in the afternoon. “During sleep one often comes in contact with undesirable forces so that when you wake up you feel weak and depressed.”
17, p. 047-48 Several brief questions and answers about not sleeping well due to the restless and unquiet vital and how to remedy the problem.
2.1.6.b -- how to sleep (7)
06, p. 185-88 How to prepare oneself for sleep so that one can cover the stages of sleep all the way up to Sachchidananda in a better way and more consciously. The important thing is to make each part as relaxed and quiet as possible before going to sleep. Persistence in the effort is necessary. Mother describes how she worked for six months to clarify the connection between the most material vital with the most subtle physical
16, p. 003-4 A good brief description of yogic sleep. Mother describes how she rests at night without losing consciousness.
16, p. 228, 334 Guidance, general and specific, on how to gain more control over one’s sleep. A sadhak wanted to know if it was possible to see Mother in his dreams. Mother tells the necessary steps and requirements. See p. 334 for more.
16, p. 357-58 Guidance for trying to make the nights conscious. 1) A short concentration before going to sleep, with an aspiration to remember the activities of the night when you wake up. 2) When you wake up, do not make any sudden movement of the head and keep still for a few minutes, with a concentration to remember what happened during your sleep. 3) Repeat these exercises every day until you begin to perceive a result.
16, p. 376 “The vast majority of human beings fall into unconsciousness [during sleep], and if there is a contact with pure Being it is quite unconscious. Very few persons are conscious of this relation. It is usually the result of Yoga.”
16, p. 402a Mother explains that when you go to sleep early and get up early you do not unwisely contradict the forces of Nature. “When the sun sets, a kind of peace descends on earth and this peace is helpful for sleep. When the sun rises, a vigorous energy descends on earth…helpful for work.”
17, p. 009 “It is not good to lie in bed when once you are awake; it is more tiring than restful and it also increases tamas. It is better to jump out of bed as soon as you wake up; then in the evening you will feel sleepy and can get to sleep earlier. The hours of sleep before midnight are the best and most restful.”
2.1.6.c -- conscious sleep (5)
07, p. 065-68 A discussion of what is meant by “sleep has to be gradually transformed into the yogic repose.” What yogic repose is and how to begin the discipline that will accomplish it are outlined—from how to go to sleep to how to wake up so as to remember one’s dreams and activities of the night.
14, p. 389 ”In becoming conscious of one’s nights, control of the subconscient becomes much easier.”
16, p. 377 “During sleep the inner beings become consciously active. When one wakes up, it is the waking being that is not conscious of the activities of the night.”
16, p. 378b In order that no part of the being or its movements contradict one’s aspiration it is necessary to become conscious of one’s nights. This is because the activities of the night often contradict the aspiration of the day and undo its work.
16, p. 400 Good quote: “You can become conscious of your nights and your sleep just as you are conscious of your days. It is a matter of inner development and discipline of the consciousness.”
2.1.7.a -- general remarks on dreams (7)
06, p. 074 There is a very close connection between dreams and the condition of the stomach. “In accordance with what is eaten dreams are of one kind or another and if the digestion is difficult the dream always turns into a nightmare.”
06, p. 157 “A dream… gives you the exact picture of what is going on within you, of the state you are in, of the state of your surroundings, and with those indications you can do what is necessary to transform yourself. But it is not the dream that will transform you.”
07, p. 132-33, This is about why we dream and how the dream consciousness is different from the waking consciousness.
15, p. 347-54 Specific and general information about dreams and their origin and meaning and how valuable they are as a field of study. Also how to relax before sleep to have more restful nights and wake up full of energy.
16, p. 023 Why do I do something in dream which I would not do in the waking consciousness? The movement comes from a subconscient layer which is not allowed to express itself in the daytime.
16, p. 385 “For most people, in their sleep, it is precisely what has been recorded in the subconscient during the day or previously which becomes active again and constitutes their dreams.”
17, p. 045 Mother explains why one may see everything as dim in dreams: “That is because your vision is not fully developed in that world or because you go to dark places there. But that does not mean that the whole vital world is dark!”
2.1.7.b -- becoming conscious of dreams (4)
03, p. 013-16 Mother talks about how to become conscious of your dreams, what is dreamless sleep, and the difference between vision and dreams.
