by Mark Hanson
I remember it like it was yesterday. I was alone in a very dark and scary place. Nothing I had done in life could have prepared me for the figure I saw. It was faceless, robed, and coming steadily closer to me. It was death. I tried to get away, but no matter how fast I ran, its slow march somehow kept closing in. By the time it was within arms reach I was screaming. My hands around its neck did nothing to stop its progress. I was helpless. Death had me and I knew I was going to die. That’s when I woke, soaked in sweat, trying to catch my breath. I didn’t sleep well for the rest of the night.
I look back to that dream of more than 16 years ago as the start of my spiritual awakening. The message it told me was unmistakable; I was not living my life. Since then, I have explored many facets of spiritual life. From atheism to Buddhism and from quantum physics to shamanism. I have left few stones unturned in my search for how to live my life. So, it is ironic that now I am exploring conscious dreaming as part of my spiritual path. I believe that it is one of the greatest ways to increase our consciousness.
Dreaming has played an important role in many cultures throughout time. In more modern times, dream analysis has played a major role in psychology. However, western minds have been trained to dismiss the imagery in our dreams as just manifestations of our own psyche. I argue that dreaming, especially conscious dreaming, opens us up to other worlds in which to learn and grow. Don Juan, in Carlos Casteneda’s famous books, says that dreaming is one of the two great areas of practice (the other is stalking the self). He taught that it brings personal power to the dreamer and therefore is important for shamanic work.
Tibetan monks have used dream yoga for centuries as an element of their spiritual path. It is a highly ritualized way to live life and when done properly, it leads to conscious dreaming. Shamans throughout the world have used conscious dreaming as a way to interact with spirit to heal and lead their people. In fact, many shamans don’t even see a difference between waking life and dream time. They believe that whatever happens in our “normal” consciousness is brought into being by dreaming it.
I have been attempting to consciously dream, also known as lucid dreaming, for a little under two years now. For me, it is hard work. I have been able to successfully be aware of my dreams about a dozen times. It is like nothing else I have ever done before in my life. It can only be compared to realizing that there is a whole world out there that I have never seen before. Just as rich, just as colorful, just as real as this world. Nothing can come close to the feeling of moving yourself through walls or flying through the clouds and having it be totally real.
One of my most memorable lucid dreams was when I was in a bathroom with four other people. One of them was trying to dunk my hand into the toilet. I found that to be a little odd and I suddenly became aware that I was dreaming. It was very empowering to suddenly go from being a “victim”, to being able to control the situation. I lifted my arm up and away from the man. I remember he had a look on his face of complete surprise. Everything seemed real and solid. I walked out of the bathroom and throughout the house. I thought about what I wanted to do and decided to fly. So in my best Superman pose, I jumped. I felt the ceiling and roof as I passed through it. Then, I was in the clouds. I didn’t have a destination in mind but I was enjoying the utter excitement of being able to do whatever I wanted. I awoke a few seconds later.
In several of my lucid dreams I have suddenly felt a drain of energy and would wake up right after that. I think it is because it takes a lot of energy to do. If I am really tired when I go to bed, I am pretty much assured of not lucid dreaming that night. It also takes focus, concentration, and awareness to be a consistent conscious dreamer. Meditation is one of the best tools one can use to that end. Also, those who have vivid imaginations also have a better chance of lucid dreaming. According to the research I have read though, anyone can learn to do it.
For some, the lure of lucid dreaming is all about the fun and excitement of it. They are content to “play” in the dream world. I admit it: it is fun. But, I need more. Now that I have been able to do some minor conscious dreaming, I plan on working even more on myself spiritually by calling in my spirit guide(s) when I become lucid. When you dream, you open up a gateway to the universe. Your physical body doesn’t impede you anymore. It allows you to interact directly with your own and with others’ (with permission) energy fields. You are free.
I have noticed already that becoming more aware in my dreams also has had a positive affect on how dreams turn out. For instance, I used to have a recurring dream where at the end I would wake up screaming because of the monster in the next room. When I started working with my dreams consciously, I got a little bit further each time I had this dream. I was still scared, but I was able to look and see who this monster was. The last time I had this dream, I finally saw that I was the monster. When I made that connection, the “monster” and I ran into each other and we melded into one.
On another occasion, I was able to stop a witch from attacking my wife by throwing energy at it from my hands. The witch was blasted through the door. In a more recent dream, I turned to face two people who were pestering me and picked them up with my hands. In neither of these dreams was I completely lucid, but I was aware enough to control how I reacted in the dream. As in waking life, there are different levels of awareness or consciousness for anyone at any given moment.
Most people are relatively unaware of their dreaming life. The first level of awareness is being able to remember most of your dreams. You have little or no control in these dreams but you can recall much of the relevant facts. As your dream memory increases, the vividness and completeness of your recall also increases. The next stage of dreaming awareness is being able to control your emotions, thoughts, and actions while dreaming. You may not be aware that you are dreaming during this stage, but you are using your own will in dream time. Becoming lucid in your dreams or knowing that you are dreaming while dreaming means you are fully aware during dreams.
There are subtle sub-categories of conscious dreaming. You may become lucid but can’t control anything in your dream. You can also become lucid and have some control but can’t move around. For me, when I become lucid, I am fully aware that I am dreaming and have complete control. However, I usually don’t have enough control to keep the dream for very long. I look forward to the nights when I can control all of my dreams and remain in them for their entirety.
For those interested in learning how to consciously dream, there is a lot of information out there that can get you started. I would recommend the following books: Conscious Dreaming: A Spiritual Path for Everyday Life by Robert Moss and Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming by Stephen LaBerge, Ph.D. and Howard Rheingold. They both have good background information on conscious dreaming and exercises to practice. I would also recommend either having a dreaming “partner” or “group” that you can share your experiences and knowledge about the subject.