How To Lucid Dream – The Importance Of Recording Your Dreams
It does no good to experience a wonderful dream if you don’t remember it after waking.
In learning how to Lucid Dream, one of the most valuable techniques that you can employ is that of dream recollection.
On average; we have many dreams every night, but we remember very few of those dreams; and remembering the exact details of those dreams is even more fuzzy after waking.
One of the best ways to develop your ability to recall dreams is to keep a note pad and pen next to the bed – or a small recording device – and when you awaken from a dream; immediately write down or record what you remember. If a particular event in a dream stands out; record it and then think about what happened just before that; and just after that.
We dream most intently during the REM stages of sleep; with REM stages occuring roughly every 80 – 90 minutes and repeating in cycles; with the first occuring about four and a half hours into sleep; followed by another at six hours; and another at about seven and a half hours of sleep.
We have different dreams during each of these periods – and even other dreams outside of these periods; and each succeeding dream tends to push from your mind and memory the details of the dream before it.
This highlights the importance of recording every detail of every dream that you can immediatley upon waking.
You don’t have to write three pages of notes, or record ten minutes worth of details; just record the “milestones” of each dream – those significant events that will help you to recall what happened just before and just after that milestone event.
This may seem really hard at first; but believe me; it gets easier with practice; and before long all you’ll need is thirty seconds to record your dreams before going right back to sleep to dream even more.
Learning how to lucid dream at will is a discipline; not a hobby. It takes some effort and some dedication; and if you are willing to give it that effort and dedication; you will be well on your way to mastering the art of how to lucid dream.
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How To Lucid Dream – Gaining Lucidity While Dreaming
Many people experience their first lucid dreams by accident; without even trying to learn how to lucid dream.
Usually, they are fast asleep and dreaming; and something so unreal and incredible happens that they ask themselves, “Could I be dreaming?”
This is the first step to taking control of your dreams – becoming aware that you are dreaming.
For most people, nothing more happens – they have a fantastic dream; knowing all the while that they are dreaming; and then they wake up and marvel at what a strange and wonderful experience they have just had.
Few people deliberately pursue another such experience; they don’t even know that they have had a “lucid dream”; and they don’t realize that there are ways in which to learn how to lucid dream almost at will.
The Anatomy Of Dreaming
Dreams take many forms and spring from many different sources – events in our every day lives; fears or hopes or ambitions or passions that occupy our waking thoughts – all of these things can singly or combined serve to cause us to dream.
No matter what the cause of a dream; the common denominator between all dreams is that they are created by; and controlled by our subconcious minds.
Dreams usually occur during the deepest stage of sleep when our concious minds have handed over to the subconcious; control of the thoughts and imagery that we percieve.
It is this lack of logical, concious control that can cause us to see or do or experience things that are impossible in real life; yet which while dreaming; seem as real as anything we can ever experience; even to the point of causing real physical and psychological effects.
It is also this lack of logical, concious control that makes it so difficult for some people to experience the phenomenon of Lucid Dreaming.
How To Lucid Dream
There are many different methods and approaches that can be used to lay the ground work needed to make lucid dreaming possible; you should start by developing these practices:
1) Take time to read about lucid dreaming during the course of the day; especially in the last hour or two before you go to sleep. This serves to “have it on your mind”; and we often dream about the things occupying our thoughts as we drift off to sleep.
2) As you lie in bed waiting to go to sleep; resolve to have a lucid dream. Often times; our last waking thoughts will play a major influence on what our subconcious minds present to us in a dream state.
3) In your daily life, get into the habit of “testing reality” several times during the day – let go of and ink pen to see if it falls to your desk; see if you can pass your arm through a solid object and ask yourself, “Is this a dream?”
By doing this several times a day, everyday; it becomes a habit; and that habit will carry over into your sleep and into your dreams; and before long you will “test reality” while sleeping and find that when you let go of that ink pen; it will float motionless above your desk top; you might even find that you can force it to rise to the ceiling.
Try the three execrcises above on a daily basis; let them become habits; and you will soon be ready to experience at will; the world of lucid dreaming.
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Many people who seek to learn how to lucid dream also explore astral projection techniques; and many mistakenly believe; initially; that lucid dreaming and astral projection are exactly the same thing.
It’s true that learning how to lucid dream and how to use astral projection techniques share some similarites; just as both share similarities to using meditation techniques.
In learning how to lucid dream; we are in repose; asleep. Our concious minds have given way to our subconcious minds and we are dreaming; yet through using the proper combination of lucid dreaming techniques; we are able to engage our conciousness and guide the events delivered to us by our subconcious into those that we wish them to be; thus we are having “lucid” dreams because our waking intellect has taken control of our subconcious mind and is directing the outcome.
Yet, we are still asleep.
