WEEK ONE WAKING UP TO YOUR DREAMS

Mostofusthinkoftheeverydayworldasfairlyconcreteandpredictable.Dreams,ontheother
hand,areconsideredfantasies,changeablemiragesthatcandissolveinamist.Yetthewaking
world isfilledwithunpredictable,bizarre,surrealisticimages,includingfreakishcrim
esandstunning worksofartthatseemthestuffofdreams.Dreams,ontheotherhand,containth
edeepesttruth aboutourunconsciousthoughtstowardreality.Ifwecouldonlygraspthemean
ingofourdreams, wewouldunderstandourrelationshipwithotherpeopleandtheworldaround
uswithfarmore precision and depth. Infact,dreamsleepandalertwakefulnessarejusttw
ostatesalongthecontinuumofconsciousness weexperienceeveryday.Duringmostdreamswee
xperienceourselvesasawake,andsometimes whileawakewemaywonderifwe'rereallyinadrea
m.Itstandstoreason,therefore,thatifweare ever to wake up in our dreams-to become
lucid-we must learn to differentiate the dream state and the waking state in a
sure and powerful way. WeekOneoftheCreativeSleepProgramhelpsyouachievethisgoalby
teachingyoutokeenly observethenatureofwakingrealityandthenatureofdreams.Inthefir
stpartoftheweek,youwill learntorecallyourdreamsandrecordtheminadreamjournal.Youw
illalsolearntoimmerse yourselfinthesurrealisticimagesthathauntwakingreality,ofte
ngivingitmanyofthesubjective qualities of a dream.
WeekOneexercisesalsointroducesomeofthebasictenetsofdreamcontrol.Youwill,forinsta
nce, createasleepingenvironmentconducivetomoreconsciousdreaming.Youwilllearnhowt
o influencethegeneralsubjectmatterofyourdreamsthroughaprocessknownasdreamincubat
ion. Andyouwillevenlearnaneffectiveapproachtoproblemsolving;focusonanissueinyour
life using the technique described in Week One, and a solution may well appear i
n your dreams. Finally,byconfrontingthenegativeimagesthatsometimesemergeinyourdr
eams,youwilllearn howtomovethroughyourdiscomforttoastateofsemi-awareness.Asyoude
veloptheabilityto interrogate your dream enemies, a veil will start to lift. You
will start to wake up in your dreams. Oneimportantnote:thoughWeekOnetechniquesa
reintendedtoserveasapreludetolucid dreaming,theyarevaluabletoolsinandofthemselve
s.Indeed,evenifoneneverhasaluciddream, keeping a dream journal can provide a bas
is for deep exploration of the inner self. Incubating dreams oncreativeandromant
icdilemmascanprovidevaluableavenuesforprofessionalandpersonal insightandsuccess.
Andexaminingorinterrogatingfearfuldreamimagessoyoucancometobetter understand the
m may help eliminate recurring dreams and even nightmares. Pleasedonotunderestim
atetheimportanceofWeekOnetechniquestotherestoftheCreativeSleep Program. They for
m the bedrock upon which the upcoming weeks of lucid dreaming are based.