Part 2, The Art of Dreaming, Chapter 7, Dreaming Together Summary and Analysis

When Carlos suggests that they immerse themselves in dreaming, fear and distrust lift. La Gorda's feels like they have dreamed together in the past, so doing it again should be a "cinch"—just like seeing together. They agree to start dreaming far apart and the the first to enter dreaming will wait and snatch the other before going deeper. Anxious, it takes Carlos 10-15 minutes to enter "restful vigil," a preliminary state when the senses grow dormant but one is still aware. It is marked by a red-orange light. The remaining stages are 2) "dynamic vigil," when the light dissipates and the dreamer views a static, frozen tableau; 3) "passive witnessing," when the dreamer observes an event as it occurs; and 4) "dynamic initiative," when the dreamer acts.

Carlos...