The following is an example of how I use dreaming to make my own personal temple:

After dreaming in a LCD I found a black bar, in the likness of a gold bar, sitting at the side of the couch I was sleeping in. I got up looked at it and wondered what in the world it was soppose to be. Upon recollection of my dream I realized this was a block of mental substance that I could use to build with. I replayed the dream and was in a kind of void where there were red and black clouds with lots of lightning. Later I would doub this place the forge, complete with its own sigil to aid in future visits. There was no floor no appearnt end to this place. Just an odd space. I remembered seeing three Runes (runes was what I was attempting to dream about) Uruz, Sowelu and Isa. It was awe inspiring to see these three symbols before me kind of hoovering and dancing around each other in there own little electrical gas cloud. They joined to form a sigil. Later this sigil would represent the etheric matterial I used to build a small astral temple. The three runes as a sigil began to kind morph. I saw lots of electricity and bright flash. The end result was a black, onxy appearing, metal bar. Now since I was lucid I went ahead and set it down. I summoned the sigil once more and it produced another block. And another and another. Soon I realized I was able to mold these blocks into walls and floors. By the end of the night I had built a temple that I would later return to for the purpose of meditating on the representation of my new found sigil. To complete it I used the void itself to produce an ideal setting for the temple.

After I did this I realized that dreaming while dreaming was a way of sort of "divining" properties of magick tools and matterial. I'd sit in a lucid dream thinking of a specific tools I needed and my intentions for making them in the first place. Then I would dream and learn the qualities of the tools I wanted complete with a sigil. I'd wake up replay the dream lucid and in this void place used the sigil to mold my magickal tool. Then awake from the LCD I'd record the sigil. With this I made a key of sigils for various places and tools. Each sigil represented a tool or place of a specific nature and every time something arised that these things were useful I'd simply visualize the sigil within this void place and the tool or place appeared. The really useful thing for me though is that all that I made seems to carry astral substance. Since LCDs and AP are so closely related I was able to use the sigils to generate tools and places on the astral plains as well as witin dreams.

Really dreaming while concious dreaming became a regular practice for retriving information. Its even possible to use this to recall an entire day and in great detail.

Ok this actually came to me after reading someone post about how they kept waking up from dreams while still dreaming it made me remember something those of you interested might like: Dreaming while dreaming.

Basically its a form of trance while in a lucid dream. What you do is enter a LCD. From here picture a bed, probably the one you might normally use. Lay down and allow yourself to go to sleep. Allow yourself to dream for a time but then realize you are dreaming and then wake up inside your actual LCD. This is rather complicated, but still pretty fun to indulge your dream senses. Its kind of a progressive conditioning. You teach yourself to have lucid dreams. Then you condition yourself to go to sleep like normal while in an LCD and then wake while still in a dream. At first not much will happen. But as you practice you'll be able to go for longer periods of time unconcious and wake yourself into a concious dream.

Now to make use of this. Once you have learned and are confident you can lose conciousness while sleeping and regain conciousness still sleeping, without actually waking up, you are ready try this. Pick a topic or concept you want to explore. On your bed (while in an LCD) think about this. Allow yourself to actually dream about it. This is when you lose conciousness and dream like normal. Except you've actually gotten yourself to dream about something specific. The trick is to not stay in this state too long because, at least for me, I've found that the longer I stay in this state the harder it is to not simply awake out my dreams all together, even with pratice. Once you are able to regain conciousness lay in your bed while dreaming. From here you can do several things; simply remember what you drempt of unconcious and risk losing conciousness again, or actually act out what you drempt of, or picture a book on the floor that has pictures (words also work, but pictures work for me better).

Its an interesting way to let the mind toy with concepts to find knowledge one may have previously over looked.

Either way this ritual is based on the elements. I created from my own "book of elements" as described in Ly DeAngelis' book "witchcraft theory and practice". Basically I took the correspondances of the elements and applied them to my personallity. From this I created a staging point and pathworking "world" for each element, that included spirit for a finnally. I created two versions. One that worked each element individually and one that worked all four in one path. Basically I just combined the four into a string of paths that leads to the a world of spirit. But here it is;

Day 1, Earth.

I enter a state of meditation. From here I can see colors. Mostly greens and browns. The combine to form trees, flowers, shrubs, pine cones and needles. I also see rocks with moss covering them, wild grass. I can hear and feel the wind in the trees. I also see a river to my right. In front of me is a dirt trail it follows the river. I head down this path. Eventually I arrive at a point where the path is blocked. It looks like a wall covered with vines and roses. The river runs under it. I approach it and I can see a face. It opens its eyes, smiles peacefully and identifies itself as the keeper of the earth gate and asks to see the symbol of earth before I pass. I visualize the symbol of earth (inverted triangle with a bar through the middle). It is gold and it fits in a spot on the wall located above me. The vines clear to reveal a door that opens. It is dark but I enter.

On the other side I enter a clearing before a giant mountain range. It is jagged and rough terrain. I can see a castle in front of me in the distance. It is dark and made of grey bricks. The pathway is also dark and full of trees. To my left I see a rope bridge that leads to a stone temple. To my right I see a path, clear of debris. It follows around the base of the mountain and I can not see where it leads beyond this.

Normally at this point I would choose a path to take. But this only serves as an example and I could spend a lot of time describing each main path and each sub-path and any entities I may or may not encounter. But hopefully this helps to make sense of a pathworking ritual. When I descide my journey is over I either return the way I came or visualize the earth symbol and door that takes me back to the staging point. I always leave in one of these manners. Now I am done for the day.

Day 2, Air.

I re-enter my meditation and return to the area in the woods as before. I follow the path as last time. Only now I reach a point where a wall of wind prevents me from going further. A smokey figure appears identifies itself as the keep of the gate of air and asks I show it the symbol for air (triangle with bar in middle). I visualize this symbol and it the wind reveals a door way that opens. It is dark but I enter.

On the other side I am at the edge of a cliff. I can not see the bottom of it. The land scape is rife with steep mountains peaking through a dysmal cloud covering the bottom. I am in a world of sky. In front of me is another rope bridge. It leads to a castle made of crystal the light of a sun shines through to cause a prismatic affect. So the castle reflects all the colors of the spectrum. To my left is a stairway that leads up to a temple made of the same crystal. To my right is a dragon with a saddle. I have no idea where he will take me.

Again this is only an example. There are many paths. So many that I could not describe them all without really boring you guys.

Day 3, Fire.

I go through the same forest area until I reach a wall of brillant flames. An entity of fire identifies itself and asks for the symbol of fire (a plain triangle). I show it and a door is revealed. On the other side is an intensely bright place. I can feel the warmth as this place is much hotter than the others. All around me is a desolete land scape of ash volcanos and rivers of lava. In front of me is a stairway that leads to a castle on top of a valcano. It is on fire. The path is marked by small flames of its own. To my left is an other pathway on fire that leads to a temple the temple is a shiny obsidian color. To my right is a third path that leads to a giant river of lava. At the river bank is a dock and balck ship on fire with burning sails. I do not know where the ship will take me.

Seems dark and scary but in reallity its only ment to reflect the nature of each element. No world is really more scary than the other.

Day 4, Water.

This time when I reach the gate as I have all the others The river itself becomes connected to a water fall. A beautiful feminine face appears through it and asks to see the symbol of water in the same manner as all the other gate guardians. I show it the symbol of water (an inverted triangle). The water fall parts to reveal a cave. I enter. On the other side I am under water. I don't fret because I can breathe just the same. There are no pathways apparant and I must swim to go anywhere. Above me light shines through to reveal a surface. In front of me is a submerged castle. Enormous and pleasent. To my left is a submerged temple. It is small, humble and in the shape of a dome. To my right is a dark cave. I have no idea what is in it or where it will take me.

When I'm finished I leave in the usual manner.

Day 5, Spirit.

This time I approach the earth and travel each of the four elemental worlds. I go left in each world to the temple. Within the temple, amoung other things, is a another gate that leads to another world. So after I enter the earth temple I reach the world of air, then fire and so on. In the temple of water I reach a well. Remember I'm under water so is the well. It is large enough for me to swim down it. The deeper I go the more luminous in become. Until there is no darkness i am surrounded by light. I reach a latter and climb down it. I enter a dry room. Here a white angelic entity approaches me identifies itself as the elemental of all elements- spirit and asks to see the symbol for spirit (a circle with an 'x' in it.) As soon as I show it the room is illuminated with many "doors" Each is more light a hole of white light. Each surround me in a circle. There are 12 total. I don't know where any of these will lead. There is one exception. A 13th spot that was not apparant until now with no door, but a large bridge over an abyss. It leads to a temple. The temple is black and enormous and has many windows from which white light shines.

