Y41Ri88B

1LUCID DREAMING
2
3By VH Frater Justificatus
4
5
6Table of Contents
7
8Introduction
9
10
11    l Lucid Dreaming ­ Basic Terminology
12    l Lucid Dreaming ­ The Technique
13
14Instructions for Attaining Lucid Dreaming:
15
16    l Step One: Dream Recall
17    l Step Two: An Introduction to Coueism.
18    l Step Three: Directed Dreaming ­ Three methods.
19    l Step Four: Sammaspati
20    l Step Five: Discernment
21    l Step Six: Active Imagination
22    l Step Seven: Achieving Lucidity
23    l Step Eight: The Lucid Lifestyle.
24    l Step Nine: General Advice for Lucid Dreaming.
25
26Projects for the Advanced Lucid Dreamer.
27
28    l Clairvoyant Dreams
29    l Precognitive Dreams
30    l Telepathic Dreams
31    l Alternatives to "Coueism"
32    l Theurgic Dreams
33    l The Astral Plane
34
35Lucid Dreaming Protocols of the Hermetic Order of Sol Ascendans
36Epilogue: Hymn to Morpheus
37Bibliography
38Appendices
39
40
41    l Appendix One: My Very First Lucid Dream
42    l Appendix Two: A Typical Lucid Dream
43    l Appendix Three : Satan
44    l Appendix Four: Dream Healing
45    l Appendix Five: A Clairvoyant Dream
46
47
48
49Introduction
50
51In ancient Greece, it was the custom to ascribe almost all phenomena to the action of divine
52beings. We have all heard about the most famous of these gods ­ Zeus, Ares, Apollo,
53Aphrodite, Hermes, etc ­ because their folklore has been passed down to us directly in the
54present day, not just through the telling and retelling of mythology, but also in a practical
55sense in the field of Astrology.
56
57And yet, we often do not hear about many of the other gods, who presided over functions
58which are important in their own right, but who have escaped the attention of history
59through a failure on the part of the general populace to guess their significance.
60
61One such god is Morpheus, the God of Dreams.
62
63I find it truly surprising that the worship of Morpheus is not widely known nowadays, as
64dreams have such a powerful hold on the imagination. They have an endless fascination,
65whether it be to present images from everyday life, or scenes which are utterly fantastic ­
66whether they transmit messages of great psychic import, or just give expression to fairly
67ordinary unconscious desires.
68
69It is not surprising that to the ancient Greek mind, dreams were classed as being under the
70presidency of a god, owing to their inherently intriguing nature.
71
72It occurred to me, not long ago, that if Morpheus was known as a god, then he must have
73been worshipped, even if his cult was small. But what, then, were the rites enacted by the
74priests and followers of Morpheus? I realised that I already had the key: Lucid Dreaming.
75
76Lucid Dreaming ­ the phenomenon whereby one becomes conscious that one is dreaming
77but without waking up ­ was (and is) the perfect expression for Morpheus' worship, in that
78it combines dreaming, which is in any case sacred to him, with a psychic skill of great
79power, which can well be used to participate in the mysteries. That an ancient Greek
80experiencing it would believe it to be Morpheus' special boon seems obvious.
81
82Nowadays, Lucid dreaming is becoming an increasingly well-known subject. More people
83are experiencing it, because it is a little piece of the occult in which almost everyone can
84share. Indeed, I myself first became aware of Lucid dreaming even before I knew anything
85else about the Mysteries. And yet few people are fully aware of the enormous potential that
86is to be gained from a full mastery of this art, and even fewer have any idea of its place in
87an ongoing system of spirituality ­ the Western Mystery Tradition.
88
89Therefore I write this essay in an attempt to show two things: first, the means whereby even
90a complete beginner can learn to master the art of Lucid dreaming ­ not merely to dream
91lucidly, but also to use his faculty for just about any purpose he chooses; and second, to
92bring back to public awareness that Lucid Dreaming is a Rite sacred to the God Morpheus.
93
94The following is a description of a method for attaining this ability, and even how to make
95use of this faculty for magickal purposes. It is the author's personal testimony that this
96method is guaranteed to work ­ so long as it is carried out properly.
97
98Lucid Dreaming is an incredibly useful skill, in that it enables one to work on the astral
99plane even before one has mastered the art of Astral projection. I myself have experienced
100both Lucid Dreams and astral projection as well, and I can verify that in fact, both are a
101
102form of one another. I have been able to carry out certain magickal acts whilst in the lucid
103dream state and then later performed the same whilst astrally projecting: I have experienced
104similar effects on both occasions.
105
106Lucid Dreams are especially useful to a practitioner in the Western Mystery Tradition, who,
107perhaps holding down a nine-to-five job, finds him- or herself pressed for time to perform
108the morning rituals such as the Middle Pillar Ritual, or the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram:
109one is able to do them whilst one is still asleep! This is an intriguing area of research, for if
110we are able to manage it, we will be collectively taking a real step forward towards the goal
111of integrating Spirit and Matter.
112
113In Lucid Dreams, by consciously affecting the content of ones dream vision, we begin to
114understand something of the infinite wonder of which our imagination is capable: yet we
115remain constantly fascinated, because we realise that we can never exhaust that capacity.
116
117It has been my personal experience that Lucid dreams may be used for: Clairvoyance and
118skrying; dream divination; invoking ones Holy Guardian Angel; performing certain rituals
119like the Middle Pillar, Pentagram and Hexagram; stimulating ones Intuition to provide
120answers to questions with which one is concerned; penetrating into the secrets of ones
121unconscious; and even Precognition ­ though whether one has the wisdom to act on that
122precognition is another matter. Generally speaking, anything that can be done on the astral
123plane can be done in a Lucid Dream: the dreamer will find that the only limit on ones ability
124to control the dream-state is how much effort one is prepared to put in to perfect ones Lucid
125Dreaming faculty.
126
127Lucid Dreams may, of course, also be used for non-magickal purposes, i.e. for pure self-
128indulgence. Indeed, complete beginners should start developing their faculty by first
129learning to induce non-magickal dreams, as the ability to put Lucid Dreams to use is
130advanced work, and only for those who are confident in their practice.
131
132Lucid Dreams: Basic Concepts
133
134A "Lucid Dream" is a dream, occurring within what will usually be REM-sleep, in which
135the dreamer becomes aware that he (she) is dreaming ­ and then continuing to remain in
136that dream-state without waking up. The peculiar awareness is referred to as "lucidity" or
137"being lucid".
138
139Apart from this quality of lucidity, differences between Lucid and ordinary dreams can
140include the following (this is a non-exhaustive list):
141
142
143    l The subsequent dream is far more memorable than a non-lucid dream;
144    l It appears to be more vivid;
145    l The dreamer has the conviction that he or she is an active participator in the dream,
146      instead of being a passive spectator;
147    l The dreamer is able to perform actions at his (her) own volition;
148    l The dreamer is able to affect the scenery and content of the dream through a feat of
149      concentration;
150    l The dreamer is also able to affect the manner in which he or she interacts with the
151      dream ­ this includes acting in way that would not normally be possible in real-life
152      such as changing the shape of ones body, passing through solid objects, levitating,
153
154       flying through space, teleporting to distant locations, travelling through time, etc*
155
156*Hmm, well it may be possible to do all this in real life, but I'm not that advanced an adept!
157
158However, I should emphasise that it may very well be that the dreamer finds it is not
159possible to do all or indeed any of the above in the list of differences on each and every
160occasion ­ the only way he (she) can tell it was a lucid dream is the bare fact that he knew it
161was a dream at the time.
162
163It is also possible that a dreamer may have a moment of Lucidity, but lapse back into non-
164lucidity later on ­ in that on waking up he realises that he didn't react to phenomena in the
165dream as he would have done if he had been Lucid.
166
167And yet these abilities ­ to become lucid and remain lucid throughout the dream, to act and
168re-act with at least some of the same intelligence that one has when one is awake, to affect
169oneself and the content of the dream through concentration ­ these are all desirable abilities
170for the seasoned Lucid dreamer to have.
171
172The main reasons why any lucid dream might fall short of the expectations one has for it
173include:
174
175
176    l  Lack of experience in Lucid dreaming;
177    l  Lack of practice;
178    l  Failure to observe one or more basic rules or principles;
179    l  There is something in your unconscious which is affecting the content of your
180       dreams.
181
182The solution to the first is simple: practice makes perfect. A beginner might see an
183improvement in the quality of his or her dreams in a few days, but Lucid dreaming is not
184something which happens straightaway: it should be developed over time. I have seen a
185certain book which said one could develop the faculty of an adept in just a month ­ but this
186is unhelpful, because for many this is too short a time period. So long as you practice
187constantly, you need only be concerned that you are making gradual progress, even if it is
188just little by little.
189
190The solution to the second can be said simply, but might be more difficult to achieve in
191reality: "shore up your resolve". The only way to maintain the ability of Lucid Dreaming to
192practice constantly. Even if you do not have any particular reason for dreaming lucidly, one
193should still do so to keep ones hand in. If you don't happen to dream lucidly on a given
194occasion, you should still follow the procedure as best you can, for doing so increases the
195probability of you being successful on a subsequent occasion: but failure to practice
196decreases that possibility. If you go without practice for too long a period, you may have to
197bite the bullet and re-start as if you were a complete beginner. Lucid Dreaming is an
198extremely valuable faculty to have, and if you decide to attain it, you should be prepared to
199put yourself to some effort ­ as indeed you would for anything sufficiently valuable.
200
201The solution to the third is to treat your lucid dreaming like a scientist treats his experiment:
202see if you can identify what went wrong, make a note of it, and then repeat but this time
203rectifying your mistake. It is here that the Dream Diary, of which I will talk more later, is
204essential, because using it you can use it to examine your practice in the cold light of day.
205
206The solution to the fourth is more delicate ­ sometimes it is obvious what is wrong, because
207it crops up in the dream itself, however at other times it remains hidden. Sometimes it is
208something relatively trivial, sometimes it is a long repressed memory. I advise the reader to
209familiarise him- or herself with standard works on psychoanalysis and psychology. In
210Alchemy, the prima materia is putrefied before any attempt is made to transmute it into a
211precious metal. Similarly, having ones repressions brought to consciousness will feel like
212putrefaction of the soul. It is never pleasant to discover you have been harbouring an
213emotion which is repugnant to your own reason ­ so unpleasant that at first you will be not
214believe the information when presented to you. And yet repressions, because they have a
215powerful effect on the unconscious, are bound therefore to also affect the quality of your
216lucid dreaming. Ideally, in order to be master of lucid dreaming, one should also master
217ones unconscious...
218
219In fact, both Freud and Jung recognised the importance of dreams in the context of
220psychoanalysis. It is possible that the ability to control or at least affect the content of ones
221dreams may itself be of benefit in psychotherapy, though this is outside the scope of this
222essay.
223
224Lucid Dreaming: The Technique
225
226The Technique of Lucid Dreaming actually consists of three basic disciplines which must
227be learnt. They are, in the order one would typically learn them:
228
229
230    l  Dream Recall;
231    l  Directed Dreaming (or Dream Incubation);
232    l  Lucidity itself (i.e. the achieving and maintaining of the Lucid state).
233
234These three are fundamental pre-requisites. Even if you choose not to develop you practice
235of Lucid dreaming for occult purposes, you should still learn these three.
236
237Dream Recall is a method for raising your awareness and memory of your dreams. People
238who wake up each morning only to forget what they had just been dreaming do not make
239good Lucid Dreamers. The same goes for people who are convinced that they never have
240dreams. It is therefore necessary to discipline your mind to become more aware of your own
241dreams. The process of recalling ones dreams in as much detail as possible is such a
242discipline and dreamers often notice that their memory of their dreams radically improves
243after just a few nights of practice.
244
245Directed Dreaming is the process of successfully deciding the subject matter for your
246dream, whilst you are still awake. In an episode of "Star Trek: Voyager" Chakotay manages
247this in a fairly straightforward manner, though what was not explicitly said that he would
248have had to have spent years being mindful of his psychic condition in order to possess this
249kind of mastery. In real life, most of us can get to the point where we decide the content of
250our dreams, though the process is more convoluted than what can be shown in a 45 minute
251TV show (nevertheless, it is fair to assume that the scriptwriters for that episode did know
252what they were talking about). Suffice to say, Directed Dreaming is vital to everyone who
253wants to use their faculty for a subject of their own choosing.
254
255Lucidity ­ I have already talked about what the quality of Lucidity is in the section on Basic
256terminology. As an actual technique, it is fairly easy to become Lucid: it is very difficult to
257
258remain Lucid or to avoid waking up. For this reason the dreamer must take into
259consideration a number of practices which will help maintain the Lucid state ­ and, once
260established in these, further practices to improve its quality. I will now set out a practical
261study course, giving explicit instructions for attaining the faculty of Lucid Dreaming. In the
262same way that Franz Bardon emphasises mastery of every stage of his magickal course
263before moving onto the next, so the dreamer should not attempt a later step before he or she
264is confident with all the preceding ones.
265
266Instructions                        for              Attaining                       Lucid
267Dreaming.
268
269Step One: Dream Recall
270
271For this you will need a Dream Diary. This is very important and will be referred to in
272most of the subsequent steps. Obtain for yourself the following: A large pad of A4
273(foolscap) paper; a new pen; a bedside lamp, penlight or torch, if you don't have one
274already. It is often convenient to have a ring binder into which to load the paper: this will be
275the Dream Diary itself. Also a nightstand. Arrange everything around your bed so that it is
276all within arm's reach from the position in which you normally sleep.
277
278Now, go to sleep normally, save with this important thought in your mind: whenever you
279wake up, immediately write down what you were just dreaming about. Note the emphasis.
280You might wake up for just a short while in the middle of the night, or a few hours before
281when you would normally do so, and you may feel tempted, on account of being too sleepy,
282to lie still. DON'T. You must get into the habit of rousing yourself at this point to write
283down, in your dream diary, what was just going through your mind whilst you were asleep.
284
285Your natural inclination will at first be to resist going to this trouble, but forcing yourself to
286record all your dreams at the earliest opportunity is exactly the kind of discipline that you
287will need to master to become a successful Lucid Dreamer.
288
289Even if you can only remember hazy details, you should still write as much as you can
290about those hazy details. If however, you do not manage to remember anything, write down
291the following: "I chose not to remember my dreams". Note carefully the way this is
292worded: you are affirming that it is your own responsibility to recall your dreams, and
293setting yourself the suggestion that the power to recall your dreams is within your free will
294­ which, as it happens, is true.
295
296On the subsequent night, repeat the procedure. Always use a fresh page in your dream diary
297for a new night, and make sure the date is clearly marked.
298
299Repeat this for at least a week. At first, you will barely be able to write down one sentence
300about the contents of your dreams. On subsequent nights you will be able to write in more
301and more detail. Always try to write as much detail as possible ­ ideally you should be
302able to read your diary later, e.g. after you come home from work that evening, and
303remember exactly how the dream occurred.
304
305Step Two: An Introduction to Coueism
306
307This is a technique which can be used for improving the quality of your practice: it can even
308be used to improve the quality of your life generally, by setting yourself a beneficial
309affirmation. Readers of Bardon's "Initiation into Hermetics" will recall that he himself
310suggests a similar technique.
