Lucid Awareness

Sunday, April 6, 2008 An Appendix Adapted from the Blog Entry The History of Lucid Awareness Compiled and Edited by Alex Wall The History and Components of Lucid Awareness The following is a warehousing of ideas to be used for future writing. I have coined the term, "Lucid Awareness", to mean the state of mind (whether sleeping or awake) where a person understands what they are experiencing and is fully conscious of that experience. It can mean waking experience or the socalled "lucid dream" experience (where one wakes up inside a dream and realizes they are dreaming). I am including the three major aspects that have led me to a Lucid Awareness. I think a basic understanding of the Kabalahistic view says a lot. I don't believe it represents everything that we need to know, but many truths can be extracted from it. So I include the Kabbalah information first... •

THE KABBALAH - ESSENCE OF BEING Please check out the Kabbalah Centre website. Kabbalah — the world’s oldest body of spiritual wisdom — contains the long-hidden keys to the secrets of the universe as well as the keys to the mysteries of the human heart and soul. Kabbalistic teachings explain the complexities of the material and the nonmaterial universe, as well as the physical and metaphysical nature of all humanity. Kabbalah shows in detail, how to navigate that vast terrain in order to remove every form of chaos, pain, and suffering. For thousands of years, the great kabbalistic sages have taught that every human being is born with the potential for greatness. Kabbalah is the means for activating that potential. Kabbalah has always been meant to be used, not just learned. Its purpose is to bring clarity, understanding, and freedom to our lives — and ultimately to erase even death itself.

Click here for a Wikipedia Kabbalah article. [For many other videos addressing Kabbalistic thought check out ARI Films.]

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PSYCHEDELIC EXPERIENCE - PSYCHONAUTIC EXPLORATION

The most incredible journeys thus far recorded, in my humble opinion, are by D.M. Turner. He experimented with combinations of psychedelic substances, and brought the exploration of these substances to the outer limits of unorganized psychic mapping. Unfortunately D.M. Turner went too far and died while on a Ketamine adventure. He took too much and drown in bath. Ketamine is one of the only psychedelics that has a potential for habitual use. It is what they use to put animals to sleep. It is a high powered anesthetic that in lower doses gives a full blown psychedelic experience.

The strongest substance that D.M. Turner found (indeed the strongest psychoactive substance there is) is salvinorin A (the principle component of Salvia divinorum).

Here are his descriptions... Many who use salvinorin A spend the peak of their journey lying down or reclining, apparently engrossed in an internal world. At the onset of the experience there is often a complete separation of consciousness from the body and personality. similar to what occurs with Ketamine. What is experienced after this is quite variable, possibly more so than with other psychedelics. The visions seen with salvinorin A seem particularly real and convincing. Quite often people accept these visions as reality and forget they are under the influence of a psychedelic substance. Siebert has reported on a number of themes which are frequently experienced with salvinorin A. 1. Becoming objects (yellow plaid French fries, fresh paint on a drawer, a pant leg, a Ferris wheel, etc.) 2. Visions of various two-dimensional surfaces, films and membranes. 3. Revisiting places from the past, especially childhood 4. Loss of the body and/or identity. 5. Various sensations of motion, or being pulled or twisted by forces of some kind. 6. Uncontrollable hysterical laughter. 7. Overlapping realities. The perception that one is in several locations at once. There has been little written regarding first-hand experiences with Salvia divinorum or salvinorin A. Although recently reports from individuals have appeared in publications such as The Entheogen Review and on internet BBS such as alt.drugs.

Dale Pendell is one or the few to have taken a liking to Salvia divinorum. His book, Pharmako/Poeia, devotes an entire chapter to it and offers many poetic insights into the nature of this mysterious ally. "Some say it is a sensual and tactile thing. Some say it's about temporality and dimensionality, that it's about time travel Somesay it's about the Root Energy Network, or that it's about becoming a plant...it's like a mirror with no frame: some don't see it at all; some do, but don't like what they see... Consciousness has to do with energy and light. It is really very simple, neither animals nor people have consciousness. It is plants that have consciousness. Animals get consciousness by eating plants." These poems may seem arcane to those not familiar with the Salvia divinorum experience, but are likely to be easily grasped by those who are. An experimenter who chewed Salvia divinorum leaf reports in The Entheogen Review; five minutes of uncontrollable laughter, followed by visions "similar to those in fantasy paintings or ancient oriental palaces: the Alhambra of Grenada. A large, almost endless empty hall with beautiful arches and hundreds of columns: all in a strange, gloomy, bluegray light with colors of deep magic and majesty." This person later went on to feel as if he'd become a tree, similar to an Oak. He experienced his bark as a sense organ, and remarked "while it was happening I had no doubt that a tree feels that way." Subsequent to this his experience changed from entheogen to aphrodisiac. An excellent description of encounters with Salvia divinorum can be found in a tape by Bret Blosser. While on a cave hunting expedition in the Sierra Mazateca in the late 70's, Blosser quite accidentally came upon Mazatecs who use this plant, and was able to participate in several sessions with native shamans. He had the opportunity to receive instruction and learn about the plant's use over a span of several years, during which he periodically revisited the area. In his tape, Blosser discusses the uses for Salvia divinorum within the Mazatec culture, which includes; medicinally - to treat both physical and "psychic" illnesses, and in divining - the future, the cause or cure for an illness, and information about friends, family, and enemies. He provides insightful descriptions of his journeys, and of the preparation and guidance of his sessions. The curandero who administered Blosser's journeys works with psilocybe mushrooms more frequently than Salvia divinorum, and indicated that

