Set Your Watch For A Reality Check

As some of you may be aware (if you have been reading my posts), I am interested in dreamwork, especially lucid dreaming. As such, I am always on the lookout for techniques for inducing lucid dreams. A few weeks ago I wrote about the possibility of using binaural beats to stimulate the onset of lucidity (read that post here). Today, I would like to offer a technique that came to me the other day while scavenging through my cluttered desk. While I was searching for something in the clutter of a desk drawer I came across and old wrist watch that I had bought for my daughter years ago. This is not a typical watch that can be purchased at Walmart, however. It is a watch specifically designed to aid individuals with timed reminders, such as medication taking, bedwetting issues, etc. The specific watch that I have is called “VibraLite 3.” There are other versions of the VibraLite at varying prices. Below is a product description of the VibraLite3 taken from a seller’s web page.

The VibraLITE3 vibrating watch provides a great silent reminder. It features an auto restart countdown mode that vibrates at any time interval you choose (e.g., every two hours). The watch vibrates for approximately 20 seconds, and then automatically resets itself to count down again. Easily pause the countdown timer when a reminder is not needed, and restart it without having to program your interval again! Works great when a silent alert is desired at fixed intervals. You may choose sound and/or vibration or even turn the alarm off without resetting the countdown timer

So, how do I see this watch as an aid to lucid dreaming? Wear the watch with a reminder alarm set to any desired interval, say for example an hour (my preferred interval). Every time the alarm goes off, perform a reality check (of course pause the timer when sleeping and whenever necessary). Hopefully, the timed repetition of reality checks will increase your chances of a reality check while dreaming. Moreover, chances are that at some point the watch itself will enter your dreams and signal for a reality check.

*I am not affiliated with VibraLite nor do I receive any compensation for the sale of VibraLite.

Dreamwork with Mugwort

Recently, I came across an herb that has a reputation for being a dream enhancer and, as such, might be of interest to anyone working with dreams. The common name for this herb is Mugwort or more scientifically Artemisia vulgaris. Mugwort is native to Eurasia and Africa but has become naturalized to North America. Within the United States Mugwort can be found in weedy and uncultivated areas, such as waste places, roadsides, and river banks, especially in the eastern coastal regions.

Historically, Mugwort has been used for a variety of purposes. It has been utilized in beer (instead of hops), smoked in lieu of tobacco, used as a food preservative and a “medication” to assist in abortions (just to name a few of its many uses). My interest in Mugwort, however, rests solely with its reputation as a dream enhancer. Those who have worked with Mugwort claim that this herb has the ability to cause vivid dreams. However, they warn that “vivid dreams” does not mean “pleasant dreams” and caution would- be- users that nightmares will also be intensified. While I am relaying a cautionary note about Mugwort, I should perhaps mention that Mugwort oil contains small amounts of Thujone, a neurotoxin that can cause seizures and death in large doses (Thujone has gotten a bad rap as the dangerous component in Absinthe). Due to its long history of safe internal use by humans I am fairly confident that Mugwort poses no significant risk when ingested infrequently and in small dosages (I am neither a doctor nor a specialist in neurotoxins, if you decide to experiment with Mugwort, you do so at your own risk. Please become informed about this herb prior to consumption.)

There are several methods to work with Mugwort. It can be made into a tincture, eaten or smoked. If you are concerned about the safety of taking Mugwort into your body, many claims have been made about Mugwort’s ability to cause vivid dreams by simply placing a leafy branch of the herb near you or under your pillow while you sleep. Indeed, many people suggest making a small dream pillow filled with Mugwort.

Just in case you are wondering, the answer is “no.” I have not worked with Mugwort…yet.  I have been trying to find it growing locally, but have had no success as of this writing. If I don’t end up finding some growing around my hometown, I will surely buy some seeds to be planted next spring.

In closing, I would like to mention that there is an interesting report about the use of Clary Sage in dreamwork. You can read the blog post here.

*If you have any experiences with Mugwort that you would like to share, please feel free to leave a comment.