05, p. 025-27 p. 25: How the brain creates absurd and tiring dreams when waking control is not there. P. 26 '”To have the least number of dreams one must relax the mind in a pure white silence.” p.27: lucid dreams: you can arrange and organise your dreams once you know you are dreaming.
05, p. 037-40 Description of the various states one dreams in (mental, vital, subtle physical) and how one passes through the different states. Method given for remembering.
08, p. 116-19 A discussion of how it is possible for a child to create a beautiful material life for himself by dreaming each night in the vital world where forms are created. Each night one returns to the same place and continues his “story”. Mother tells the requirements to be able to do it. (also under: 2.1.4, 2.6)
2.1.7.c -- types of dreams (10)
06, p. 142-43, 147-48 About seeing the Mother in dreams. This can be symbolic or one can be seeing in the subtle physical, the vital or the mind. One sees something of her, not her whole being. Symbolic dreams are usually very coherent and one remembers everything to the least detail and it leaves a deep impression upon you. One feels one has lived a more intense and truer life than the physical one. Usually this kind of dream comes only when it is necessary. Pages 147-48 tell how such experiences are translated by the brain of the individual who has them
07, p. 024 A nightmare is a rash excursion into the vital world and the remedy is usually to return to the body for protection by waking yourself up.
07, p. 119-22, 124-25 A good discussion of the kinds of dreams and a good method given for avoiding the most useless and tiring ones. Also how one should wake up and recover memory of the previous night’s dream activities. Basically Mother gives here the method for becoming conscious and gaining control of one’s nights. Page 124 tells more about the different kinds of dreams one can have. Page 125 tells about the inadvisability of doing intellectual work before sleeping because if the mind continues working then one doesn’t rest.
07, p. 129 This is a discussion of the difference between having dreams and seeing visions. One can have visions while in the waking consciousness with open or closed eyes while when dreaming one is always asleep.
07, p. 130 How can we distinguish between a symbolic dream and other dreams? “Usually the symbolic dream is much clearer, more precise, more coordinated, and carries with it a kind of consciousness of something which is true…one remembers it better, it is not distorted in the remembrance.”
07, p. 134-36 Mother tells the meaning of seeing yourself dead in a dream and also tells about why you should never startle anyone out of his sleep and about the meaning of different experiences some people have upon waking up—e.g. feeling like one cannot move or that some part of oneself is missing.
08, p. 219 We all get a partial, superficial experience of regions of the occult world in our dreams. A study of one’s dreams itself already demands much time and care, and may constitute a preparation for a deeper study of the invisible worlds. Pages 217-19 give a good introduction to the subject of what the occult world is and how one is able to visit its regions and meet its inhabitants.
16, p. 189 Brief answer to a student who reported that he had a nightmare and was almost afraid: “One must never be afraid. Even in your sleep you must be able to remember me and call me to your help if there is some danger. You will see that the nightmares will vanish.”
16, p. 317a How can one distinguish a dream from an experience? “In a general way, a dream leaves a confused and fleeting impression, whereas an experience awakens a deep and lasting feeling. But the shades of difference are subtle and many, and it is by a very attentive and sincere observation…free from bias and preference…that one gradually learns to discern one from the other.”
16, p. 408 Mother briefly explains the meetings one has with others in dreams: “Most often it is the vital consciousness that goes out of the body and has the form, the appearance of the person’s body. If one person dreams of another, it means that both have met at night, most often in the vital region, but it can also happen elsewhere, in the subtle physical or the mental. There are any number of different possibilities in dreams.”
2.1.7.d -- premonitory dreams (2)
05, p. 191-93 About premonitory dreams—the story of the man who dreamed the elevator boy was inviting him into a hearse thus saving him from his death the next morning when he refused to enter the elevator which crashed killing all. Other dreams or visions are forewarnings to help you to prepare from within for what is to come. You cannot change the thing but you can change your attitude. In either case it depends absolutely on the plane on which you see. When you are conscious of your sleep and dreams you can distinguish between the two kinds and choose the appropriate action. Examples are given of what Mother means by this.
10, p. 125-28 Mother talks about premonitory dreams and visions and the planes they come from.