Salvia divinorum is "too fast" for most people. Prior to his extraction research with Salvia divinorum, Leander Valdes. together with Jose Diaz, had taken part in ceremonies conducted by a Mazatecan shaman during which they ingested leaves from the plant. Valdes reported the following visions in an article appearing in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology :

"I see something between a cross and a sword which is covered with gold and has many jewels... It has everything inside, lights, animals, people, plants. Everything, of many colors. like a picture. Very very vivid colors." Valdes characterized his experiences with Salvia divinorum as involving sensations of "flying, floating, traveling rapidly through space, twisting and spinning. as well as a heaviness or lightness of the body." Later that evening Valdes' visions continued. He saw a purplish light that changed into a bee or moth like shape which became a pulsating sea anemone. The imagery expanded into a desert landscape full of moving prickly pear cactus shapes. Suddenly he found himself standing in a bizarre landscape with brightly colored flowers, talking to a man wearing a shining white robe who was either shaking or holding his hand. Next to them was something that resembled the skeleton of a giant stickmodel airplane made from rainbow colored inner-tubing. The "reality" of what he was seeing amazed him. The following experience was reported on the internet from a person who had smoked two deep bong hits of dried Salvia divinorum leaf. "There was an edge, made of something between plastic and flesh, set about a foot in front of my face, running diagonally, upward to the right. I could touch this edge. and it had resistance when I did so. It's visual qualities were a bit less intense initially, pastel colors, some glistening. I started to pull at it, peeling it back, and it seemed then that the 'stuff' was simply "reality". I collapsed into a couch, closed my eyes, and unfolded the folds of this "stuff' (or rather it unfolded me; you know how it goes, very reflexive,) a very sensual, sexual experience, moist, son and hard all at once. Or, a distinct

sense of losing my "mental faculties one by one, in very specific levels, until I could not form a thought. Space had become very peculiar, rich with crevices, stretching far down past what I could see. At this point I felt uneasy. A voice called up from one of the crevices "Do you want to stay like this forever?" I called out "No!", and the voice replied, "Then stop doing that!" "That" I took to mean the Salvia. Then I fused with a piece of furniture. A very odd experience, like I was simply the hidden other leg of the furniture, completing the gestalt, but in a very immediate bodily way." A recent issue of The EntheogenReviewreports on one person's journey following the smoking of two dried Salvia divinorum leaves, consumed in two large hits from a water pipe: "I felt like and saw myself as a tree. Branches began growing out of my body, filling up the room, and I felt, and saw, my roots growing all over the floor and out beneath the door. At thispoint I could no longer remember if I had smoked anything, or if my mind had just flipped on me. My room had turned into artwork from Where the Wild Things Are, a kid's book. The room was a garden of geometric twines and leaves from my own body." This trip was much more intense than any previous Salvia divinorum journeys of this person, who also reported seeing entities, including, "one who was pushing a wheelbarrow along one of my vines while smiling at me."

I will publish more from Salvinorin - The Psychedelic Essence of Salvia Divinorum as I am able.

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LUCID DREAMING - REALM OF THE THOUGHT ADJUSTER Here is a great list of sources on Lucid Dreaming. And here is a brief Lucid Dreaming tutorial from Dreamviews.com...

