This is an article which I have in one dreaming magazine which was available in Australia... I'm unaware if it is still published, I haven't seen it in a long time. It's called Dreams and Dreaming. This article is taken from it's first issue.
I have edited some of the less relevent information out of the article for length.
Bandia Duit
LaughingKoala
Lucid Dreaming
by Eltraya
Lucid dreaming involves the ability to be consciously aware of your dreams as they occur, and to participate in the dreams. It is said that nothing happens to you, without you dreaming it first. If this is so, you can imagine how valuable and effective lucid dreaming can be, in shaping the model of reality that is your life.
Lucid dreaming is an ability which is experienced automatically by very few, and most of us need to devote time and focussed attention to acquire conscious control of our dreams. The ability is, howerver, inherent in all of us, and you can be gyaranteed success, and as much fun as you can conceive, if you are prepared to make the investment of your time and energy.
Before you can consider attempting lucid dreaming , it's necessary to have an understanding of what dreams are, then they occur, how to recall and interpret them and what causes them. Only then will you have sufficient knowledge to proceed.
Dreaming is a state of consciousness that follows either four or five stages of sleep, and your dreams may last from a minute to an hour. The dreams in the last period before you wake are usually the longest and most significant.
Dreams provide access to humanity's collective unconscious. The language of dreams is puns and the visual component is expressed in symbols.
There are four primary types of dreams: literal, nonsense, symbolic and visionary. Your dreams serve a variety of functions and generally fall into one of these four categories.
A literal dream is simply what it seems to be, that is, some problem or preoccupation carrying over from waking consciousness.
A nonsense dream is what the name implies, and it is important to recognise it as such. Its function is a type of safety valve release.
A symbolic dream is a dream od consequence and meaning that is conducted with objects that represent either feelings or other things.
A visionary dream is a prophesy which is accurate at the time of it being dreamed. An ancient adage is that nothing happens without it being dreamed first. In response to those who say they do not dream, they are incorrect. They just don't recall dreaming. Conscious awareness of a visionary dream has obvious benefits, since an appropriate change in your attitude and behaviour can amend the effects of future events on you, forewarned being forearmed, even though it is understood that the large picture, fate, can't be altered.
With this knowledge of the types of dreams, the next step is to develop and enhance the recall of your dreams.
It is not unusual to experience a period when it is not easy to separate your dreams from the events of your waking reality, since you are actively conscious in both states. This melding is a stage that you will pass through after a short time. As you capture a record of your dreams their meaning must then by effectively comprehended. The important thing in interpreting the dreams you have documented is to understand that you must interpret the dreamer, and not the dream. The only person who can interpret a dream is the dreamer, since it is specifically tailored for you. A similar dream for different people can have completely different meanings.
You analyse the dream for the meaning you intuitively feel it has for YOU. The quality of your interpretation will improve as you exercise patience and persistence.
The key to lucid dreaming is, in the interval as you are falling asleep, to anticipate consciously seeing, in your dreams something very familiar to you. The exercise traditionally given to dream students and the one I successfully effected is to look for your hands in your dreams. The first time you are successful, you will have one of the most memorable experiences in your life, involving a break through of great consequence. When you have achieved this your intuitive guidance will direct your future development, since from that time, having successfully imposed your will on the dreaming condition, your self will be your teacher, and no one else can guide you.
-end.
