Andrew Holecek | Dreaming To Live and Die

In this episode, I speak with Andrew Holecek, the author of several books on meditation and lucid dreaming. While he's had a career as a dental surgeon, he has had a lifelong interest in meditation and the wisdom traditions. In 1998, he went on a three-year retreat at Sopa Choling in Nova Scotia, Canada. He calls this experience "transformative," and it was in his last year he had the idea for his first book, The Power and the Pain: Transforming Spiritual Hardship into Joy. He has gone on to publish several other books on dying, meditation, and dream yoga and speaks and teaches on these topics. His teachings draw on Buddhism, but he stresses that all wisdom traditions have something to offer and often teach the same things in different ways.
Andrew's book Preparing to Die: Practical Advice and Spiritual Wisdom From the Tibetan Buddhist Tradition explains that how we prepare to die is just as important as how we live. Many of the spiritual masters understand that death is just another phase of life, and they make no distinction between life and death.
Andrew's work on lucid dreaming further extends these ideas, as this practice is really about becoming more conscious and intentional. In his books about dream yoga and lucid dreaming, he explains that dream yoga incorporates but also transcends lucid dreaming. Lucid dreaming is the act of becoming conscious when in a dream state, so that the "conscious mind can face the unconscious mind directly."
As a dental surgeon and founder of Global Dental Relief, which provides dental care to people in developing countries, Andrew believes in the efficacy of Western medicine. However, as he notes, we are one of the only cultures that do not regard the dream state as important. He seeks to draw on the best of Eastern thought and Western medicine in his approach to sleep and dreaming. He gives examples of accounts of people who dreamed events that later became true and his own experiences with precognitive dreaming.
Andrew offers retreats for people interested in learning more about his work and is hosting one in March in Costa Rica. He also hosts an online community, Night Club.
Connect With Andrew Holecek
Websites
www.andrewholecek.com
Night Club: nightclub.andrewholecek.com
Global Dental Relief: www.globaldentalrelief.org
Podcast
www.edgeofmindpodcast.com
LinkedIn
www.linkedin.com/in/andrewholecek/
Facebook
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X (Twitter)
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Books:
www.andrewholecek.com/andrew-holecek-books
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