A Dream Within A Dream

[Aaron330]

Yesterday I did reality checks throughout the day for the first time. I went to sleep repeating my intentions to become aware I am dreaming. I had a normal dream, woke up, wrote it down, went back to sleep and woke up at my 5:30am alarm which is when I attempt to project. Well I ended up falling asleep instead and I had the most amazing dream of my life. I dreamt I was on this summer camp type of resort with some friends, and I was talking to my buddies about projecting. They said they had been doing it for years and I was like "what? Man it feels like everybody can do this but me!" Then I noticed that the writing graphics on my friend's t-shirt kept changing. I grabbed him and said "dude your t-shirt keeps changing" then I paused and said...I must be in a projection! And I immediately flew up into the sky. My mistake was thinking I was in a projection instead of a dream.

This happened I believe because I fell asleep attempting to project, not lucid dream. But I almost don't care because this was the most amazing dream of my life! I flew all around and was literally screaming for joy while I was doing it. It felt so real! I was convinced I was in the astral because of the clarity of the dream. I landed in a forest area and called for my spirit guide, who appeared in the form of the caterpillar from Alice and Wonderland. He taught me alot of things about how to control things with your thoughts in the astral. Long story short, I woke up to my wife sitting up in bed to her alarm and saying she needed to shower. I told her I had my first projection and was so elated! She said "what happened??" and I said "you wouldn't believe me if I told you". All of the sudden I woke up AGAIN and I was actually physically awake and my wife was still asleep. This was when I realized it was just a dream and not a projection. But I know it was Lucid because I have never been so aware of my train of thought in a dream and I was processing through all the things I want to do in a projection. I was really in control of my body, just didn't realize it was a dream.

My question is, how do you guys project from a lucid dream? Basically once you realize you're dreaming do you say, "I want to go out of body"? And is this a more effective way of projecting than the sleep paralysis method?

[EscapeVelocity]

Congratulations! You are making good progress!

This is your introduction to the NPR. Not exactly what you might have been expecting, but no one could predict how it would manifest. You applied your intent from many different directions and it finally resulted in a dream where you became aware. Technically, you made the greater realization that you were projecting and not just dreaming, but the advantage of that eluded you. The next realization is to understand what you can do and where you can go from there.

Probably a majority of us are introduced through our dreams, and we progress from there, gradually building our awareness during these events; it's apparently mostly a cumulative thing.

So this is the power of your intent, your will and maybe some affirmations. What do you think worked for you?
Again, don't get caught in thinking just one technique may work; try different things and most importantly, be open to opportunities whenever they may show themselves; that's part of the challenge, the fun!

How to project from a lucid dream? A few ways, but start with realizing how much control you have over the current dreamscape: Mentally command an element of the dream to change; feel the command. Command the entire dream to stop. It will freeze frame. You can then wipe the slate clean and try to start a new dream or command to be taken to the astral. This may or may not work for varying reasons, but it's a good exercise. Personally, what occurs to me most often is to notice any kind of portal and dive into it while expressing my intent. Windows, doors, pictures, mirrors...

Flying is pretty damn fun, huh?!

[soarin12]

Congrats!  That sounds awesome!  You were projecting, your lucidity just wasn't as high or full as it could be.  So you were at lucid dream level.  Dreams --lucid dreams--astral projection....They're all the same thing-all NP experiences.  The only difference is the degree of lucidity.  Your lucidity can slide up or down during your experience.  So if during your last night's lucid dream, your lucidity had bumped up a few notches, everything you were experiencing would have felt as real as this physical reality and your mind would have been as sharp as this physical reality, with all your memories in tact.  It seems from your description that you were almost there.  No need to get 'out of body.'  You were already there.  Once you hit that level of full lucidity (which is called astral projection) you are so mentally aware that you can stop the dream script if you want to, and go somewhere else and do something else.  Sometimes when you hit full lucidity you will be removed from the dream script by your guides (you may see them or you may not) and brought somewhere else to have an experience that is planned for you like maybe visiting your deceased loved ones.  You can bump up your lucidity from low level lucid dream to astral projection level by asking yourself some questions like-- Who am I...Where am I...What am I?   The less lucidity you have, the more your experience will seem more dreamlike and less real.