311
312Let us imagine that you want to achieve a certain goal ­ one that would be within your
313sphere of capability if you had motivation from your unconscious ­ e.g.:
314
315I want to be happy
316I want to be healthy
317I want to be confident
318I want to remember my dreams in detail
319I want to be a Lucid Dreamer etc
320
321Coueism is a method of converting these wishes into unconscious suggestions. Emile Coue,
322who originally devised this method, laid down these basic principles: first, re-word the wish
323as if you were describing a positive situation in the present, e.g.:
324I want to be healthy becomes I am healthy
325I want to be happy becomes I am happy
326Etc, but not"I am not anxious" or "I am not a failure". These should be changed into
327positive statements like "I am calm and relaxed", or "I am successful."
328
329It was Coué himself who first invented the phrase "Every day in every way I am getting
330better, better, and better!" He had come to the conclusion that this is the perfect all-purpose
331wish (or "affirmation"), given that it is memorable, it fulfils his own criteria, it is specific
332enough to have meaning, but vague enough to allow the unconscious itself to decide on the
333best method of carrying out the affirmation.
334
335The second step after deciding the Affirmation, is, just as one is about to fall asleep at night,
336repeat it to yourself twenty times. Coue decided on the number twenty simply because from
337experiments he was conducting it seemed like the most appropriate number. The affirmation
338should be repeated when one is one the point of dozing off ­ and again on waking up, when
339one is still feeling sleepy.
340
341The reason why Coueism works at all is that it is in fact a form of hypnosis. The moment of
342feeling sleepy is akin to being in a hypnotic trance ­ when the critical faculties of the
343conscious mind are suspended, the unconscious is particularly receptive to suggestions.
344
345A word of warning. When deciding on an Affirmation, do not include words which have
346double meanings. The reason being that your unconscious, contrary to what people like
347Jacques Lacan say, does not work like a language ­ it is only the conscious mind that does
348that. What will usually happen is that rather it will select words apparently at random from
349your Affirmation, and link them with images and ideas in your memory with which the
350individual words are associated.
351
352For example, if you were to Affirm: "I will dream about my Holy Guardian Angel," you
353unconscious might just pick up on the word "angel" and instead of being blessed by the
354appearance of a divine being sent by God, you might dream about eating Angel Delight,
355Angel Cakes, getting high on Angel Dust, visiting the "Angel of the North" sculpture in
356
357Tyneside, meeting someone you know called Angel (reading a copy of The Guardian at the
358time) etc.
359
360I shall go on to more reliable methods of dream direction below. And by the way, there is a
361method for contacting ones Holy Guardian Angel whilst in the middle of a lucid dream ­ I
362have written about it in "The Vision of the Holy Guardian Angel".
363
364Practice this for a week, continuing as ever with your dream recall.
365
366Step Three: Directed Dreaming ­ Three methods.
367
368Once you can recall your dreams in detail, and are happy with the use of Coueism, you can
369move onto deciding the content for your dream before you go to sleep. Here are three
370methods to use: spend at least one week practising each of them. Afterwards, when you are
371more experienced, you can decide yourself which you prefer, though for maximum
372versatility you should be confident with all three.
373
374Method One - The Basic Method
375
376Pick a topic for your dream ­ something that can be described in one sentence. Or better
377still, one word. Whilst you are still a beginner, pick a topic in which you are not normally
378emotionally involved, or which it never occurs to you to think about (only try
379experimenting with subjects with which you are personally concerned when you are more
380experienced). Nevertheless, this should leave you with plenty of choice about what to pick:
381e.g. going to somewhere far away, meeting a celebrity or character from history, performing
382an activity which you don't normally do, etc.
383
384It is good practice for both beginners and more experienced to treat their dream-work purely
385as scientists treat their experiments, i.e. with objectivity and detachment. What I mean is
386that we should treat our dream-work in the same way as we would like scientists to treat
387their experiments ­ most actual researchers are lured by the wonga of Patent rights and
388kudos of PhDs.
389
390In any event, having decided on the topic of your dream, on retiring to go to sleep, take your
391Dream Diary, and on the page on which you will be recording that night's dreams
392(remember: a new page for a new night), write at the top in large capital letters "I WILL
393DREAM ABOUT ..."(here insert the chosen subject of your dream). Underline "Will"
394about two or three times, and concentrate hard on the sentence as if you mean it in deadly
395earnest. Then put your Dream Diary aside, turn out the light and settle down to sleep ­ as
396you have been doing over the past few weeks already.
397
398Coueism may also be of use, but you should only use a general affirmation like "I can direct
399my dreams." Do not say, if you want to dream about e.g. Ayer's Rock in Australia, say "I
400am going to Ayer's Rock" or you might find yourself waking up with a strong urge to
401actually go there in real life. Not necessarily a bad thing in itself, but defeats the object of
402learning how to dream Lucidly.
403
404If you wake up at any time, again write down as much detail as you can remember of your
405dreams ­ and use some kind of marking like underlining or asterisks or marginal notes etc
406to indicate any part of your dream which agrees with your subject.
407
408If you find you have dreamed about exactly what you wanted, you may consider this stage
409successful. If however you did not, and there is still time before you would normally get up,
410re-write the phrase "I WILL ..." etc underneath what you have just written, and go back to
411sleep again.
412
413If you go through the whole night without dreaming about your chosen topic, write
414underneath your entry for that night in large capitals: "I Chose not to dream about my
415selected topic." i.e. you are acknowledging that the responsibility and ability to direct your
416dreams lies within your own free will.
417
418However, there is conceivably another problem, and this is the same one as I mentioned in
419Section Two, on Coueism. That is, your chosen topic might have been too vague. E.g. If
420you write "I WILL DREAM ABOUT THE TAJ MAHAL" you may find yourself dreaming
421about Taj Mahal the blues guitarist, or even the Taj Mahal Indian Restaurant at the end of
422the road. Should you find that your dream only partly agrees with your intention, you
423should look again at what you wrote and see if it can't be re-worded. If it can, do so: if it
424can't you will either have to try again but this time concentrating not just on what you write,
425but on the meaning of what you write; or else you will have to abandon this one attempt and
426pick another subject, but not before writing out, as described above, "I Chose not to dream
427about my selected topic."
428
429Nevertheless, it may be that some topics about which cannot be dreamed under this first
430method may still work with methods two and three below.
431
432Practice the first method for a week, or if you find you are successful before then, continue
433to the end of the week but with a different dream subject (or even subjects).
434
435Method Two - The Picture Method
436
437This is similar to method one, but with one important difference ­ you need a photograph or
438picture of your dream subject. The picture should be small enough so that you can set it up
439on your nightstand, but large enough so you can see it clearly from your normal sleeping
440position when you have the bedside lamp on.
441
442Follow the procedure in Method One, but when you come to write out "I WILL DREAM
443ABOUT..."etc, you should then spend some time staring at the picture. It should be the sort
444of picture which you can remember in detail with you eyes shut. After staring at the picture
445for some time, put it aside, turn out the light and go to sleep, trying to remember the mental
446image of the picture.
447
448Do not when imagining this mental image, run through a mental dialogue of thoughts which
449occur to you in connection with the picture. Rather, try to hold the picture in your mind's
450eye, whilst keeping verbal thoughts silent. Repeat this same procedure each time you wake
451up during the night.
452
453You should be able to tell when you are successful, as you will find yourself dreaming
454about the content of the picture. Always be sure to carry out what was said about success,
455failure, and recording your dreams in method one.
456
457I myself have also used this method with Tarot cards and tattva symbols, to great effect.
458
459Method Three - The Visualisation Method
460
461This is slightly difficult in comparison to the previous two, but can be the most powerful of
462all of them. Start off as you did for Method One. You may incorporate the use of a picture
463as in Method Two if you wish. Turn off the light and settle down...
464
465...It is here that the work of Method Three begins. Consciously relax, by bringing
466awareness to each part of your body in turn, and making sure that all muscle tensions
467release. Maintain slow, unforced breathing.
468
469Now visualise the subject of your dream as a moving scene, such as a film or television
470program, or as an incident in which you are participating. Note well: the visualisation
471should be one continuous sequence: do not allow it to become a series of unconnected
472images.
473
474As with Method Two, only allow your visualisation to remain in your head: silence any
475verbal thoughts.
476
477Success comes in two forms: firstly, you may find that a dream later in the night
478corresponds to what you were visualising. Secondly, you may well find that you fall asleep
479and start dreaming about your desired topic whilst you are still visualising!
480
481As with methods one and two, repeat the procedure every time you wake up during the
482night, and remember to record your dreams and note down your successes and failures.
483
484Step Four: Sammaspati
485
486This is a technique which will help increase your success rate in dreaming about exactly
487what you intend. It is in fact a Buddhist meditation technique, and comes on the highest
488authority for use by practitioners of the Western Mystery Tradition, having been
489recommended by, inter alia, Dion Fortune, Rudolf Steiner and Aleister Crowley amongst
490others.
491
492The procedure is as follows: before getting into bed for the night, take up a comfortable
493meditation posture, in which the spine should be straight and upright. You should not lock
494your muscles in any way, you should maintain the posture anyway without effort. You
495should sit on a firm service e.g. the floor or a chair ­ I do not recommend your bed itself. If
496you are not a seasoned yoga practitioner, you should avoid the difficult "asanas", and sit in
497the "Easy Posture" i.e. simple cross-legs. Alternatively, you may take a chair or stool and sit
498in the so-called "Egyptian Position", also known as the "God-position" in Thelema and in
499the Aurum Solis: i.e. sit upright with the legs together (uncrossed), hands resting on thighs.
500
501Allow the back of the neck to lengthen and the chin to drop down. Take some moments to
502consciously relax, by bringing your awareness to each part of your body in turn and
503allowing your muscles to release. Breathe naturally. Once you feel that you have relaxed
504you can proceed to the next step.
505
506Starting with the present moment visualise your entire day backwards. E.g., if the last three
507things you have done are to walk upstairs, go to the bathroom and then go into your
508bedroom, you will visualise yourself getting up from your seated position and walking
509
510backwards into the bathroom, and from there walking backwards out of the bathroom and
511down the stairs facing the wrong way. It is as if you have filmed your daily activities and
512you are watching it with the film threaded the wrong way through the projector, or with the
513Rewind and Play buttons on your Video are depressed at once.
514
515Continue with this backward-visualisation throughout the events of that day. You should
516aim to observe these mental pictures with detachment, as if they had in fact happened to
517someone else. Moreover, your visualisation should be a complete sequence, and not a series
518of disconnected images. Your visualisation should go back as far as you can remember,
519which includes the contents of your previous night's dreams ­ or even the events of the
520previous day or days as well.
521
522It has been said, though I cannot say whether this is true or not, that if it were possible to
523remember in this way ones entire life, one might even recall ones previous existences.
524
525The effects of this process, i.e. Sammaspati, are two-fold: firstly, you will find yourself
526passing into a deep meditative state or trance, in which it is fruitful to concentrate on
527Affirmations and the like in a similar way to which you did with Coueism.
528
529Secondly, because you have recalled the images of the day to full consciousness during
530your meditation, they are less likely to affect the content of your dreams. You may well find
531that you discover emotions which you felt about a given event about which you forgot but
532nevertheless left their impression on your unconscious. Hence, what is left for your dreams
533will be the subject upon which you have decided, and nothing which has entered your mind
534by accident.
535
536Spend a week incorporating Sammaspati with all the foregoing practices. Sammaspati is an
537extremely important exercise: ideally you should perform it every night for the rest of your
538life.
539
540Step Five: Discernment
541
542With Discernment you are now dealing with techniques which will lead you directly into
543actual Lucidity.
544
545Lucidity is caused by reacting to an event in your dream which makes you realise that you
546are dreaming. The event in question is essentially arbitrary ­ it could be the sight of your
547hands, or of any other visual cue, or the occurrence of an event such as finding yourself
548floating or flying, or indeed anything. However, none of these lucidity-causing events will
549do you any good unless you train yourself to become sensitive to what is going on in your
550dream, even more so than you are at the moment. The best method I have found in my
551experience is to develop the quality of Discernment.
552
553Discernment is the ability to detect whether an occurrence within your dream is in any way
554realistic. For example, (this happened to me recently), let us suppose you dream of walking
555into a darkened room, and you naturally try the light switch by the door. The light comes
556on, and then immediately goes out again. You try the switch again and the same happens.
557Now, ideally you should be able to Discern that this is not how light-switches work in real
558life: thus you now have a strong clue or prompt that you are in fact dreaming.
559
560Once you have got into the habit of being alert to inconsistencies within your dreams, you
561will be able to go on to train yourself to become Lucid whenever you Discern that
562something is out of place.
563
564Begin the practice of Discernment by re-reading your dream diary up to this point, and
565highlighting or underlining any detail, which examined in the cold light of day, is obviously
566inconsistent with waking life.
567
568When doing Sammaspati from now, become aware when reviewing the previous night's
569dreams which parts were inconsistent with real life.
570
571When settling down for the night, write at the top of the new page in your Dream Diary "I
572CAN DISCERN REALITY". You may also try making this an Affirmation.
573
574Whenever you wake up during the night, or even the next morning, and you record your
575dreams, note down any detail which which you successfully spotted as out of place or
576illogical in the manner: "I DISCERNED that..."(etc). However, should you find that your
577dream contained a detail which you only realised was unrealistic now you are awake, note it
578down thus: "I CHOSE NOT TO DISCERN that..."(etc). By this very choice of words
579you are asserting that you already have the power of Discernment ­ you are now trying to
580shame yourself into making use of it!
581
582Repeat the above procedure every time you subsequently go back to sleep. You will find
583that at first you are using the phrase I CHOSE NOT TO DISCERN that... an
584embarassingly large number of times ­ you may even want to devise an abbreviation or a
585certain symbol as a kind of stereotype to replace it, and thus save time in writing up your
586dream diary. However it is vitally important that you do not forget the significance of the
587abbreviation or symbol as it is only by subjecting yourself and your dream practice to this
588level of criticism that you will gain the sensitivity required for full lucidity.
589
590It has often been the case in my own dreams that I have noted half a dozen (or even more)
591inconsistencies of which the first five I Chose not to Discern ­ but the sixth I did Discern
592and that sixth one was the one that caused me to become Lucid.
593
594Practice the art of Discernment for at least a week. If you find that you are able to
595successfully Discern inconsistencies, all well and good. In any event, you should be
596thoroughly established in the practice of subjecting your Dream Diary ­ and yourself
597thereby ­ to the kind of criticism that I have outlined below. If it so happens that you do not
598find yourself experiencing proper lucidity yet, or that you are not Discerning inconsistencies
599as they happen, there is nevertheless a way of using what you have learnt of Discernment to
600achieve your goal ­ I will describe this in detail later on.
601
602Before I leave the subject of achieving Discernment, I should mention a practice which may
603speed up your mastery thereof: the Reality Check. I have already told you in the section on
604basic terminology that a desirable skill for a lucid dreamer to have is that "The dreamer is
605able to affect the scenery and content of the dream through a feat of concentration." The
606rationale of the Reality Check is therefore to regularly, throughout the day, attempt to
607change your environs simply by concentrating, just to make sure you haven't drifted off to
608sleep without knowing. Stick to something simple ­ like trying to make a passing car
609suddenly float into the sky, or anything of your own devising.
610
611Repeat this regularly, e.g. every half an hour. Obviously you will not succeed if you are
612awake, and it may seem pointless ­ but the habit of regularly checking whether you are
613awake or dreaming will eventually make you check your own dreams to see if you are
614dreaming or not. The Reality Check thus develops your powers of Discernment, by making
615you concentrate on it throughout the day.