To exist this ritual I go back through all the temple doors until I return to my staging area.

And there you have it. An example path working ritual that you can yourself and alter in any way you'd like. Or you can simply ignore and wait to see what I have in store the next I post to this thread! I do keep a journal of all that I expiernce and this is just one of many many ways to build a pathworking ritual.

I'm sure most expereinced occultist already know plenty about this so this one I am mostly aiming at beginners. This however will greatly contribute to any OF astral temple as I think this is the technique most people will be able to use and get good results. Visualization is key.

Pathworking is self explainitory, arbitrarily speaking. Its the process of mapping a spiritual place or alternate reality. Its basically the working of magick from a starting point traversing a "path" then ending back at the starting point. Some works readers may be familiar with is the "latter of lights" as described in Simon's necronomicon. The qabalah or any tree of life operation. And pathworking can even include acsending the astral plains.

How pathworking really works is one enters a trace state of mind and then enters a seperate reality through the use of doors, mirrors, portals ect each with their own symbol/theme. One where a person's intentions achieve results. However with experience the psuedo reality will act more like real reality and become more unpredictable, not a bad thing as it adds to a more realistic experience- reality is not always predictable. The separte reality could inculde other entites one will meet. It could be based on a place one has explored before hand. In fact pathworking can often be used in conjunction with the roads one regularly takes. Like walking to school or work or to a friend's house. The magician can use these common paths and explore new avenues to kind of map a spiritual world.

A magician generally uses symbols and correspondances to aid in pathworking. Great examples of this are Runes or Ogham. Both are symbols systems that are sequential one can use to travel a path to achieve greater awareness, spiritual attainment, access to other plains of reality or gifts/contact from otherworldly beings. Each symbol represents a meaning or theme one can explore. If one wishes they can use mythology. Any myth can be used as a setting for pathworking and one's desires can be a theme one uses as symbols to travel a myth. One can even create their own myth about themselves or a comletely separate world of their design combining the above as they see fit. One could use middle earth, from the hobbit, as the setting for their path working or the many worlds of star wars as well. The limmits to this are really in the minds of the individual practitioner. While one doesn't need symbols they do greatly aid and keep things working in a forward direction. I might be shot for even mentioning this (I didn't realize this until I read it myself) but dungeons and dragons, though entertaining, does have many aspects related to path workng. A skilled dungeon master already has the essential abilities for group pathworking and needs only apply that skill to something serious as a pose to a simple game. The worlds and enviroments of video games can also be used.

Group pathworking is also a great way for serious practicioners to connect to eachother. In a group setting the starting point is exactly like an astral temple. They enter an altered state of mind and mentally meet in a per-deterined location, guided by a kind of group leader along with the aid of symbols the meeting point is the astral temple and what is explored within it is the pathworking ritual. The only difference is that the guide has little baring on an individual's percpetion of the astral temple. He himself will only serve as a guide as he is also engaging in the ritual.

For an online astral temple, which I still see no reason why it wouldn't work, basically the people involved agree on symbols and guidlines then each on their own time, or at a designated time, enter the agreed upon spot, use the symbols and engage the environment then report back on their exploits. The temple itself can be very complex and include a whole world or very simple place as just a one room structure. A general rule of thumb when exploring multiple realms is to do it one at a time. Or within one's own capacity and skill level.

Pathworking can allow the practitioner to acheive great things and I believe is one of the fundamental practices of the occult.

As the vast well of knowledge this site has contributed to me I see it fit to return the favor. This works to maintain my own knowledge as well as this sites well of knowledge. If the universe is full of infinite power that power should be shared. If knowledge is power than my knowledge I share:

Do you have a spirit guide? You really do know. Even if you haven't realized it yet you probably do. Exactly what a spirit guide may be is subjective. It could be a favorable entity watching over you. One that is a kindred spirit. A being you had relations with in a past or future life. It could be a dead relative. Or a divine force beyond our simple comprehention. It could be a part of your super concous self trying to look out for you in a way that you can feel confortable with.

Guides are guardians and protectors and teachers and servitors and masters abd all the above. Certain books will give their own rituals to perform to come in contact with your own spirit guides. These may or may not be of help. I'm of the mind you already know what guides are in your presance. And your dreams tell you and show you and your guides will interact with you in your dreams and even waking life. As you recall your dreams and get better at doing so you may notice these guides. Pictures or writings which ever method you use to record your dreams will further articulate entities within them. Your own guide may be many things. It can be a tv character or god form. A mythic creature or arc angel. It could be you own child, deceased living or unborn into this world yet. It could be a person from a past of future life. It could be your spouse or favorite pet.

As these things appear in your dreams pay attention to them. If you dream often of snakes and spiders record the emotions these creatures convey. The more often any such entities appear in your dreams the more meaning they have. You may have a fear of snakes and spiders and ironically these may be your spirit guides capable of guiding you through your underlying fears. As you get further in touch with animals and people of your dreams you'll come to realize you have many guides. Each capable of leading you through all aspects of life. All are protective. All of them can be teachers. All of them are master of their aspect. All can aid in completing certain tasks.

When you discovery which animals and people are most prevalent in your dreams you can learn their nature within your dreams. Then learn the nature of the animals in real life. Compare the two and chances are you'll notice a split between how they act in real life and how they act within your dreams. These guides are very very useful. I can not stress that enough. Wheather you use them from protection during cerimonial magick or guides into your dreams or the astral plains or use them as teachers in your own inner temples they are magickal beings.

Learn your spirit guides because they are the greatest allies of the self that is you.

Dream time I believe is the time when the mind shifts from the perception of the macrocosmic existance of this reality to that microcosmic realm of one's own inner reallity. Your universe within the universe. In essence one's dreams can be said to be the equavilant of a sacred circle. One that a magician may cast before doing a ritual. As with circles awake the magician may enter a trance or altered state of mind specific to the ritual. Dreams automatically put the mind in a trance state. If one is capable of being concious within dreams they can utilize this trance state from their own ritual purposes and with the vividness of being able to utterly control the environment around them. One does not simply vizualize things within dreams they materialize. Its quite simple really. You're within a lucid dream you've had expirience manipulating what is around. You may even be at a point where you have your own inner temples. So you have a desire for a certain object or place or person and you can it forth. By sheer will. Within your dream you materialize what is desired. You can expereince it. As in touch it and use your senses to understand what is before you. Within dreams what you materialize will be of your inner reallity. To control the things you materialize will take practice. For example you can summon a sword but since it will be of your mind what you get may include certain aspects of your subconcious. Notice these things and see how significant they are. If they are immaterial to your intentions Gentally will them away. Like a sword smith you can temper the sword and use a hammer to shape it as you wish. The things you see that are important to your intentions can molded into asthetically pleasing shapes or jewls. You can shape designs, sigil and mantras in gold or plantimum to create you very own tool as it is your to make. Your mind will automatically remember this and in the future you recall this specific tool and use it in your own dream cerimonies.

Should you wish to place yourself within a specific environment alter the place as you did the object, or sword that I used for example. Explore the terrain and see the things that you didn't expect that your subconcious placed. If they are immaterial to what you are doing, get rid of them. Only keep the things apply. And you can create a place that is specific to your intentions that can also be recalled. Technically the things you materialize within dreams can be recalled/summoned by your own will. But a key phrase or sigil can also be used to aid.

Most things you materialize will only take seconds to do so. If your sub-concous alters it it will be obvious. So there is little need to spend lots of time compulsively dwelling on one object. As you get better it'll be easier to summon several objects at a time. Like five candles. Or a staff in one hand and sword in the other. Once you have the objects you need for a ritual you can preform magick in the exact same manner you would while awake. Probably the most impressive use of these tools, and more reason to have mantras/sigils to aid in summoning them, is that if you have skills visualizing you can use these mental creations awake in this world.

A note on subconcious alterations to what you create. The mind is your guide in the dream world. If your mind presents you somthing that you did not expect pay attention to what this is. While it may not apply to the object/place/person in question it may be related to something else important that may help or hinder you should you pay attention. These subtle changes can manifest at any time. And if you leave them unchecked they will turn negative and have an adverse affect on your workings. Listen to yourself for its the greatest guide you have.

