In this tutorial we will discuss another form of astral travel, known as lucid dreaming – the art of being conscious and aware of the dream state. This skill brings many benefits,  including the enhancement of the astral “painting” process known as visualization.

Dream Recall

First, we should train ourselves to remember our dreams on a regular basis. This can be done with the following practices :

1) If possible, fall asleep gently, and wake up gently, without an alarm or other major disturbance. This will help greatly in building a bridge between dreaming and waking consciousness, which is necessary for dream recall.

2) Keep a dream journal, and write down everything you remember as soon as possible after awakening.

3) As you go to bed, say to yourself that you will remember your dreams, and hold this desire as strongly and firmly as possible as you fall asleep.

Once we can regularly remember our dreams, we can then train to become conscious during the dream state.

Lucid Dreaming

4) During the day, look at your hands and ask yourself if you are dreaming. With frequent practice, this will become a reflex or habit, which you will then do in your dreams as well. Once you realize that your hands look funny, or that something else within your perception is unusual, you will snap into lucid dreaming mode as you consciously realize you are dreaming.

Making this a habit can take a few days or weeks. Starting from ground  zero, with no trace of dream memory, it is possible within two weeks to remember your dreams with daily practice.

Other Helpful Tricks

The following are a few more tricks which can favor the development of dream recall, lucid dreaming, and visualization. These work for some people, but not all :

1) Learning to sleep in chunks of three hours at a time. This will give you more opportunity to practice entering and waking from a dream state.

2) Waking up at the magickal “peak time” of the night, 2:40 am : for some reason, occult forces are at their strongest during this time. Others find 3:30 - 4:30 am to be similarly helpful for increased psychic and astral abilities of all kinds.

3) Be alert for common astral sights and sounds which can indicate your successful transition into astral perception. These can include a blue light, the sound of a horn or other musical tone (similar to the song “Home” by Nine Inch Nails), voices and singing, or a clamor of seemingly random voices, sounds, or music, known as “astral noise” – much like listening to a radio that is not properly tuned to any station. Astral noise can be jolting at times, but do not be startled – it is simply a transitional noise which will pass quickly once you become more centered in the astral.

4) Practice psychic shielding and clearing your mind before sleeping, in order to avoid negative experiences.

While Dreaming

Once you can become lucid, conscious, while dreaming, you have the power and privilege of taking control of what unfolds. For maximum benefit and enjoyment of your dreamtime, try the following :

1) Practice flying. In the astral, you can fly by simply willing yourself up into the air, and then willing your astral body to go wherever you wish. This is a matter of gentle but firm intent, not hard effort or exertion.

2) Go underwater if you wish – there is no worry of drowning, since in the astral we are capable of breathing underwater.

3) Ask for a guide or teacher, to help you with a specific issue, or simply for the greatest good. You may also ask to speak to a specific God, archangel, etc.

4) Visit a lover, friend, or anyone else of your choosing. In the astral, with intent we can go anywhere in an instant, traveling practically anywhere in the world or the universe. You may also find sexuality to be enhanced in the astral.

5) Experiment with going backward or forward in time, or use portals to another location or parallel universe.

6) Practice your psychic abilities, such as pyrokenesis, telekenesis, pranic healing, etc.

7) Before dreaming, ask for a solution to a problem, inspiration for a creative project, or information that you have been seeking. All of these are available to you in the astral, where your subconscious can obtain it.

8) Objects which seem particularly unusual or out-of-place are often visitors from another realm. Pay attention to these, as they will launch you into exciting new experiences.

If at any point during your explorations you feel alarmed, trapped, or unable to use your abilities properly, do not fear - simply will yourself back into your body. As soon as you declare that you wish to go back to your body, you will instantly return to your sleeping location. If you encounter any difficulty in waking up, tell yourself that you will open your eyes immediately.

When you can decide what to do in your dreams, the possibilities become limitless. Use your imagination and try all the things you’ve always wished you could do. Be daring and embrace your powers : this is your opportunity to be fearless, open-minded, and adventuours, and to work through problems or difficulties from your daily life with a renewed enthusiasm and insight. Your sleeping hours will become a time of intense learning, experience, and of course, fun.  Ultimately, what you learn during lucid dreaming will be applicable to your waking meditations and daily tasks, and will enhance all areas of your life and spirituality.

See our next tutorial for a discussion on astral travel through visualization and guided meditation.