Wake Induced Lucid Dreaming Tutorial

Here is an article I just wrote for Thelemic Magazine "The Current"

Thought I might air it here first for a sneak peek......




How To Lucid Dream Part 3.
HOW TO W.I.L.D – Gateway to Out Of Body Experiences
As has become a tradition with this article series, let us start with a quote. Here is what Andrew Chumbley says in his Azoetia on how Lucid Dreaming is the gateway to our Lady Nuit, the continuity of existence…

“It is taught that the Primal Goddess is to be invoked at the meetingplace
of three roads. This teaching is a hieroglyph, symbolizing the meeting-
place or junction of the three states of Awareness (sleeping, dreaming,
waking), where it is said the Gateway unto the Continuity of Existence
lies. This 'Continuity' is the Deity of which the Goddess is the feminine
aspect.
“By dreams shall ye come unto Dreams”

In this article we will explore the more advanced technique for Lucid Dreaming.

The Wake Induced Lucid Dream (WILD) is the ability to hold onto your consciousness as you start to dream. The DILD (Dream Induced Lucid Dream) method taught in the previous article is fine, but a little hit or miss. It relies on the dreamer’s ability to recognize a “dream sign” and then question whether they are in a dream or the wake world. Your dream signs will not appear in every dream, and you will not always recognize them when they occur.

Also, with the DILD, you are already deep in the dream world. Becoming lucid and staying lucid is a struggle – many dreamers remember becoming lucid and then set off flying or exploring their dream – but slip back into “free dreaming” and lose control.

The WILD technique takes lucid dreaming to a whole new level. Once mastered it greatly increases your success rate and also offers you much greater and richer experiences as you are able to maintain your waking consciousness within the dream for much longer, up to an hour or more for those well experienced.

WILDing requires that you wait for your body to fall asleep, and for your subconscious mind to start to dream. As you start to dream the conscious mind can “step” into the dream and take control. This occurs at the “wake/sleep” boundary – and a skilled practitioner can hover in this state that is neither wakefulness nor deep sleep for many hours of Lucid Dreaming experiences. I myself can have 4-5 experiences a night when I make the attempt – split 50/50 between OOBEs and quality Lucids.

When you are successful then one of two results will occur. You will either “step” into a dream fully lucid or have an Out Of Body Experience.
The technique is actually quite simple – however it is hard to master.
Why so hard? Three Reasons…..
1) The Hypnopompic state and its other worldly phenomenon.
2) The Lust of Result.
3) Making your attempt at the right time.

Hypnopompic Phenomenon
The Hypnopompic state occurs at the wake/sleep boundary. As we begin to dream our mind “locks down” the body. We enter what is known as Sleep Paralysis. Normally this occurs while we are already asleep. If we manage to hold onto our consciousness while our body falls asleep then we get to experience Sleep Paralysis as it kicks in. Often it feels like a strong buzzing that spreads over the whole body, and then increases in power almost like our bodies have become an electrical generator of huge power. People find this state terrifying, especially if the try to move and find they cannot. This state is traditionally referred to as “the vibrations”.
If this was not bad enough, then there are other equally bizarre phenomenons that normally occur before sleep paralysis, these are called the Hypnopompic Hallucinations. As your subconscious mind starts to dream, and your conscious mind is still awake, then the two mind states start to brush against each other. You will therefore suddenly hear a snatch of the sound track of the dream the subconscious mind is already busy with. These can be visual too, one second you are in bed, and then suddenly you are just somewhere else. It feels like teleportation and is almost impossible to describe, and can be very unsettling. The hallucinations can also be tactile – sometimes you feel as though someone has touched or grabbed you.
Some scientists believe that the hypnopompic state is responsible for many reports of haunting, night horrors, succubus, incubus, etc. These audio, visual and tactile events are so real that it is easy to see how they would be terrifying to those who were ignorant of the mechanisms at work.
These phenomenons, even to those who are aware that they will experience them, can cause the heart rate to race and so lose the “wake/sleep” boundary. Learning to become ambivalent, even welcoming, of these events is a hard won skill.
Luckily the occultist should have a head start. It is written “Fear not at all…”. The Thelemic occultist should be able to accept, dismiss and even enjoy these transitional events.

