Lucid Dreaming – Create Your Own Adventures

Almost all of us have experienced a dream that seemed exceedingly real. These dreams can be so vivid that when we awaken we sometimes question whether it had actually happened, or not? Maybe you won the lottery in your dream, or met a favorite celebrity. These dreams can be so pleasing that we immediately wish we can repeat the experience. The truth is, we can!

As with any form of meditation or creative visualization, it takes practice and dedication to do dream work and experience lucid dreams. The most important thing to do, as we take this journey, is to keep a dream diary. Keep it by your bedside and record everything you can when you wake up from a dream. Because our most vivid dreams tend to take place before waking, we tend to remember the most at this time. Every detail is important, especially if you hope to repeat the dream later!

Dreams are more real than reality itself, they’re closer to the self ~ Gao Xingjian

The flip side of the above is to create in our minds an ideal or fantasy dream. Write this down in your diary, leaving nothing out. This is also a creative visualization process. The universe is sensitive to our intentions and motives. The more we ask for something, the more likely we are to receive it. This is no different with dreams, which are projections of our hopes, dreams and desires. It’s also similar to muscle memory, just like a football player executing a play he’s practiced hundreds of times. Our thoughts eventually turn into our realities.

We can also help our lucid dreams manifest by practicing meditation during the day – daydreaming, if you like. Picture in your waking mind what you would like to see happening during your dreams, and be as detailed as you like. Be specific, not just about what you are feeling, but also tasting, smelling, hearing. Dreams are multi-sensory experiences, so include all of your senses in your visualization.

Taking control of your own dreams can be an exhilarating experience. Unlike our waking world, the laws of physics are suspended in the dream world, so that our possibilities are endless. There’s a reason films such as The Matrix and Inception are so popular. They are visual representations of other people’s dreams, and the things we can accomplish with only our minds while our bodies are sleeping. We can all do this, and we don’t need a multi-million dollar Hollywood budget. What a gift!

Dreaming is an act of pure imagination, attesting in all men a creative power, which if it were available in waking, would make every man a Dante or Shakespeare. ~ H.F. Hedge

While in the process of learning to control our actions in dreams, slow and steady wins the race. It’s not a skill that can be developed overnight. As time goes on, and you journal every morning, patterns and small details will begin to emerge. Start by trying to change one aspect of the dream, For example, if you notice someone is wearing a red shirt in your dream, try changing it to a different color. As time goes on, bigger steps can be made, until you find that your dreamscape is like the movies and things like flight or amazing acrobatics really are possible.

During the daytime we may have many bosses and obligations controlling us, but in our dreams, we literally become the masters of our own universe. All it takes is a little practice and an inexpensive notebook.