A lucid dream is one in which the subject is aware that he or she is dreaming and can even choose to influence the content or events of the dream..

Lucid dreaming and healing is an especially powerful combination, and many people learn to fill their dreams with positive visual imagery, since this is known to lead to improved physical health. It takes some practice to learn lucid dreaming, but, once it is mastered, many people have up to four or five lucid dreams every night. Scientists have found that it is easier to learn lucid dreaming when napping, rather than during nighttime sleep, although this is a recent discovery and many people have learned to lucid dream purely through presleep programming at night.

How to teach yourself lucid dreaming

Dr. Stephen LaBerge, a leading researcher and writer on lucid dreaming, teaches the MILD (Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams) technique of lucid dreaming. This technique is practiced after waking from a dream, but before returning to sleep. It has four steps:

1. Set up a dream memory. Before you go to sleep, program yourself to remember your dreams..

2. Focus your intent. When you wake from a dream and have noted down a few keywords to help you remember it, focus your intent on remembering that you are dreaming, the next time you do so. Say to yourself, "The next time I dream, I will remember that I am dreaming, but will not wake up." Repeat this to yourself over and over again, like a mantra, as you fall asleep. If you find your mind wandering, gently bring your focus back to the mantra.

3. Visualize yourself becoming lucid. As you continue to say the words over in your mind, imagine that you are back in the dream you have just had or - if you cannot recall that dream - any other memorable dream. Visualize yourself recognizing that you are dreaming and looking for confirmation that it is a dream. You might be doing something normally impossible (such as flying), meeting somebody deceased, witnessing extraordinary occurrences, and so on. Once you have confirmed that you are dreaming, say to yourself, "I'm dreaming," then continue your visualization.

4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until you fall asleep. It may take some time before you actually have a lucid dream, but with practice you can use this technique to make all your dreams lucid, if you choose.

From: Dreams, Transform your life through the power of your dreams, Andy Baggott, page 116-117

Thank you for the instructions how to teach ourselves lucid dreaming.
I have never tried it, but now I will give it a go.

At this moment I just need a good cup of coffee to keep me awake

Thanks for the reminder, Teo. It's been a while since I have done any lucid dreaming and it's time to get back into it. The first time around it was a gift during a period of change in my spiritual life. And I had some particularly vivid dreams during that time. It was an incredible experience. I guess this time I will have to make a conscious effort.

Thank you for this post Teo.
I have never tried lucid dreaming, but like Inda I will try it.

Love,
Sue

Thank you Teo.

Like Inda and Sue I have never done lucid dreaming. Thank you for posting the technique. I will also try to do it.

Love
Vicky

The first time I took note of being able to dream lucidly was when I was child and some still argued whether you dream in color or not. I was reasonably certain that I did, but soon after that had a dream that involved discovering that a black and white television set had a little switch on it which if you turned it would render color images.

I remember waking up thrilled. I had proven my point. If someone else only dreamed in black and white it certainly didn't apply to me.

There is form of Yoga that deals specifically with lucid dreaming. Teo has a copy of the W.Y.Evans Wentz transaltion of Yoga and Secret doctrines. That is one of them. Sleep is a third of our lives. The Tibetans make the suggestion that lucid dreaming is best when we sleep without too much disturbing our peace of mind. It is much harder to dream lucidly during legal battles and such.

As important as dreaming lucidly while we sleep according to the Tibetans is to be able to sustain that sense of insight into the next day. Is the waking state not something of a dream state too? That is certainly part of the point of learning to dream lucidly: to be awake lucidly too!

Thank you again for the post Teo.

I sleep very poorly and I will try this method of lucid dreaming.

Love,
Sue

Thanks for the post Teo,

I have tried it couple of times, but wasn't very good. I have heard that incense helps a lot in inducing lucid dream. Opium is a popular incense to burn for any spell involving dreaming or sleep in any way, including spells meant to induce lucid dreaming or prophetic dreams. It’s also a good incense to burn to dream and sleep associative deities such as Morpheus.

This is interesting. Sometimes it is so difficult to remember dreams, which is a pity, because I think there are always messages that we should be fully aware of.

Must deepen this knowledge!

Love,
Margherita

Hi Margherita,

I have heard that the day time dreams are a kind of prediction for our future, do you think this is true?

Wayne,
wishing peace for all.

I don't know WayneKatz.
Anything is possible. We really don't know very much about dreams and dreaming. It may not be the same for everyone. It also depends on how hard you have tried.

Love,
Vicky

I agree Vicky2,
But i have heard it from majority of my friends and relatives that whatever we dream after 4am is an prediction for your loved ones but not for you..

Wayne,
wishing Peace for all...

quote:

Originally posted by dear WayneKatz:
Thanks for the post Teo,

I have tried it couple of times, but wasn't very good.

You are quite welcome! You can get better with it if you wish to.

quote:

I have heard that incense helps a lot in inducing lucid dream. Opium is a popular incense to burn for any spell involving dreaming or sleep in any way, including spells meant to induce lucid dreaming or prophetic dreams. It’s also a good incense to burn to dream and sleep associative deities such as Morpheus.

OK.. the most important thing with incense, is don't burn anything! Personally, I think opium may have been my favorite flavor / scent too!

Why do you want to "sleep associative deities such as Moropheus?" I want to sleep associative deities such as Saint Cecilia (patron saint of musicians), Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin, for that matter Martin Luther King, and the good fairy!

You mention a few things that people have said about dreaming in this hour means this, this hour that, well as a musician who sometimes has done my best work at times I won't even mention, I will say from my experience the best dreams come any time they like.

What is important is how you analyze a dream. Have you ever started describing a dream to someone, and by the time you say what you think about the dream, hearing yourself, you change what you get from the meaning of the dream? This happens so much to me, that even recalling dreams is in the realm of needing a system to keep the good lessons, kapitsch?

I have a few books about dream analysis, there still is no definitive answer. My favorite approach is this: supposedly you can practice your art in your dreams, and fully learn and practice! I talked to Franz Liszt the composer in one great dream.

This guys book that I was mentioning so many years ago, was also talking about planting seeds for what you want to happen in your dreams, whether or not you are lucid. That's another entire approach. I like that one too! I've put myself to sleep with positive affirmations and such.

As far as prophecies.. I used to have a lot like that. They were amazing because some things I have to wonder, how did I know that?

I think the relationship with your dreams is a lot like the relationship you have with yourself. Do you lose your keys a lot? Do you forget names? Do you decide one thing now, then have a different position later? There is a thing that many call "The Great Work" which is self-mastery, or maybe just self-awareness for some people.

In a sense dreams can confuse you into the right direction. They can also lead you astray. How well you learn lessons from your dreams I think has a lot to do with how well you listen to yourself, are you honest with yourself, and are you genuine in wanting to improve your self.

Some times in life dreams are important, other times in the way. Hopefully they are beneficial to you in just the right way, I dream of everyone having much more of what they want in life. May the best of dreams come true just right! Amen.

Thanks for eliciting such wonderful discussions WayneKatz! Don't make any marks with the incense though.