Although I never had “anger issues” I would find myself annoyed at people and I would see anger present and occasionally have violent dreams, but through lucid dreaming I have freed myself entirely.
I became interested in lucid dreaming several years ago, in an attempt to overcome the hole I felt in my core, the unshakable feeling that something was missing in my life. I was not just scared of death, I was scared of living. Little did I know that through lucid dreaming I would not just escape my daily woes but fully integrate my mind and begin to overcome the constant chatter and fear.
After struggling with lucid dreaming routine, finding tip-bits of information here and there, I heard about a new book soon to be published – “Dreams of Awakening” by Charlie Morley. I ordered it as soon as it was published and by the end of the first night’s reading I knew this book was exactly what I was after – structure to my practice and the tools to take it to the next level. After several months of practice and many powerful lucid dreams, I had fundamentally changed my mindset and was more active in my life. A few years later, after a lack of practice and just occasional lucid dreams, I was ready to re-commit and work towards full understanding of who I am and how my mind works.
This is when I received an email about the Awake Academy course. Whether fate or coincidence, the timing was yet again perfect. One month into the course and I am having regular lucid dreams and beginning to explore the hypnagogic state – the precious moments between going to bed and falling asleep.
In one lucid dream, I decided to try and heal my short-sighted eyes as per Charlie’s video. I shouted to the dream “why are my eyes short-sighted” and I was suddenly surrounded by invisible spirits of old people, their presence suggesting they were very wise. One said “because they are the ones you have been given” and another said “because it doesn’t really matter”. I have been reading a lot recently about overcoming earthly attachments and I believe they were trying to teach me about seeing through the delusion of my fixed view “my eyes should be perfect”. Wearing contacts/glasses has never really bothered me and I feel extremely happy with their answer.
In the same dream I then went to two girls lying on the floor. The first said “I am the personification of your heart chakra”, so I filled my mind with love and gave her a big hug. The second, a younger girl, said “I am here to stop you getting angry”, so I said to her “if you ever see me getting annoyed at anybody please whisper in my ear to stop, relax and breathe deeply”. I have been extremely mindful of any annoyance creeping in since and have freed my mind from anger. Although I never had “anger issues” I would find myself annoyed at people and I would see anger present and occasionally have violent dreams, but through lucid dreaming I have freed myself entirely.
In my first focused hypnagogic meditation I had a profound realisation that my old way of life was to treat my mind like a snake – I feared it and would use sleep, running, drugs etc. to escape my mind in my misguided attempt to relax. Through mindfulness teachings, particularly reading Thich Naht Hahn, I have come to see my mind as a faithful dog – we go on adventures together, sleep side-by-side, even play together within the lucid dream state. I value my friendship with my mind, we are as one.
I then thought about Lama Yeshe and how his wisdom has helped take me to the next level of enlightenment, by looking deeper into my mind. I don’t need to think of the best visualisation or meditation topic, just relax and observe, and delusion disappears like the darkness does upon turning on a light. Chanting mantras can really help focus the mind on a particular topic but the words are not important – any attachment to fixed words or ideas is unhealthy, the motivation is key.
You can check Charlie’s online video course here:
Peter Stevens
I work as a countryside ranger for the National Trust, a conservation charity that preserves and enhances natural and historic landscapes and buildings. Through mindfulness practice and lucid living and dreaming, I aim to spread peace through this world. By respecting ourselves we can learn to respect all beings, and love can flow freely between us all.
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