616
617However, do not be tempted, if you are at work, to try turning your boss into a toad, if at
618school making your teacher fall through the Earth's crust, or at college making that member
619of the opposite sex whom you fancy who sits a few seats a way do a striptease, etc etc. You
620may find that this does not improve your Discernment at all, but causes you to fall into a
621day-dream!
622
623Step Six: Active Imagination
624
625I will now write some details of a certain technique which will be of interest to beginners
626who are having difficulty achieving lucidity, to enable them to get some idea about what it
627is they are aiming for. It should also be of interest to those more experienced, as it is also a
628method for developing Clairvoyance, Skrying, and stimulating ones intuition.
629
630"Active Imagination" is a term coined by the founder of Analytical Psychology, C.G. Jung.
631It is a particular method of visualisation which he developed as an alternative to the free-
632association type of psychoanalysis invented by Freud.
633
634Unlike the other exercises in this essay, Active imagination is only indirectly connected
635with Lucid Dreaming ­ it can and sometimes should be done whilst one is fairly awake.
636
637I mention Active Imagination here as ideally, a Lucid Dreamer should have as much
638mastery over his dreams as he would in the visions he would see in this method.
639
640To begin Active Imagination, sit in a comfortable position ­ e.g. the same posture in which
641you sit for sammaspati. It may help to have pen and paper handy.
642
643Select a topic for your experiment. This would be like the topic you would choose for a
644directed dream, but with one important qualification ­ it should simplified to one key-word.
645If you have a particular question on your mind, you should decide upon a key-word which
646sums up the subject of your question. E.g. For "How do I earn lots of money?" your key
647word might be "Money." For "I want to know what it's like in the Bahamas," your key word
648would probably be "Bahamas."
649
650Having selected your topic, allow yourself to become relaxed, and try to make your mind a
651complete blank. Now think about the key-word once, and then try to keep your mind as still
652as possible.
653
654Carefully observe the first thought that pops into your head immediately after you have
655thought about the key-word. This is very critical ­ a second or third thought is likely pop in
656almost immediately afterwards but these do not count, because they are almost certainly
657generated by your conscious mind reacting to the first thought. It is only the first one,
658arising spontaneously before you have time to react that we are interested in here. Write this
659very first thought down ­ or, if it is not a word itself (e.g. a picture or sound) write a very
660brief description of it.
661
662This is where the process starts to differ from Freudian free-association. Repeat the
663procedure of the two preceding paragraphs, re-starting with the key-word, not whatever you
664have just noted down on your piece of paper. Repeat this around half a dozen times, so that
665you end up with a list of thoughts, all of which arose completely spontaneously as a result
666of thinking about the key-word. Take some time to examine the list, so that you can
667remember its contents without having to look at it.
668
669The next stage is to begin the visualisation proper. At this point Jung himself said some
670people needed a kind of ritual before settling down to their visualisation. What this is
671should be left to the individual ­ it should be a definite act which signifies your will to
672concentrate on your inner vision, and ignore all external influences. Those familiar with the
673G.'.D.'. might consider the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram at this point.
674
675Re-settle yourself in your seated position and close your eyes. It should go without saying
676that this exercise should be conducted in privacy, when you are not likely to be disturbed.
677
678Before your mind's eye, construct a scene whose elements include all of the thoughts you
679have just written down. You should not torture yourself into trying to create a real-life scene
680­ a fantasy scene will do just as well and indeed may be necessary if the elements are
681sufficiently incongruous. However, it should be fully developed: you should have the
682impression that you are looking at an actual place full of the thought-elements. Your vision
683should not be a succession of random images.
684
685Remaining calm at all times, concentrate on the vision, so that as you lend it your full
686awareness, it becomes as clear as a television image, or an actual three-dimensional
687situation. Maintain regular breathing. Avoid the temptation to tense any muscles.
688
689As with other types of visualisation, this active imagination should be continuous,
690unbroken. However you may find distracting thoughts cropping up which threaten to break
691up your vision. It is here that you must learn the particular way of concentrating which will
692ensure success in your vision. Do not think you can get rid of the distracting thoughts by
693willing them to go away, for in doing so you are still paying them some attention, which is
694more than they deserve. Do not try even to force these thoughts from your mind. Instead,
695you should concentrate on your intended vision with all the care that you would if you were
696trying to listen out for a particular sound across a crowded room. I emphasise the word
697"care": for you should be completely calm in the manner in which you concentrate upon
698your active imagination.
699
700Another example: take a tight-rope walker for instance. You can bet that he does not allow
701stray thoughts to enter his mind when on the middle of a tight-rope. You can also bet that he
702does not allow himself to be distracted by fear ­ and this includes the kind of physical
703reactions that occur to frightened people such as unnatural breathing, tensed muscles, etc.
704Instead, the way in which he takes great care is to keep his mind still and body relaxed
705while he concentrates on the rope.
706
707Therefore, meditate on your vision with complete calmness and with the greatest possible
708care ­ as if the slightest perturbation from your mind will shatter your vision completely.
709Yes, this is difficult! However, you are also learning a key to maintaining the quality of
710your lucid dreams, so it is thoroughly worthwhile you learning this.
711
712Assuming you can maintain this active imagination with any degree of success, you should
713start off by looking around and simply observing what is happening. Are people talking?
714Are they interacting with each other? Gradually turn around observing everything that there
715is to be seen, and look up and down.
716
717To begin with, this should be the extent of your experiments: however, once you have got
718used to Active Imagination, and are able to maintain the integrity of the vision, with the
719required state of mind, you may go further. If you see people in your vision, you may
720attempt to talk to them, that is, by imagining that you are doing so. Suitable questions
721include asking the significance of what you can see, asking them to explain their actions ­
722and if your original intention in making use of Active Imagination was to find the answer to
723a question, then obviously that question itself.
724
725It is of the utmost importance when asking such a question to keep the mind as still as
726possible, so you can detect the first thought that occurs spontaneously thereafter ­ compare
727this with what you did when you generating a list of words associated with the Key-word.
728The reason being that you want to know what your Unconscious really thinks on the matter.
729However, if you are sloppy in your concentration, or you allow yourself to pay attention to
730the second or third thought occurring (or even a later one!) you run the risk of finding out
731not what your Unconscious really thinks but what you wish your Unconscious really
732thought. From the point of view of someone who wants to use Active Imagination as a
733means of stimulating their intuition, or even practising Clairvoyancy and Skrying ­ or
734someone who wants to eventually enjoy a really good quality Lucid Dream ­ this would be
735less than useless.
736
737To further practice your powers of imagination, once you have the ability to concentrate on
738your vision, attempt to change one aspect of it at Will, without the integrity of the vision
739breaking up. E.g. make one object appear or disappear. How do the characters and events in
740the vision react to the things which you are causing to happen? Concentrate on causing one
741change, until you are confident with maintaining your inward vision ­ then go on to practice
742with a completely different change, and so forth. This should be done over the course of
743many Active Imagination sessions.
744
745To end your Active Imagination session on any one given occasion, you should open your
746eyes and make another definite symbolic act, this time signifying your firm intention to end
747your vision and return to normal consciousness. Again, those who know their G.'.D.'. might
748consider making the Sign of Silence (also known as the Sign of Harpocrates) at this point.
749Once finished, write a full account of how you fared, in a similar manner to the way you
750record things in your Dream Diary.
751
752You should practice the Active Imagination for at least a week, and not move onto the next
753step until you have achieved the kind of concentration, and control over your inward vision
754as I have indicated. You will find, when you are more experienced practising, that instead of
755basing your Active Imagination around a Key-word, you can also base it around a key-
756picture. Generate the list of words on which you base your active imagination by stilling
757your mind and staring at the picture in question ­ noting down the very first thought which
758occurs each time.
759
760NB It is best to avoid contemplating magical symbols in this way unless you are familiar
761with the principle of clairvoyance ­ I will give a brief explanation in a later section.
762
763Step Seven: Achieving Lucidity
764
765First I shall recap about all you should have achieved so-far: you should be recording your
766dreams assiduously in your Dream Diary. You can dream about topics of your own
767choosing when you so desire. You have learnt how guide your unconscious into following
768your willed desires through affirmation. You have learnt how to improve the quality of your
769dreams by performing Sammaspati before retiring. You have become used to visualisation,
770and what is more important, the level of concentration required to sustain it through Active
771imagination. Most importantly, you are practising the habit of Discernment, and actively
772looking out for inconsistencies in your dreams.
773
774You should not go onto the next step until you are confident in your practice of everything
775in the above paragraph. Now I am going to deal directly with achieving lucidity in practice
776­ and to do this I shall be referring back to everything about which I talked in the foregoing
777sections.
778
779Read the following definition several times until it is committed to memory: the quality of
780Lucidity means exercising as much control over your dreams as you do over Active
781Imagination. In other words, remember how I wrote at some length about the care you
782need to show in concentration? About your ability to cause Willed changes to your vision?
783About carefully observing your surroundings, and interacting with the characters that you
784see? In Lucid Dreaming you are going to do all that whilst asleep. Readers might be
785wondering why I bothered with Active Imagination instead of going straight to Lucidity
786itself ­ the answer now presents itself: by using the metaphor of Active imagination I am
787giving the beginner some idea of what Lucidity is actually like, so that he or she will
788recognise it when it occurs to them.
789
790There are several particular methods of achieving lucidity: I advise the dreamer to practice
791all of them until you can decide for yourself which you prefer. When selecting a method
792only do one-at-a-time; do not try one method one night and another the following ­ or even
793different methods on the same night.
794
795For the moment, whenever you attain lucidity by whichever method, do not do anything at
796first apart from repeating "I am Lucid" quietly to yourself. If you become overly excited at
797becoming lucid you may cause yourself to wake up. Therefore you should initially try to
798remain as calm as possible.
799
800The Discernment Method ­ version one.
801
802Set yourself an affirmation along the lines of "I become Lucid when I Discern an
803inconsistency in my dreams." Assuming you are well established in Discernment this is the
804most straightforward ­ the additional practice of the Reality Check is recommended.
805
806Although this is the most straightforward, it may be that many of your dreams are filled
807with inconsistencies which You Chose Not to Discern. If you find this to be the case, do not
808despair, rather try the following:
809
810The Discernment Method ­ version two
811
812Let us assume that you have woken up in the small hours, having already had one non-lucid
813dream. You have recorded it in your Dream Diary, and on review you realise that there are a
814number of inconsistencies which you Chose Not to Discern. Now you are going to attempt a
815feat of visualisation similar to the third method of Dream Direction in Step 3 above.
816
817Settle down to sleep, and consciously relax by bringing your attention to each part of your
818body in turn, allowing the muscles to untense and become still. Maintain unforced regular
819breathing. Now, replay the contents of your dream before your mind's eye ­ but this time
820allow yourself the commentary along the lines of "I am lucid. I am lucid. That's not realistic
821­ I must be dreaming. I am lucid. I am lucid etc". In other words, acting out what you
822should have done in you dream, in your visualisation.
823
824This can be a very effective method indeed. Success comes in two forms: first, you may slip
825into a lucid dream directly from your visualisation, without ever becoming aware that you
826fell asleep. Secondly, even if the first does not occur, you are increasing the probability that
827you will have a proper lucid dream later in the night.
828
829The Visual Cue method
830
831Select something for a visual cue ­ set yourself an affirmation ­ "When I see "[name of
832Visual cue]" I become Lucid." The visual cue can be anything, for example: your own
833hands, an object, person or place, an animal, etc. To decide something really effective, you
834can go over your dream diary entries of the past few days and identify something that crops
835up in your dreams regularly. You can also combine this method with the idea of the Reality
836Check, by e.g. making your Reality Check the task of looking out for a specific cue.
837
838It is helpful to get a good look at your chosen visual cue immediately before going to sleep.
839This is why it is often most convenient to use your own hands as the cue, as anything more
840ostentatious will mean you have to hunt around for a decent picture, or setting up the object
841on your nightstand, etc.
842
843Both this and the various methods of Discernment work by prompting the critical faculties
844of your conscious mind to come into operation, instead of just lying dormant (literally!) as
845they do in a non-lucid dream.
846
847The "Dream Yoga" Method
848
849This is something of a curiosity, although I myself have tried it in the past and have
850achieved remarkable results with it. It was originally described by Namkhai Norbu
851Rinpoche, a Tibetan spiritual master in the Dzogchen tradition.
852
853In order to carry it out, one should be well versed in the technique of meditation. Recourse
854to a good book on Yoga is recommended for explanation of basic terms, e.g. Light on Yoga
855or Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, both by BKS Iyengar ­ the former is a practical
856guide and the latter is an erudite study of yoga philosophy.
857
858The procedure is as follows: when meditating, listen to the sound of your breath, and decide
859how best to describe that sound, e.g. "Aaaaaaaa...". Now visualise this sound as a glowing
860white symbol e.g. the Tibetan letter "ah":
861
862or simply the English letter "A", located in your heart. Meditate on this symbol in your
863heart, until you have attained samadhi ­ or deepest state which it is possible for you to
864achieve, as it is very difficult to achieve samadhi per se.
865
866Remember that success in meditation rests in keeping the mind perfectly still. It is not about
867generating a train of thought, but making the mind rest on a single point. In Yogic terms,
868meditation may be characterised like this:
869
870First, the outside world disappears ­ this is pratyahara or Sense withdrawal.
871
872Second, ones own body disappears. The object of meditation is hanging in empty space.
873This is dharana or concentration.
874
875Third, all other thoughts which are competing with the meditation object disappear. It is as
876if dharana has become effortless: though one does not realise this at the time ­ if one did
877this would constiute a break in concentration. This third phase is dhyana, or meditation.
878
879Fourthly, ones own Ego itself disappears. This is a very strange phenomenon indeed. The
880mind becomes locked still, as if it couldn't move even if it wanted to. Meditators who look
881back on this afterward (it is not possible to do this at the time ­ if it were, the mind would
882not be still) report: an explosion of energy (known as agni or kundalini); a sense of
883overwhelming peace and tranquility; an impression that one has transformed into the actual
884object of meditation. However, the key quality is the perfect stillness of the mind ­ so still
885in fact that it is really impossible to describe with complete accuracy. It is not the most
886perfect stillness imaginable ­ it is a stillness so perfect it is beyond imagination. This fourth
887phase is samadhi, which means "divine consciousness" or "being at one with God".
888
889Note well that none of the four phases described above by willing the effects described, but
890by concentrating on the process itself. Therefore, in the Dream Yoga meditation, do not try
891to will the outside world to disappear and thereby cause pratyahara. Instead meditate purely
892on the
893
894
895or "A" itself, and let the outside world disappear of its own accord. Similarly, do not keep
896wondering "Am I in Dharana yet? Am I in Dhyana yet?" etc ­ if you have to ask, then the
897answer is "No," because the very fact that you have to ask means you are not concentrating
898on the object.
899
900Once you have finished meditating for the evening, retire to bed in the normal way.
901Namkhai Norbu recommends sleeping on the right hand side, blocking off the right ear and
902nostril, for vivid dreams ­ or doing the same, mutatis mutandur, on the left for dreaming of
903the Void. Furthermore, on waking up, meditating on the same symbol but at the throat helps
904in dream recall.