I suppose some more advanced techniques should be applied. So today I'm going to presant how to build a psychic defense through dreams and AP. This process will take time possibly weeks and the up keep is daily. I've developed this method to be multi-functional. One will not only become aware of an intrusion they will automatically deal with it. If it doesn't go away then one can intervine. I have summerized the post in bold. Though it would be most useful if read all the way through at least once. Why one would want a psychic defense is to protect themselves from forces they may not be aware of or that may try to afflict one while on the astral plains or altered states of mind. This can also be a link between mind and body. Should the body fall ill or become damaged the mind can be put on alert and deal with the issue. One's intuition can alert the self of danger in the near future or a loved one in need of help. To a degree some of these dangers can be delt with servitors or with the aid of a guardian spirit. Through the following one will be able to develope the means to accomplish all that can be done willing dreams unhindered by inner and outter influence.

The best way to establish a well rounded mental defense is to know yourself. What's inside you as it was made by your past, your preanst and is affected by your future ambitions. Also know how you react to whats around you. If you know how your body responds to illness to you can learn how to pick up on these symptoms before you even become fully sick. If you know your emotional and mental state of being you can unlock triggers that would evoke a behavior in certain situations. If you can recognize triggers not only can one exert control over them but confront the negative conditions within themselves and the person(s) who may set a trigger off.

To do this through dreams one can use the dream incubation technique. This can also be used in conjunction with a dream alter. Simply use the techniques to manifest something you wish address. If you have a dialogue with your dreams interpreting their meaning will be much easier. If one is able to have lucid dreams, which is preferable, then they should thoroughly explore their inner world. Of course for beginners start slowly. In fact never forget that a lucid state may only remain for a short time. But don't let this discourage you.

To begin confront the negative stuff within dreams. Don't be affraid to poke your head into a dark corner. Also don't be suprised if something jumps out to scare you. Its just your primal mind trying to alert you to the negative image. If possible when you find such a negative image confront it directly. Ask it what it means. If it is stuburn command it as a part of your own being to tell you what it means. You may be quite suprised to discover hidden things about yourself that have been forgotten for many years. Their negative extance within your dreamscape is caused by the conditions that formed the initial desire or behavior and the subsequent supression of it. These can be sexual in nature, they may seem selfish, or taboo in society or even just your social group. The longer such desire has been supressed the more fear it will present itself in your dream. We are good at supressing many things. Not just taboo desires but also events, peopple and states of mind, deaths, abuses, addictions, depression, mental disorders we might deny to try to be "normal", somebody who just came off the wrong way and negative behavors (assholeness, arogance and ingnorance for example) that over the years have formed bad habits. Other things that we supress are resentments and envies. Think of somebody who's harmed you but you've never really confronted them about it (ex. like big brother picking on you). We also tend to supress the negative things we've done to others. In fact as an example think of the last time you might have told a white lie to get your way, consider that in your mind you justified that action before hand. That mental justification is one supressing the fact that telling a lie is amoral and can hurt people. The things supressed could be over something small and insignificant. Yet in your mind its the stuff of nightmares. Now by confronting thing doesn't mean you won't supress things anymore. That is a natural human behavior and serves to keep us from acting irationally when more "civil" behaviors are in order. What it does do is tell you who you are, the negative aspects of yourself. Many things you can't change many that you can. Accept the things you can not change. And have the courage to change the things you can. Now this change may have to come from a direct encounter with somebody you hold guilt or resentment towards. But ultimately it will strengthen your psyche.

Now that you can recognize the negative stuff you'll come to notice that as you continue to have lucid dreams these negative aspects will confront you in a less fear evoking manner. In fact they could quite calmly and peacefully come forward and directly say whatever it is that made them. Only by denying yourself the negative side of living do you really supress infomation in a harmful way. To supress it in your dreams is like putting a lid over a pot of boiling water. Eventually the steam will errupt. And the more preasure there is the more destruction it will cause. Some say that it is good to let the mind process things through dreams without consous intervention. But thats like letting a child learn to read and write without help. Once you are able to allow the mind to bring the things its processes to your awareness you'll find that dealing with them is so much easier.

Once you are confident the negative stuff won't bite you in the butt its time to check out the positive aspects of living. Principally where in life do you feel best and at the most peace of mind? What are the positive things about you? Are you compassionate? loving? Do you share and take responsiblity? How developed is your spiritual awareness? How motivated are you? Are you a team leader? There are many things that could be listed. Perhaps a good incubation could be to present a creative need as a question on how to be better at what you are good at or become better at what you are not so good at. By understanding the positive aspects of yourself the negative stuff won't have such a pessimistic impact. By knowing that you are a radiant and powerful being amoung others you'll find confidence and optimism. A fundamental aspect of psychic defense.

With the postive aspects we can begin to form a dream scape. Or a place within your mind you can go to explore your personal intellectual thoughts, needs, desires, skills and so much more. It serves as a place where one can not only explore but exibit magick practices. One can meditate in peace here. And its instantaneous. One doesn't have to go through all the steps. They can just will themselves into meditation and trance. Though specific rituals may require certain steps be taken dream magick is almost entirely guided by personal will power. Will power than can not be sustained and properly exerted with a mind cluttered by supressed thinking. In one's dream scape they can exit the body into the realms of the astral and spiritual plains- explore higher consouness an even collective consouness. They can use this as a platform for shared dreaming with others. They can use this as a means of healing and relaxation. In a dream scape one is litterally a godling within their own world.

To build this personal inner paradise use that positive place where you feel most relaxed and comfortable. It could be anywhere. Personally I like places in nature. If possible one could use a camp ground they visit or place in the woods where the fish or hunt or just go to hike. A city park or personal living room is just as exceptible. Get this imagine in your mind. Not just while you sleep but while you're awake. In fact when you do your reality checks think of the this place. The more you can suggest to your mind of this place the more likely and more easier it will be to manifest it within dreams. Even draw pictures or find photos, prefereably with you in the picture, or create/find a graphic representation with your computer. That night when you become lucid imediatly look around you. How close is this place to your positive image? The further away from it is the more likely there are still aspects of yourself left unexplored. But thats ok. A dream scape will help you explore these. Once you have neough practice at lucid dreaming it'll almost become a life within your life. Your awareness will be so great and your ability to maintain lucidity so strong that other people may have difficultly waking you out of your trance. This is the ideal frame of mind to start using personal will power to create/adjust your positive place.

This place that evokes a sense of peace and harmony within you is your place of power. When ever you invoke a lucid dream this will be where you start. Here is where all us that occurs within your dream will transpire. Of course you're dreaming so don't expect the scenery to be static. Explore your new place of power. See how fluid and ever changing it is. You may see the seasons run before your eyes Or find wild life. Or see images so outlandish they are out of context from the place of power- I will get to these. This is how one gets comfortable with their place of power. The more comfortable you get within it the easier it will be to accomplish other things. Once you are comfortable take a gander at the things that stand out most. I'd be willing to bet they are aspects of supressed things you've left unchecked. This is not bad. This is how you add to your dream scape. You identify the abstract out of place images presented in your place of power. Then they become gate ways into other areas of your mind. These are the gates of your own personal inner dimentions-inner space. From here, your place of power, you can explore the most primal side of your to the highest states of awareness and comprehension. Identify and explore these gates. As you get more advanced you can dedicate these gates by manipulating what they look like into litteral ates or doors or widnows or portals. You can use portals from "mario" if you like. Then also make personal creations to watch over these. As well as form sigils, mantras and talismens to further establish a connection to them. Once you've been there and done that then you can start to create your own dream gates. Any personal aspect you wish to address can be made into a dream gate that will lead to you a place you can manipulate, interact and interpret powered by every wit in your brain. One can imagine the enlightenment that can come from being able to apply every amount of brain power you can muster to understanding one thing. Remember that in dreams the sky is not the limit, only your imagination is. You can litterally do anything or explore anything within lucid dreams. Any occult feat that can be done awake can be done awake within your dreams. And doing magick within your dreams fits nicely into the formin a microcosom to influence the macrocosom. Your microcosom is your own world. The macro is what is around to include a realm just as expansive- the whole universe.