Using astral projection techniques; we do not enter into sleep; or into a state of dreaming; but rather into a state of great relaxation; much like that produced by using proper meditation techniques; one in which physically; we are relaxed to the point of slumber; but mentally we are more alert than usual.
It is this readiness of the body to sleep; and the unwillingness of the mind to follow; that “sets the stage” for the active and excited concious mind to temporarily forsake the physical body; and then take it’s leave in the “subtle” or astral body – some would call it the “spirit” or the “soul” - it is neither; it is a layer of being between our physical bodies and our spirit or soul; that can for brief periods of time; function independently of both.
Using astral projection techniques successfully; you will never actually be asleep; just as you don’t fall asleep when you are using proper meditation techniques.
You will be in the most relaxed physical state possible without being asleep; but your mind (conciousness) is more tuned and focused than it can ever be while in a “normal” waking state; simply because you have disassociated your intellect (not your brain); but your intellect; from it ties to your physical body.
In using astral projection techniques; you are as far away from being asleep as the human mind can be; and as near to it physically as you can be without sleeping.
Learning how to lucid dream teaches you how to exert concious control over your subconcious, sleeping mind; while learning astral projection techniques will allow you to disassociate your very active intellect; from your physical body; and join your intellect exclusively; for a brief period time with your “subtle body”; which exists as a bridge between the physical body and the spirt or soul.
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Almost everyone has experienced one or more lucid dreams; they just didn’t realize that those “incredibly realistic” dreams they’ve had were in fact “Lucid Dreams”.
Most people likewise don’t realize that there are lucid dreaming techniques that can be employed that teach you how to lucid dream at will.
Anyone who has had a lucid dream knew they were dreaming; but they actually felt the physical and emotional sensations that they would have felt had they been experiencing the same situations in a waking state.
Still; that is Lucid Dreaming; even if only in the most simplistic description of this phenomenom.
Lucid Dreaming occurs when you are fast asleep; in the “REM” stage of sleep and dreaming; yet you are concious of the fact that you are asleep and dreaming.
It’s almost like you are having and Out Of Body Experience; and observing your physical body from a distance as if you were watching a play take place on a stage; or a movie unfold on the screen.
For many; having a lucid dream is just a matter of being an “observer”; later waking up and marvelling at the incredible realism of the dream(s) and the “life-like” sensations – the wind blowing through your hair, the smell of fresh cut grass, the feeling of mud squishing between your toes as you walk barefoot after a summer rain – all so incredibly real; yet “just” a dream.
Most people can truly learn how to lucid dream; which means that you are no longer just an “observer”; but a full blown participant; making cogent decisions about where you will go; what you will see; who you will talk to and interact with.
Discovering the principles and techniques of lucid dreaming – learning how to lucid dream – can really open the flood gates of astral plane experiences far beyond what most of us can imagine in our waking lives.
Suddenly; the world - in fact the Universe - is open to our inspection and our exploration; fantastic journeys and experiences can be summoned and “lived” at will; all from the comfort and safety of our couches or our beds.
Learning how to lucid dream; gaining a knowledge of lucid dreaming techniques; will change your perceptions of reality versus dreams; they can seem to be one in the same.
For that reason; be disciplined enough to be sure to set aside some time during your lucid dreams for sleep and for rest; so that when you really awaken; you are refreshed and ready for your “real” day.
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You’ve probably had a few and didn’t even know that you were having them.
Haven’t you ever been kind of “half awake and half asleep”; dreaming of some fantastic or weird or spectacular happening – yet you knew that you were dreaming?
That was a lucid dream; even though you didn’t know how to lucid dream.
Have you ever dreamed that you were flying; or maybe that you were running for your life from some known or unknown threat?
You felt (and heard) the wind whipping past you as you soared through the sky; you felt your heart beating wildly in your chest; your lungs straining for air as the sweat ran down your face; or maybe; like in one of mine; I approached the door way of the now dilapidated country church that I attended as a child; and as I approached through the over hanging branches of an over grown tree; I felt a single gossamer thread of a spider’s silken web brush against my right cheek; I knew I was dreaming – yet I was there; and I didn’t even know how to lucid dream.
In it’s most basic form, a lucid dream is a dream during which you realize that you are dreaming; but you are just a witness to the events that unfold in your mind’s eye.
In a more complex form, a lucid dream is one in which you know you are dreaming; and you can make concious decisions concerning your actions during that dream - what to look at; what to touch; what to say.
When you know how to lucid dream; you can control almost every aspect of your dream at will; just as if you were awake – you can see a hill before you and decide to walk to the top to see what is on the other side; or you can go the other way; or even take to the skies.
Knowing how to lucid dream truly opens every imaginable world of flight and fantasy and adventure; to those who care to experience them.
Do you want to know how to lucid dream?
