From the murky waters of ambiguous unconsciousness, suddenly, I emerge.

With lucent clarity, I become aware of my surroundings in perfect detail.  I see the finest lines on my hands and every branch of the tree I reach out to touch with them.

From among the heart-shaped leaves, a oily-feathered bird leaps, darting skyward with swift wings.

The clouds above me morph in kaleidoscope formations, shifting from deep lavender to soda-pop orange on the horizon.

I stay in this misting, sun-drenched place until it fades back into the depths of my subliminal mind.

Then, I wake up.

What is lucid dreaming?

Most people describe it as “waking up” inside a dream. Everything becomes very, very vivid, as though you were experiencing it awake.

You might find that you actually pick up the newspaper and read it or discern other extremely precise details.

You are able to control your dream’s “story line” without regaining consciousness.

Want a strawberry shortcake? It instantly appears! And you can taste it just as if you baked it yourself in your real life kitchen.
I’m not a big sci-fi fan, but I grew up with forced to share a television with my brother.  To my infinite boredom, he forced me to watch me Star Trek.  There was this thing called the “holodeck” where the characters could program virtual reality scenes as a form of recreation.

The little fictional paradise where you get to pick your experience reminded me a lot of lucid dreaming.

“I think I’ve had lucid dreams, but I’m not sure.  Have !?”

One thing is for certain–if it happens, you know it. There’s no mistaking it.

I try to avoid crass sexual analogies, but for lack of a better comparison:  it’s like an orgasm.  If you’re not sure you haven’t had one, you definitely haven’t had one.

For most people, it happens randomly throughout life for no known reason, but there are a lot of techniques people use to try and make it happen on purpose.

It’s measurable—neurologists can tell if someone is lucid dreaming because it actually changes your brainwaves in a unique, observable way.

If you definitely for sure know that you experienced lucid dreaming at least once, you’re already a few steps ahead.  Skip down to the section titled “Advanced Lucid Dreaming for Witchcraft.”

But if this is all a strange, wild, completely new concept for you, never fear.  With some practice, most people can learn to lucid dream.

Trust me, it’s worth the effort.

“Okay, so what does this have to do with witchcraft?”

Lots.  Aside from all the obvious metaphysical implications, lucid dreaming for spell craft is a pretty amazing concept for the magical practitioner.

If spells and magic are all about intention, and the manifestation of your will, then lucid dreaming is just about the most direct example of this phenomenon I can think of.

From visualizing the results of a prosperity spell to communicating to looking into an astral scrying mirror, the creative possibilities here offer some astounding opportunities for deep, life-changing spell work.

But first things first.

How do we learn to lucid dream?

Dreaming Journaling & Reoccurring Themes

If you already keep a dream journal, great.  This  fits neatly into a dreamwork practice.  And if you don’t, it’s time to start.

Establishing a useful dream journal requires some discipline.  It’s tempting in the early morning hours to lay away for a few minutes before you bother doing anything.  However, it’s crucial that you write down your dreams the instant you wake up.  Even after two or three minutes of wakefulness dispels some of the more meaningful details of your dream.

And you want to capture every detail you can.

You will be stunned to discover just often you dream about the same things over and over.  These themes are not only useful insights into your unconscious fears and desires.  They also are flashing red neon signs that you’re in a dream state.

For example, after I started recording my dreams, I noticed a common element.  I often dream that I need to dial a phone number, but I can’t seem to get the phone number right.  In frustration, I try over and over and every time, my fingers don’t work and I can never get the call to go through.

Now that I observed this, I knew that every time I find myself in this situation, I am dreaming.

Once you establish your reoccurring elements, you can start to use those elements as a signal that you’re dreaming.

Reality Testing

The first and most common technique for achieving a lucid dream state begins with your waking life.

Reality testing is based on the idea that what you experience in the day time directly impacts the content of your dreams.

It may feel ridiculous to ask yourself “Am I dreaming?” during your conscious state.  Obviously, in the absence of a severe mental illness or heavy psychedelic drug use, we know for sure we are not dreaming when in a waking state.  And that’s kind of the point.

Because when you ask the same question during a dream state, the answer is often, “I’m not sure.”

And if you’re not sure whether or not you’re dreaming, you’re definitely dreaming. 

Realizing that you’re dreaming is the first step to experience a lucid dream.  And for many people, it’s a big hurdle.  So be patient.  Don’t pressure yourself with timeline goals.