So now you have this world of your own. One that has already existed sense you were born. You are just now discovering how to exert control over your domain. What you get out of this is up to you. Having gotten this far you have affermed a degree of will power that very few minds could influence beyond what you allow them to. The extent of your accomplishment is noticed in the this new found psychic will discovered within yourself that is, in my opinion the will of a god, a god of its own realm. Because of that you have a psychic defense so strong that there is very little that can truely, mentally harm you. Now I express don't think of yourself as anything but a god over your own dream scape. You can afferm this psychic barrier around you from your dream scape. Enter it and picture is as a whole. It could be a floating island, or flat or sphereical. A place within a prism. Surrounded by an infanite expanse of dark space you have this creation of your own. Picture a wall, a caslte like, wall rise from the ground complete with one enterance and even a mote if you like. The mote can even be on fire if you like. From this wall notice a colorful field surround the whole of your world. The more attention to detail you pay the more charged this field will be. In reality you can choose any kind of barrier you like, no matter how surreal it may seem. You can use you occult knowledge to create, sigilization, familars, charms to protect this place, powered by your very own endless essence, you can charge it with elements or find a blessing from an outside source. The imagination is the limmit.

Evoking a watcher:

This is the practice of ejecting astral substance as a kind of shadow of yourself. This shadow is called a watcher. It is a sillohette figure that is complete with a specific intention. This means one doesn't just send astral substance into the astral worl they do it as a kind reconisance. The watcher is able to go into the astral world and retrive information, images, advice even otherworldly beings. This can be used in conjuntion with rituals or day to day needs.
1. Relax and enter a state of meditation. You can be at work in an office chair at break time. Or at home before you go to sleep. This is a fairly flexible excersice so the time frame can really be anytime.
2. Visualize a white pillar orginating from your crown. Just an inch above our skull. Picture this white pillar decending down the center of your body. Stop at your third eye and feel energy gather and collect. Stop at your throat and do the same. Stop at each chakra until you hit the sacrum in the same manner.
3. For each chakra charged remember the others before hand still contain their charge as well. Once you hit your sacrum visualize this white light turn into a sphere that encompasses your entire body from head to toe.
4. Spend some time holding this image in your mind. To re-affirm the charge of your chakras, if needed, go back through them started at the crown and decending downward. Picture each as a moving sphere that powers the sphere covering your body. The more time you spend doing this the stronger the sphere will get. This buble is protective and is like an egg shell covering you. The more energy you put into it the stronger the shell will be.
5. Once you have charged your body sphere picture at your solar plexus or even your third eye a ball of energy. While doing this do not forget the sphere around your body.
6. Allow this ball of energy to take the form of your body. Do this slowly. If you are working from your third eye, work your way down. If you are working from your solar plexus work outward.
7. Once the frame is complete visualize all together this sphere and astral body. The body should still be within you. Allow it to gentally emerge from your body. Picture the sphere of light around your body being duplicated and going with it. Notice a string of light connecting to you and your watcher.
8. Now while picturing the light around you and this bubble containing a body with your intentions (what you what this watcher to do) give it eyes and facial features.
9. Allow the body to dirft away out of sight. Don't let your concousness go with it.
10. Slowly allow yourself to awaken. Do not close the sphere of light around you. And if you are doing this earlier in the day periodically picture the sphere around you.
11. When you are ready to let the watcher back in you re-enter your meditation.
12. Slowly visualize the strand of light. Begin to see it being pulled back into you. Picture the ejected sphere with the body in it emerge so that it is hoovering a few inches above you.
13. Allow this figure to re-combine with your body and the sphere of light around you.
14. Meditate for a while. Holding this image of the sphere of light around you and the body within you. Allow the body to entirely disipate within you.
15. Starting from the sacrum visualize that chakra and see the sphere around you close back into the pillar of light. Go in reverse order to the other chakras up to your crown.
16. With the initial ritual complete remain in meditation and gentally allow yourself to recall what the watcher expereinced.
17. Ground yourself and record your experience.

As you gain practice this will take only a few moments to eject the watcher. How long you wish it to remain from your body will determine the amount of information it retreives. For beginners it is best to only allow the watcher to be gone for 20 minutes at most. Or if you are doing this before you sleep retreive the watcher when you wake up. Never forget your watcher. Don't leave it out for longer periods of time than you wish. It is usually best to set a time frame before doing this. A time when you will eject the watcher and an amount of time it will gone untill you recal it. The charge you gave the watcher will only last so long. So to leave it out longer than is desired is to risk it picking up a leech or being attacked. You will continue to feed it astral energy until you draw it back into you. And the longer you let it go the more of a drain it will have on you. This is great to pick up information about a place you may be going to or a place you want to experience. It is also great to pcik information from otherworldly beings or collect specific energy/entities for ritual use. Otherwise I leave it to readers to figure out what to do with a watcher.

For those of you familiar with ritual alters this may or may not be of use:

To construct a dream alter:
1. At the start of the day find a symbol to represent a desire and intentions to have lucid dreams. This is your center piece.
2. When ever you have a creative need you wish to address write it down in your dream journal then spend time to think about it through out the day.
3. At the end of your day before you sleep find objects, symbols, mantras ect related to your need. This follows the lines of dream incubation. Note that dream incubation is one of the fundamental techniques for LCDs.
4. Place the said items in a circle around you. If you have other tools you may use them to consecrate these items. Anything you can do to increase your mental awareness to the intentions you have is beneficial. Contemplate for a time over the things you've brought into the circle. What meaning does each individual piece carry? How is it related to your intentions?
5. When you are finished gather the items and your LCD symbol and place them somewhere near you before you sleep. Even carry some of the items to bed if you like.
6. Before you go to fall asleep consider your intentions and dwell no further on them. I find it helps me to meditate prior to actually going to sleep. It helps set my mind up for LCDs and sets the first stages of the sleeping process. Should you awaken in the middle of the night, before you move or open your eyes, replay the dream in your head until you have commited it to memory. Allow yourself to return to sleep.
7. In the morning when you get up recall and record your dreams. Through out the day consider how what you drempt of was related to the creative need you addressed.

Note that the alter itself can be as elaborate or simple as one wishes it to be. Some may find that intentions are best articulated and affirmed through a complex set up. Others may find a complex set up overbaring. Other tools can used. Your own personal esoteric tools as well as the common ones, candles, cloth, athame, staff/wand, salt, penticle, water, chalk, crystals/stones, oils, herbs, ect ect. All can be used in their proper manner to establish a strong ritual desire to delve into a creative need through dreams.

The astral realm is a place where the fabric of reality is percieved from an inner, mental point of view. Rather than seeing the world from an external way we see it from an internal view. But what you see is you in reality. It is a reflective world that is both a vission of the real world from an abstract frame of thought (one where physical laws are abstract instead of logical) and the inner emotions and desires of the self. So what you percieve will be of this world from a perspective of intentions and desires. The intentions and desires you stir prior to projection will be what you perceive on the astral world. What you percieve will be that of said intentions/desires. So one can incure if they are selfish they will find selfish things on the astral realm. If one seeks knowledge they will find libraries and beings willing to teach as well as others aslo wanting to learn and may be willing to exchange. If you are wanting to peer into another's privacy you will find that others will peer into yours. If you want to control another you yourself will be controled. That is why prior to projection one should be clear with their inner emotions and their true desires. For that is what one will find on the astral plains.

Like the real world there are places that are dangerous. To elaborate on the word dangerous there are certain beings who are liars and theifs, predators and parasites. There're places that can be traps or have a negative effect. There are temples of pyschopaths and "demonic" forces. Places that channel negative energies; hatred, anger, lust, greed, guilt, despair ect ect to people who approach them and allow themselves to be consumed. There are beings who are radiant in light but are also parasites and predators. You spot them by knowing yourself, your intentions and desires. Like the real world the astral realm is one where an individual would be wise to take protective messures as well as avoid such places and entities.

The side effects of hanging around negative places and entities for too long can be very detrimental. One can become sick or infected with negative forces. These can manifest as physical illnesses, mental distress, delusions, and spurts of anger. Currents that are destructive and serve no other purpose than to break down one's own essence right down to becoming insane if left unchecked. Such forces are only useful if one wishes to disrupt old behaviors to replace them with new ones. And even then it is not wise to tempt fate as a beginner.

