worlds within worlds

Glimpse the horizon of human potential with lucid dreaming...a journey of perception in awareness

To be consciously aware within a dream, knowing full well that one's physical body is resting comfortably, and even having control over the dream. This is lucid dreaming.

If you ever wondered what your subconscious holds, what guiding angels or slavering demons lurk inside your pysche, you have only to look around in a dream. For dreams are the realm of the subconscious. There you face your inner fears, some forgotten, some entirely unknown consciously. Desires and impulses ranging from the carnally mundane to purest spirituality. When you find yourself lucid in a dream you have before you your subconscious mind and an infinity of possibilities! The potential for self-growth and personal healing is tremendous in that realm. However, having lucidity and holding it, and the dreamscene as well, can truly test one's will and focus! There have been many times I found myself lucid and just the simple excitement and wonder at the discovery was enough to awaken me! Calmness does prolong lucidity.

Here are some tried and proven methods for success in this activity.

Meditation: Any activity that demands discipline and decreases the domination by the ego will aid in lucid dreaming. In meditation the inner dialogue shuts up! The voice of the ego is silenced and pure awareness can arise in it's stead. That is perhaps the most conducive element to lucidity.
In such a state one is no longer affected by fluttering thoughts and emotion. This calm, clear awareness is much the same thing as lucidity within a dream. You are aware and not distracted. Which is exactly what is needed in a dream. The dreamworld is often the reciprocal of the waking world. The mirror image in fact. How you are in the waking world determines how you will be while dreaming and vice-versa. So if you find yourself swayed this way and that by emotion and mind garbage while awake, it follows that while dreaming you will be swayed and "carried off" by the dream images, feelings, etc..
Stalking Thoughts (Term borrowed from Carlos Castañeda): This means keeping a watchful eye on one's thoughts throughout the day. It's all about self awareness! Habits and patterns should become apparent. Not continuing these (at least not exactly the same way) is encouraged but humans are creatures of habit so it's unrealistic to expect to do everything differently everyday. But if you keep doing and percieving everything the same way, your dreaming mindset will not change either. Work in lucidity is not something only done while asleep! It is left and right brain activity.
To elaborate, while awake our attention is fixed on a world of objects. Solid, stable matter yet there is much more to be aware of...The people around you are more than the visible flesh or words spoken. There is also an energy body, which in turn is composed of more, emotional, mental,..subtler bodies. The right side of the brain must be developed! I mean the intuitive/emotional aspect of ourselves. In dreams however, objects and matter are fluid and everchanging. The left cognitive/logical aspect must grasp and hold right brain dream chaos. Once lucid, see something but do not fixate upon an image or the dream will change! Look around in short glances and "will" the scene to remain constant. Often, it takes discipline not to fixate on something while dreaming.
Suggestion: This consists of simply reminding oneself to remain aware while falling asleep. Stating something verbally or mentally, has the effect of both focusing and directing will and desire. This is also a basic tenet of magick, of course! It is also advisable to plan what to do/where to go, at the onset of lucidity. Otherwise, the opportunity may slip away before you have time to act. Lucidity can be easily lost, quickly! So called "reality checks" are very useful as well. It is very common to awaken from a LD into another dream. Pinching oneself is the most common reality check. False awakenings can be vividly real so whatever works is encouraged.
A Dream Journal: Recording dreams in a journal will aid in recall greatly. This ultimately helps bridge the perceptual consciousness gap between the dream realm and the waking world. You may be having lucid dreams but if you can't remember them the real work and enjoyment is impossible. Upon strengthening dream recall while awake, the exact polarity occurs. One will find that remembrance of the sleeping physical body becomes common. Such awareness is tremendously empowering! No longer are you simply physically resting unconsciously every night. A psychological integration of one's consciousness is possible at such a point. You can now work on your life issues in dreams. For artists an inventors, this is an inexhaustable fountain of inspiration!
Emotional Flow: Repressed emotion surfaces and finds expression in dreams. This is especially true of the instinctive/primal ones! The subconscious is filled with ancient forms and the things our conscious ego either has no immediate need for or does not wish to face.
Unexpressed or denied fear for example will occur as some threatening person giving chase or even a sudden sense of dread when encountering certain characters or places in a dream. Reccuring themes in dreams are a definate sign of something to be...worked through. The best thing to do is to stop and face whatever form the emotion is presenting itself as. If a place, enter, if a person, by all means question!
Complete anihilation of the threat is also an option of course and quite uplifting but only in the short-term when dealing with emotion. Energy cannot be destroyed. It can be suppressed or used. So one may conquer a foe in a dream but if the emotion behind the form is not dealt with, it shall return. With lucidity one will instantly recognize the pattern or person/event. Dealing with intense emotion is easier from such a state. It is a sort of "detached" mindset from which one can make the most out of such opportunities. Your subconscious will answer one way or another! Express the emotion fully and use it. Emotion is energy. Recalling how one felt in a dream (under any circumstances) is crucial in personal interpretation.