On Dreaming and the Dreamlands

There are three forms of dreaming. The first is normal dreaming, in which the mind uses the imagination to create images while a person is asleep. Like sleep itself, we do not yet fully understand the purpose of normal dreams, but this much is certain. Nearly all mammals dream, as well as some rather "primitive" creatures like spiders. And humans who are deprived of the ability to dream degenerate mentally, becoming delusional and paranoid, experiencing hallucinations, and finally suffering a psychotic break. The second form of dreaming occurs when sensory stimuli, acquired either through the senses or psychically, causes the mind to interpret and display the information as imaginary images.

The third form is known as Dreaming (note the capital "D"). This is the phenomenon wherein the mind of the sleeper slips across interdimensional space to another universe known as the Lands of the Dreams of Men (more popularly referred to as the Dreamworld or the Dreamlands). The Dreamlands is not imaginary; it has an independent physical existence, which is demonstrated by the fact that it is sometimes possible to physically enter the Dreamlands through "gates" created when the Dreamlands and our universe come into physical contact. In fact it constitutes an entire alternate reality, or at least a series of parallel universes within our Level 1 Multiverse. However, the Dreamlands was also created by the minds of sapient beings, and its nature is constantly changing as our perception of the Dreamlands changes.

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