This is why I stress knowing your intentions and having a desire to go somewhere or accomplish something. For what is within you, your desires, will be where you go. If all one does is project onto the astral world and have no clear intentions then sub-consous desires will take the reins. Where you go could be either a positive place or one that is negative. You could find yourself standing over the abyss or at an island paradise. Without clear intentions you may be subjected to the intentions of an entity who doesn't have you in his best interests. Having a desire to astral project serves a mechanism for self control. It afferms your own will power so others can not take advantage of you and your impressionable abstract frame of thinking. This desire can even be manipulated by one's own mind to manifest as a radiant shield. Should you be searching for healing a blue or yellow sphere of light may be what you choose to surround yourself with. Knowledge, perhaps white or black or even grey. There are other mechanisms too, servitors, avatars, elementals, thought forms and spirit guides all are very very useful ways to protect one's self from negative influences but to also reach the goals one desires to achieve. Also mandalas, talismens, sigils and other such charms are all useful for astral protection.

Should you encounter places or entities that stir fear do not let that fear control you. Fear is an emotion of intuition to alarm one's self of danger. The uncertainty of safety. To let it control you will give the places and beings that stir that emotion leverage to manipulate you and draw from you energy or power that they seek. Remember we are earth bound creatures. Radiant and charged by the power of the elements and personal will with divine authorities capable of interving should one just honestly ask for help from a higher power. Know that should you encounter places and entities, dispite having clear intentions and desires, even with guides or other protective measures, pay no attention to them. They are attempting to disrupt your will and they will win if you attack or pay too much attention to them. Defend yourself as nesseccery but to willfully and openly attack negative forces is to feed and empower them with negative energy. That will draw from you your own personal will power and ability to control yourself on the astral world. Your essence on the astral plains will deminish and when you return to the mundane world you will find yourself weakned, possibly even suffer the side effect of negative encounters.

In times of healing, to seek understanding of one's own negative potentials, specific astral rituals, initiation, soul retrival or penatence when decending into the sub-lunarary plains may be nesseccary. Personal will power and control will be the only tools that will truely be affective at defending yourself. You can use you mind to manifest these tools, a sword or sheild or guardian dragon but these will only be powered by your own desire and practice. Only a divine archetype can help you further. By channeling perfect and trust and perfect love to one's higher being one can reach a bond with a higher power. One that is understood by the individual and ampified by the power of that greater force. This can be used as a tool of protection into the lower plains. For one who is intuned with their god in perfect trust and perfect love can be guarded in an idestructible field of energy. This is because the power of a "god" archetype is just that, a force that is indestructable so long as one's own will power can stay surrendered to that force. Only corrupted desires- greed, arrogance, or lust can really disrupt a divine connection.

The astral plains is a world of its own full of places both positive and negative and all inbetween. There is no boundary for the lower plains any more for the positive. Neither are good or evil but nesseccary in the balancing of natural forces that form a stable reality. Both can have a postive and negative impact on the self. One is best to not dwell in either. The higher plains are blessed and peaceful. A place of meditation and enlightenment. But to dwell on these plains is just as harmful as the negative. It can lead to arrogance, forgetfulness of true human nature, disconnection from reality, and delusions of being a creature greater than human. Balance must be struck in the self and so the most common places you will travel will not be high or low but all over and inbetween.

To really enjoy the astral realm one should be confident, calm and collected, prepared to deal with what may be expereinced. A basic taoist philosophy is the are art of generating chi. Chi means eternal energy. And so one who generates and circulates Chi is also creating a state of mind capable of self control and astral projection. One does this through attitude, meditation, healthy living, excercise and living a life of fullfillment. Attitude is everything. To be pessimistic or overly skeptical to down right being arogant are all part of a bad attitude. Aviod these and learn what your own attitude is. For the rest of these one explores their mind and surrounding nature during mediation and trance, including dream time. One takes care of themselves. They eat well, practice good hygine and use their body regularly. Excercise can be aerobic, weight training and self discilplining. Martial arts is a great way to complete these aspects. Sex is a natural part of life and is very healthy. Regular sex coupled with healthy living can sustain greater will power and longevity. Though I should also mention that faithfulness to one's self and their lover is crittical. One should not indulge beyond reason.

Certain rites may also require a degree of celebacy. Abstaining from both sex and certain foods and behaviors. Living a fullfilling life is where one is not simply being but also doing. Explore life and the creative forces that exist. Take up hobbies and enjoy social atmospheres. Educate yourself and find a career path to follow. Remain only static for short periods of time such that you savor the pleasures of being alive. Through these basic ways one channels ch'i that can be used for healing, enlightenment, and projection of mind over matter as well as time and dimention. One can use Chi for both constructive and destructive ends. Evil is only in one who desires power over another human being. Through wealth in material possessions to satisfy ego and greed. To controling the freedoms of another person through any means is what, I at least, percieve as true evil. Those who live such lives I dare you to explore the astral realm if you can. See what you find. Greed and control? One may find that by harmonizing themselves with reality as described that exploring the bounds of it is almost second nature.

One's thoughts when understanding reality should be both logical and abstract. A mind that is rational, yet open to unseen possibilities. The main drive I have to even continue to add to this thread is I want people, who are truely interested, to explore the power of their own mind. Weather you believe in the occult or not you greatest tool is your brain. And how you use will determine its potential. By utilizing both logical and abstract thinking one will be able to test the bounds of science and religion to realize we know nothing except that we can think. Mind over matter is the priniciple test I urge readers to discover.

Short hand LCD: Progressive awareness technique

A way to have lucid dreams that some may find easier to use. This may be best done when you are particularly tired. Like after a hard days work or just before you go to bed.

1. Meditate with the intentions of having a lucid dream.
2. While focusing on the darkness with your eyes closed let your mind pick up on the faint imagery that you see. What do you see?
3. Relax yourself to the point of nearly being as sleep.
4. The hard part; stay aware of the imargery you are looking at. Try to keep yourself in limbo between nearly being asleep and being asleep.
5. Don't force yourself to do anything. It can wake you up fully. Especially if you're having good progress. If you fall asleep its ok. But still try to remember your dreams and record them when you wake up.

You may have a lucid dream the first night. Maybe within the next few. In one week of intense practice you should be able to invoke a lucid dream. As you do this daily hopefully you'll be able to sustain awareness into full fledged dreaming. As the mind gets better at remaining aware at the brink of falling asleep the imagery you see should get progressively more vivid and your state of mind should get closer and closer to actually being asleep. Eventually you'll learn to be aware while being asleep. You can become proficiant at this within one week. Though don't count on being particularlly good at lucid dreaming for at least a month. Before you really practice at this I'd suggest readin over posts 6,7 in this thread on lucid dreaming. The psychological info still applies. This is a more agressive, holistic technique. But still take it in moderation.

Always remember to record your dreams, especially if you have more than one. Suggestiveness and postive reinforcement is key to success.

Further reading I'd suggest "Lucid Dreams in 30 days, the creative sleep program" by Harry kieth? and Pammela somebody and "Dream Gates" by Robert Moss- great for both lucid Dreams and astral travel. I also have a book called "astral projection" I can't remember the author, not good at names, but its cover is a red/pink with like a stary backround and a chick laying down with her naked astral body reaching out.

Well to add to this thread (still wish others would help out a bit) here's another technique for astral travel.- the spiral stair case, an off set of a technique given in "Dream Gates" by Robert Moss.

It requires some skill at visualization and mediation.
1. Sit in a comfortable position and meditate. You may use a picture, a place in nature, to aid in this.
2. Visualize a place in nature. Allow the sensations of actually being set in. Feel the wind and humidity.
3. Relax and hold the image in your mind before you go any farther. Once you have a good grip on the view and can almost reach out and teach the environment around you.
4. Look down and notice a cobble stone pathway. See this path leads to a tower in the distance. This can be a lighthouse or ziggurat type temple a very tall rook(castle chess peice) will suffice. What does it look like to you? Hold this image in your mind.
5. Slowely let youself go to the tower. Follow the path as it windes towards the tower. As you get closer let it get bigger and bigger. Until all you can see is a door. What does this door look like to you? Are there any statues or people standing guard?
6. If you see guards these are your spirit guides for the journey ahead. Confront them. Ask them to be your guide on the journey into the astral plains. They will say follow me.
7. Regardless if you see gaurdians or not let the door open. Look in side and notice a great stone stair case that windes to the top of the tower.
8. If you have a guide follow it. If not allow yourself to walk the stair case. As you get start to climb look up and notice a white light.
9. As you walk the stairs stay focused on this light and the higher you go around the stairs the faster it seems to spin.
10. Eventually you'll reach the top and once you do let yourself burst through the light and see the stars of the night sky. Focus on these until you are confident you're not falling back to earth. Look around you what do you see? You are now on the astral plains. To properly exit go back the way you came. Going back down the stairs will help in grounding you. If you'd rather you can visualize your body at anytime and allow yourself to drift back into it. You'll still need to ground yourself.
11. Record what you see and ground yourself.

