Comments on Previous Letters

I still do not comprehend how objects can manifest in Dreaming that seemingly do not even fall within the Tonal, that is, the human description of the world. My entire map is centered around the main object, the House. The radius of this area is quite large; within it, I've placed a multitude of different places from my dreams. Primarily, it's a city, houses, streets, shops, department stores. Separate objects include a school, an institute, a train station, and dacha plots (merging with a village I know); these plots are in the SE-region of the large central "circumference" (the one around the House). Sometimes I have dreams where I am in some premises with a multitude of corridors, doors, rooms, stairwells, etc. Usually, I'm running from someone. But that's not important. It seems this is the large building located to the South. But this is almost the only "outlier" from my "central circumference," where 95% of my dreams occur.

However, when I had a Lucid Dream, I mapped another place, beyond the "circle" — to the West. My own house, moving spontaneously, conveyed me there. It conveyed me into a Lucid Dream. I was still memorizing the terrain as I "traveled" in that direction. There's a volcano on one side, then wooden structures again, and to the left (if looking directly West), a large grass-covered hollow, and a forest, with mountains on the horizon. This was an isolated incident. The rest remains within the ordinary Tonal — technogenic zones.

I thought, well, so be it. I'll map (become aware of) at least this area. So I'm working on it for now... Now a certain intention has emerged (I won't say what it is); to fulfill it, I need to enter a Lucid Dream or at least emerge into my room in a hypnagogic state. Then the next stage will begin... Otherwise, it seems I can finish with mapping — it's all one and the same, there's nothing new to add to the map — dreams repeat in different parts of what I've already drawn (and that's quite a lot of rectangles) and practically do not go beyond the "circle". No rivers, lakes, or forests appear in my dreams. Even those that do, I intuitively feel are also located within this "technogenic" zone.

The purpose of mapping is to order the Tonal of Dreaming, rather than to venture into the unknown — into all those rivers, labyrinth zones, prisons, the Bridge... The Tonal is the description of the world. The Tonal of Dreaming is the description of the world of Dreaming. I seem to have attained awareness of my dreams. I would not presume to claim awareness of all. Far from all. But at least for the past few years... All of them repeat in the same places, rarely appearing at the border of this "zone" — usually rivers, swamps, grass... Sergei Izrigi warned that there is a danger of getting carried away by the idea of mapping and only engaging in it, becoming obsessed with it. Thus, I believe it is time to engage with the dream body, rather than with cartography. Or perhaps there's something else I do not comprehend... Maybe it refers exclusively to the mapping of Lucid Dreams?

Comments on Your Messages

Lenas wrote about map rotations, orientation by cardinal directions, mirror-imaging, and so on. I do not comprehend, WHY trouble yourselves with this? :) Simply position the sheet as it naturally falls (but do not change it later!) and place objects on it. As for what the side where my dachas are located is called — I am utterly indifferent. Whether it's South or North... On the map, it's at the top, and that's fine! I record what I perceive, where things are located. (This addresses wiwk's query.) Upon waking, I recall and become aware of the direction in which a particular locale lies. And I draw it. Thus far, I do not appear to have erred.

Furthermore, doc is right — do not construct templates for yourselves! I looked at that general map, and that's it; I started drawing my own from scratch, and I am unconcerned if something fails to align. This is MY map! MY Tonal!