905
906In explaining this method, Namkhai Norbu said that its main purpose is to enable the
907practitioner to receive "transmission": i.e. of teachings, spiritual advice, and most
908importantly of the non-dual state which is both the starting point and the objective in
909Dzogchen practice. In his autobiography, Namkhai Norbu relates that he often used this
910Dream Yoga to visit his own master to receive further teaching ­ even though the master
911
912was otherwise incommunicado in Tibet, and Namkhai Norbu had long since gone to live in
913the west to escape the Chinese persecution.
914
915Step Eight: The Lucid Lifestyle.
916
917At this point I shall include some advice on how best to organise your life so as to maximise
918your success at Lucid Dreaming.
919
920Lucidity is not for those who don't get a full night's sleep. Going to bed early is
921recommended, at least no later than midnight. Curiously however, I have found that it is not
922necessarily helpful to go to bed especially late and have a lie-in the following morning.
923
924This is not to say "Don't go out to pubs and night-clubs" etc ­ however, if you do, you
925should resign yourself to the fact that you are not going to have a lucid dream each and
926every night. Nevertheless, you should still carry out the practise as best you can ­ recording
927your dreams in your dream diary, noting inconsistencies which you Chose not to Discern,
928practising sammaspati as often as possible, etc.
929
930Don't eat indigestible foods in the evening. You have probably heard the saying "Eating
931cheese at night gives you nightmares." There is actually some sense to this, as cheese, being
932slow to digest, will keep your digestive system at work during the night. Hence your
933unconscious mind will be receiving troublesome signals from your body whilst you are
934sleeping.
935
936For similar reasons, only go to bed after you have emptied your bladder and voided your
937bowels. Moreover, you should take care to mind your physical health. Exercise regularly,
938avoid doing anything obviously unhealthy, such as risking injury or disease. You are not
939going to have trouble-free nights ­ and therefore have dreams which you can control ­ if
940you are disturbed by illness.
941
942Avoid taking drugs. Generally they are never necessary for Lucid Dreaming ­ all of the
943practices in this essay can be achieved whilst totally drug-free. Lucid Dreaming is a
944perfectly healthy way of accessing unusual states of consciousness. It is safe, and not only
945does it not damage your health it can even be good for you. Conversely, everyone should
946know by now what kind of damage to physical or mental health drugs can cause. There is
947really no point in risking your well-being or your sanity to go on a drug-induced trip, when
948it is possible through Lucid Dreaming to experience what is essentially a "trip" that is risk-
949free.
950
951There is a scurrilous plot-detail in Dion Fortune's novel "The Sea Priestess", in which the
952hero experiences dream visions whilst dosed up to his eyeballs on (prescribed) morphine.
953This is by no means recommended. As far as I can tell, Dion used this as a literary device to
954get the hero to start experiencing visions within a few days ­ it would have taken up an
955overlong part of the book if she had described him going to the trouble of actually learning
956Lucid Dreaming. It is entirely possible, by adhering to the discipline which I have outlined
957in this essay, to experience visions as astounding as those which occurred the hero of "The
958Sea Priestess" ­ without having to become a drug addict.
959
960There are no special rules for diet. Vegetarianism, veganism, eating only certain foods for
961religious or ideological reasons: all of these are in fact irrelevant to success in Lucid
962
963Dreaming. So too is tee-totalling, but this does not mean it is a good idea to go out and get
964hog-whimperingly drunk. However, if you do follow a certain dietary practice for religious,
965moral or ethical reasons, you should carry on as before, as the emotional upset you will
966receive from interrupting your diet probably will interfere with your ability to dream
967lucidly, even though the food itself does not. Therefore, when it comes to diet, one should
968simply remember the advice about indigestible foods late at night, and avoid anything
969which is obviously unhealthy ­ and of course, don't disobey your doctor's instructions if
970your diet is medically prescribed for you.
971
972When you travel away from home, for whatever reason, take your Dream Diary with you,
973so you can carry on your practice. It is preferable to take your actual dream diary ­ trying to
974use scraps of paper which you will copy into your real diary later is often unsatisfactory. If
975you go without practising Dream Recall, which is the first and most important skill of a
976Lucid Dreamer, for any length of time, you will only waste time trying to get back into the
977hang of remembering your dreams. Practice continually ­ even if you are unable to dream
978lucidly every night or at all, stick as close to the procedure as is possible.
979
980There is no particular rules for sex ­ this is purely for the judgement of the individual (I
981have already mentioned the considerations of getting enough sleep and not doing anything
982unhealthy). Ideally you should explain to your partner what it is you are trying to achieve
983with Lucid Dreaming ­ so that not only do they tolerate your nocturnal activities, but they
984lend you their active support. In a later section I will describe how you can experiment with
985lucid dreaming together.
986
987Avoid doing anything that will cause you emotional upset. Guilt, frustration, fear, anger,
988hatred ­ not only are these bad in themselves, they do not make for good sleep (and
989therefore Dream) patterns. Sammaspati can help alleviate some emotional problems to an
990extent, but it is far better to avoid them at the outset ­ and this may mean modifying your
991behaviour in everyday life. Hence, here is at least one argument in favour of observing
992morality ­ if you don't, you risk preventing the success of your lucid dream practice, in
993addition to any aspiration you have to mystical attainment.
994
995Periodically re-read your dream diary, to compare your present practice with the past. If you
996have difficulties, you may be able to discover the both the problem and the cure by
997examining how you coped on previous occasions. As I encourage you to experiment with a
998number of different techniques in this essay, you should make a careful note of what
999technique or technique you are using at a given time, so you can correlate them with your
1000successes ­ and failures.
1001
1002Similarly, later on I suggest a number of ways you can make use of your Lucid Dreaming
1003faculty once you are confident in it. In each case you should always note down what you are
1004trying to achieve, and how you are going about achieving it. The same goes if you decide to
1005use Lucid Dreaming to explore a completely new area of either your own or someone else's
1006devising.
1007
1008Step Nine: General Advice for Lucid Dreaming.
1009
1010You should only move on to this step once you are able to achieve lucidity in your dreams
1011on a regular basis.
1012
1013As you begin your adventures in lucid dreaming you will probably come across three main
1014problems: first, not being able to control your actions; second, lapsing into non-lucidity; and
1015third, waking up suddenly.
1016
1017The first problem is solved through both preparation and practice. You should realise, I
1018hope, that having mastered both dream direction and achieving lucidity, how it is possible
1019to combine the two and have a lucid dream about the topic of your choice. However, it
1020happens to the best of us that if we set ourselves a given task to accomplish in our Lucid
1021dreaming, we may not be able to achieve it first time. Try, try and try again. Lucid dreaming
1022is a talent for life: given that your only responsibility for success is to yourself, you should
1023concentrate primarily on the quality of your experience, not on achieving it in a given time-
1024frame. Therefore never be afraid to repeat your efforts on a succeeding night if what you
1025desire does not occur immediately.
1026
1027I have found that dream direction is more likely to happen first time if the topic is
1028something you need to do, or you would find it genuinely useful ­ as opposed to mere wish-
1029fulfilment. Trying to use Lucid Dreaming unselfishly ­ e.g. to give you an idea how to help
1030others ­ also works well: but not if the only reason is to win glory for yourself and inflate
1031your own ego.
1032
1033"Not being able to control your actions" is solved quite simply by identifying with which
1034part of the dream you are unsatisfied, and then firmly resolving that in the future you are in
1035fact able to control it as you wish. This is quite simply because dreams are ultimately the
1036product of your imagination, and your imagination can be controlled through Concentration.
1037The use of Affirmation might be considered ­ but you will find that sometimes all that is
1038necessary is to simply remember you have the power to control your dreams before you go
1039to sleep. To give an example, I remember one of my own dreams where I found I could not
1040pass through solid objects. It occurred to me that this was absurd when I woke up, as I was
1041allowing my Waking sense of what is possible and impossible to impinge upon my dreams.
1042Once I realised this, I found that I rectified the problem soon after, and I was happily
1043phasing through walls and plate-glass windows and the like.
1044
1045Albert Einstein himself said that "the Imagination is more important that the Intellect. For
1046the Intellect is limited by what is known at the time ­ but the Imagination is infinite." When
1047Einstein said the Intellect was limited, he of course was referring to extents of human
1048knowledge of which ordinary people who are not Nobel Prize-winning scientists are not
1049aware ­ yet even he was conscious that the sum total of human knowledge if finite. With
1050Lucid dreaming you yourself are able to explore the Infinite Imagination in full vividness.
1051The only limits on your imagination are ones which you yourself are allowing to exist, for
1052every fantastic idea (including ones not yet imagined) can be explored within your mind.
1053Therefore, free your imagination by the power of your Will: concentration, perseverance,
1054and the knowledge of the true extent of your abilities.
1055
1056If you want to have a lucid dream about a specific topic, as opposed to a more general one,
1057it is wise to prepare yourself whilst awake by reading or revising everything you are likely
1058to need to know before going to sleep. There is a certain phenomenon when you become
1059aware that you are dreaming, but you find it strangely difficult to remember certain things.
1060This can be quite a bind if you are aiming to use your lucid dream for a quite detailed
1061purpose. As to why this sudden amnesia occurs, I have heard numerous explanations,
1062mostly of an occult variety e.g. in a lucid dream, the Nephesh is separated from the Ruach,
1063or (in other words) the Astral body is separated from the Mental Body. I will not go into this
1064
1065in detail as a full discussion of Occult anatomy is outside the scope of this essay, and in any
1066event is not strictly necessary in order to overcome the problem. I merely mention it here so
1067that people who are familiar with e.g. the Qabalah can carry out research on their own.
1068
1069Suffice to say, most problems of this kind can be overcome by making a specific effort to
1070remember all information that you are likely to require before you go to sleep.
1071Alternatively, it is sometimes possible to sustain the dream-state long enough through
1072remaining calm, concentrating, and guarding against non-lucidity (see below) until you
1073actually remember the desired fact. This second method is very difficult in practice and is
1074far inferior compared to that of prior revision, as outlined above.
1075
1076The second problem, that of "lapsing into non-lucidity", can be an insidious problem at first,
1077because you don't realise it happens until after you wake up. The solution is simple. Repeat
1078the same test you used to achieve lucidity periodically throughout your dream, so as to keep
1079yourself on your guard. For example, if you look at your hands to achieve lucidity, do the
1080same throughout your dream. If you have been practising Reality Checks, continue to do so
1081after you have achieved lucidity ­ and likewise for Discernment. If you do not remember to
1082do this, again, think about using Affirmations, or simply form a firm resolution to remember
1083before going to sleep.
1084
1085The third problem, "waking up suddenly", is one of the trickiest pitfalls faced by beginners.
1086One of the main causes is to be suddenly confronted by a surprising experience: hence the
1087less experienced lucid dreamer is most susceptible because he or she will be discovering
1088new phenomena in their practice as a matter of course.
1089
1090However ­ "forewarned is fore-armed." You will find that the mere act of knowing that a
1091given event has a surprising effect will prepare you for the next time. Hence by repeating
1092the lucid dream you will be able to retain your composure, and thereby stay asleep and stay
1093lucid.
1094
1095For example, in another essay, which can be downloaded from my web-site as "The Vision
1096of the Holy Guardian Angel", I describe how I attempted to contact an angelic being during
1097a lucid dream. I was successful, yet I was unprepared for the fruits that success would bring.
1098Hence the (literally) "heavenly ecstasies" caused me to awake rather sooner than I would
1099have wished! However, on subsequent occasions I repeated the same procedure, and
1100experienced the same effects whilst remaining in my lucid dream.
1101
1102Thus, if you find yourself waking up in the middle of a lucid dream, always remember that
1103you can repeat the same lucid dream later with the benefit of experience. Re-examine the
1104third method of Dream Direction, in step three above ­ you may find that you can re-enter
1105the lucid state immediately by employing your powers of visualisation. What is more, if
1106your Will to have a lucid dream about a particular subject is especially strong, you will find
1107that you can re-enter the lucid state almost automatically, the moment you begin to feel it
1108breaking up.
1109
1110Being able to achieve Lucidity is a significant achievement ­ if you are able to manage it
1111you can feel rightly proud that you have successfully trained yourself to experience a
1112genuine example of "the Paranormal". As a Lucid Dreamer you are able to access a mode of
1113consciousness of which the vast majority of people on this planet have no appreciation.
1114Indeed, some do not realise it exists, some do but have not (for one reason or another)
1115
1116experienced it, whilst some are even afraid of it.
1117
1118However, before you are tempted to rest on your laurels, you should bear in mind that in
1119order to maintain your abilities as a lucid dreamer requires as much work if not more from
1120now on as you have done up to this point. All of the skills presented to you should be
1121practised regularly. If you relapse, you will find you may well have to start again from the
1122beginning in order to get back to your former level of competence.
1123
1124Projects for the Advanced Lucid Dreamer
1125
1126The foregoing was the essential basics of Lucid dreaming, and to be regarded as the basic
1127tools in the dreamer's toolbox. However from here on what I present is to be regarded as
1128purely optional. It is meant to demonstrate some of the unusual purposes to which Lucid
1129dreaming can be applied, and may be regarded either as challenges to be undertaken by
1130those who are experienced, or simply just as an intellectual curiosity.
1131
1132Clairvoyant Dreams
1133
1134Note first of all the difference between Clairvoyance and Remote viewing. Remote Viewing
1135consists of obtaining a vision of a real-life place or event: in fact it is what most people
1136usually believe "clairvoyance" to be. However, real Clairvoyance really means obtaining a
1137vision from an occult source ­ it need not have anything to do with real-life events at all.
1138
1139"Occult" may seem like a sinister word to some, but in fact it does not pose a danger to
1140those who approach the subject in a sensible manner, and following a number of guidelines
1141which I will describe below. However, just as it is not logical to be afraid of the occult,
1142there are a worrying number of people who are willing to put too great a reliance on its use.
1143These are the sort of people who think "The Craft" was a realistic film ...
1144
1145To prepare for a clairvoyant dream, you need to do three things:
1146
1147  1. First, select a magickal symbol ­ this will be the "topic" of your dream;
1148  2. Second, you should do some research on this symbol ­ are there any magic words,
1149       prayers, mantras, divine names, names of angelic beings etc associated with it?
1150  3. Third, you need to devise a test to make sure what you experience in your dream is to
1151       be trusted.
1152
1153I will now go into each of these three in detail:
1154
1155A Magickal Symbol could be any kind or pictorial or diagrammatic device which is
1156associated with magic. There is a wide variety of choice ­ e.g. one of the sixteen figures of
1157Geomancy, a Tarot card, a symbol used in alchemy, astrology, or some other part of the
1158Western Mystery Tradition ­ or even something from the Middle-east or orient. It is best to
1159start off with something simple, before moving on to anything complex.
1160
1161For example, in tantric yoga, the elements of Spirit (or Ether), Air, Fire, Water and Earth
1162are represented by certain geometric shapes. Spirit is a black egg or oval, Air is a blue circle
1163or hexagon, Fire a red triangle, Water a silver crescent and Earth a yellow square. These
1164elements (or "tattvas") also occur in combination ­ a picture, "tattva.jpg" can be
1165
1166downloaded from my web-site. Let us suppose, for a moment that you choose the simple
1167Fire tattva, the plain red triangle.
