For me dreaming is like breathing: it comes very naturally. At times, my dreams are very insightful. But to some, dreaming can be a troublesome area of frustration and confusion. Some cannot recall their dreams from night to night, or others perhaps dream about events but they cannot understand the meaning. For example: What is the significance of a strange dream event like giving birth to a dog? I don't claim to have all the answers. But I do feel that there are certain processes that one can undertake in order begin to help achieve one's goals in dreaming.

The first step is to find out what your abilities are when it comes to dreaming. I like to call them stages of impressions. These will vary dramatically from person to person. The best way to determinine where you are in these stages is to analyze yourself. For example: Are you the kind of person who can never remember your dreams? Can you not recall ever dreaming at all? Or do you recall your dreams but never have been able to achieve lucid dream state? Ask yourself what you have achieved in your dreams and make a list. Than make another list of things you would like to see yourself achieving in the dream state. For example:

What I have achieved in the dream state:

1. use of all the five senses
2. knowledge that I am dreaming
3. enhanced personal powers in the dream state
4. a forecasting of future events (precognitive dreams)

What I would like to achieve while dreaming:

1. the ability to change the dream environment
2. the ability to learn skills in my dreams to use in reality
3. more context for my precognitive dreams

From my example you can put together your own list. Once this has been done, then it is possible to move on to the different techniques used to achieve your desired effect.

For some time now, I have wanted to write about dreams and how they effect our daily life. What was very important to me was to gather enough information from my own analysis of dreaming and speak to various individuals on the subject. I wanted to make sure that everything I might convey about dreaming was true and accurate to my own knowledge of the subject. I have not been quite satisfied with what is on the book shelves concerning this matter so I began my own exploratory process into dreamland.

I plan to continue with this dream series in the future issues of The Scarlet Letter. I urge you to please send any of your dream questions to the Scarlet Woman Lodge. I will respond to them and coordinate them with my article. Of course I will leave all correspondents anonymous. Let us begin our journey into the world of dreams. See you there!

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