One way to make the process a little faster is suggest to yourself waking up periodically through out the night. Personally I aviod this unless I'm exuasted because when I wake up I tend to stay awake for some time. But if you can mannage waking up and falling asleep all the more power to you and the more dreams you can remember and the more you can record.

Once you have learned how to recall dreams and started to record them you'll be ready for the next phase of the program. In your day time routine periodically stop, for like one second, and ask yourself if you are awake and if you are dreaming- this is called a reality check. If possible spend some time in a place that is dream like to you. While there pick out the things that seem most dream like and reflect upon them. If you have the time meditate and let yourself day dream. If you can do this every day, even for just five minutes, you'll find lucidity is much easier to achieve in the later stages. Have you seen this place before in your dreams? Why does it fit your dreams? Return home. In your journal write about some creative need you would like to address. Place your pen and journal near you and allow yourself to go to sleep. It is best to not dwell on dreaming or any intentions for dreams because the mind won't always present the best results under preasure. In the morning, before you get up, keep your eyes closed and replay to the best of your ability any dream you had. Record them and go about your usual routine. Don't forget to give yourself reality checks periodically through out the day.

Now is time to contruct your dream temple. This is the place you will most likely be having dreamings. Where ever you sleep most often. Look around the place and get a feel for it. How does it make you feel? Are there books and clothes spread about? Any unsual pictures or posters that stand out? Furniture that is obscure? If so it would help greatly to reduce the clutter. Pick up any messes. Tidy up your bed. Move you furniture. Remove any attention grabing posters or pictures. Do this until you are comfortable with your sleeping space. Walk around and visualize a warm light surrounding this room. It should be comforting and protective. Let it re-affirm a desire to have lucid dreams. Let yourself believe this room is your dream temple and you may safely have lucid dreams. Go to sleep, not dwelling on any of this. In the morning recall your dreams and record them.

Continue your next day with frequent reality checks like usual. If possible meditate in a dream like spot. Day dream when possible and afferm your desire to have lucid dreams. At night clear you mind and let yourself fall asleep. If you awake in the middle of the night do not open your eyes. Instead recall the dream and enter a state of mediation. Try to pick up on the dream where you left off and continue it. In the morning recall and record your dreams.

This day continue your usual routine, nothing special is required today. Just maintain reality checks and where possible observe things that seem dream like to you. When you are ready to go to bed pick a topic you wish to present to your dreams. Find objects that are related and spend a monent with each conferming your topic and place them near your bed. This is called dream incubation and is a crittical step towards forming a dream dialogue with your sub-consous. Clear your mind of your topic and allow yourself to go to sleep. Should you become lucid in the dream understand one's own anticipation is their worse enemy. Chances are the first real lucid expereince you have will last only seconds because you probably will get excited and this will jump you awake. Don't fret and don't try to force yourself to have another lucid dream. If you do become lucid and you wake up, nonchelontly record it and allow yourself to go back to sleep. Another part of lucid dreaming is to condition yourself into having the control to maintain a lucid state. You do this by reaming calm and controling your excitment as much as possible. Should you awake in the middle of the night attempt to return into the dream in the same way as the previous night. Always remember to keep your journal and pen near the bed. And I should have mentioned earlier that if through out your day other details about a dream surface it is to your advantage to add them to your dream journal.

Regardless if you become lucid or not when you awake record your dreams and try to apply foot notes where possible to relate the dream to your topic. Understand this alone could take days to become good at but what it amounts to is understanding what your dreams are telling you. See much of what is presented to us in dreams is metaphor. The sub-consous is like a child that never was taught how to speak but wants to communicate. So it attempts to communicate during dreams by presented imagry to us. Some of which is completely outlandish and makes no sense, rarely is it a direct comment to which we can understand. By learning to suggest dream topics to your sub-consous mind you are in affect making a dialogue by which you can understand what your dreams are trying to tell you. Eventually you'll be able to pin point the suggestiveness in your dreams and relate them to day to day life. Again this takes practice and the more gentle you are going about this the easier it will be. This is one of the biggest steps towards becoming aware of dreaming while dreaming.

This day all you will do different is for each reality check tell yourself you are going to have a lucid dream. If you will not have the time for this next step repeat the dream incubation step until a time where you can do this; Find a movie, prefferably somthing at least an hour long, without commericals or interuptions and something you've seen before. The more fantastic it is the better. Cartoons, Sci-fi, historical fiction, a copy of the super bowl whatever floats your boat. My book suggests adventures with gumby. Personally gumby scares me...no seriously. Wierd little green guy and his playdoe horse...anyways I chose star wars because of the significant impact it has on my imagination. Whatever you choose plug it in and relax. Enter a state of meditation and allow your thoughts to play the movie in your mind. Chances are you'll fall alseep and expereince a dream related to the material you are playing. This will most likely be a very vivd dream, on the edge of consousness, but not quite. If you do become lucid same procedure as above. Remain as calm as possible and just let yourself flow with this one. Should you wake in the middle of the movie don't open your eyes. Replay the dream in your mind and if nesseccary re-enter the state of meditation. Try to pick up on the dream where you left off. When you awake recall and record your dream. This is probably best done in the earlier hours of the day. To allow yourself time to process this all before you sleep at night. Again keep your journal and pen near you and clear your mind of lucid dreams and let yourself go to bed. When you wake up for the next day recall and record your dreams.

Now this day is one of reconing. Through out your day as you have reality checks tell yourself you are going to have a lucid dream. Continue on as you do usually. But this day again try to spend time in a dream like place and there, if possible, meditate on having lucid dreams, day dream if you can. Before you go to bed affirm your desire to have a lucid dream. You can, if you like, do what you did the previous night and find objects to suggest a specific topic. Clear your mind of lucid dreams and allow yourself to drift to sleep. Should you find yourself in the midst of a lucid dream again the more calm and relaxed you remain the longer you will maintain this state. Of course don't fret should you lose this focus and either wake up or sink back into normal dreaming. If you do become lucid start very slowly. You're like a baby taking its first steps. So best not to try to run aimlessly or fly into space (thats what I did and I woke up. Then I became lucid a second time and fell into unconsous sleep). While lucid look around you. Where are you? Is anybody with you? Are they talking? What are they trying to say? Take your first steps. Hold onto this state as long as possible. Some tricks I have learned to remain lucid is to rub your hand together. Spin. Count from zero to whatever number, until you're confident in your consouness. Or find a spot in your dreams that you can focus on and walk towards it until you're confident you're consous and will remain awake in your dreams. When you wake up recall and record you're dreams. If you were successful at this point allow yourself to feel proud. Try to not let it spill into arrogance, like let yourself think you can do anyting now. But feel happy that you have taken your first step. This is a conditioning of positive reinforcement for behaviors you wish to repeat.

Eventually through probably days of repeating these steps you will earn a certain level of confidence in your ability to have lucid dreams. Now it is time to move into higher lucidity. I could write you a book about this please understand that through all of this I am trying to put pages of material down into one thread. The main difference between lucidity and high lucidity is in a lucid dream you are aware that you are alseep and dreaming. But any attempt to really control or alter your surroundings either makes you fall uncounsous or wake up. In a high lucid state one is not only aware they are dreaming but confident they can stay lucid and know they can alter their dream scape.