1168
1169The next stage, Research, has a two-fold purpose: you will use what you learn to help you
1170test the reliability of your vision; but you are also going to use it to enable you to invoke the
1171force that the symbol represents. Note that it is not in fact necessary to believe in this force,
1172because you are going test everything you experience, even against common sense. In fact it
1173is better not to believe in anything in particular, as this might be a preconception which will
1174colour your judgement. The only warning I will make is that you should also try not to
1175disbelieve anything ­ because this is just as much a preconception as belief itself.
1176
1177To continue our example: you delve into the topic of tattvas, to find out what is said about
1178the red triangle of Fire. It so happens that an occult order like the Golden Dawn has their
1179own set of attributions for the various tattvas, which would take too long to go into here:
1180although these might be of relevance to someone initiated in the Golden Dawn tradition,
1181they are not necessarily connected with tantric yoga itself. As it happens, one Swami
1182Pragyamurti of the Bihar School of Yoga told me the actual yogic mantras connected with
1183the tattvas: Ham (Spirit), Yam (Air), Ram (Fire), Vam (Water) and Lam (Earth). Hence,
1184Ram is the mantra in which you are interested for the moment. (To those who are familiar
1185with the subject, you could compare these mantras to those associated with the chakras).
1186
1187The third stage, the Test, is necessary because in the course of your dream you will
1188encounter various characters or creatures from whom you want information. You would
1189therefore demand that these beings undertake a test to demonstrate their sincerity. Do not
1190heed anything said by a being who does not test well. What the Test is can depend on both
1191the subject of the dream, and the religious persuasion of the dreamer (or lack thereof).
1192
1193It is good practice to ask the being to repeat the appropriate word or words which you
1194researched in stage two. Also, if there are symbolic gestures associated with the subject,
1195make the being perform these. Furthermore, the Christian clairvoyant should ask something
1196like "Do you accept the Death and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ?" To which the
1197being should say yes. The Muslim can demand that the being proclaim the Shabadah; The
1198Jew can make it recite the Shema or otherwise demand it recognise the authority of the
1199ineffable Name of God. In short, depending on your religion you should demand that the
1200being recognise the authority of what you yourself hold sacred. The adept can demand it
1201recognise the authority of his Holy Guardian Angel. However, if you are not particularly
1202religious you should leave this consideration out altogether.
1203
1204Now, onto the actual clairvoyant dream itself. Refer to the second method of dream
1205direction which I wrote about in Step Three above. Use a copy of the symbol as the picture
1206you would use as the subject of your dream. When you become lucid, Will that this symbol
1207appear in front of you ­ then project yourself through it as if it is a "magic doorway" (NB in
1208the Golden Dawn one would actually project through a negative of the symbol: i.e. if the
1209original is in black & white, the negative will be white & black, etc).
1210
1211Once through, do not move about, but concentrate on the words, gestures etc which are
1212connected with the Symbol. To take our example of the Fire Tattva, now would be an
1213appropriate time to chant Ram. At first you might not see anything, but continue for a while
1214and you should soon find yourself in a scene of some description.
1215
1216Do not move about by yourself: rather, Will that a guide come and meet you. When such a
1217guide appears, Test it ­ in the manner indicated above. If it tests well, you can go onto the
1218next stage, but if it does not, you should continue concentrating on the correspondences of
1219the Symbol as you had before, until a guide appears who does test well. Note that "testing
1220badly" doesn't just include giving a wrong answer, but also giving the right answer in a
1221hesitant or untrustworthy manner.
1222
1223Assuming that a guide appears who does Test well, you should ask it its name. Note that if a
1224being is really connected with the symbol you are exploring, it will not have an
1225inappropriate name ­ if it does, you can guess something is not aright. However, if
1226everything still checks out, you can now go with your guide to explore the scene or
1227landscape.
1228
1229Ask the guide to explain what everything means ­ all the contents of your vision have some
1230relevance. Some of it might seem obvious ­ e.g. in the Fire tattva you might see a lot of
1231flames about ­ but what kind are they? Volcanic? Solar? Or just ordinary? What is burning?
1232A particular fuel? Or even an object? Some of it might not seem obvious at all. Why for
1233example do you see particular scenery? Particular creatures? You should try to find out as
1234much as possible as about what you see and experience.
1235
1236If you meet other beings, Test these as well. Do not go off without your guide at any time. It
1237may be that you change guides in the course of your dream, in which case thank the last
1238one. You should not go with a new guide who does not Test well.
1239
1240To end your clairvoyant dream, return with your guide back to the doorway through which
1241you came, and thanking your guide, exit. Do not attempt to wake up before exiting: it is not
1242necessarily dangerous but it may well disrupt your ability to have clairvoyant dreams in the
1243future. If you find yourself waking up inadvertantly, you should very firmly visualise
1244yourself leaving the landscape in the proper manner - in a similar fashion to the active
1245imagination.
1246
1247It is salutary to learn something about psychic protection, in case you meet a frightening or
1248menacing being in your dream. You will find when looking in reference books where
1249magickal symbols are listed that there are a number which are associated with protection ­
1250e.g. the Pentagram, or the Sign of the Cross. The simplest method of psychic protection is to
1251memorise such a protective symbol ­ the one with which you most identify ­ and imagine it
1252in the air between you and the troublesome being. For those who know the Golden Dawn
1253style of magick, one can also use the Pentagram Ritual, the Banner of the West, the Formula
1254of AGLA, the Sign of Silence or god-form of Harpocrates, etc.
1255
1256As usual with all dreams, make a full record of everything that occurred. Examine this
1257carefully to see if you discovered any meaningful message ­ or if there was a flaw in your
1258working which you failed to spot. Finally, note how it is also possible to combine this
1259Clairvoyant method with the Active Imagination, which I have already described: it is
1260possible to develop ones faculty in this way, without falling asleep first.
1261
1262Precognitive Dreams
1263
1264What I am about to write will not reveal the method for discovering next week's lottery
1265numbers. Unfortunately. It will reveal however a means of judging the outcome of some
1266
1267event in which you yourself are personally involved, and therefore have an opportunity of
1268affecting the outcome. It may even be a way of predicting the outcome of something in
1269which you have personal knowledge, but you have no conscious way of knowing what will
1270occur.
1271
1272This is far more useful than it sounds ­ for example, what is going to happen when you next
1273go to that important job interview? Meet up with someone socially? What is going to
1274happen in relation to something happening at your place of work? Etc, etc.
1275
1276The reason why this works at all is that your Unconscious mind takes in considerably more
1277information than you realise Consciously. Hence you may be pondering some thorny
1278problem with no joy, whilst your unconscious already has enough information to work out
1279the solution ­ but you don't know it. The way to access the answer is through Lucid
1280Dreaming.
1281
1282Let us assume that you want to know what is going to happen when you go to meet
1283someone. The principle is as follows: using any method of dream direction which you feel
1284appropriate, induce a Lucid Dream about the event in question. On becoming lucid, take
1285some to collect your thoughts and calm your emotions. Then, taking infinite care and not
1286rushing, will yourself to travel in your dream to the geographical location of the meeting,
1287and forward in time to when it is to occur. You should see the person or people you expect
1288to meet there. Carefully observe their behaviour, in particular their emotions and general
1289behaviour. All the while, you should be careful to maintain your lucidity ­ this could take
1290quite some nerve, as you may find yourself having to sustain your lucid state for a long
1291time.
1292
1293The important thing to remember is that what you observe is likely to show a general
1294indication of what will happen ­ though an accurate one. Thus, if the people you meet in
1295your dream are angry, it is likely that they will be angry in waking life when you go to the
1296meeting. However, if you hear them say specific words, it is less likely you will be able to
1297predict these correctly.
1298
1299The key to this method depends on the quantity of data stored in your unconscious, so your
1300chances of success are likely to be greatest for a matter in which you are already keenly
1301interested. Those familiar with Golden Dawn magick can perform the Lesser Ritual of the
1302Pentagram and the Middle Pillar Ritual on becoming lucid, as done properly this can fortify
1303your mental processes and make accuracy in your prediction more likely.
1304
1305David Fontana tells an amusing story of a man who was able to get tips for the horses from
1306his dreams with surprising success. The tips would come in the form of cryptic collections
1307of words and images which would make no sense until he looked at the race-card the next
1308day, when the clues from his dream would all fall into place. Unfortunately, this only ever
1309worked as long as he gave away all his winnings to charity ­ Poseidon, the god of horses,
1310deserted him if he ever thought of betting for himself. I found this story somewhat
1311incredulous, until I experienced precognitive dreams for myself. And of course when I
1312found out from an old hand that while steeple-chases are a lottery, the flats can apparently
1313be worked out if you apply enough to concentration to the horses' track records.
1314
1315Telepathic Dreams
1316
1317As psychic powers go, telepathy is one of the more fantastic, as it presumes reliance not on
1318the contents of your Unconscious mind ­ but someone else's. However, I will offer two
1319suggestions which the interested might choose to investigate.
1320
1321There is a theory dating back at least to the French occultist Eliphas Levi, that the Astral
1322plane is not confined to the mind of individuals, but has a collective existence ­ an objective
1323existence if you will. Levi states that everything that exists on the Astral plane is made of a
1324substance called "astral light" or AUR. In other words, everything you see in an astral
1325vision is in fact composed of this substance. Levi goes on to assert that Astral Light is an
1326exceedingly responsive medium, which can be affected by the power of fixed thought.
1327
1328Where this leaves us, is that I have already said that in lucid dreams you are in fact
1329accessing that very astral plane ­ rather like the way you would with astral projection.
1330Hence, we now have a theory which tells us we might be able to effect phenomena like
1331telepathy. The way to proceed is as follows:
1332
1333Induce a lucid dream, and Will that the person to whom you wish to communicate
1334materialises in front of you ­ you should see them quite clearly. Now simply tell them your
1335message, whilst concentrating on the idea that they are hearing your words in reality.
1336
1337This is all well and good, but in order to find out whether it worked we immediately run up
1338against some of the problems of psychic research. For example, doubtless one of your
1339friends wouldn't mind receiving a telepathic message from you, but if you tell them before
1340hand about what you are going to do, an independent observer could rightly claim that the
1341act of telling them might have caused them to dream about you anyway.
1342
1343On the other hand, if you don't tell them, you run the risk of sounding somewhat stupid if
1344you ring them up the next day to find out if they dreamt about you ­ unless of course you
1345have a very trusting relationship.
1346
1347Therefore, the only real way you can really test out a telepathic dream is to try it on a
1348relative stranger. The only ethical telepathic messages I can think of in these circumstances
1349is if you try to get in contact with a teacher of the mysteries in a sincere effort to learn from
1350him or her. Or you could get a warmongering dictator to stop his evil ways. However, for
1351those of you who don't have so many scruples, I leave it to your imagination about what
1352can be attempted. But it is not necessary to go to such trouble to test your telepathic faculty
1353if you free yourself from any idea that you are going to use it for a selfish motive from the
1354outset.
1355
1356A second method of telepathic dreams can be put into practice as follows: you will need the
1357participation of a friend what has also studied the art of Lucid Dreaming. Agree between
1358yourselves to both dream about a certain topic on the same night. Thereafter, meet your
1359friend in the middle of your lucid dream. Be sure to make a very accurate note about
1360everything that occurs.
1361
1362Three things are likely to occur as a result of this way of working: first, you will find that
1363either you or your friend are in fact better able to control your respective dream-states, in
1364which case you can then go on to act as each other's yardstick as you both develop your
1365faculty.
1366
1367Second, your relationship with your friend will inevitably grow more intimate, as in
1368comparing your records you will come to know the secret workings of their mind. For this
1369reason, this method can be profitably used by partners and lovers: however, whatever your
1370relationship, you must realise that you owe your friend the highest possible level of
1371discretion ­ as much as you would want your friend to have given that he or she will be
1372privy to your secrets.
1373
1374Third, you might experience genuine telepathy ­ or at least a phenomenon which is hard to
1375explain by other means. Bear in mind, however, that while this method is suitable for
1376deepening your relationship with someone to the psychic, it will be very difficult to stand
1377up to the criteria of parapsychological research ­ though as I say, this will not be a problem
1378if you have freed yourself of all selfish desires in relation to your psychic abilities.
1379
1380Alternatives to "Coueism"
1381
1382Whilst I recommend Coueism as it fits best in with the lifestyle of the typical lucid dreamer,
1383you should be aware that it is not the only method for impressing affirmations on the
1384unconscious. For those who want to pursue this subject in detail, one should search for
1385topics like self-hypnosis, or yoga nidra.
1386
1387I would like to briefly mention a category of methods which although they have the same
1388effect as Coueism, they are markedly different. They have to do with the control of
1389emotions. In her book "The Mystical Qabalah" Dion Fortune closes by saying:
1390
1391       "It is concerning the power of the visual imagination that we are so lamentably
1392       ignorant in the West. Coué just missed the turning when he sought in prolonged
1393       attention a substitute for spontaneous emotion."
1394
1395Dion Fortune was constrained by vows she took to a magickal order not to reveal the secrets
1396of practical magic: and yet in this remark she suggest the basis for a system of controlling
1397the unconscious which is very close to the methods of the occult. The two key ingredients
1398are: a visualised object; and an act of spontaneous emotion.
1399
1400Fortune was writing more than sixty years ago, and in the intervening time we have learnt a
1401great deal more about the structure of the brain ­ and the mind. As a result one can surmise
1402that she was ahead of her time. Both visualised images and strong emotions are dealt with
1403by the right brain ­ whilst verbal and numerical thoughts are dealt with by the left. From
1404this, it will be seen that modern education makes great emphasis of left-brain skills, but
1405those who want to rely on their right-brain (e.g. artists) are in a precarious position. Hence,
1406by using Visualisation and Emotions, we are making use of parts of the brain not normally
1407exercised by ordinary life.
1408
1409Therefore, one can fashion an alternative to Coueism by taking these two principles ­ and
1410get a glimpse into the rationale of magick thereby. For example, it might be possible to
1411rouse the emotions associated with music and dancing ­ as is done in Shamanism. One
1412could call upon the emotion of lust, or sensual desire, as is done in various forms of sexual
1413magick. Theoretically, one could also call upon unpleasant emotions, or stimulate them in
1414less than desirable means: however, I shall not deal with these as to do so is unconscionable
1415and the basis of black magic.
1416
1417Quasi-shamanism
1418
1419For this you will need to select ­ or even compose yourself, it you are a musician ­ some
1420music with the following criteria: it should be loud; it should have heavy percussion; it
1421should be fairly fast, e.g. 200 bpm, (or you could try experimenting with polyrhythmia); it
1422should be quite long, longer than 5 minutes though there is probably no need for it to last
1423longer than half-an-hour; it should not have any key-changes or musical devices which
1424require intellectual appreciation; it should end on a sudden climax. Actually some of the
1425music to be heard in modern night-clubs could theoretically fit this description. The Quasi-
1426shaman beforehand decides on a visualised image which fits his or her willed intent. Then,
1427one should get seriously into the selected music, until the sense of wild abandon actually
1428clears the mind of all thoughts. At the climax, with a massive burst of emotions, allow the
1429visualised image to explode in vividity before the mind's eye ­ exactly coinciding with the
1430last beat of the music. Immediately retire to the Chill-Out Zone ­ or bed, if you were
1431conducting this in your bedroom ­ and relax completely, making absolutely no effort to
1432think about anything in particular.
1433
1434"The Seal of Action."
1435
1436For this I shall assume you are happily married, in a full state of health, and your spouse is
1437not only sympathetic to your will to dream lucidly, but he or she is willing to actively assist.
