Lucid dreaming is a state in which the sleeper becomes alert and
conscious that he or she is dreaming. The imagery in this state is
reported to be more vivid than in nonlucid states, and it is
difficult to distinguish between the dream and reality. The dreamer
is able to control what is dreamed.
Lucid dreaming has formed the central core of virtually every
shamanic and mystical practice throughout history. It allows the
shaman to visit the spirit realms to gain healing power and insight.
In the East, lucid dreaming has long been seen as a signpost on the
way to enlightenment.
The Goldi shamans of Siberia guide dying or dead subjects through the
realms of the otherworld through lucid dreams. Native Americans rely
upon conscious dreaming for their vision quests, and consider dreams
to be central to life itself, and the foundation of all spiritual
matters.
The Australian Aborignes are the oldest lucid dreamers, but the
Tibetan shamans have carried the process of lucid dreaming more
exactly into the realm of mysticism. In 12th century Tibet there
arose famous schools of Dream Masters who appeared to use lucid
dreaming as a powerful method of meditation, which was reported to
speed up the process of enlightenment. The Tibetan shaman was always
"chosen" through a lucid dream, which transformed the dreamer into a
new being.
Many Western subjects entering lucid dreaming for the first time
report experiencing nothing comparable in the whole of their waking
lives, feeling as if they had been radically changed by the event and
mysteriously transformed. The essential purpose of lucid dreamwork is
ultimately to wake up. Lucid dreaming helps us understand that we are
just as asleep when we think we are awake, as we are in dreams.
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