Psychic Journeys: A Basic Guide to Dreaming Lucidly

Dreaming takes on a new meaning when you decide to dream out loud. To dream coherently an individual must have an ability to focus when he or she first falls asleep. People who control their dreaming experiences remain aware of what is taking place and can see their environment as if awake. Mastering the techniques on focusing the mind’s eye is key to achieving this lucid state. Most people experience lucid dreaming spontaneously at some point during their life. As a child, I experienced involuntary lucid dreams regularly. When I decided to participate in my dreams at will later on in life, I discovered that focusing my attention during this state required practice. I utilized some very basic exercises that assisted me in holding my focus so that I purposefully participated in the process. The first exercises involved looking at an item and holding on to the vision of the image with my eyes closed. I started by using various items that were readily available so that I could practice any time I had the chance to do so. I used items in my office such as my coffee cup, computer, and pictures, systematically expanding what I recorded each day. Lucid dreaming is different from those dreams that most of us experience regularly. For instance, you need to have the brakes checked on your car and plan to drop the car off at the mechanics the next day. That night, you dream about driving your car and discovering that you have no brakes. One can assume that you are probably concerned about getting your brakes fixed, and this concern has manifested itself in your dream. You should not mistake this type of dream for lucid dreaming because it does not require the dreamer to participate intentionally. In order to purposefully participate in a dream, the dreamer must be actively engaged during the experience. When you dream lucidly, you will travel to familiar places as well as to places you have never seen before; however, you will be aware that you are doing so. Developing the skills necessary to dream lucidly is a bit more complex than holding onto visions with the mind’s eye. Psychic awareness plays a role in this process because it is tied to how we interpret the world. We are programmed to believe that the world looks a certain way. We develop notions about ourselves as well as others based on a group interpretation of what is real and what is not and about how to operate within this perception of reality. Most people are unjustifiably frightened by the possibility of being rejected by those individuals who are part of their social circles and choose not to challenge the reality created by the group. Thus, one reality is perpetuated and becomes the standard measure for how everyone who exists in the group looks at the world. Eventually, even legends and mythology begin to reflect this standard as future generations become less enamored with pursuing anything outside of what is considered a normal reflection of life.