1438Even if not happily married, this may still work if you are in a long term relationship, but
1439probably not if you don't have a regular partner or are promiscuous.
1440
1441It should be fairly obvious that orgasm is an example of "an act of spontaneous emotion",
1442and it is for this reason that there are methods of making use of sex to achieve control of the
1443mind and states of mysticism. However, every method which I know demands that before
1444attempting to control their minds, partners should learn to control their bodies by refining
1445their technique. Specifically, one should learn to prolong intercourse so that, not including
1446foreplay, it lasts for around half an hour. "Half an hour" is based on the approximate time
1447according to one yoga source that it takes of meditation to achieve samadhi.
1448
1449Recourse to a good book, like the Kama Sutra, is recommended ­ not only for men, but also
1450for women, as if they want to use this method to control their mind they should be in a
1451position to know what their partners are supposed to be doing.
1452
1453The sexual gymnastics envisioned may sound like hard work, but the point is that the
1454discipline required to prolong sex for that length of time ­ coupled with the sustained pre-
1455orgasmic ecstasy ­ serves to concentrate the mind wonderfully, and heightens the
1456appreciation of the climax when it finally arrives.
1457
1458Therefore, to put this into practice, decide upon a simple visualised image which will be the
1459subject of your affirmation. Then, make love as indicated above: do not think about the
1460visualised image at the time, but rather become absorbed in the act itself. At the moment of
1461orgasm, allow the image to blaze in vividness before your mind's eye ... and then put it out
1462of your thoughts completely.
1463
1464A pleasant side-effect of "the Seal of Action" is that you will inevitably become more
1465intimate with your partner, and your relationship will deepen, as this technique often needs
1466to be developed over time. More to the point, it is fun to practice.
1467
1468You will notice that in the methods "Quasi-shamanism" and "The Seal of Action" I say:
1469"Do not think about the object.". The reason being that the process is complete at the
1470moment of climax: any further mentation on the subject would be interfering with the
1471integrity of the procedure. Imagine your affirmation is a nail ­ you are in effect attempting
1472to use a burst of emotion to "hammer" that nail into your unconscious. But once you have
1473squarely delivered the hit, you do not interfere with the nail anymore, and to do so might
1474even be counterproductive. Therefore, once you have used your act of emotion to imprint
1475your affirmation on your unconscious, you should then merely trust that your actions have
1476done their job.
1477
1478Theurgic Dreams and the Path of Initiation
1479
1480"Theurgy" is the use of magickal ritual to achieve mystical consciousness. The concept
1481comes from Neoplatonist philosophy, e.g. "On the Mysteries of Egypt" by Iamblichus.
1482
1483It is possible to put the faculty of Lucid Dreaming to Theurgic use. I have written at length
1484on one such method in the essay "hga.zip" which can be downloaded from my home site.
1485
1486I recommend that those who are interested in the subject familiarise themselves with some
1487of the literature which I mention in the bibliography. Technically this counts as the "occult",
1488though you will soon realise that the serious study of Theurgy really precludes any
1489involvement in the sinister aspects which are usually associated with that term ­ e.g.
1490Satanism ­ or even just the plain disreputable ­ e.g. dabbling in magick for everyday needs
1491and trivial concerns, such as changing hair/ eye colour, facial appearance, love spells, etc.
1492
1493Theurgy ultimately leads the practitioner into discovering that true magick is in fact a very
1494pure discipline, and deserves to be treated with the highest respect.
1495
1496I would at this point like to make some remarks to those who chose to commit themselves
1497to the path of Spiritual Development, and Initiation. It has been my personal experience that
1498the ability to dream lucidly can be of enormous benefit to such people: for example, you can
1499use your faculty to investigate questions of mystical import. Whether you are able to rely on
1500the answers your dreams provide depends both on your mastery of the lucid dreaming
1501faculty and the work you have done on your own character.
1502
1503If you are an initiate in a magickal tradition, it is possible to use Lucid Dreams to help you
1504perform the tasks which are a part of your occult work ­ for example, to investigate the
1505esoteric meanings of mysteries into which you have been initiated. Indeed, it is possible to
1506tell a real initiation ceremony, as it is a powerful motivation ­ and an enabler ­ to in fact
1507complete these tasks. To date, all my best quality Lucid Dreams have been ones which
1508helped me perform magickal acts which were necessary to my own spiritual development.
1509
1510The Astral Plane
1511
1512There are a great number of other uses to which Lucid dreaming which can be put: it would
1513take an encyclopædia to describe them all. Therefore, rather than list them, I will write
1514about the methods which will enable the reader to carry out research on his or her own.
1515
1516You should first recall what I said in the introduction: "Lucid Dreaming is an incredibly
1517
1518useful skill, in that it enables one to work on the astral plane even before one has mastered
1519the art of Astral projection." Here therefore are your first points of reference for your
1520research: the astral plane, and Astral Projection. Find out about these topics, and how they
1521are described by writers on the occult and psychism. I have included a number of suitable
1522titles in the Bibliography.
1523
1524Realise this: Lucid dreaming can be used to do just about anything it is possible to do with
1525Astral projection. Therefore, if you see one writer describe one way of working with the
1526astral, it is likely you can achieve the same effects whilst dreaming ­ assuming you develop
1527your faculty enough.
1528
1529Many of the people who have worked on the astral plane are occultists. For example,
1530Aleister Crowley, Dion Fortune, Franz Bardon et al. talk about it extensively ­ although
1531each does so in a different manner, and brings their own personal perspective to the subject.
1532Therefore, it is advisable to read these - and to read a wide range of different authors
1533generally.
1534
1535However, the occult is not the only reason to make use of the faculty of lucid dreaming.
1536You will find that it can come in handy for a number of interesting purposes. For example,
1537an artist or musician might try to use Lucid Dreaming to tap into a vein of inspiration. Paul
1538McCartney relates that "Yesterday", the song to which he admits feeling most proud, came
1539to him in a dream ­ it is therefore interesting to speculate what would happen if Sir Paul
1540practised Lucid dreaming. In more recent times, other pop musicians have done just that, for
1541example, The Aphex Twin, who has said he gets inspiration by going to sleep in his studio
1542and using Lucid dreaming to explore new ideas.
1543
1544Let us not forget that in art, Salvador Dali claimed to derive inspiration for his paintings by
1545taking short naps, to see what images would appear in his mind. In Literature, Robert Louis
1546Stevenson based the plot of "Dr Jeckyll and Mr Hyde" on a nightmare he had. How richer
1547would the arts be, if all creative people were able to seek inspiration from their dreams ­ as
1548is possible when using Lucid Dreaming!
1549
1550The Lucid Dreaming Protocols of the
1551Hermetic Order of Sol Ascendans
1552
1553Not to be reprinted without permission from the Cancellarius.
1554
1555   1. These are the Lucid Dreaming Protocols of the Hermetic Order of Sol Ascendans
1556   2. Lucid Dreaming is a sufficiently well-known subject such that both Neophytes and
1557        non-initiates will be aware of it. However, it is only a necessary skill for Lords of the
1558        Paths of the Portal of the Vault of the Adepti and above.
1559   3. In any event, the minimum requirements for using Lucid Dreaming in connection
1560        with order work are:
1561            ¡   the Initiate is of sound mind and body; does not suffer from Depression, and is
1562                not taking SRI anti-depressants (whether for depression or for any other
1563                reason);
1564            ¡   the Initiate has successfully kept his / her magical record for some time, to the
1565                approval of their Adept;
1566
1567       ¡  the Initiate is sufficiently well-versed in Astrology: particularly in being able to
1568          draw up and read natal and horary figures.
1569       ¡  the Initiate is competent in Clairvoyance, particularly in the methods of testing
1570          Clairvoyant visions, as described in the papers regarding Clairvoyance and
1571          Astral Projection.
1572       ¡  the Initiate is competent in the technique of meditating on a single-point, as
1573          described in the Neophyte Lecture; the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the
1574          Pentagram; the vibration of Divine Names; and any other ritual which is
1575          appropriate to the particular working for which Lucid Dreaming is undertaken.
1576       ¡  Last but by no means least, the Initiate should be thoroughly familiar with
1577          Lucid Dreaming, by VH Fra.'. Justificatus.
15784. The proper method of working is as follows: at least one month before attempting to
1579   dream Lucidly, the Initiate should first (if he or she has not already done so) draw up
1580   their own Natal Horoscope - and note the exact position on the chart of their Ninth
1581   House.
15825. Then, consulting an Ephemeris, the Initiate should note when exactly the Moon next
1583   passes through the Ninth House. This will usually be a period of approximately two
1584   or three days.
15856. This two-day period, and no other shall be the nights set aside for the working. Until
1586   that period, the Initiate shall not attempt in any way to dream lucidly in any way
1587   whatsoever. After that period has passed, the Initiate shall not attempt again until the
1588   Moon again passes through his or her Ninth House in the following lunation (i.e. the
1589   next month). This is very important.
15907. During the time when the Moon is not in the Initiate's Ninth House, the Initiate
1591   should refrain from all practices which are calculated to facilitate Lucid Dreaming:
1592   Dream recall, dream incubation, sammaspati, etc.
15938. Should an Initiate fail to observe this proscription against Lucid Dreaming except at
1594   the proper time, he or she should be aware that HOSA has every right to disregard the
1595   results of such Lucid Dreams as being flawed, or unlikely to be magically valid. The
1596   Initiate should also be aware of the health risks involved of attempting to dream
1597   lucidly for anything more than brief periods, well spaced-out.
15989. Therefore, on the proper night (or nights) for Lucid Dreaming, the Initiate should
1599   proceed as follows:
1600       ¡  On the day prior, the Initiate should fast - he or she may take one light
1601          Collation, so long as it is comprised of easily digestible foods. Water, and non-
1602          alcoholic drinks (preferably decaffeinated) can and indeed should be drunk, to
1603          avoid dehydration. Initiates who for medical reasons are obliged to observe
1604          prescribed dietary requirements are exempt from this fasting requirement,
1605          though they should still attempt to eat easily digestible foods for their evening
1606          meal, and preferably have digested all the contents of their stomach by the end
1607          of the night. The object here is not to mortify the flesh, but to make sure ones
1608          digestive system does not interfere with the lucid dreaming.
1609       ¡  The Initiate should arrange his or her circumstances so that they have at least an
1610          hour free for meditation and preparation in advance of going to bed. The
1611          Initiate should not be overly tired when retiring for the evening i.e. so
1612          exhausted that he or she falls goes straight to bed and to sleep without the
1613          preparation.
1614       ¡  The initiate should of course have previously gathered materials appropriate for
1615          the evening: pen, paper, bedside lamp; pictorial or symbolic symbol of the
1616          object of the Lucid Dream, if appropriate; Juniper scented-incense or perfume
1617          for the room (e.g. Juniper essential oil, used in conjunction with a scented-oil
1618
1619            burner); the "High Priestess" Tarot Trump; ritual implements as appropriate.
1620          ¡ Having thus prepared, the Initiate should perform sammaspati meditation
1621            thoroughly.
1622          ¡ The Initiate should then conduct an invocation of the Lunar Planetary forces.
1623            This should include: the Lesser Banishing Rituals of the Pentagram and
1624            Hexagram; the consecration of the room with the Juniper-scented perfume; the
1625            Invoking Hexagram of Luna; the vibration of "SHADDAI EL CHAI";
1626            meditation upon the "High Priestess"; and such prayers and imprecations to the
1627            forces of the Moon as the Initiate deems appropriate. THEN, WITHOUT
1628            CLOSING, THE INITIATE SHOULD RETIRE TO BED.
1629          ¡ The Initiate should then follow the correct procedure for Lucid Dreaming, as
1630            detailed in Justificatus' monograph.
1631          ¡ The following morning, the Initiate should conduct the Closing: by offering
1632            grateful thanks to the forces of the Moon; by giving a License to Depart in the
1633            name of "SHADDAI EL CHAI"; and by performing the Banishing Hexagram
1634            Ritual of Luna; and the Lesser Banishing Rituals of the Pentagram and
1635            Hexagram (again).
1636 10. Throughout Lucid Dreams which arise that night, the Initiate should strictly observe
1637      the guidelines relating to Clairvoyance, and the testing of visions, to wit:
1638          ¡ The Vibration of the correct Divine (and Angelic) Names which are appropriate
1639            to the subject matter of the Lucid Dream;
1640          ¡ The use of correct Signs and ritual gestures, where applicable;
1641          ¡ Challenging everyone and everything that appears with the Names, Signs and
1642            Gestures;
1643          ¡ Banishing anything that does not give a good Challenge;
1644          ¡ The Initiate should only explore a dreamscape with a suitable Guide, whom the
1645            Initiate summons with the Names, Signs and Gestures as above. Needless to
1646            say, the Guide should give a good Challenge. On ending the exploration, the
1647            Initiate should only exit the dreamscape at the point of entry thereto - thanking
1648            the Guide as appropriate.
1649 11. Failure to observe even one of the rules on Clairvoyance - e.g. the Initiate mistakenly
1650      vibrated the wrong name - means that the whole vision is to be discounted as Flawed.
1651      The Initiate must repeat the whole procedure on another night.
1652 12. Finally, the Initiate must write a detailed report of the results, whether successful or
1653      unsuccessful, in his or her Magical Diary.
1654
1655COMMENT. For those that are interested, the HOSA protocols are based on the following
1656premises: that "Dream Divination" is the magical power of the path of Gimel (attributed to
1657the Moon), row 13 of "777"; and moreover that Agrippa states in his "Three Books of
1658Occult Philosophy" on attempting to seek a dream oracle one should only do so when the
1659Moon passes through ones 9th Solar House - the 9th House being related to (amongst other
1660things) dreams, visions and intuition.
1661
1662Epilogue:
1663Hymn to Morpheus
1664
1665 Oh Morpheus! Who, in times of old
1666 Was worshipped here below by men
1667 I pray Thee thy Mysteries to unfold
1668
1669 That I might reverence Thee again.
1670
1671 Recall: in Egypt in days gone by
1672 The priests, perchance to divination
1673 Did in chambers full sanctified
1674 Repose in sleeping meditation,
1675
1676 And therein by Thy sacred power
1677 Didst dream the vision they had sought.
1678 Oh may I from this very hour
1679 Learn myself what those priests were taught:
1680
1681 My power of attention magnify
1682 So, whene'er I Discern disparity,
1683 Bless Thou my dreaming state so I
1684 Then enter vivid clarity;
1685
1686 And calmly fix my mental stirring
1687 So over obstacles I climb
1688 And find my vision-object occurring
1689 While resting in Lucid sleep sublime.
1690
1691 For I am Thy priest, oh lord of visions,
1692 Thou art my lord and source of light
1693 I take it as my sacred mission
1694 That I may perform Thy sacred rite.
1695
1696 Thus oh Morpheus! Now in times anew
1697 Be worshipped here below by men
1698 I shall evermore to Thee be true
1699 As I do reverence Thee again!
1700
1701
1702
1703Bibliography
1704
1705Title            Author    Published:   Publishers  Comments
1706                           1999  (Second            Probably   the   best   book   for   the
1707
1708Initiation  into Bardon,   English                  beginner in the field of the occult, it is
1709
1710Hermetics        Franz     edition.     Merkur      a detailed course in how to develop
1711                           Original    =            psychic powers which may eventually
1712                           1956                     be applied in a magickal context.