Entrain Your Brain To Lucid Dream

Lucid dreaming is conscious dreamwork. It is the conscious awareness that one is dreaming while in a dream and the directing/exploration of that dream. I would lucid dream quite frequently as a child, although I had no idea what I was doing. It was not until much later that I became informed about lucid dreams and actively sought to cultivate them. Unfortunately, by this time lucid dreaming was something that rarely (and I mean RARELY) occurred. Even after reading many fine books on the techniques of lucid dream induction, I found myself unable to induce lucidity in the dream state with any large degree of success. Today, I am lucky if I have one lucid dream within a year’s time.

Unsatisfied with the rate of lucidity I have so far achieved, I constantly look for new ways to induce a lucid dream. Recently, I discovered a new technique (well , new to me anyway) for inducing a lucid dream. It is a very passive technique and requires only that you relax while listening to a recording of a sound file containing binaural beats. Binaural beats are “sounds” that are ‘heard” in the brain as a result of listening to two minutely different sounds in each ear (headphones are necessary when listening to binaural beats). It has been fairly well established that one’s brainwaves tend to become entrained or synchronized to the frequency of the binaural beats that is being produced by the two similar sounds. Since binaural beats can be produced to mimic the entire spectrum of human brainwave activity, binaural beats can be used to entrain the brain to operate at any of the four (or 5, see postscript below) levels of brainwave activity – namely, beta (active brain), alpha (resting brain), theta (dreaming brain), delta (dreamless sleeping brain).

Many claims have been made as to what can be achieved through the application of binaural beats and their scientific usefulness is hotly debated.  Personally, I tend to see some validity in the claims that binaural beats can be used to enter a state of calm or meditative state, since binaural beats can be produced that mimic a calm or meditative mind (i.e., a mind in the alpha range ≈ 8-12 Hz). When it comes to lucid dreams, however, I am a little less certain. Most binaural beats designed for lucid dreaming that I have encountered are formed with beats that range from roughly 2Hz to 12 Hz, which mimic brainwaves that occur during dreamless sleep (delta), times of dreaming (theta) and restful contemplation (alpha). I am less clear as to how such binaural beats can induce a lucid dream, since they simply entrain a brain to enter states that it already does naturally. If one does not naturally become lucid when he/she enters such states, such as when falling to sleep and upon awakening, how is causing the brain to enter these states through binaural beats going to elicit a lucid response. While I have my doubts about the effectiveness of binaural beats to induce a lucid dream, I have been working with them for nearly three days now. So far, there have been no lucid dreams.

Postscript

Some research into lucid dreams have suggested that lucidity in dreams occurs when a dreaming brain (theta range ≈ 4-7 Hz) is accompanied by a synchronization of the majority of the brain at the uppermost beta level(≈ 40 Hz) and higher, sometimes called the gamma level. With this in mind I will be creating my own binaural beats recording starting at a low alpha frequency and then dropping down into the theta range. After several minutes of theta (dreaming) I will catapult the frequency to gamma in the attempt to become lucid (I wonder if it is possible to create dual binaural beats so that a brain can be entrained to theta and gamma frequencies simultaneously?) Anyway, if you are interested in lucid dreaming, you may want to experiment with some binaural beats. I am a hard nut to crack. Your success may vary.

Planetary Magick by Denning and Phillips

For any of you who have an interest in planetary magick, you might be interested to know that Llewellyn has just released a reprint of Denning and Phillips' Planetary Magick. I received my copy yesterday and plan to work through the book over the next several weeks. I am sure I will have something to say about this work in the near future. Anyone experienced with this book and the system of magick it presents? If so, please feel free to leave a comment.

Magical Possibilities In Early Buddhism

Often Buddhism has been portrayed as a rational religion/philosophy devoid of the magical or mystical. When magical practices in Buddhism have been discussed, they have primarily been articulated either within the context of Tantrism or divergent forms of lay practices that have been shaped by outside influences. Nevertheless, magical abilities are well attested in early Buddhist scripture, wherein it has been recorded that the Buddha and many of those who attained liberation (arhat) had acquired several magical or supermundane powers.