Lucid Dreaming Quick Start Tutorial

This tutorial should not be thought of as a comprehensive document explaining every little detail related to becoming a Lucid Dreamer. It is intended as a type of Quick Start manual to get you on your way. Only basic concepts will be covered in this tutorial, more advanced subjects are covered elsewhere. After reading and applying the concepts contained here, please continue to browse the forum and definitely purchase the book Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming by Dr. Stephen LaBerge. The first few paragraphs here are our own thoughts, the rest of the tutorial contains facts and summarizations of the things we have learned from the many knowledgeable forum members as well as concepts learned from various websites and books. Before beginning, there are a few things you should keep in mind: Focus on success It is not enough just to simply say “I will try”. I think Yoda said it best: “No, try not, do or do not, there is no try”. Set in your mind the intention that you will succeed. Some people come to this forum and experience their first lucid dream in a few days. Many others have had to work at it for weeks or months. Remember, there is no try, you will succeed!

Keep a positive attitude Perhaps your biggest obstacle to learning how to become a lucid dreamer is frustration. Unfortunately, frustration occurs very often, especially when you have been working at it for weeks and have seen no progress. It is counterproductive to go to bed at night frustrated and tense. It is best to think of it as an adventure or a journey. Try to go to bed at night with the attitude that you cannot wait for the adventure to begin. One thing is guaranteed, even if you do not experience a lucid dream, chances are as you improve your dream recall, you will have some very interesting dreams to write in your journal. Be diligent in your efforts This goes hand in hand on focusing on success. You will not get there by just playing at it. Follow the exercises or make up a few of your own. Whatever you do, make the effort everyday. Anything worth having is worth working for. You would be reading this right now unless you believe lucid dreaming is something worth having. Well, now that all the cheerleading is done with, let’s move on. Read each section carefully and follow the suggestions provided in each. You should work on the activities in all three sections at the same time. Please extract what wisdom you can from each section and modify it to works best for you. Good luck and Happy Dreaming!

Gestalt Alteration and Seeker Step 1 - Dream Recall Before you can experience lucid dreams, you must first be able to remember your dreams. The first and most important thing you can do to improve your dream recall is to keep a dream journal. You should write down everything you remember from your dreams each night. This can sometimes be a time-consuming process, but don't put it off until later in the day. Keep your journal right next to your bed so you can access it as soon as you awaken from a dream. If you are in a hurry in the mornings, you should take notes concerning your dreams, paying special attention to details such as feelings and colors, and then go back and write out the entire dream at a later time (do this at night when you come home, or take your journal to school or work). It is crucial, however, to get something concerning your dream down on paper as soon as you wake up. You may think that you will remember your dream, but by midday it could become just a foggy recollection. It is a time commitment to write down your dreams, but if you don't do it, you will have nothing to work with for the later exercises. Make dream recording a part of your daily routine, and dreaming will come into your hands a thousand times more easily. You never need to show your journal to anyone else if you don't want to. It is a private thing, like a diary. Your journal can take any form you wish; it need not be fancy. You could buy a special dream journal at a bookstore, but a 99 cent composition notebook will serve the purpose just as well. You should write down the date and, if possible, the time of each dream you record for later reference. Some people like to title their dreams and include them in a table of contents. You may want to leave a sizable margin on the side of your description to add notes that occur to you later. If you are artistically inclined, or learn visually, it may be beneficial to you to include sketches of dream places, characters, or objects. Tape recorders are an effective alternative method of dream recording. You can record your voice describing your dream when

you wake up in the morning, and transcribe it to paper, or you may choose to keep a library of all your dreams on tape. Whatever it is, your journal should be something you like and feel comfortable using. The setup of your journal is a completely personal choice. There is no right or wrong way to do it; the important thing is to record as many dreams as possible. Recording our dreams helps us to pay attention to the dreams we are able to recall, and establishes a daily routine that molds the idea of dreaming into our lives. When we perform actions that cause us to think of dreams during the day, it helps us to "remember to remember" our dreams at night. We all know that good dream recall is necessary since you will want to know the meanings of your dreams as well as to be able to share them with others. However, there is another more important reason for having good recall, identifying your Dreamsigns. Step 2 – Identify your Dreamsigns Since the goal of lucid dreaming is to become aware while dreaming, developing your skill of awareness about yourself and your dreams while waking is key to your development of awareness in your dreams. Developing awareness of your dreamsigns is a simple activity that centers around the main ways that you will become lucid in your dreams. A dreamsign is "a peculiar event or object in a dream that can be used as an indicator that you are dreaming" (Lynne Levitan, A Thousand and One Nights of Lucid Dreaming). Or, in essence, a signal to you in a dream. For example, if a pink elephant walked in the door right now, you might conclude that you are dreaming. This pink elephant would be considered a dreamsign. While we are dreaming, however, we don't often recognize our dreamsigns as being unusual. For example, if you were in a dream right now and you saw a pink elephant, you might not think anything of it and keep on reading this.