1713
1714777              Crowley,                           A reference book - data relating to the
1715                 Aleister                           Qabalah, and its relation to magick.
1716                                                    A complete course. Contains lots of
1717Magick           Crowley,
1718                 Aleister                           interesting information on the astral
1719                                                    plane.
1720
1721The       Secret Fontana,                           A  book   about   the   phenomena      of
1722
1723Power of Dreams David      1995         Shaftesbury dreams generally, including - but not
1724                                                    confined to - lucid ones.
1725
1726The         Sea Fortune,                            Novel: Dion Fortune used her own
1727
1728Priestess        Dion                   Thorsons    background as a psychic and ritual
1729                                                    magician to provide plot-detail.
1730                                                    Non-fiction. Fortune mentions some
1731Applied Magic    Fortune,
1732                 Dion                   Thorsons    considerations which are relevant to
1733                                                    the development of psychism.
1734
1735The      Mystical Fortune,                              Key work on the Qabalah and its
1736Qabalah           Dion                      Thorsons    relevance to the Hermetic tradition.
1737
1738
1739Light on Yoga     Iyengar,                              A complete manual of hatha yoga, with
1740
1741                  BKS                       Thorsons    explanation     of    the    underlying
1742                                                        principles of yoga philosophy.
1743                                                        The Yoga sutras are the prime text in
1744
1745Light   on    the                                       the discipline of Raja Yoga, and as
1746
1747Yoga Sutras of    Iyengar,                  Thorsons    such   one   of  the   most  important
1748
1749Patajali          BKS                                   sources of Yoga philosophy. Here they
1750                                                        are translated and presented with
1751                                                        erudite commentary by Mr Iyengar.
1752
1753Dream Yoga and Norbu                                    The    technique    of   dream   yoga,
1754
1755the Practice of Rinpoche,    1992           Arkana      mentioned in the section on attaining
1756
1757Natural Light     Namkhai                               lucidity, is described in detail with
1758                                                        examples.
1759The Crystal and
1760the    Way     of Norbu                                 Namkhai Norbu's autobiography - also
1761Light:     Sutra, Rinpoche,  1986           Arkana      contains detailed account of Tibetan
1762Tantra       and Namkhai                                spiritual practices.
1763Dzogchen
1764The       Golden Regardie,                              The   sourcebook    of   Golden  Dawn
1765Dawn              Israel     1989 (6th ed.) Llewellyns  magick.
1766Knowledge      of
1767the        Higher Steiner,                              Description      of     the    psychic
1768
1769Worlds: How is it Rudolf                                development           process        of
1770
1771attained?                                               Anthroposophy.
1772
1773
1774Appendices
1775
1776The following are all examples from my own dream diary of the phenomena described in
1777this essay. Not only will they help to illustrate how the techniques of Lucid Dreaming are
1778used in practice, they also show some of the more unusual purposes to which they can be
1779put.
1780
1781Appendix One: My Very First Lucid Dream
1782
1783Many years ago, I first heard about the concept of "Lucid Dreaming" in a newspaper
1784interview with someone who claimed to use it regularly. I was fascinated ­ the concept that
1785I could if I wanted become conscious within my dreams appealed to me greatly. It so
1786happened that I came across a book about Lucid Dreams in my local library soon afterwards
1787­ I took it out and studied it assiduously ­ as I did with every other book on the
1788phenomenon which I could find.
1789
1790It was from that time that I started to keep a dream diary. I went away to college, and kept
1791up my practising there. However, nothing much was particularly happening ­ after a short
1792while I found I could recall my dreams in quite good detail, but not much more. The nearest
1793I got to Lucidity during that time was once when I realised I was dreaming... and woke up
1794immediately. There was absolutely no time to appreciate the experience ­ in no way did it
1795live up to any of my expectations. I regarded it as a complete cipher.
1796
1797I would have given up with my Lucid Dreaming practice altogether, were it not for the fact
1798that I expanded my interests at the time into psychism. I was especially interested in the
1799works of Dion Fortune, the occultist, whom I discovered was familiar with lucid dreams
1800and astral projection herself. As a result of reading her works I took up Sammaspati, and
1801meditation generally. I also revived my habit of keeping a dream diary.
1802
1803I am ashamed to say that at the beginning of my magical career, having no experience of the
1804occult, I made no qualitative differentiation between the writers and their tomes. I read
1805everything not realising that despite reading some genuine occultists I was reading many
1806more hacks and outright idiots. I still cringe with embarrassment at the amount of bilge I
1807wrote in my magical diary (i.e. separate from my dream diary) in those days. I suppose
1808there is still a lot of rubbish going into my magical diary nowadays, but at least now it is
1809"high-quality" rubbish!
1810
1811Nevertheless, I persisted. I remembered something about doing reality checks and tried to
1812incorporate those into my daily practice as well. Then, some six or seven months after re-
1813starting my dream diary, I had a strange experience. One night, I dreamt I was wandering
1814through the centre of the town I was in, and slowly it dawned on me that I recognised where
1815I was... and yet it didn't look quite look like the place I remembered. A strange sensation of
1816clarity was entering my brain... could it be that I was dreaming? Without thinking I looked
1817at my hands ­ at that moment I realised I was indeed Lucid! More to the point, I was still in
1818the dream and not waking up!
1819
1820When I came to write up my dream diary, I noticed that the most noticeable effect was that
1821from the moment of Lucidity onwards the contents of my dream were infinitely more
1822memorable than beforehand. I was convinced that I was in the dream, and participating in it:
1823and not just looking at it like a movie or TV programme.
1824
1825However, I also noted that whilst I was sure of having achieved Lucidity, I was not
1826necessarily able to affect the contents of my dream.
1827
1828Now a curious thing happened. I had gone for many months not experiencing Lucidity, but
1829now I had experienced it the once, I started having Lucid Dreams regularly. It was if the
1830knowledge that they were a real phenomena and that I was capable of experiencing them
1831had given a boost to my confidence, so that I was able to find dreaming Lucidly on
1832subsequent occasions easier. I was now certain that I could dream lucidly ­ so long as I
1833observed the correct technique.
1834
1835From that time on, I also found that the quality of my Lucid Dreams also improved with
1836practice. I solved the problem of not being able to affect their content by making an effort to
1837remember that I in fact could ­ just before going to sleep. I later discovered the practice of
1838Coueism, and used that to improve my mastery of the art as well.
1839
1840Today, I have found that by consistently following the practices which I have described in
1841this book, I can have at least one Lucid Dream a night. However, if there is something that I
1842urgently need to do, I could have multiple lucid dreams ­ or one big one consisting of
1843several linked together. If nothing else, let my example help you to keep your faith all the
1844while between the time you start to practice and your first Lucid Dream: you will certainly
1845find this hard, discouraging even ­ but once you have broken your duck, and dreamt
1846Lucidly the first time, you will instantly gain the confidence and assurance, which will
1847
1848repay all the work you have been doing.
1849
1850Appendix Two: A Typical Lucid Dream
1851
1852In which I describe one of my many lucid dreams so as to give a broad range of examples of
1853the principles and techniques described in this book: Dream Direction, Discernment,
1854Controlling the dream content, preserving ones lucidity, etc.
1855
185630th April 1998: At the top of the page in my dream diary I wrote "I WILL DREAM
1857ABOUT THE SUN THINLY VEILED IN CLOUDS." I had actually underscored "WILL"
1858three times. Why "the sun thinly veiled in clouds?" you are probably thinking. The phrase is
1859actually taken from Israel Regardie's "The Golden Dawn" ­ it is one of the subjects about
1860which a certain kind of initiate, known as a "Lord of the Paths of the Portal of the Vault of
1861the Adepti" is supposed to meditate. The long title is usually abbreviated to "Portal" or "the
1862grade of the Portal", etc. In other words, I was attempting to use my lucid dreaming faculty
1863to see if I could use it as a substitute for meditation ­ to penetrate into the esoteric meaning
1864of this detail from that magickal order.
1865
1866I seem to have had at least three dreams that night ­ the third was by far the most
1867memorable. The block-quotes are the original dream diary, whilst everything in Times New
1868Roman is contemporary comment. The first entry that day reads:
1869
1870      0551 In orbit above the Earth.
1871
1872However I note that I have made an asterisk and scrawled at the bottom of the page:
1873
1874      * A man with two mandolins ­ one made of wood ­ can switch between both of
1875      them with ease.
1876
1877What had obviously happened is that after writing out the main dream of the night, I only
1878then recalled an earlier dream, so I had to make note of it as best I could. It is important to
1879note down details of every dream that one remembers, even if only vaguely ­ this might
1880make for an untidy page in your diary but sometimes this is unavoidable.
1881
1882The third dream I recorded as follows:
1883
1884      0637 A music shop in ---* I see a very strange instrument, like a bass guitar in
1885      the window ­ described as Ritchie Blackmore's own despite looking nothing
1886      like a real strat (it does have a heavy whammy bar and an underused middle
1887      pick-up). I go in. There are other guitars around the place ­ I see one apparently
1888      made by Boss effects. I go over to a stand where there are Midi wind-
1889      controllers. I try to see how much they are ­ someone pushes past me to get to
1890      an alcove. I also see a twin-necked guitar and a machine ­ a vocal fx processor.
1891      I go around the shop.
1892
1893{* the name of a town near where I live}
1894
1895{Comment: Given that one of my hobbies is music, wandering around a music shop does
1896not cause me to become lucid because this is the kind of thing I might do in real-life.
1897
1898However I did miss one important detail ­ if it was a bass guitar it couldn't be Ritchie
1899(Deep Purple) Blackmore's, which would be a customised Fender Stratocaster (the details
1900about the heavy whammy bar and unused middle pick-up are accurate, by the way ­ I seem
1901to recall reading about it in some magazine, probably the very day before this dream).}
1902
1903      I see --- * and some woman come in. I go out the back and find myself in a
1904      clothes boutique. I walk around and then down some stairs. I meet two women
1905      whom I do not recognise.
1906
1907      *** Then I realise I am dreaming.
1908
1909{* This was a girl I know.)
1910
1911{Comment: Aha! This is more like it. My instinct for Discernment kicks in as soon as I
1912move from familiar to unfamiliar territory, and unusual things start occurring.}
1913
1914      I remember that I am supposed to be dreaming about "the Sun thinly veiled in
1915      clouds".
1916
1917{Comment: Good. The Dream Direction worked}
1918
1919      I take the fire exit and go into the back yard. It is dusk / evening. I fly up to
1920      some nearby rooftops to look for the sun.
1921
1922{Comment: This is typical sort of behaviour ­ now that I am Lucid there is no reason why I
1923can't employ any or all of the powers of a comic-book superhero, as if they are completely
1924real. All I have to do is remember that I can affect my dreams this way (while awake), and it
1925becomes possible. It helped that I was an avid reader of Marvel Comics when younger ­
1926Spiderman, the Avengers, X-Men etc etc}
1927
1928      I have been followed by the women ­ they are fussing about. The Sun has gone
1929      down ­ there is only street lighting and floodlights. I walk briefly behind a
1930      wall, remind myself I am still Lucid,
1931
1932{Comment: Good ­ always a sensible precaution. Why I stepped behind a wall I can't
1933remember ­ I think I suspected that if I tried to change the scenery of my dream too
1934violently the vision might have broken up.}
1935
1936      and Will myself to travel forward in Time to tomorrow morning. I step out
1937      from behind the wall and it is morning ­ I can now clearly see the Sun ­ a
1938      white disc behind a bank of clouds.
1939
1940{Comment: Good. See my comment about using "superpowers" above.}
1941
1942      I concentrate on it ­ I have an intense dhyana or samadhi-like feeling. I fly
1943      towards the Sun...
1944
1945{Comment: I have previously described what "dhyana" and "samadhi" are in the section on
1946Dream Yoga above. What actually happened, I can quite distinctly remember even though it
1947was over two years ago, was that I flew through the clouds, and the dream disintegrated into
1948
1949pure white light. Ordinarily, one might class this as a failure as far as lucid dreams go, but I
1950have read enough mystical literature to suggest that in the context of the particular subject
1951of the dream ­ and the reason for dreaming thereof ­ this might have been the very answer
1952for which I was looking. E.g. "What is the significance of `the sun thinly veiled in clouds'?
1953The Sun is the Self (Tiphereth) ­ by piercing the Veil one experiences self-realisation ­
1954samadhi ­ the pure divine light (referred to as LVX in the Golden Dawn)."
1955
1956I could have guessed all this, but it is one thing to idly construct a metaphysical theory, and
1957another to experience confirmation of the same theory in the form of mystical revelation or
1958Gnosis. For a start, the latter is more personal, more profound ­ and the fact that it has
1959occurred is evidence that one is spiritually better for it. Which is the point of setting
1960meditations for initiates in the first place.
1961
1962I include the rest of my dream diary entry for that night. It seems that as I had accomplished
1963what I had set out to achieve, my unconscious decided there was no further need for me to
1964dream lucidly.}
1965
1966      I dream I wake up and start writing in this diary.
1967
1968{Comment: This used to happen to me, especially after I had had a particularly vivid lucid
1969dream. I am so used to writing down all my dreams that I begin to dream about it. It was
1970particularly annoying when I realised upon actually waking up that I had to do it all again!
1971Fortunately, when it has occurred more recently I have remained lucid, and so wasn't
1972fooled.
1973
1974The rest of that night's dream is included but there isn't much of particular significance.}
1975
1976      I find myself bent over this diary on the steps of a cinema. A bus comes
1977      dangerously round the corner. There is a Dr Who movie on. A fan dressed as
1978      the 4th Doctor says he doesn't like it now he's not in control i.e. it's not his
1979      part. I go in. I am at some dinner party. There is a discussion about who is the
1980      most interesting person you've met under a lamp post. I say I do not stand
1981      under lamp posts, because of the people that might come by. We are eating
1982      baked potato or something.
1983
1984Appendix Three : Satan
1985
1986In which yours truly meets the Evil One, the Prince of Darkness ­ and shows the correct
1987method of dealing with the so-called "dangers" of the Occult
1988
19897th November 1999: At the top of this page in my Dream Diary I wrote "I WILL INVOKE
1990MY HOLY GUARDIAN ANGEL" ­ although from reading the account of that night's
1991dreams it seems I Chose Not to Dream about My Intended Topic. (I did succeed the next
1992night but this is beside the point).
1993
1994We pick up the action in the first dream recorded that night:
1995
1996      "A man is speaking to a woman ­ he says he became more inspired after hitting
1997      her. He goes into an office... I Chose Not to Discern I am he. Satan is here. I
1998
1999       banish him with a pentagram and say "AGLA! Ateh Gibor Le-olam Adonai!
2000       For Thou art mighty forever Oh Lord! In this Name, depart from here, faster
2001       than a speeding train!" Satan departs. I then do the LBRP. I Chose not to
2002       Discern I seem to be in [the address of the house I lived in before my present
2003       one]. I have to wait while people go by ­ I try some Invisibility but it doesn't
2004       work..."
2005
2006My dream diary further recalls that I had one further dream that night, (a particularly long
2007one), on a matter unrelated to both Satan and my intended dream-topic. I note that after the
2008shock of meeting Satan in all his infernal monstrosity, and exorcising him successfully, I
2009slept peacefully for the rest of the night and woke up feeling refreshed.