The first step towards higher lucidity is maintaining the lucid state. If you have difficulty with this re-read the steps and figure out where you think you need more practice. You may have to repeat several steps. This is not unusual don't fret. My book is titled "lucid dreams in 30 days" it took me more like 90 to get good at it and even then unforeseen variables sometimes interfear with my dreams. Once you can truely remain lucid for prolonged periods of time then it will be time to confront the dark imagery. For the most part up to this point any confrontation with negative imagery probably resulted in either a nightmare that woke you up or it re-mained unnoticed in the shadows. In order to really become good at lucid dreaming you will need to search these shadows and fush out the negative forces in them. Remember you are in control. The worse that can happen is you'll wake up. What you see most likely won't be pleasant. But as you get better at confronting these things and remaining lucid and understanding the meaning of the imagery through forming a dream dialogue you'll realize that they are repressed thoughts, desires, feelings and urges. Old memories in the past. Harsh times where you didn't allow yourself to process what was going on around you. For people who are victims or abuse, emotional, physical, sexual, believe me this won't be easy. Yet if done completely you'll realize things about yourself that you never considered, or allowed yourself to consider. This is part of the healing process to reclaim your own mind. And as any practioner of the occult will tell you, control over your thoughts and emotions is a must for real magick as well as knowing who you really are and what you are made of. Do this and with lucid dreaming the sky will become the limmit. Once you can not only control, but understand and let go of the negative imagery you'll be able to explore your inner dream scape and mold it as you see fit unhindered. I chose to ignore this. I descided that dealing with troubles of my past, some worse than other, was something I could do at a later time. I soon found out that where I went in my lucid dreams the shadows, the negative images that seemed to follow me in my dreams would hold me back. And if their meager pressance wouldn't hold me back they would full out confront me in the form of nightmares. Very vivid uncontrolable nightmares. In a lucid dreams these can become very real. For a while I thought I must have demons in my house. And I did. They were my demons that were never put in check. Only when I finally faced them did they go away, and even now they still come back, but by learning to confront, understand, control and let go I am better able to deal with these nightmares.

Once the negative stuff is delt with the next step is baby steps. Try to levitate, but don't fly away. Try to run, but don't let your view become blured. Try to read but don't go page by page. Talk but don't become wrapped up in conversation. Create doors and portals but make sure can make them and hold them in your mind before you enter. The more practice you get the better you'll become and the more you'll be able to do and maintain a lucid state. Eventually you'll come to a point where all you must do is meditate and let your mind flow into lucidity. From here you'll even be able to meditate and perform spells, rites, evocations, invocations, astral projection and what ever else your imagination can concieve of.

But a certain degree of maintaince is required. Remember to keep your journal near you if possible. Remember to recall and record your dreams. Don't force anything, let it happen. Don't dwell on intentions or desires. Remember what you take with you is usually what you'll see. The reason why you must learn to let go of negativity. And with that also understand that negativity is not to be feared. That one can learn from and utilze these forces to their advantage. Also things in life will always stir negative thoughts and emotions. Remember to confront, understand, control and let go of these things and you should never have a problem with them.

Lucid dreaming is actually the most difficult to learn. Not because the steps are hard but because in order to get good at it requires one to take their time. As in weeks or practice, knowing that you might not even become lucid in the initial stages. Lucid dreaming has been researched and so there are credible sources from which people can share the results of that research. I will post mine when I have a chance.

Lucid dreaming is like a direct interphase between the consousess and the self. That is to say one is aware of themselves while dreaming and all that is presented is of the self- where one can interact with it all. In order to achieve this interphase one will need to develope a dialogue between the consous and sub-consous minds. This will require learning to recall and record dreams to develope an awareness of dreaming and time while dreaming. Also one will need to learn suggestive ways to influence dreams, as in dream incubation. Eventually learning to use intentions to invoke certain aspects to appear within dreams and even script dreams before they happen. One will need to associate their dreams to their environments and pick out where reality presents itself in dream time. Finally as one begins to reach the edge of consousness they will need to confront their worse nightmares. These powerful images will only hinder you if attempt to go farther without first understanding principally, they are not going to harm you, and they carry deep meaning.

What is at work to achieve a state of lucidity is the use of psychology. The power of suggestion is your greatest tool to unlocking consous dreaming. You start by acknowledging a desire to have lucid dreams. If you are apathetic towards this you won't take yourself seriously and it will be difficult to get results. Then if you are serious you must commit yourself to learning. To deviate for several days can ruin weeks of work. It takes to become good at this but it doesn't take a lot to do the training. So if you feel that you don't have the time to commit know that is utter bull shit. In less you live your life minute for mintue and have no time what so ever to spare, as in even just 5 minutes a day, there is no exuce for not being able to train.

From an occult perspective, next to the concsious will itself, lucid dreaming is probably the most powerful tool any practioner can weild. This comes from several years of practice. I would trade all my occult books, some 25 of them for the couple I have on lucid dreams. I don't have access to esoteric herbs. I can't aford expensive tools, let alone afford to keep buying supplies. But I can make all of those within my dreams and utilize them just as effectively if not more so in lucid dreams. When compared to the other techniques for astral travel there is little to compare. In a lucid dream you are already asleep and that is in itself a state of trance so iching and coughing or sneezing are far less likely to affect you. One must only fall asleep and wake up in their dreams and not worry to figit over learning meditation and visualization, granted both are very useful, its possible to do everything you can awake while dreaming. Your dreams are an excellent platform for experiening an OBE. All you must do is get up and walk away from your body.

Those of you interested in learning get a journal and pen and start recording your dreams. Start with the last one you just had. The description can be several lines, to several pages, even a drawing would work. As the day goes on take at least three times to observe reality around you. This only has to be a moment. Just notice your surroundings and ask yourself if you are awake. before you go to bed place your pen and journal near you if not under your pillow. In the morning before you copen you eyes reflect upon the dream you just had. Don't fret or be forceful. So if all you remember is a little its ok. Record as many dreams as you can with as much detail as you can bring up.

This should be a good start and the weekend should give you all a chance to try. I'll be back in the near future to add to phase two.

Basic technique:
Contemplation, This is like meditation only keep your eyes open, maybe half closed, and once you relax you focus your thoughts to either a task or studying an item. The task should be simple, like sowing, drawing, rocking in a chair. But an item could be anything, for this experiment we'll use a picture. While doing a task you'll notice there comes a point where it becomes automatic and that mind will tend to wonder. Since your mind is already occupied by maintaining the task at hand it'll be very easy to think about one subject. if you have an item to guide your thoughts it'll be easy to think about the item in your hand- where its been, what it means, who's owned it, what happened to them. If the item is a picute you can focus your thoughts on where its at, what the pciture reveals, what emotions are stired by looking at it. And you can also project your mind into the picture, here's how.

Have specific place you want to go? Try this:

1. Get a picture of where you wish to travel. It could be your own drawings somebody else's art work, something fantastic, realistic doesn't matter. You could also use a picture of a place that really exists. Or a picture you have taken of a place you have been.
2. Relax and begin deep breathing as though you were about to meditate. Clear your mind of all thoughts except of the picture in your hands.
3. Contemplate over the image in the picture for 10-20 minutes so that it almost burns into your memory.
4. After that close your eyes and visualize the picture. Reconstruct the image as best as you can such that the sensations you stired while contemplating seem to surround you.
Ex; you have a picture of a beach and you can feel the sand in your toes hear the ocean and warm breeze and warmth of the sun. You can see the beach and all thats in it. you can smell it as well.
5. Technically your mind is in the picture at this point. So go ahead and look around the image. See what you can. See if there is anything you haven't seen before and take a close look at it.
6. To finish at this point visualize the image shrink down into nothingness until all you see is black. Open your eyes and you're done.
7. To go beyond step five use your mental hands to draw the outline of a door complete with a door knob.
8. Open it and step through it. You have entered the astral plains via a picture.
9. To exist simply visualize the same door and walk back into the picture. Now complete step six.
10. Record your experience and ground yourself.

You can use a spirit guide in this by imposing an image or sigil to represent the archetype of your choice before you begin this.

AP via mirrors

Ok this one is a lot easier.

1. Get a mirror prefferably one that is big enough to show your whole body. And one candle, doesn't matter what kind or how big.
2. Light the candle behind the mirror but make sue the fire will not harm the mirror or its surroundings. Dim any other lights. Sit comfortably infront of it so all you see is what is reflected by the mirror. Take some time to observe what you see. Notice the candle projects light like and aura around the mirror.
3. After you're familiar with what the mirror reflects close your eyes and meditate.
4. Once you've entered a meditative trance visualize the mirror and what you saw reflected by it.
5. Most difficult part- shift your consousness to your image that's being reflected by the mirror so that you are the reflection. You should get that tell tail floating sensation.
6. As the reflection get up, not literally just visualize yourself doing so and step out of the mirror.
7. Notice yourself sitting infront of the mirror. Eyes closed peacefully breathing and safely undisturbed. Then move on to what is surrounding you. As you gain practice the further you'll be able to go. Eventually being able to explore the world and universe.
8. When you feel you are done return to your body by stepping back into the mirror and sit down so that you face yourself. Relax and feel the floating sensation subside.
9. Open your eyes, record your experience and ground yourself.

The purpose of the candle is to draw the focus of the mind. I don't think its nesseccary but useful.

A shamanistic approach:

I appologize for such long posts but understand that the topics being mentioned are covered in entire books.

