Have you ever dreamed you were dreaming?

Did the.thought of it startle you andcause you to suddenly awake, perplexed and amazed?

Or... were you able to keep on dreaming and still know that you were asleep?

Once in a great while, in the normal flow of a dream, a vivid flash of awareness may overcome us. Suddenly, we realize we are dreamingl

The dream no longer seems like watching a prepared television show. We become consciously involved in a scene that takes on a surreal quality. The realization we are somewhere else, participating in some strange environment rather than lying in our bed sleeping, changes the dream into an experience rarely forgotten.

This is conscious-dreaming, or lucid dreaming. It is unlike the normal dream where we are caught up in an endless flow of uncontrolable situations.

Once it occurs to you that you are dreaming, you have access to 'supernatural' powers to change the dream world into the astral.

A dream of being lost on a crowded street in some obscure city can be turned into a flying dream which projects you above the people and buildings into the clouds to soar to new adventures.

Awareness of being in a dream while it is in progress does something unusual to the quality of the dream. It no longer seems like a fantasy stage production with-touches of reality thrown in to keep it believeable. For a moment, the dream is no longer a dream. It seems real- lucid.

New possibilities begin to unfold with this realization.

If you dream of being confronted by a hungry tiger who is contemplating you as, his next meal, the mere conscious knowledge it is only a dream can give you that desperately needed second to find an escape and divert a possible nightmare.

Those stampeding bison can instantly be turned into a stream of trickling water or a lushious flowerbed within a moments decision. How many times have you wished to change your dream and all of the sudden a new world emerged?

We are normally quite unaware of the surroundings in our dreams. As we putter around we act out our personal hangups, indulge in our ego, desires and subconsciously create our own fantasies to live in.

Many dreams are built around our sexual, personal and societal conflicts which we try not to consclously deal with while awake. We find ourselves getting so emotionally involved in the tribulatlons of our dreams that we don't realize it can all be changed wlthin a second (not too much unlike the waking world sometimes).

Usually, we give very little attention, if any at aII, to our dreams while they occur. In most dreams, we let ourselves be carried along In a continuous flow of quick action situations and take part in them as though they were really happening.

We accept the existance of the dream surroundings as an actual experience. Our bodies believe what we dream is actually happening, even though we lie peacefully in bed.

Scientists have measured bodily responses to dream situations. A dream of frantically being chased down the street by a gang of crazed hoodlums actually instills fear in us. As we dream, we almost feel as though we are really participating in the event. That gang of delinquents really seem to be after us and we run like hell because we believe them to be real.

Suddenly gaining consciousness during a dream is one method of projecting into the astral. But, because of the spontanity of its occurance, it is often the most difficult method to master and hardest to maintain.

Many well intentioned projections fail as the projector loses sight of the experience and lapses back into the dream hallucinations.

Hypnogogic- the space between waking and sleep

Another, more practical, method to gain dream awareness can begin when our minds are most susceptible to both environments.

This happens in the short time we pass from being awake to falling alseep- known as the hypnogogic period. The few minutes we spend passing into sleep are ideal for projecting into the astral.

Observe: As you get ready to fall asleep, lie comfortable on your back. Relax. Take a few, slow deep breaths to clear our your clogged and overburdened mind. Look ahead into the darkness. Let all of the hassles and troubles plaguing you in the waking world pass from your mind. Put all thoughts out of your head. Enjoy these few moments of peace and serenity as you retire. Let yourself sail away inside the quietness of your mind.

Observe yourself as you pass into sleep. This transition period, gives you a fleeting chance to explore your mind as it passes from one consciousness into another.

As you lie, calm and relaxed, the monotony of the surrounding silence and darkness will soon begin to dull your mind. You feel tired and sleepy. You become less aware of your surroundings. Your mind and body become untense and at ease. The bed, pillow and sheets no longer seem to exist. The world around you fades from interest. Let it go.

Awareness dims. Drowsiness starts to overcome you. Your eyes feel heavy. Close them. Reality slips away. Let consciousness meet the dweller on the threshold.

Feel your body start to drift. Instead of drifting entirely into oblivion, let yourself' begin to dream. Imagine some type of scene suspended in the darkness before you. Hold it firmly in your mind as though you were actually looking at it.

Consciousness enters the dream.

"Conscious" dreaming occurs when the dreamer 'realizes' it is only a dream. This the first step into the astral. The sights and sounds of the dream seem more than just hallucinations. They become actual conscious experiences. The dream state, which started as a flow of elusive sensations and images become lucid, almost lifelike.

Anything can help spark conscious-dreaming. The smell of a rose or touch of an object may be enough to "awaken" the dreamer to the dream.

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