Your experience with your wife at the end was called a false awakening.  They are very common.  It doesn't change what you label your experience at all.  What we label our experiences all comes down to degrees of lucidity.  The more NP experiences you have, the more you'll realize that this is the case.  

[Lionheart]

Congrats!  That sounds awesome!  You were projecting, your lucidity just wasn't as high or full as it could be.  So you were at lucid dream level.  Dreams --lucid dreams--astral projection....They're all the same thing-all NP experiences.  The only difference is the degree of lucidity.  Your lucidity can slide up or down during your experience.  So if during your last night's lucid dream, your lucidity had bumped up a few notches, everything you were experiencing would have felt as real as this physical reality and your mind would have been as sharp as this physical reality, with all your memories in tact.  It seems from your description that you were almost there.  No need to get 'out of body.'  You were already there.  Once you hit that level of full lucidity (which is called astral projection) you are so mentally aware that you can stop the dream script if you want to, and go somewhere else and do something else.  Sometimes when you hit full lucidity you will be removed from the dream script by your guides (you may see them or you may not) and brought somewhere else to have an experience that is planned for you like maybe visiting your deceased loved ones.  You can bump up your lucidity from low level lucid dream to astral projection level by asking yourself some questions like-- Who am I...Where am I...What am I?   The less lucidity you have, the more your experience will seem more dreamlike and less real.

Your experience with your wife at the end was called a false awakening.  They are very common.  It doesn't change what you label your experience at all.  What we label our experiences all comes down to degrees of lucidity.  The more NP experiences you have, the more you'll realize that this is the case.  

Thank You for handling this one Soarin. I was starting to feel like a broken record!   

Your answer was excellent and spot on!   

***** Five Stars to you!   

[soarin12]

Thank You for handling this one Soarin. I was starting to feel like a broken record!   

Your answer was excellent and spot on!   

***** Five Stars to you!   

Thanks LH!

[Szaxx]

100% to Soarin, definately what I'd say too.
The dream within a dream is to let you know that thing's are NOT what they seem.
You projected your conciousness outside of the physical vessel and took control. This will have tje same feel as being awake during the day. It feel more awake than this too. It's your realisation of whats occured where labels only help to confuse things. Being lucid is one thing, having control of what YOU want to do is another.
It does sound like a full on experience with a false awakening at the end. This should indicate to you that the NP experiences we have where we actually do what we want to do OUTSIDE of the dream narrative are what's labelled as an astral projection.
You had success in doing this. By feeling things around you (deepening) the clarity of the awareness will increase and from this you eventually will do much more.
For now try as you did again with the same frame of mind WITHOUT forcing anything. Once you gain your clarity your next step will be to stop the dream.  This is a simple thought away and have NO doubts about your ability to do this.
The scene will fade away and leave you floating in a 3D blackness.
Remember how it feels, this is key to what you should aim for each time you become self aware.
From here you have the astral proper at your disposal. Stay calm and relax with the intent of lasting as long as you can in this concious state. It's the best launchpad to attain. Once mastered I can give you directions in some fantastic life changing experiences you'll never forget.
Thoughts manifest here instantly, you'll find this out as you progress.
Well done, a dream come true is truly a dream itself.

[Aaron330]

Congratulations! You are making good progress!

This is your introduction to the NPR. Not exactly what you might have been expecting, but no one could predict how it would manifest. You applied your intent from many different directions and it finally resulted in a dream where you became aware. Technically, you made the greater realization that you were projecting and not just dreaming, but the advantage of that eluded you. The next realization is to understand what you can do and where you can go from there.

