Source of image: www.hyperluciddream.com
The Water Tide flowed at Lammas, and now has turned to ebb at the Fall Equinox.
When a tide ebbs, a Witch's power grows. In a flowing tide, the powers of Nature are in the ascendant, and the work of magic is more a matter of divination than sorcery--of reading the course of things, and riding the waves. In an ebb tide the manifest world has less will of its own, and the Witch's will has more effect.
Dreams, the creatures of water, are now available not only to our understanding but to our influence, and can even be wielded to influence the course of events.
"Lucid dreaming" is a term used to describe dreaming which the dreamer consciously controls. It is, obviously, a powerful magical technique.
The most challenging first step for most people is learning to recognize that they are dreaming while the dream is still in progress. You are ready to start working on this when you have reached a point in the work of dream retrieval when you can generally recall at least one dream each time you awake, at least when you are able to wake naturally. (When you are wrenched out of sleep by artificial means, dream-catching is more difficult.)
Here are ways develop conscious awareness that you are dreaming;
Make a habit of asking yourself regularly, when you are awake, whether you are awake or dreaming. The habit of asking yourself this question can carry over into your dreams.
Ask yourself "Am I dreaming?" in situations that resemble ones that commonly occur in your dreams. Go through your dream journal and not images or situations that appear repeatedly, and which can also occur in waking reality. For example, if you dream often of bodies of water, make a habit of testing your state each time you see a body of water, and each time you swim or bathe.
Go through your dream journal and note recurring images and events that would be impossible in waking reality. Examples might be flying, or watching or experiencing magical shape-shifting. Give yourself the suggestion that the next time you dream about such a thing, you will know that you are dreaming.
Stop at some random moment during the day and ask yourself, "Am I dreaming?" Then continue to imagine what could happen next if you were dreaming.
Work to become more aware of the subjective nature of your waking perceptions. We construct our waking experience with our own minds, just as we construct our dreams. Form a habit of viewing events from more than one point of view. When you perceive and respond to something, work to imagine other interpretations which could be put on the same events. You do not have to hold and commit to such alternative perceptions if you do not wish to; you are just building mental flexibility, as you build physical flexibility with body exercises.
Create a vivid mental image to use while falling asleep, that you can carry between waking and dreaming. One such image in Buddhist tradition is the "flaming lotus," a delicate pink flower with a bright flame in the middle, which is located at your throat (Interestingly, if the Kabbalistic Tree of Life is mapped out on the human body the "hidden sephirah" Daath lies at the throat.)
