Wednesday, December 17, 2008

The Art of Lucid Dreaming

There is an art to living that many point to. This summary is the result of months of query into the second dreaming that follows an initial waking, and to my mind, this is an important conclusion of sorts. Or rather a new beginning. The key elements are the following:

1. Surrender
After understanding that all is consciousness, surrender happens. Such surrender is the same as letting go the ego. But there are years and years of conditioning here, and the ego will still come and go, like a wayward thought arising in the mind. Simply not believing it is the active side of surrender.

2. Attention
Things happen in the manifest world in which we dream that invite our attention. Without, there are influences and signs (even synchronicities). Within, there are insights and intuitions (even clairvoyances). All of these are simply the foretellings of consciousness, ripples around the waves. Pay them attention. Or not.

3. Guidance
We appear to do within the dream. Like a canoe streaming in the rapids, we can attend to the insight and signs, guide our movement (this is where thought becomes our tool and not some mighty poor internal substitute for attention), and facilitate the journey. Or we can ignore them and suffer a rough ride. One way or the other, we are heading downstream the dream.

Surrender. Attention. Guidance. These are the three primary practices of lucid dreaming. Use them well when you find yourself outside the monastery, ashram, or cave.

3 comments:

Nancy from www.Mindbridge-loa.com said...

Wonderful post. Brief and lucid.

More on Eckhart Tolle at http://www.mindbridge-loa.com/Law-of-Attraction-blog.html

Best Wishes and Merry Christmas/Kwanza/

- Nancy

Anonymous said...

love your perspective on lucid dreaming - in sleep and the consensual waking world!

I tried to find your post about "entering the darkness" in lucid dreams (google has cached it) but couldn't - i'd love to hear more.

lucid dreaming, facing the unknown, and surrendering into the void are passions for me, and was the subject of my masters thesis.

take care!

son rivers said...

Hi Ryan
Actually the post you refer to, "entering the darkness" is not mine but is one from one of the blogs on my sidebar. There are two posts that will interest you there:
http://nonduality.org/2008/04/29/lucid-dreaming-entering-darkness/
and
http://nonduality.org/2009/02/09/lucid-dreaming-facing-the-dark-areas/
It's interesting you bring the one up, because I have a little problem with the use of darkness as a term. But I write poetry and metaphors to me make not only the poem, but the dream. But that's just my point of view. Enjoy them.