How to: Lucid Dreaming Options

For those who are unaware of what lucid dreaming is (and I doubt most people here are), it's the ability to consciously act within and control your dreams.

Lucid dreaming involves the use of two paradoxes, but I'll get to those as they pop up.

The gist of what is involved is as follows:

1) Identify that you are dreaming
2) Prevent this realisation from waking you up
3) Do what you wish

Please note, that this is taken from my personal experience, and may not be true of all people.

Step 1 - Identify that you are dreaming
This is the first paradox - it requires some amount of already extant consciousness to perform. Realising that you're dreaming is quite hard for that reason. Generally speaking, when people are dreaming they have no recollection of what has happened "before". What this means, is that they have no thoughts about why something is wrong or shouldn't work, because they have nothing to contrast it to.

So this is the trick - you have to be able, without remembering anything from your waking life, find a paradox within the dream*. Something that of itself, when contrasted to something else within the dream, shouldn't work, or has no reason to be. Once this has been identified, and you've realised you're dreaming, move on to step 2.

* This in itself may be impossible for some individuals. It depends entirely on whether you feel you have control over your actions in your dreams, or they just happen. In the first case, this will be possible, however, if you feel you have no control over your actions in dreams, then you will find a lot of difficulty in this first step.

Step 2 - Prevent this realisation from waking you up
The problem with this kind of realisation, is that it brings your consciousness to the fore. Obviously, once consciousness is reached, your mind will go "wakey time!". Not what you want.

So here is where you have to accept a paradox (the second one). You have to be able to accept that the dream you find yourself in is the world, but it's also entirely mutable. If you instead manage to pick up your memories of the real world, chances are your mind will reject this "world" it finds itself in.

Step 3 - Do what you wish
Just as the title says, if you've passed through the first two steps, then you're free to do whatever you like within your dream world. It may be possible to even perform some sorts of magic within the dreamworld, but of that I have heard very little (ie, none).

So I hope that helps. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

Hello Zahaqiel! I see you managed to start this topic after all. I've noticed myself all these thigs you've written about. What I think you should add to your presentation is methods of controlling your mind more so that you can have lucid drems as often as you please, of prelonging them. Besides: what do you think is the purpose of lucid dreaming? What does it serve to? I hope you'll find the time to provide some answers. From your personal experience or otherwise. Thank you. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/baby.gif)

Having them as often as you please - I have no idea on how to learn that. I have them most nights, so I've never needed to really practice.

Purpose of lucid dreaming? I don't think it has any specific purpose, although you might be able to try some astral stuff from it (I dunno). To me, like most things, it doesn't have any purpose. You don't ask what the purpose of trees are, do you? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rofl_2.gif)

I see... well, some people do... ask that is. What is the purpose of trees? I ask myself that quite often lately. There is something about them that makes me wanna go learn more about them. Sense of purpose is needed, in my opinion, combined with the need of doing it for no purpose at all, as if it were nothing special.
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/secret.gif)

Sorry, even though I'm a Christian, I have trouble looking for the purpose of something that just exists. I find "what's the meaning of life?" to be a nonsensical question.

One of the things human kind has yet to learn is that not everything has meaning...

I think U're right. And I also belive that everyone gets There in his/her own manner. I'm not saying we should try and explain things, (IMG:style_emoticons/default/hideingbhindcurtian.gif) but that questioning things can be very helpfull.

Step 3 - Do what you wish
Just as the title says, if you've passed through the first two steps, then you're free to do whatever you like within your dream world. It may be possible to even perform some sorts of magic within the dreamworld, but of that I have heard very little (ie, none).

So I hope that helps. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

Hi,

You can perform magic in lucid dreams. Its the best place to do magic imo because you can actually see and touch what you are creating. Like for instance when you trace a pentagram for the LBRP for actually see it floating. Its so much more real, without even trying to imagine it. Im still learning though but Ive learnt that you can draw a sigil in the air and it will stay. When you can use your voice to vibrate the name it echos better too and you instantly dont feel alone. Its kinda freaky. I simply drew the sigil and vibrated the name and Ariel came. It took seconds from the moment I went lucid.


Also a really good technique to go lucid... Just keep reminding yourself throughout the day as much as you can to remember to test if your dreaming. Really think about if you are or not, then what you would do if you were. The more you do this during the day the more chance you will do it naturally in a dream. Its takes concentration and dedication though. You must really remember from want.

Also that other tech was touched on before is a really good tech to go lucid. What you do is during the day when strange things happen or if something different happens you test if your dreaming. This way you will do it in your dreams and dreams are weird,so they become easy to pick. Of course the more you do this technique during the day the better. This one with the other are sure to give results especially if you re-affirm your desire before you go to sleep to go lucid.

imo doing magic in the dream environment can only make it more real.

This post has been edited by Kazahel: Jun 17 2005, 02:34 AM

93

Anyone interested in Lucid Dreaming could do no better (IMO) than check out Alex Sumner's essay at: http://www.geocities.com/alex_sumner/
(Just click on the "Magick" button and scroll down)

93 93/93

Todd

This post has been edited by fiat_lux_777: Jun 17 2005, 04:34 AM

Great link in general Todd, thanx for that one. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/thankyou.gif) Adding to favorites file now.

In briefly looking over that Lucid Dreaming article a lot of it seems very similar to the techniques in some articles in the Typhonian Starfire journals called "The Dreaming Attention" (in 3 parts) which I have used with great success. I recommend them as well for those inclined enough to find the Starfire journals that contain these articles.

We imagine that waking-life is real and that dream-life is unreal, but there dose not seem to be any evidence for this belief,Chuang Tzu, in the third century B.C. , put it in a  amusing way; having dreamed that he was a butterfly flitting from flower to flower,he stated that he was now wondering wether he was then a man dreaming he was a butterfly or wether he was now a butterfly dreaming he was a man.

I hope dreams can be a tool to let us know how we are doing in this (reality). Thich Nhat Hanh states in one of his DVD's that he Lucid dreams when he practices Mindfulness uninterrupted for days. So from a buddhist perspective Mindfulness=Lucid Dreaming.Or maybe trying to sleep on Mushrooms (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) if thats possible.

peace,

travis

I hope dreams can be a tool  to let us know how we are doing in this (reality). Thich Nhat Hanh states in one of his DVD's that he Lucid dreams when he practices Mindfulness uninterrupted for days. So from a buddhist perspective Mindfulness=Lucid Dreaming.

I think that one may be a product of the other, that is no to sat they are the same thing.

Or maybe trying to sleep on Mushrooms  (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)  if thats possible.

No, mushrooms do not produce lucid dreams in my experience.

I've done all 3 steps without even having any magickal backgrounds nor practice. But it just "happens" sometimes. Every once a week or two i would have complete control over my dreams. But usually I have control over the first step as for example: When im scared i spawn myself a weapon and/or fly to get away from danger and protect myself. Im good with dreams, though i wish i could "always" have lucid dreaming and control over them. Any more practices that can help to this?