Simply make it your goal to ask yourself, every day, at least ten times a day, “Am I dreaming?”  and wait for the moment when you’re not sure.

The MILD Technique

The MILD (mnemonic induction of lucid dreams) technique requires excellent dream recall.  So get good at it by diligently recording every minute detail of your dreams in your dream journal.

Then, right before you fall asleep, imagine a recent dream in as much detail as you can recall.

This strange middle land between unconsciousness and alertness is fertile ground to plant the seeds of lucid dreaming.

Once you get to the end of your recalled dream, re-imagine the end as if you were lucid dreaming.  Do this over and over, night after night.

Eventually, you will slip into a lucid dream.

Affirmations

We know that affirmations in general act on the mind—-for better or worse.

In the context of lucid dreaming, affirmations set a positive intention for your dream life.

They tend to be most effective in the middle of the night, right before you fall back asleep.

For example, if you get up to go to the bathroom, before you lay back down, say, “I am going to have a lucid dream.”

You may or may not.  Don’t get frustrated.  Just do it over and over until it works, knowing full well that eventually, it will work.

Advanced Lucid Dreaming for Witchcraft

Give yourself at least a few months to get good at lucid dreaming on demand.

Once you establish a solid dream practice, it’s time to start using your skills to support your spell craft.

You may choose a particular moon phase appropriate to your intention.

Here are some ideas to channel your lucid dreaming into your spiritual practice.  There are an infinite number of ways to use this technique, so feel free to rework any of these ideas to your needs.

Make contact with a deceased loved one.

If you believe in the afterlife, try making contact with someone who has passed.

Before you fall asleep, invite the spirit of a deceased loved one to visit you in your dreams.  Once you enter a lucid dream state, create a scene with your mind that your loved one would enjoy.

If your grandmother loved wine, pour her a glass.

Or, maybe your old Uncle Ralph used to sit in the same easy chair every night.  Visualize it in minute detail.

If your deceased loved on appears, switch from actively controlling the dream to passively listening to him or her.  Receive the message with gratitude.

Scrying

I love this idea!  Even if you’ve never had any luck with scrying in your waking life, you almost certainly will in a lucid dream state.

Visualize a scrying mirror in your lucid dream.  Light a candle or dim the lights as you would in any scrying attempt.

Switch to a passive state and see what the Universe wants to tell you.

Banish a Fear

Terrified of flying?

Would you rather pull out your eyelashes one by one than speak in public?

Lucid dreaming is a safe space to triumph over these fears.

Visualize a situation that scares you.  Feel your fear.  Let the anxiety come to a head.  Then project it out of your body into something “tangible.”  With your mind, make that tangible fear explode.  Then walk away in victory and don’t look back.

Weight Loss Spells

Trying to lose weight?  Try this.

Enter a lucid dream state.  Visualize yourself getting smaller.  Take this down to the cellular level.  Talk to your unconscious mind about why you want to lose weight, and why you need its help.

Vividly imagine yourself feeling younger, healthier, and yes—fitting into those super sexy jeans.

Because so much of our self-control comes down to unconscious impulse, addressing those tendencies during a lucid dream state can be highly effective.

Love Spells

If you recently hit the dating scene and aren’t having any luck, take your grievances to your lucid dream practice.

Once in a lucid dream state, visualize your ideal partner—not just the physical version.  Then, have a conversation with him or her.

What’s the hold up?  What is the Universe trying to tell you by keeping you single?

Is there something within you that you need to address?

Perhaps you need some space to cultivate a more interesting life or work on your well-being.

The Astral Altar

Next time you achieve a lucid dream state, visualize your altar and all the tools on it.

It helps if you sit in front of your real altar a few times a week and consciously memories the details, including the pattern on your altar cloth, the details of your statuary, the smell of the incense, ect.

Once you are able to conjure your altar in your lucid dream state, try casting!  It’s pretty powerful stuff!

The possibilities are endless.

I listed the examples above to get your creative mind working, but just about any spell you do in real life can be supported by a lucid dream practice.

The absolute crucial thing to remember about developing lucid dreams is that it takes time and practice.  Anything worth doing is worth challenging yourself for.

Feel free to tell me about your lucid dreaming experiences in the comments, or include your own ideas for working magic in a lucid dream state.