Probably a majority of us are introduced through our dreams, and we progress from there, gradually building our awareness during these events; it's apparently mostly a cumulative thing.

So this is the power of your intent, your will and maybe some affirmations. What do you think worked for you?
Again, don't get caught in thinking just one technique may work; try different things and most importantly, be open to opportunities whenever they may show themselves; that's part of the challenge, the fun!

How to project from a lucid dream? A few ways, but start with realizing how much control you have over the current dreamscape: Mentally command an element of the dream to change; feel the command. Command the entire dream to stop. It will freeze frame. You can then wipe the slate clean and try to start a new dream or command to be taken to the astral. This may or may not work for varying reasons, but it's a good exercise. Personally, what occurs to me most often is to notice any kind of portal and dive into it while expressing my intent. Windows, doors, pictures, mirrors...

Flying is pretty damn fun, huh?!

Flying is probably the best thing ever. I was screaming like a little school girl with pure ecstasy and joy LOL. I've wanted to fly my whole life but never thought it was possible until recently! Thanks for the advice. Now that you mention it, I actually DID command something to change! When my guide showed up as the caterpillar from Alice and Wonderland, he was sort of creeping me out so I looked at him and said "change costumes!" and he changed into a big cartoon looking bumble bee. Which was less creepy so I went with it lol. Then there were these giant ants crawling around the forest, like 1/3 the size of me. My guide told me to ignore them and not be afraid and they would ignore me. But of course that was impossible so when they started coming at me my guide showed me how to imagine a huge glob of sticky candy (like a gum drop) landing on them and freezing them there. So then we were both sticking globs of candy all over them and it was really fun lol. I realized I was completely more powerful than them and in control.

[Aaron330]

Congrats!  That sounds awesome!  You were projecting, your lucidity just wasn't as high or full as it could be.  So you were at lucid dream level.  Dreams --lucid dreams--astral projection....They're all the same thing-all NP experiences.  The only difference is the degree of lucidity.  Your lucidity can slide up or down during your experience.  So if during your last night's lucid dream, your lucidity had bumped up a few notches, everything you were experiencing would have felt as real as this physical reality and your mind would have been as sharp as this physical reality, with all your memories in tact.  It seems from your description that you were almost there.  No need to get 'out of body.'  You were already there.  Once you hit that level of full lucidity (which is called astral projection) you are so mentally aware that you can stop the dream script if you want to, and go somewhere else and do something else.  Sometimes when you hit full lucidity you will be removed from the dream script by your guides (you may see them or you may not) and brought somewhere else to have an experience that is planned for you like maybe visiting your deceased loved ones.  You can bump up your lucidity from low level lucid dream to astral projection level by asking yourself some questions like-- Who am I...Where am I...What am I?   The less lucidity you have, the more your experience will seem more dreamlike and less real.

Your experience with your wife at the end was called a false awakening.  They are very common.  It doesn't change what you label your experience at all.  What we label our experiences all comes down to degrees of lucidity.  The more NP experiences you have, the more you'll realize that this is the case. 

Thanks for the awesome advice Soarin. I am definitely still thinking about this wrong, but I'm starting to catch on. The whole subject matter of Astral Projection is a little overwhelming at first At one point I did pick up a flower and looked at it and commented on how real it looked and felt. Although looking back I realize this was still very dream-like, it was undoubtedly the most vivid and clear dream I've ever had, so that is progress.

I will remember what you said and ask for clarity and awareness next time, and watch the dream turn into "reality", which will be really cool I imagine.

Thank you Szaxx as well. You guys have really encouraged me and helped me realize what's going on a lot better. Turns out this was more of a victory than I thought!

[Lionheart]

Thanks for the awesome advice Soarin. I am definitely still thinking about this wrong, but I'm starting to catch on. The whole subject matter of Astral Projection is a little overwhelming at first At one point I did pick up a flower and looked at it and commented on how real it looked and felt. Although looking back I realize this was still very dream-like, it was undoubtedly the most vivid and clear dream I've ever had, so that is progress.

