A Field Guide to Lucid Dreaming (26 page)

and again throughout many dreams. The psychotherapist wrote

about his experience: “Philemon and other figures of my fantasies

brought home to me the crucial insight that there are things in

the psyche which I do not produce, but which produce themselves

and have their own life. Philemon represented a force that was not

myself. In my fantasies I held conversations with him, and he said

things which I had not consciously thought.”

If this story seems a bit nuts, here’s the real puzzler. Many

years after Jung dreamed of this figure named Philemon, author

Robert Moss dreamed repeatedly of a man who also called him-

self Philemon. Moss swears that he had never read Jung’s writings

I was kinda obsessed with the idea of dream characters. Because

it kinda went to the core of who we are, you know? If I’m con-

scious and I know I’m in a dream, and this thing is talking to me,

and it seems to have its own consciousness, is it separate from

me? So I became lucid and I was going through this square,

cobblestones and it was nighttime. I eventually came to this

guy and I’m like, “What are you? Are you me or you you?” he

looked at me and rolled his eyes and walked away. So I go up

to this other guy and ask, “What are you?” And he just looks at

me and says, “That’s not important.” So, maybe I need to ask a

better question. I ask him, “What’s important for me to know?”

So he looked up at the sky and pondered for a while. “hmm.”

Then he looked down and made eye contact with me and said,

“you don’t do what you want to do.” —MATT c.

=
163
<

at the time and was not aware that he shared the same “guide” with

the deceased Jung. It was only years later that he made the discov-

ery. And imagine his surprise.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Many cultures believed in some kind of dream sharing, notably the egyptians,
the ancient chinese, and many indigenous cultures. do we share more dream
experiences than we realize? If this is the case, here are some potential reasons
why we are forgetting: (1) we don’t remember our dreams, (2) when we

dream of someone else we don’t always share it with them the following day,
or (3) we are unconsciously consumed by our own private projections while
we dream and therefore too wrapped up to connect with our fellow dreamers.

These sorts of experiences make us wonder whether or not

there is a shared space, a place that Jung called the collective

unconscious. Could it be that dreams act more like the video game

Second Life, where we meet other dreamers in a common land-

scape? Could it be possible to meet our good friends in dreams

and share experiences? Are we already doing so and only forget-

ting? Such a phenomenon, called dream sharing, is already being

investigated. It is up to us as conscious dream explorers to find out

more and delve into these kind of experiments.

=
164
<

Coronado’s Big Mistake

Francisco Vásquez de Coronado wore his absurdly bulbous

metal hat, a sign that he was a Spanish conquistador. But the

Indians of the Rio Grande knew very little about Spain. All they

knew was that this strange white man was burning down their

homes and slaughtering everyone in sight, back in the bitter winter

of 1540. That spring, an Indian approached Coronado with tales

of a rich, golden city to the north. This man, who the Spaniards

called “The Turk,” led the conquistadors through the buffalo

plains and all the way to Central Kansas, a journey that took sev-

eral months.

They looked everywhere for riches and treasure, but all they

found were naked, bow-wielding Indians. “Neither gold nor silver

nor any trace of either was found,” Coronado famously remarked.

The Turk had purposely led Coronado astray so that his people

could be free of the conquistadors. He paid for this deception with

his life.

You’ll have your own encounters with the natives, so let’s learn

from Coronado’s mistake. Be nice to the local population. We

don’t know who the natives are, and we don’t always know exactly

what to say to them, but we do know that they are important and

deserve our friendship.

=
165
<

�

Summary

•  The natives are not merely cardboard cutouts.

•  Each native has its own level of awareness; they exist on a 

spectrum of intelligence and wisdom.

•  Dream characters provide guidance, intimacy, and advice, so 

don’t ignore them!

•  No one knows exactly what the natives are.

=
166
<

14

Superpowers

<•=

What we think, we become.

—Buddha,

spirtual teacher, available in both skinny and tubby varieties

Human beings have always had the desire for abilities

beyond the normal scope of possibility. From the earli-

est records of human civilization we have been obsessed

with gods, the supernatural, and those who exhibit powers of

another world. Just look at your local megaplex listings: superhero

movie after superhero movie.

Fantasies of the paranormal seep into our imaginations. We

ask each other, “If you could have a superpower, what would it

be?” knowing full well that this is a thought experiment. But once

we pass into the land of dreams, fantasy becomes a reality.

In this chapter we’ll open your eyes to skills that you never

dreamed were possible. Get ready to leave the constraints of the

waking world behind as you discover what you’re really capable of.

=
167
<

While you can take on any special power that you desire, for this

chapter we’ve chosen three superhuman talents: shape-shifting,

telekinesis, and manipulating energy.

We recommend that you pick a superpower you like and try to

stick with it. If you want to give telekinesis a go, don’t just attempt

it once. While it’s fun to try out a superpower, it’s even more fun

to master it.

Shape-Shifting

Imagine yourself as a dolphin, exploring the sea, or as the

president of the United States. What would it feel like to be a

cheetah hunting on the African plains? Perhaps you’re curious to

experience a day as the opposite sex. As your kindergarten teacher

told you, you can be anything you want to be, but this time you

don’t need to wait until you grow up.

Shape-shifting is not new. It’s one of the oldest practices of lucid

dreamers, especially among the many indigenous cultures of the

world. Before we teach you how to shape-shift, it’s important to

remember that the dream body is completely malleable. The body

you inhabit during your dreams is imaginary, a projection of what

your mind thinks your body looks like. This projection often changes

within our normal dreams. Our friend Matt thought about becoming

a woman in his dreams, and suddenly he was a forty-year-old soccer

mom. “And the strange thing is that I felt like a woman too,” he said.

Shape-shifting is about intentionally altering that self-image,

leaving behind the “safety” of your familiar form, transforming

into something different.

=
168
<

Keep in mind that shape-shifting requires practice. Our self-

image is hardwired into us, a stubborn neural pathway. For most

dreamers it will take some time. Don’t get frustrated, just keep at it.

1. Shift your shape.
Before you go to sleep, decide what person,

beast, or object that you want to transform into. After a wake-

back-to-bed, focus on that intention. If you’d like to become a

tiger, imagine what it would be like to have fur or to walk on

four muscular limbs. Asleep, you become lucid in your dream, and

now it’s time to shape-shift. Again, imagine your desired form and

make it tactile, feel the sensations that a tiger would feel. Stand

on all fours, feel your teeth getting sharp. Close your eyes and say,

“When I open my eyes, I will be a tiger.” Your dream body can

assume whatever shape you want it to.

=
169
<