If we read our dreams and find the dreamsigns that we have had previously, however, we will become aware of our typical signs and therefore more easily recognize them in our next dreams. There are four main categories of dreamsigns as developed by Dr. Stephen LaBerge: Action - You, another dream character, or thing does somethingunusual or impossible in waking life. Context - The place or situation in the dream is strange. Form - You, another character, or thing changes shape, or is oddly formed /transforms. This may include the presence of unusual clothing or hair. Awareness - A peculiar thought, a strong emotion, an unusual sensation, or altered perceptions. After you have recorded a dream, go back and reread it. Locate unusual things or occurrences within it that could have given you a clue that you were dreaming. Then try to place these signs in one of the four dreamsign categories. A helpful way to distinguish these is to highlight, underline, or circle each type of dreamsign in a different color. For example, you might decide to highlight all action dreamsigns in pink, all context signs in yellow, form signs in green, and awareness signs in blue. This will help you to easily see these signs, and their categories, when you look at the dream later. Once you have marked all the signs in several dreams, you should begin to record your dreamsigns in a table. Recording these in a table not only helps develop your awareness of dreamsigns in and of itself, but will also allow you to determine what type of dreamsign most often causes you to gain lucidity. Learning about your dreamsigns will help you with visualization of your dreams in later techniques. To determine your most effective dreamsigns:

Add up the total number of dreamsigns in each category. Add up the number of times this category was recognized. Recognized / Total = % effectiveness Step 3 - Critical state testing If you never stop of ask yourself if you are dreaming when you are awake, how can you expect to ask this in a dream? Recognizing that you are dreaming is the key to becoming lucid in your dreams. Critical state testing is the method by which you condition yourself to ask this question while dreaming. Ancient Tibetan monks stated that if you are to learn to question whether you are dreaming, you must ask no fewer than twenty-one times each day while awake. Critical state testing must be performed regularly every day. You can set your watch to alarm every hour and perform a state test at that point, but remember, that will result in approximately 15 state tests per day. Remember though, the goal is to perform at least twenty-one state checks. The more often you ask yourself if you are dreaming, the more likely you will do so when you are asleep. When to perform state tests varies by individual, however, you should consider performing a state test anytime one of the following occurs: 1. You observe one of your dreamsigns 2. You experience an unusual or strong emotion 3. If at any time the world seem ‘unreal’ to you

It can take as long as thirty days to establish a habit, therefore you should not give up if you do not see immediate results. Some night when you are dreaming, you will suddenly realize "Hey, I am dreaming!!" In conclusion, the Lucid dream life is a dream life full of wonder and

discovery. It is well worth the effort required to become proficient. This tutorial shared with you the basic steps required to begin having lucid dreams. You may wish to investigate more advanced induction topics such as Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams(MILD) and Wake-Initiated Lucid Dreams(WILD) There are also ways of combatting nightmares with Lucid Dreaming techniques... Using Lucidity To Combat Nightmares Lucidity is a fantastic tool against nightmares- however, it can sometimes be hard to get lucid/keep lucidity when scary things are happening all around you. The answer to this is simple- during waking life keep telling yourself that there's no chance whatsoever that anything can hurt you. Don't just tell yourself this - you need to believe it. You know it's true, anyway: if that nightmare you're having is so scary, how come you aren't dead or something? How come you aren't hurt? With a bit of practice, you'll be able to carry this knowledge into the nightmare. Once you're lucid, you can simply tell the monsters/nightmare to sod off and mind their own business - and if they/it doesn't, you can use your lucidity to kill the scary stuff with a giant mountain or something. Don't be scared of them in that dream - you know it's not real. Sometimes you can get lucid and still be scared of the monsters or nightmare, or still believe that you can be hurt. This is because dreams are so real sometimes, and it is naturally hard to collect your thoughts in a dream. Just remember that fact and repeat it every night and learn it like it's the bible - you'll soon have the nightmare sorted out in no time.

Once you've "defeated" a nightmare, it will never appear again. If it does, you can just do the same again - if you've defeated it once it will be even

easier next time. [Click Nightmare Tutorial for more information.] Also, check out this very active forum: Dreamviews I offer the above because I want us to examine things that are not at odds with the UB. We must try to divorce ourselves from the idea that there are things that compete with the UB. The UB trumps all other models of communication (ultimately) about Reality. Still, though, we should be cognizant about how many other philosophies and cosmologies come into line with much that the UB asserts. There will be plenty of sources to find that agree with the cosmic philosophy of the UB in the future. I want to state more and more frequently that STRANGENESS is the word for the day! Things are not as they seem.