Well here's another common way to go about astral projection. But first a little backround info: This one is common amoungst shaman. Thats to say you pick up a book about shamanism, not Hopi rituals, and this is probably what you'll find. But it is based on what native tribes from all over the world seem to practice. To aid one may have partners and use tribal music, drum beats are most common. This will require a guide. Some archetypal figure to lead you on your travels. The best ones will be god forms. Though one can use their pet dog or bat man if they like. One can also create a thought form to act as a guide. Some tribes would use spirit guides, usually that of a guardian animal but also those of ancestors or entities like fairies or gnombs or angels.

The archetype of your choice should represent an intention. The difference between this technique and the first is that one is not aimlessly entering the astral plains. There is a purpose and a desire for an end result. Once you have found a reason -intention- for going to the astral plains and an archetype who would best suit your intentions get to know the archetype. This will not be nesseccary every time you AP just until you are familiar with your guide to be. Some essential things to learn are name, personallity, atributes, abilities, realms of existance (ex. Hades exists in the underworld) any elemental, zodiac and planetary correspondances, a primary color, and any sigil or symbol that represents your guide. For archetypes like bat man or a thought form you can make these things up. Just be thorough as possible. Spend enough time learning about the archetype that you can get a good picture in your head what it might look and act like.

Once you "know" the archetype its time to draw its essence to you. One does this by abtaining any oils, perfumes, candles, incenses, possibly metals, gems, stones, cloth of corresponding color, even feathers of a certain bird. All of these must be related to the archetype you are using. If you are creating one you can make these up. Again the more thorough you are the better.

Many tribes would do this type of ritual either naked and or covered in paint or dressed in a specific type of cerimonial wardrobe. But I'll let you descide whats appropriate for your ritual. The only other thing that should be addressed is chanting. This can be pretty simple but its pretty crittical to focus the mind and channel the energies. What ever it is you chant it doesn't have to rhym. Just be related to your archetype and articulate your deisre for an astral journey.

Now its time to put all this together.
1. Preferably outside at night, dusk or dawn by stereo or musician start the music and any chanting. If you are alone rub apply any oils you might be using to at least your temples. Then Draw a large circle - like at least ten feet in diameter. You may add to the center any elemental, planetary symbols or sigils.
2. Start at the north end and walk the perimeter of the circle, clockwise, with any candle. Hold it towards the center. Walk full circle and place the candle safely outside it on the north end and light it. If you have a second candle place it on the south end. A three and place them apart to make an equallateral triangle, pointing north. Four and place them on the cardinal directions. Repeat this with any incense only light prior to carrying it around to allow the sent to fill the area. Walk the perimeter of the circle once again to visualize a white light making a barrier. If others are involved make sure they are in the center if they are to directly aid, like rub oil into your temples and on your body. If they are playing drums or chanting they should be outside the circle. Everybody should also visualize the same barrier while you are walking the circle.
3. To symbolize the presence of the archetype hold any objects (like a stone, feather, amulet ect) you may have that correspond to it in the center and walk the circle once more while doing this and lay the object just outside the circle, starting north. Visualize the archetype in the center of the circle. You should try to have at least four such objects to place at each of the cardinal directions. Repeat this until all objects have been placed. If there are others involved they may hold them or not.
4. Once all items have been placed and there is nothing left to do but complete the process start at the north end and with arms and fingers stretched out to your sides start to spin in a clock wise motion and do this while walking clockwise around the circle. Like a planet rotates while revolvng around the sun.
5. Remember to keep chanting, keep your eyes open and remember to keep breathing! Don't want to pass out mid way and hurt yourself. Each time you complete one revolution around the circle your spinning should get faster and so should your chanting. If possible the tempo of the music beat should get faster as well. Walk the circle at least five times or until you've worked up a sufficient frenzy. Like maybe ten times full circle maybe even more.
6. At your last revolution once it ends at the north end close your eyes and fall on your back to the center arms and fingers still stretched out. This can be a little risky so it might be best to have somebody you trust catch you or something soft to fall on. While falling picture your archetype catching you. If you have a partner in the center let them rub oil to your temples and if your willing to your body.
7. This is the tricky part. Once your body hits the ground make sure your mind has been caught by your guide, such that you feel as though you are floating. perhaps the spinning alone will aid in this.
8. Let yourself go. Don't stop to think about any hands rubbing oil on you. Don't stop to think about your body let your guide take you. This is where the real journy begins. Once your mind is in the hands of the guide it will take you where your pre-determined intentions wanted.
9. Try not to rationalize what you see but remember it and just let it happen. Best to not think at all.
10. Your guide is your brain here and so when your guide feels you've had enough it will return you to your body. Once this happens relax and take the time to recall what you have seen. Once you feel you have remembered it is time to close the circle and end the ritual.
11. To close the circle stand up in the center start at the north end going counter clockwise- the time you will go in this direction- and visualize the white light being lifted up. Walk the same direction picking up the objects, before picking up the candles and incense, and either hand them to a partner or set them in the middle of the circle. Once the objects are picked up extinguish the candles, one by one, and hand the off as well. Then carry the incense and once full circle extinguish it too. Earase the circle and any center symbols the rite is complete, time to ground yourself. Do this by recording your experience and have a small meal.

this technique is a little more advanced so it would deffinately help out if you know how to meditate- to focus your mind and visualize- to see what in the world is going on with your eyes closed.

Second self technique:

I think this astral projection technique is most common as it is taught in many books and is relatively easy. Especially if one is profficent at meditation and visualization.

1. Enter a state of meditation while in a position comfortable to you. Chances are if you lay down you'll fall asleep! Which can actually produce results if your mind can be focused on intentions to AP.
2. If you're not asleep by now ;-) vizualize a white light originating in your solar plexus- about two inches below your sternum. Optionally you can do this through your third eye. Located an inch high and inbetween your eyes.
3. Let it start as a white dot and let it Slowly grow into a sphere that surrounds your body.
4. Lets this sphere of light become a siloette of your body.
5. This is probably the hardest step and will take several tries to get the hang of it. Picture this body of light hoovering just above you. As though you could reach out and touch it. Don't try to with your hand, but your mind. Try to get your consous mind to become one with the body of light.
6. You will know if you are successfull when you feel as though you're floating. Like on a boat in the ocean. This sensation alone may be enough to kick you back into your body. Which is partially why I stress learning the skills of meditation. Feel yourself drift for a period of time to adjust to the sensation.
7. Focus on being outside of your body, floating. Best to start simple here. Mentally open your eyes so that you are looking at yourself. Notice that your body is safe and undisturbed.
8. Time to explore. Once you have made this far continue to notice what surrounds you. A good way to experience this is prior to attempting astral projection throw a deck of cards on the floor so that they are randomly strune about. Then begin to meditate and AP. Once out side of your body look for the cards. Try to notice which ones are face up. Additionally you can look about your surroundings. But its best to get good at looking around your room or area before you go out into the world. After about several days of successfully being able to get out of your body and explore your area then you can step outside. Use the door please ;-). Kidding you can try to go through a wall. Or explore the inner space of a closet. Or fly out a window. Best to do things within your skill level.
9. Re-entery; Return to your area and find your body. Get to the same picture where you're looking face to face with yourself. See your body glow with light and gentally fall back down towards it until your can feel yourself no longer floating. Once your no longer floating visualize that glowing sphere return to your solar plexus or third eye and watch it disappear into.
10. Start breathing deeply and relax for a few monents, congrats you've just left your body. It is best to end this by recording your experience in a journal while having a snack. A small meal will help your body ground your astral body and releive your psychic mind of any stress from being out of its physical body.

Again for beginers don't expect much the first few times around. If you find yourself disturbed in the initial attempt to leave your body such that you loose focus start over from scratch or try again another time. If you are successful what you can expect will be much like a dream. You'll notice that you are aware, at least semi-aware and able to partially control where you go and what you do. The more you pratice the better, easier and faster it'll be to AP. The first few times you might not be out much more than a few seconds or maybe minutes. Don't try to stay away from your body too long. Your perception of time will be distorted, like in dreams, but its best to not remain out of your body more than a half an hour until you are confident in your abilities. Like I said the mind used in this way is like a muscle. So by remianing away from your body too long you are putting strain on your mind which will make it harder to recuperate and symptoms like a mental block can appear. Again a mental block can be like litterally having difficulties focusing on anything. Head aches, and dissoreintation.