2010
2011Comment: I seem to have become Lucid in this dream without realising it ­ either that or
2012my hermetic practices were so firmly imprinted onto my consciousness that I carried out the
2013correct method of dealing with such an occurrence as Satan appearing without realising it.
2014
2015One phenomena I have noted in my dreams over the years is that I non-lucidly observe
2016events from a third-person perspective ­ and then I suddenly become one of the characters
2017whom I was just observing. This is what I mean when I say "I Chose Not to Discern I am
2018He." In my experience, it is only after I start experiencing a dream from a first-person
2019perspective that I become lucid.
2020
2021The key to understanding this dream is that, in the tradition of the Golden Dawn, the
2022formula of "Agla" is one of Exorcism ­ I remember first reading this in "Secret Inner Order
2023Rituals of the Golden Dawn", by Patrick Zalewski. "Agla" is a Divine Name. It is a
2024notariqon (i.e. an acrostic or abbreviation with mystical significance) for "Ateh Gibor Le-
2025olam Adonai" ­ which is Hebrew for "For Thou art Mighty forever Oh Lord!". Hence the
2026first part of what I said on seeing Satan. NB "Thou" refers to AGLA, who is God Himself,
2027not the object of my Exorcism.
2028
2029Why I said "By this Name, depart from here faster than a speeding train." I do not know.
2030The first six words are obvious ­ I was improvising a speech of exorcism on the spot. As to
2031the rest, I can only surmise I had an unconscious urge to find something to rhyme with
2032"Name".
2033
2034The pentagram which I first cast at Satan was a Banishing Pentagram of Earth. By "cast" I
2035mean I traced it in the air with my index finger. To understand why I did this one has to be
2036familiar with the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram (which I subsequently
2037performed), in which the normal procedure is to make Banishing Pentagrams of Earth to the
2038four quarters ­ the name of God associated with the North is "AGLA".
2039
2040The LBRP itself is a ritual taught to Neophytes of the Golden Dawn ­ one of its uses is as a
2041ritual of protection.
2042
2043Clearly, even if the figure I saw was not the actual Devil, it was certainly some kind of
2044Jungian Shadow phenomenon: that is to say, not only Satan, but the rather unsavoury man I
2045had observed as a third party were projections of my Shadow. Therefore, by exorcising
2046Satan, I saved this man, whose viewpoint I took, from the power of hell ­ in other words, in
2047a certain manner I was actually saving myself.
2048
2049In either situation the procedure is the same ­ to exorcise and control it by the divine power.
2050Reflecting on my experience, I note that according to "The Book of the Sacred Magic of
2051Abramelin the Mage", the first thing that an adept does after attaining the Knowledge and
2052Conversation of his Holy Guardian Angel is to confront and command the obedience of all
2053the demons of Hell. Despite not having done the actual Abramelin Operation, I have
2054nevertheless made contact with my Holy Guardian Angel ­ and here I am meeting the
2055infernal region's denizens anyway.
2056
2057Recourse to the works of C G Jung, particularly in relation to what he calls the Shadow, is
2058recommended, for a more psychological idea of the significance of these kinds of events. It
2059is interesting to note that the Golden Dawn system of magick seems to share a lot of
2060concepts about the human psyche with Jung. But the G.'.D.'. was in existence long before
2061Jung formulated his theories!
2062
2063I should add that more recently I have had another dream in which I was beset by demons
2064and the like. However, this time I had first invoked my Holy Guardian Angel, according to
2065the method given in "The Vision of the Holy Guardian Angel". Moreover, I had been
2066reading the Goetia to see how an Exorcist should behave. The Goetia, a mediaeval grimoire,
2067contains a number of prayers and exorcisms for controlling the spirits, as well as
2068descriptions of ritual equipment for use in the evocation ceremonies. For example, there is
2069the Vessel of Brass, in which is used to imprison the spirits, and the magick triangle, in
2070which the spirits are conjured to appear.
2071
2072Thus, on this occasion, already secure in the knowledge that I had the protection of my
2073Holy Guardian Angel, I found myself surrounded by a large crowd of unsavoury looking
2074characters. I shouted out "I will damn thee in Hell by the power of the name Yod He Vav
2075He" [this is a phrase directly inspired by one of the prayers in the Goetia], "if you do not get
2076into the Triangle." It worked. Once in the Triangle it was a simple matter to consign them to
2077the Vessel of Brass, and then magically seal it.
2078
2079I mention this to show that there is already a rich source of how to deal with the dangers of
2080the occult already in the Western Mystery Traditon. Just be careful to remember that it is
2081only God and His Holy Angels who have power over demons ­ not other demons
2082themselves.
2083
2084Appendix Four: Dream Healing
2085
2086In which I demonstrate an example of how Lucid Dreams may be used to access the Astral
2087Plane, in the same way as Astral Projection ­ and offer some interesting food for thought
2088for Reiki practitioners...
2089
20903rd June 1999: Around this time, some people I knew, who had just become parents for the
2091very first time, were faced with a frightening problem ­ one of their twins had suspected
2092brain damage. All would be confirmed later that week when the baby was to have another
2093CAT scan. Being very religious, they had asked for prayers from the congregation of at
2094least two local churches.
2095
2096I wondered if I could not use my occult powers to help out. You see, there is a certain
2097method of Astral Healing, which Aleister Crowley describes in his book "Magick in Theory
2098and Practice." It is supposedly possible to deliberately increase the brightness of someone's
2099
2100aura, which then stimulates that person's own physical health. The typical mode of working
2101would be, whilst Astrally Projecting, to look at the person-in-question's aura. In a healthy
2102person this would be shining brightly anyway, but in an unhealthy person a physical defect
2103would show up as a discoloration of some sort. Then, by laying ones astral hands on that
2104person, one could alter the appearance of the aura to a more healthy condition by directing
2105Divine light into it ­ i.e. simply by willing that this Light is passing from oneself to the
2106patient.
2107
2108It is interesting at this point to compare this method of healing to the Japanese art of Reiki.
2109Perhaps this is what in fact happens in Reiki as well ­ a healing of the physical body by first
2110healing the astral body. I would be interested to hear the testimony of actual Reiki
2111practitioners who have also learnt the art of Lucid Dreaming ­ to see if Reiki is in any way
2112feasible whilst in the lucid state.
2113
2114To see whether me using my Lucid dreams for this purpose was a good idea, I decided to
2115conduct an I Ching divination. The results were as follows (from my Magickal Diary of
21163.6.99):
2117
2118       "I intend to use My Magick Powers to save the lives of ----"[name of the
2119       mother]"'s babies. Is this a good idea?"
2120
2121                                          Illustration:
2122
2123
2124
2125
2126                        60 Chieh                                   50 Ting
2127
2128       60["Chieh" ­ Limitation] Keep a sense of proportion. Accept reasonable limits
2129       to your powers and success will come. You cannot have everything you want.
2130       Important turning point. Make limitations tolerable.
2131
2132       50< ["Ting" ­ The Cauldron] Great good fortune & success. Keep low profile,
2133       melt into crowd. Do not be adventurous. Appear conventional. Sacrifice
2134       something I love, perhaps?
2135
2136       Conclusion Generally a good idea to at least try. Must not become too big-
2137       headed about so-called magick powers if things turn out alright. Be modest. My
2138       ego may take a knock ­ but how?
2139
2140With this divination fresh in my mind, and taking it as an encouragement to go ahead with
2141my plan of action, I retired to bed. I had a lucid dream almost immediately ­ it was one of
2142those occasions when I found myself slipping into a lucid dream straight from a
2143visualisation ­ without realising I had fallen asleep first. In my lucid dream, I travelled
2144across town to the hospital in which I knew the babies were, and finding the babies, I
2145proceeded to perform the astral healing in the manner indicated. Afterwards, I dreamt non-
2146lucidly for the rest of the night.
2147
2148The next morning I heard there was no change in the baby's condition ­ "critical but
2149stable." The only gleam of hope was that the baby had not yet had the second CAT scan. I
2150reflected on the ramifications of my I Ching divination. Clearly, I would have to "be
2151
2152modest" ­ being Christians, the young couple would probably not approve of someone
2153involved in the occult, even if it were well-intentioned. I decided I would have to keep silent
2154about the whole matter ­ and to this day the couple still have no idea that I did anything
2155unusual (the name of the person who writes this is a pen-name, by the way, to protect my
2156privacy and that of those who know me).
2157
2158One of the things one realises when taking the path of occult initiation is that the Ego is not
2159the true Self. Ones identity ­ and more importantly, the amount of value that one attaches to
2160ones identity ­ is actually illusory in a certain manner, as it can ultimately be changed
2161through a feat of Will. This is the experience of the author. The Self, however, assuming it
2162exists at all, is independent of the Ego ­ it is that which continues to exist when the Ego is
2163destroyed ­ or at least silenced, and caused to disappear. In fact, the path of initiation is
2164really all about coming to better know the Self ­ and this necessarily entails being able to
2165transcend ones Ego.
2166
2167Therefore, when I write that My ego may take a knock, I look upon such a remark not so
2168much as a warning, but as a signal that I will better be able to realise my Self in the future.
2169An ego-knock feels unpleasant, to be sure, but the satisfaction to be derived from better
2170knowing the Self more than makes up for it. It is one of the greatest ironies in the west that
2171people use the word "selfish" when they really mean "egotistical", whilst the word "selfless"
2172­ which should really be "unegotistical" ­ in fact describes the best way to become more
2173"Self-oriented". If only more people in the world realised this, there would be more deep-
2174seated contentment, and less friction and antagonism.
2175
2176As regards this particular healing episode, I realised that even the baby did recover, I would
2177not be able to take credit personally, as there were several hundred (perhaps more than a
2178thousand) people praying for this baby themselves. Who was to say that their intercessions
2179were not just as effective as mine? The only thing that could be done was in all humility to
2180dedicate any success not to me, but to the source of the Divine Light with which I purported
2181to heal the baby. Who incidentally is the same person to Whom all those church-goers were
2182praying, i.e. God.
2183
2184Nevertheless, I now realise that I was able to induce a lucid dream so successfully that night
2185because I was convinced I was undertaking a worthy purpose, and moreover, the divination
2186convinced me that it was a good idea to try. I therefore had two very powerful factors
2187operating on my unconscious when I went to bed that evening ­ the success of inducing
2188such a lucid dream was assured.
2189
2190As it happened, when the baby did have its second CAT scan, the doctors and their parents
2191were astonished to find that the suspected brain damage had completely disappeared.
2192Indeed, I have seen the baby many times since and can report that it appears to be a normal,
2193completely healthy young toddler. The parents were of course overjoyed and naturally
2194believed that the power of prayer and Divine intervention was responsible for this miracle.
2195
2196Appendix Five: A Clairvoyant Dream
2197
2198An example of using a Lucid Dream to explore a tattva symbol.
2199
2200Between the Winter Solstice of 1997 and the Autumn Equinox of 1998 I made a deliberate
2201effort to skry into each of the twenty five tattvas. That is to say, I have already explained
2202
2203that the tattvas can exist in combination with another tattva, so the maximum number is five
2204time five. On some occasions I used Clairvoyance based on the active imagination: other
2205times I would "go on a tattva journey" by specifically inducing a Lucid Dream for that
2206purpose.
2207
2208Around about dawn on the 14th May 1998, I skryed into the Water of Air Tattva.
2209Symbolically this is a blue circle or hexagon, surmounted by a silver crescent. I was using
2210the Golden Dawn system of attributions for the tattvas (not those of Tantric Yoga).
2211According to the Golden Dawn, Divine and angelic names are associated with the elements:
2212Air ­ Shaddai El Chai , Raphael , Chassan ; Water ­ Elohim Tzebaoth , Gabriel ,
2213Taliahad . Moreover, Air is associated with the sign of a Theoricus, and Water with the
2214sign of a Practicus.
2215
2216Here is what I wrote in my magickal diary that day:
2217
2218      "14th May 1998 ... This morning I had an OOBE ­ it was like a Lucid Dream,
2219      except in my physical body I could still hear the birds singing outside my
2220      window. I took the opportunity to go on a Tattva journey:"
2221
2222[Here I note down details of the Tattva, and draw some diagrams as well]
2223
2224      "On going through the Tattva I found myself on ... High Street." [i.e. the main
2225      street of a town 3 miles from where I live.] "I vibrated Names but no guide
2226      appeared. I then found myself in my bedroom I was met by Colin Mochrie off
2227      "Whose Line is it Anyway?" He tested well by signs and names ­ though I was
2228      conscious of willing him on.
2229
2230      "I looked round the bedroom. There was a purple duvet. My Bass Guitar was
2231      both on the left and right side of the bay windows. (Perhaps this means that on
2232      the Astral plane all Time happens at once). ..."
2233
2234[I omit some details about trying to go downstairs to remote-view the headlines on the
2235morning paper ­ it didn't work ­ and of trying to visit a friend's house ­ as an experiment it
2236was inconclusive as I never was able to find out if what I saw was accurate at the time I
2237projected there. I note that at the end of the episode I did however specifically leave the
2238Tattva by the proper method].
2239
2240We have here an indication that Out of the Body Experiences and Lucid Dreams are not so
2241different ­ something I have suspected since first reading Dion Fortune all those years ago.
2242
2243I should explain: I have a bass guitar in my bedroom. Recently I have been keeping it in one
2244corner of the room by the window, but years ago I kept it in the corner on the other side of
2245the window. There was once a purple duvet lying where I had seen it, but not at the time of
2246my dream.
2247
2248I admit that the imagery of the vision is not immediately penetrable by my keen Qabalistic
2249insight. Why should I find myself in familiar and not fantastic surroundings? Why should
2250Colin Mochrie appear (apart from the fact that I had seen him on television just a few days
2251previously)? It is tempting to dismiss the contents of my vision as a hotchpotch of left-over
2252images from my unconscious ­ but for a strange occurrence that happened several months
2253
2254later...
2255
2256On the 22nd August 1998, I bought a copy of a magazine called "Kindred Spirit" ­ which
2257seems to be the New Age equivalent of "Hello!". This is a really meretricious publication: it
2258is compiled exclusively and none-too-subtly on the "Advertorial" principle i.e. we will write
2259an article about you if you buy our advertising space. In this particular edition, Joe
2260McMoneagle, the Remote viewer, had taken out ad-space for a conference at which he was
2261the main speaker, so naturally there was an in-depth article about his talent. As it happened,
2262McMoneagle described some of the phenomena he had encountered whilst remote-viewing,
2263and claimed that not only had he "seen" unknown destinations, but had also seen things
2264which had been at the same site in the past but were not there in the present. From this he
2265concluded that "All time exists at once."
2266
2267I did a double-take on reading this, and immediately remembered what I had written earlier
2268that May. Since that time I have read of other people who have come into contact with
2269psychic phenomena, all of them claiming that "all time exists at once" ­ it being only
2270consciousness that divides it into successive moments. I found this quite encouraging, as it
2271neatly cured a bout of existential angst I had been suffering after consulting a certain
2272occultist's Akashic Records, to see if I could discover the mysteries of reincarnation.
2273
2274Therefore the moral of this story is that Claivoyance and Lucid Dreams can indeed be used
2275to discover esoteric truths. However, you should not reject something just because it looks
2276strange ­ because you never know when it is going to be confirmed, even by an unlikely
2277source. Conversely, you should refrain from believing that a fact thus revealed is true until
2278you have tested it thoroughly with the ordinary waking mind.
2279
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