Begin Lucid Dreaming

Lucid dreaming is simply dreaming while aware. This allows you to take active part in your dream, to make decisions, create dream scenarios and even determine the direction of your dream. You are control of your actions in dream space, though control of other "characters" and objects in your dream may vary. Lucid dreaming is a valuable tool for connecting with our sub-conscious and a stepping stone to more advanced dream work.

Required Tools:

It is helpful to have a dream journal, a comfortable bed in a dark room, and a mind clear of intoxicants.

Directions:

The first goal for the lucid dreamer is to become lucid in a dream. That is, to be aware that he is dreaming. There are several "tricks" to doing this.

1. Keep a dream journal If you write down your dreams each morning first thing, you will become more familiar with your personal dreamscape, you may come to notice patterns that will trigger your awareness in future dreams.

2. Make consciousness checks Create a habit of checking your consciousness several times a day based on triggers that can happen in a dream or in the waking world. For example, every time you see a cat, or a tree, or every time you sit down. It should be a simple and repetitious thing that wouldn't be as easy to do when you're sleeping. For example, you can count on your fingers 1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-1. Or (as I did) take off your ring from one hand and slip it on the other. When you try to do this in a dream and you see that your fingers have gone wonky, you might get a clue. Or check your watch, watches like to go wonky in dreams, especially the analog sort.

3. Set your intention: Before you go to sleep, last thing after you've had your drink of water, used the bathroom, turned off the light and crawled into bed, say out loud "Tonight I will be aware in my dreams". Write this in your journal across the top of the page where you will write about your experience in the morning.

4. Try to jump back into a dream When you wake up in the middle of a dream, try to quickly go back to sleep and jump back into it with full awareness.

After some practice, one day, while you are dreaming, you will realize that you are indeed dreaming. You may wake up immediately. Don't worry, just do item 4 on the list above.

Once you are aware you are dreaming and settled in your dream, you may begin to take an active part in your dream. You may have forgotten what you're dreaming about in the shock of realizing you're dreaming, this is an opportunity to create a dream of your making! Your dream space can be a sort of laboratory to play out scenarios, or fantasies, or whatever you like.

If you become frightened in your dream, remember, it really is only a dream! This is not the astral plane, this your own subconscious. You have the option to wake up, to manifest a weapon to defeat the threat, to fly away, or to create a bubble of protective energy around you. Or hey, it's your dream, watch the threat spontaneously combust. However, dream space and the astral plane can feel remarkably similar, so, it can be useful to use dream space for practice ahead of astral projection, I recommend practicing defensive techniques that can be used on the astral plane as well, like shielding- Though going in with a positive, confident attitude is likely all the defense you will ever need.

Remember to write down all of these experiences in your dream journal!

Additional Comments:

There are more complicated techniques involving alarms and sleep schedules, supplements and visualizations, but I do not feel they are as helpful or authentic as these. It may take longer to "get there" this way, but it will also mean you will be able to do it without jumping through hoops and we as magic users hope to be able to use our dreams for work, not just because lucid dreaming is cool. If you are growing frustrated, and want to try these other techniques, look for the WILD and/or MILD Lucid Dreaming techniques. There are many Youtube videos about them.

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