I will remember what you said and ask for clarity and awareness next time, and watch the dream turn into "reality", which will be really cool I imagine.

Thank you Szaxx as well. You guys have really encouraged me and helped me realize what's going on a lot better. Turns out this was more of a victory than I thought!

Aaron, think of it as Non Physical Exploration. If you know you are lying in a bed sleeping or sitting in your chair and are experiencing anything outside of that, then you are indeed experiencing a NPR Non Physical Realm/Reality.

Write down your adventures in a Journal. Then go back to that Journal once a month or every so often and read what you had written. You will start to find similarities and now you have some experiences under your belt to judge for yourself what is truly happening.

This is when your "Lessons" really start to show themselves. You will also see the difference between a sub consciously induced Dream scenario and Astral one. I don't believe all Dreams are APs. I say this because I can look back in my Journals and see some of them that are definitely subconsciously induced. I can also see ones that started innocently enough, but quickly spiraled out of control and got incredibly bizarre. These ones occur just as I am losing my "hold" on my conscious awareness and normally lead to me awaking.

[Aaron330]

Aaron, think of it as Non Physical Exploration. If you know you are lying in a bed sleeping or sitting in your chair and are experiencing anything outside of that, then you are indeed experiencing a NPR Non Physical Realm/Reality.

Write down your adventures in a Journal. Then go back to that Journal once a month or every so often and read what you had written. You will start to find similarities and now you have some experiences under your belt to judge for yourself what is truly happening.

This is when your "Lessons" really start to show themselves. You will also see the difference between a sub consciously induced Dream scenario and Astral one. I don't believe all Dreams are APs. I say this because I can look back in my Journals and see some of them that are definitely subconsciously induced. I can also see ones that started innocently enough, but quickly spiraled out of control and got incredibly bizarre. These ones occur just as I am losing my "hold" on my conscious awareness and normally lead to me awaking.

Good thoughts. I am just continuing to do my reality checks and hope I can get a hold on the Lucid Awareness of my dreams soon. How often do you Lucid Dream and is this your preferred method of projection? Every time I try phasing it seems like the fastest way to put me to sleep. "Oh look, there's a couple of spots forming. That one looks like a duck....that one appeared to be...some sort of....zzzzzz" then I wake up hours later and curse lol.

I also have been keeping a dream log for a while now and have logged about 4 or 5 dreams. Unfortunately I can't log alot of my dreams because they end up being sexual type dreams about another woman, which I would not want my wife ever reading LOL

[Lionheart]

How often do you Lucid Dream and is this your preferred method of projection? Every time I try phasing it seems like the fastest way to put me to sleep. "Oh look, there's a couple of spots forming. That one looks like a duck....that one appeared to be...some sort of....zzzzzz" then I wake up hours later and curse lol.

Almost every night. I usually become aware well into the Dream, so it takes me a couple of minutes to gain my bearings, per say.

It's not my favorite method of NP exploration, but has become something that occurs often, spontaneously . My favorite form of AP is Phasing. But with LDs after many many nights of setting my intent, all I need to do is go to sleep and KNOW that I will LD that night. That's much easier than Phasing, lol!  

Keep practicing, you will learn how to control that. But be careful what you wish for. I have had many nights that took me hours to fall asleep because of my intent to keep noticing. On those nights though, I did not make that mental intent, but it still occurred.

That's when you will have to find a happy medium or balance between the two. Once again always learning!  

[Aaron330]

Almost every night. I usually become aware well into the Dream, so it takes me a couple of minutes to gain my bearings, per say.

It's not my favorite method of NP exploration, but has become something that occurs spontaneously often. My favorite form of AP is Phasing. But with LDs after many many nights of setting my intent, all I need to do is go to sleep and KNOW that I will LD that night. That's much easier that Phasing, lol! 

Keep practicing, you will learn how to control that. But be careful what you wish for. I have had many nights that took me hours to fall asleep because of my intent to keep noticing. On those nights though, I did not make that mental intent, but it still occurred.

