Lucid Dreaming: Unlock the Magick of Your Dreams
In honor of Pisces season, we thought it would be magickal to play with our dreams! Pisces marks the end of the dark season. The light continues to grow as we slowly unfurl into spring. Pisces sits at the end of the zodiac, somewhere in between light and dark, death and rebirth, the conscious and unconscious. This is why Pisces is so closely related to the dreamworld, visions and imagination.
Dreaming is a mystical journey that we embark on every night, a doorway to another realm where anything is possible. Dreaming is universal and created by our subconscious mind. What if I told you could tap into your dreams, become fully aware within the dream and control the outcome? Believe me when I tell you, you can! This is the magick of lucid dreaming
Lucid dreaming provides a unique opportunity to give us insight into what is going on in our inner world by tapping into the hidden depths of the unconscious mind. It can be a powerful tool for manifestation, personal growth and self exploration.
In addition, lucid dreaming can be used for divination and communication with the spirit realm. The vivid and surreal nature of the dream environment makes it a perfect space for connecting with your intuition and receiving guidance from the other side. An internal compass helping you to seek out answers to questions you may have.
Lucid dreaming is a skill that can be honed with practice, and there are several techniques you can use to increase the chances of having a lucid dream:
Setting intentions with Nighttime Rituals
Creating a nighttime ritual to prepare you for lucid dreaming is essential. Watching television or scrolling though social media interruptus sleep cycles and should be avoided a couple hours before bed (I promise the depths of your subconscious mind are far more interesting than anything you see on social media!) Try going to bed around the same time every night. Your room should be dark and quiet and peaceful. You could do mediation, bathing or light stretching helps to relax the nervous system. Saying some affirmations before bed like, "I will have a lucid dream" or "I remember my dreams." Alcohol and drugs are also not conducive to lucid dreaming as they interfere with REM sleep
Keep a Dream Journal
We all dream, but some of us just don't remember. People typically forget their dreams within five minutes of waking up! Keeping a dream journal upon wakening is crucial. The best method is to keep a journal next to your bedside, so when you wake up, even in the middle of the night you can write them down super quick. Chances are if you wait, you will forget! Write down the bullet points first, then go back and expand upon them. Give your dream a title. Keeping a journal tells your subconscious mind that these dreams are important to remember! So the longer you keep a dream journal, the easier it will be to remember longer and vivid dreams.
Once you have been writing in your dream journal for some time, you may start to notice patterns, or common things or objects. These are your personal dream signs. They can act a landmarks for you and help you quickly identify a dream and achieve lucidity. Common dream signs include teeth falling out, sudden nakedness, seeing people that died.
Reality Testing
During the day you will want to ask yourself, "Am I dreaming?" It may seem bizarre to doubt your own reality but in dreamworld, physical laws don't apply. There are often several clues that can help you identify if your are in a dream. One way to do this is throughout the day, perform reality tests to question whether you are awake or dreaming. For example, try to push your finger through the palm of your hand. Repeat to yourself," this is not a dream, this is not a dream." You will begin to train your subconscious mind to do this. So when you get a clue that you may be having a dream, you will try this in the dream. If you are dreaming, your finger will go right through the palm of your hand! This is a very exciting moment indeed! As the dreamworld is now your oyster. You are truly limitless. Another way, (that I have not personally tried but others have) is to close your mouth and pinch your nose. Can you still breathe? If you can, your dreaming! Regularly preforming these reality cheeks during your waking life, you will begin to check them in your dreaming life too. Looking in a mirror (often distorted reflection) or jumping (super slow decent) are other ways to help you recognize and dream.
Wake up and go back to bed
Another way to induce lucid dreaming to wake yourself up after about 5-6 hours of sleep and stay awake for about 20 minutes. In this 20 min time, you can use the bathroom, read your past dreams, set your intention, do a reality check. Then simply go back to bed. Close your eyes and meditate until you go back to sleep. Catching this last cycle of REM sleep is when people have the most vivid, lucid dreams.
Becoming Lucid
Lucid dreaming takes time and patience to master, but persistence is key. Remember that everyone is different, so find the techniques that work best for you and embrace the journey.
The moment you realize that you are in a lucid dream, is a very exciting moment. The first few times you will probably get overly excited (like I did) and knock yourself right out of lucid dreaming. Getting too excited will either knock you back into your unconscious state or wake you up. This can be frustrating. Lucid dreaming is a delicate balance and the ability to remain lucid is a skill. You want to engage with dream but also never forget you are dreaming. So here are some stabilizing techniques to help keep you lucid.
Try spinning a couple times, have a look around. This will help produce a stable world around you. You can also say the words like "lucid" or "focus" as you move to serve as a reminder to help you stay lucid while dreaming. It's best to move slowly and consciously. Once you are now established, let the adventure begin! The best thing about dreamland is physical laws don't apply. No gravity, space or time. A creative wonderland. So let your imagination run wild and free of limitations. The possibilities are endless. Maybe you just want to escape, have an adventure or maybe connect to someone you lost, talk to your soulmate, write a song, get your questions answered. Our dreams can have a deep effect on on waking life, and can even help create clarity and confidence in physical reality. For some, lucid dreams can be beneficial for those who have reoccurring nightmares. When they can harness the power of control within their dreams, they can face their fears directly, rather than running away all the time. They can take take their power back.
I hope this inspired you to be an oneironaut. Its a whole other world just waiting for you!
Sources:
Fontana, David. Teach Yourself to Dream. A Practical Guide to Unleashing to Power of the Subconscious Mind. San Francisco, CA. Chronicle Books, 1997
Hoss, Robert. Questions about Dream Language: 90% Lost. http://www.dreamscience.org/faqs/
Moss, Robert. The Secret History of Dreaming. Novato, CA: New World Library, 2009
Tuccillo, Dylan et al. A Field Guide to Lucid Dreaming: Mastering the Art of Oneironautics. Workman Publishing Co. 2013.
