A Field Guide to Lucid Dreaming (38 page)

Sleep,
describes a truth that’s at the center of Tibetan Dream Yoga:

“The dynamics of a dream are easier to understand in a dream,

because they can be observed free of the limitations of the physical

world and the rational consciousness. During the day, although

still engaged in the same dream-making process, we project this

inner activity of the mind onto the world and think that our expe-

riences are ‘real’ and external to our own mind.”

We’ve all had the cynical friend who complained about every-

thing, even on the good days. Or that chipper person at work

who is bursting with excitement about every little thing. This

world can be a nightmare or a nice dream. It’s full of friends or

enemies, success or failure, meaning or nihilism. We’re headed

toward destruction or we’re headed toward rebirth. There are as

many viewpoints on Earth as there are people. And just like the

dream, we shape our experience with our thoughts, emotions, and

expectations.

Having awareness while awake and in your dreams allows you

to deliberately steer yourself on your path through life. As you

bring more awareness into your life you will:

• Be less and less governed by habits and routines.

• Learn how to bring intention into your life.

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THE DOUBLE SLIT EXPERIMENT

Thomas Young, a scientist in the early 1800s, shot an electron toward a wall
with two slits in it. What he discovered was this: an electron sent toward a plate
with two parallel slits close to each other passes through both simultaneously. 

depending on how Young observed the electron, it would behave either as a
particle behaves or like a wave. The idea surprised everyone: by just observing
something  you  can  change  it.  With  recent  discoveries  in  quantum  physics,
science and math are now building on the double slit experiment, discovering
just  how  much  our  perception  creates  reality.  We  now  know  that  Young’s
experiment is a result of the phenomenon of quantum superposition, which is
a fancy way of saying that an electron is in all possible locations at the same
time. Instead of a rigid path that an electron is forced to follow, there is a field
of possibilities. as we start to peer into the building blocks of matter, looking at
electrons and quarks, we can see that matter is made up of 99 percent empty
space, with tiny tiny charged particles floating around. That’s right, the world
only  seems  solid  because  of  these  charged  particles,  but  at  a  quantum  level
there seems to be only energy, nothing solid at all. While these notions might
scare some of us, we oneironauts get a kick out of them: they suggest that the
world is much more malleable than it seems, and that our consciousness creates,
shapes, and affects the world around us, just like a dream.

• Take life more symbolically and dreams more literally.

• Clearly see the everyday patterns you fall into.

• Go about creating the world you want to live in.

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SPIRIT GUIDES

Historically, the term “spirit guide” generally refers to one or more entities who
protect, teach, and heal you on your physical journey into spiritual awareness. 

The idea pops up in many cultures. It’s believed that an individual may have
more  than  one  spirit  guide,  and  a  guide  may  change  over  the  course  of
someone’s lifetime. These beings are here to help us when we are in turmoil or
seeking assistance.

Incubating Reality

If it’s true that we create our realities, that gives us a lot of power,

doesn’t it? That means our thoughts, feelings, and actions are

now in our control. If that’s true, then it’s possible to claim own-

ership over our own lives and steer our ships toward peaceful

horizons.

From the beginning, we’ve been preaching about the idea

of “juice” or passion. If you want to incubate a dream, or create

anything in the dream world, that desire needs to have passion

behind it.

If you find this to be true while lucid dreaming why not try the

same technique after you wake up? Need to wash your car, find a

new job, or ask that cute boy out at the bookstore? Having a spe-

cific, focused, and passionate intention will do wonders.

When you know what you want, it will be a lot easier to

obtain it.

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MONKS AND DREAMERS BATTLE IT OUT

Brain waves are simply the measurement of the brain’s electrical activity. When
we’re going about our normal, day-to-day lives, our brain waves are in beta,
measured at 12 to 30 Hz. Theta waves (4 to 8 Hz) take over our brains while
we’re slipping into twilight, and they continue pulsing as we dream. recently,
scientists  have  been  looking  at  a  rare  kind  of  brain  wave,  gamma,  which  is
measured at 25 to 100 Hz. In a 2004 study, scientist richard davidson studied
the brains of nearly a dozen monks, generously supplied to him by the dalai
Lama. davidson hooked these monks up to an EEG and, when he asked them to
meditate on “compassion,” they produced brain waves in the 25 to 30 Hz range—

gamma  waves!  Fast-forward  to  2009,  Frankfurt  University.  Six  participants
were monitored as they slept. The six had recently been trained in a four-month
course on how to lucid dream. as they became conscious in their dreams, the
machines lit up: The novice lucid dreamers reached gamma, their brains peaking
at 40 Hz cycles per minute, higher than the dalai Lama’s best meditators! 

Of course, in the waking world, getting what you want is a bit

tougher than in your dreams. In your lucid dreams, the only thing

that stands between a desire and the fulfillment of that desire is

yourself. Is that true of the waking world? Yes and no.

The waking world is full of concrete issues, real solid obstacles

that stand in your way. Let’s say you want to start a career as a

doctor. You’d have to find money for medical school, go through

several years of school, start a practice, etc.

These hurdles do exist, but they’re not necessarily problems,

not if you don’t perceive them in that way. Again, you are in con-

trol of how you see the world, and if you choose to be stressed-out

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and discouraged by obstacles, they will turn into frightening trolls,

blocking the way to your goal.

If you keep your intention clearly in mind, and choose to see

obstacles as inevitable but surpassable facts of life, the frightening

trolls will shrink into small kittens of inconsequence.

The Lucid Hangover

A common question we’re asked is, “If you master lucid dream-

ing, what makes you want to return to reality?” Reality can

be boring. If dreams are a landscape of your own creation, won’t

you become disappointed when you have to return to your day-

to-day life?

What is the cure to the lucid dream hangover?

The goal is to never be disappointed by reality. Most lucid

dreamers will tell you that the lucid hangover doesn’t exist, and in

fact the opposite occurs. Upon waking, many feel a joyful, warm

buzz.

As you return from your dreams, take everything back with

you. That rush you got while flying, those tears you shed when you

talked with your deceased grandmother, the feeling of pride

and confidence when you fought off that nightmarish demon, and

most importantly, beyond anything else, the feeling of clarity you

got from being awake.

Know that you are the dreamer of your life, and just like a

lucid dream you can change the way you experience reality at any

moment. Like your trusty compass, its silver needle always point-

ing north, your lucidity should stay with you at all times.

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Summary

The principles we learned in the dream world can be applied to our 

waking experience as well.

•   In a lucid dream, we can experience the philosophical idea of 

“we are all one.”

•   Your thoughts, emotions, and expectations shape your dream life. 

These things have a strong creative power in your waking life as 

well.

•   What if you could sculpt your waking life just like you can sculpt 

a dream? How could the principles you learned in the dream 

world such as “change yourself, not the dream” apply to your 

waking life?

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21

A Future Vision

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.

—Eleanor Roosevelt,

civil rights activist, first lady, all-around kick-ass woman

The human species has been growing and maturing since

we awoke on the grassy savanna some 150,000 years

ago. The evolutionary leap that ultimately separated us

from our predecessors wasn’t a physical change, it was an inter-

nal one. It was the emergence of self-reflective consciousness—in

other words, we became aware that we were aware. This made us

into a unique species. Prior to this radical change, humans walked

around the waking world much like we walk around in our dreams

today—void of self-reflection in a sort of automatic, reactive state.

Before this change, we were aware of our external environment,

sure, but we didn’t have the ability to reflect upon life. After the