Lust For Result
Some want to achieve Astral Projection or Lucid Dreaming so badly that they lie awake in a state of anxious excitement or anticipation. This causes an increased heart rate (even if only subtly so) and is enough to keep them from achieving the wake/sleep boundary, until they eventually fall into an exhausted sleep or abandon the attempt in frustration.
As it is written “for pure will, unassuaged of purpose, delivered from the lust of result, is every way perfect”. Every good magician knows and understands the import of this wisdom. There can be no finer example of the focused yet ambivalent disciplined act of will than that required for waking entry into the dream state.

Making Your Attempt At The Right Time
As discussed during my first article, at the start of the night we are programmed to slip into deep non-REM sleep where dreaming does not occur. We dream in approx 90 minute cycles. The night’s early cycles are mostly Non-REM sleep with a little REM sleep at the end of each cycle. After three or so cycles the balance shifts and we mostly REM sleep for the balance of the night where dreaming occurs freely.
Many who attempt the WILD technique for Lucid Dreaming or Out Of Body Experiences do not realize this, and make a WILD attempt at the start of the night when they first go to bed.
Successful WILD practitioners know to set their alarms to rouse them after 5 hours of sleep – this is when successful attempts are made OR when dozing early morning after a good night’s sleep.

Continued.........



Step by Step – How To WILD
1) Avoid alcohol and recreational stimulants on the day/evening of your attempt.
2) When you go to bed, set your alarm to rouse you after about 4.5 to 5 hours of sleep – then go to sleep as normal.
3) When your alarm wakes you get up but stay in the dark. Sit on the bed, or only make limited movements, spend 30-45 minutes awake. The idea is to wake up enough to not fall back immediately into sleep. It’s important not to turn on the lights and eat or anything else that might wake you more than desired. Use the time to repeat affirmations on your will to remain calm, ambivalent and succeed.
4) Get back into bed. Lie in your usual or favorite position for when going to sleep. RELAX. Use relaxation exercises such as circulating energy. Keep your mind active and avoid daydreaming and falling asleep. Practice visualization exercises, perform rituals in your mind, use meditation practices such as focusing on a single geometric shape, count, anything to keep your mind focused and active.
5) WAIT – your body will fall asleep after 20-40 minutes of lying still. It will try to trick you with strange itches and aches/pains. This is a normal mechanism by which the body checks to see if you are really asleep before activating sleep paralysis. It is important to ignore these and remain still.
6) Sooner or later the hypnopompic events will start – most likely at first you will see swirling colored smoke or colors. These will get more active or may form into geometric shapes. IGNORE THIS – ambivalence is key…..
7) Soon the hallucinations will start, you may hear voices, most likely you will “teleport” elsewhere for a second or two then back. REMAIN CALM! These are “mini dreams” the trick is to wait for a “big one” – just like a surfer knows to ignore the smaller waves.
8) These events will happen with increasing frequency and duration.

Final Step!
One of two things will now happen:
1) The mini dreams will become longer and more frequent. When one seems particularly “real” and lasts more than a few seconds then stare at one small thing within your field of vision in your dream. For example, if you find you are in the kitchen of your home then just stare at one small detail like the work surface – or an ornament – or an utensil. The dream will then “solidify”. The colors, textures, etc, will become hyper-real. You can then start moving and walking around within your dream world conscious and awake. It is important to not attempt to move or anything until this solidification has occurred. There are no words to describe this ”solidification” – you will know what I mean once you experience it.
2) OR the “vibrations” will start. Your body will start buzzing all over, ramping up to a fever pitch. When you think it cannot possibly get any stronger then issue a command with your mind such as “It is my will to now leave my body”. You should feel a sense of separation and movement as you drift up and away.

These steps take a good deal of practice. The importance of mastering basic occult disciplines such as meditation, relaxation work, concentration, applying the will without any impatient desire for results, etc, cannot be over emphasized. It is very clear to me why To Mega Therion preached the fundamental importance of these disciplines.

Out Of Body Experiences
In the first article I discussed how the rationalist scientific community now accepts Lucid Dreaming as science fact. Further, that Out Of Body Experiences are a type of entry into a Wake Induced Lucid Dream. You will need to decide for yourself – either way the experience is valuable and extraordinary.
Experiencing an OOBE is the most extreme of the various types of phenomenon. Sometimes the exit is smooth, sometimes it feels like you have ripped out of your body and are speeding along at immense speeds. Often you are blind at first. It is import to remember while in this state that everything is a matter of will. If you are blind then say in your mind “it is my will to see” – and your vision will clear. If you find yourself floating above your body and you want to go elsewhere then again just issue simple mental commands (“up”, “Down”, “outside”, etc). Soon, giving these commands will become automatic and normal.

Very informative. Thank you for sharing.