| Have you ever had a really great dream that suddenly | | | | The Ultimate in Adventure and Fantasy |
| veered off in the wrong direction? One minute you | | | | The movie Avatar was a tour de force of cinematic |
| were flying with the dragons of Avatar, in a thrilling | | | | creativity, but it pales in comparison to the literally |
| fantasy adventure, the next you were taking a test in | | | | infinite creativity of the human mind in the dream state. |
| school without having studied, feeling unprepared and | | | | We all know this to be true, and have had countless |
| afraid. That disappointment stays with you all day, | | | | personal experiences that prove it. Now imagine being |
| doesn't it? Well, what if you could actually control the | | | | able to harness that staggering power any way you |
| direction of your dreams? There would be no more | | | | want: to fly like an eagle, to perform like a professional |
| such disappointments! This is the reward held out to us | | | | sports star, to have, ahem, the most satisfying |
| by the art of lucid dreaming. | | | | romantic encounters you could ever conceive of. |
| What is Lucid Dreaming? | | | | There is absolutely no limit to what you can do or |
| Quite simply, lucid dreaming is the ability to retain | | | | experience when lucid dreaming. |
| conscious awareness and control while in the dream | | | | So How Do I Lucid Dream? |
| state. You know you are dreaming, and instead of | | | | Until recently, the answer to that question was: "not |
| being a passenger taken for a ride, you can elect to | | | | easily." Careful cultivation of mental skills, such as the |
| take a more active role and decide where that ride is | | | | recognition of "markers" within dreams that trigger |
| going to take you. Lucid dreaming was first described | | | | greater awareness while dreaming, has been coupled |
| by Frederik van Eeden in A Study of Dreams (1913), | | | | with "dream machines" that expose the sleeper to |
| but was not fully accepted by the scientific community | | | | certain flashes of light or sounds, intended to remind |
| until Dr. Stephen LaBerge of Stanford University | | | | them of their intention to become lucid. It sounds tricky, |
| published Lucid Dreaming in 1986. | | | | and it is. |