That's when you will have to find a happy medium or balance between the two. Once again always learning! 

After I typed that note to you I went in my room to do my Deepak&Oprah 21 day guided meditation. I was about 15 minutes in and started seeing alot of shapes and colors forming. I shut off the laptop with my eyes still closed and continued phasing for about 45 minutes. The colors and shapes started forming much more rapidly as time went on and became more solid and bright rather than whispy and faint.

The more I felt the urge to drift to sleep I tried to give in as I kept noticing, but I couldn't fall asleep. The images were blazing around at an amazing rate and I'd never experienced this before. I tried imagining a beautiful lake scene but it never took form. Not knowing what to do I eventually gave up. Where do I go after this stage I was able to get to today? Do I have to go to sleep to finish this phasing? What happens if I phased into the astral while my body wasn't asleep? Would my body just sit there in the chair as though it was asleep?

[Lionheart]

After I typed that note to you I went in my room to do my Deepak&Oprah 21 day guided meditation. I was about 15 minutes in and started seeing alot of shapes and colors forming. I shut off the laptop with my eyes still closed and continued phasing for about 45 minutes. The colors and shapes started forming much more rapidly as time went on and became more solid and bright rather than whispy and faint.

The more I felt the urge to drift to sleep I tried to give in as I kept noticing, but I couldn't fall asleep. The images were blazing around at an amazing rate and I'd never experienced this before. I tried imagining a beautiful lake scene but it never took form. Not knowing what to do I eventually gave up. Where do I go after this stage I was able to get to today? Do I have to go to sleep to finish this phasing? What happens if I phased into the astral while my body wasn't asleep? Would my body just sit there in the chair as though it was asleep?

Once again Aaron you are rushing a process that takes patience.

If the images were already blazing around you, why did you try to create a beautiful lake scene? You should have just relaxed and passively observing what you were being "shown".

Practice getting to that point and then ALLOW what is going to happen to happen. You are being shown these images for a reason, you might as well try to find out why.  

Your body is a vessel, plain and simple. During your everyday physical existence, your consciousness is "rooted" in that vessel. When you create a non physical focus your consciousness is free to experience elsewhere.

Unless you have learned to physically "transport" your body, your vessel shall remain where you left it!  

[Aaron330]

Once again Aaron you are rushing a process that takes patience.

If the images were already blazing around you, why did you try to create a beautiful lake scene? You should have just relaxed and passively observing what you were being "shown".

Practice getting to that point and then ALLOW what is going to happen to happen. You are being shown these images for a reason, you might as well try to find out why. 

Your body is a vessel, plain and simple. During your everyday physical existence, your consciousness is "rooted" in that vessel. When you create a non physical focus your consciousness is free to experience elsewhere.

Unless you have learned to physically "transport" your body, your vessel shall remain where you left it! 

Well I probably made that sound like I was freaking out and doing whatever random crap I could think of lol. But what really happened was I spent about 20 minutes observing the images appearing and dissappearing rapidly, but nothing was changing. So I briefly experimented with visualizing a scene I enjoy to see if that would create any changes, but it didn't seem to. So I went back to passively observing. After a while they started to die down so that's when I stopped.

So what you're saying is continue to phase this way, passively observing the images and eventually with practice they will start to take a 3D life of their own, correct?

[Lionheart]

So what you're saying is continue to phase this way, passively observing the images and eventually with practice they will start to take a 3D life of their own, correct?

YES

[Aaron330]

YES

Perfect, simple enough for me then Thanks for all your help Lionheart.

[Xanth]

Phasing...
If I had to really define it... phasing is when you've removed all beliefs and expectations about the 'entrance' to projection. 
There's no separating, because you don't have to separate, there's nothing to separate from. 
There are (usually) no vibrations, because it's simply not required. 
You just shift your perspective to somewhere else by ignoring your perspective here.