In the Pali Sutras the magical abilities of the Buddha and arhats are primarily discussed within the context of two magical groupings – namely, the supernormal powers (iddhi) and the higher knowledges (abhinna) (In the Pali canon the iddhi are oftentimes included among the abhinna).

THE SUPERNORMAL POWERS (IDDHI)

Most often the supernormal powers (iddhi) appear in standard lists or roughly eight components throughout the Pali scriptures. These are:

1. The ability to multiply one’s body into many bodies and then return to a single body.
2. The ability to become invisible.
3. The ability to pass through solid objects.
4. The ability to rise and sink within the ground.
5. The ability to walk on water.
6. The ability to fly.
7. The ability to touch anything no matter the distance.
8. The ability to travel to the highest realms of existence.

According to Nathan Katz, the supernormal powers (iddhi) are cultivated by means of a practice known as “The Four Steps Leading to Supernormal Power” (cattaro iddhipada).* 

THE HIGHER KNOWLEDGES (ABHINNA)

When the supernormal powers (iddhi) are excluded from among their ranks, the higher knowledges (abhinna) are five in number. These are:

1. clairaudience.
2. telepathy.
3. The ability to recall one’s own past lives.
4. The ability to know the karmic destinations of other beings.
5. The knowledge of the extinction of the blockages to liberation.

According to Katz, the higher knowledges (abhinna) begin to arise from absorption (jhana) practices, specifically with the onset of the fifth absorption (jhana).**

PRIMARY SOURCE:

Katz, Nathan, Buddhist Images of Human Perfection: The Arahant of the Sutta Pitaka Compared with the Bodhisattva and the Mahasiddha, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1982.

*Katz, p. 108.
**Katz, p. 106.

Two Tools For the Eclectic Magician

Working within the confines of a magical tradition has its advantages. One of those advantages is that members are usually given a map of the magical terrain that will be traversed, where already devised rituals are dispensed, magical implements are specifically detailed, entities/powers are enumerated and world views/paradigms are advocated. This does not mean that one’s journey through the magical terrain of a given tradition will be easy. It does, however, mean that the map provided by the tradition will offer its members a means by which they can locate themselves within a magical terrain as well as indicate the pathways by which the landscape may be traversed. Having recognized the usefulness of such maps, I have, over the course of several years, explored various magical traditions in the hopes of finding a system of magical praxis that would provide me with a map or schematic for doing magic. Despite my best efforts, my personal world view has in each instance prohibited me from feeling a sense of compatibility with any particular magical system and the world view it espouses. This state of affairs has made my magical journey an incredibly slow and difficult endeavor. Much like the Borg in the Star Trek universe who go about assimilating life forms into the Collective, I have had to learn to incorporate into my magical repertoire various magical elements that are compatible with the world view or paradigm that I find myself hosting at any given time. As an eclectic magician, I am ever vigilant to discover magical elements that I can incorporate into my ever so slowly expanding magical inventory. I know I am not alone in this endeavor. It is for this reason that I wish to present below two magical items that I have recently constructed. I do not expect these two items to be duplicated by other seeking eclectics, however. Rather, I hope that by sharing these two items I can generate some ideas that will assist the eclectic magician on his or her own magical journey.

The first item is designed to be a home for a servitor who will assist me in penetrating nebulous situations with both insight and foresight. It was constructed from corn starch clay and shaped and painted to look like an open book. On the two pages that lie open I have painted the words “insight” (left) and “foresight” (right) in sigilized form. I used yellow to draw the “insight” sigil on account that this mental ability appears (to me) to be an air element and blue to draw the “foresight” sigil since this mental ability appears (to me) to be a water element. On the back of the book (bottom of object) I have painted a sigilized form of the servitor’s name in green (not shown for security purposes). The color green was chosen on account that the servitor is an entity created from a mixture of both air (yellow) and water (blue) elements.

  

The second item is designed to trap all negative energies within my house and permit their disposal. It too was constructed from corn starch clay. As the object’s initial objective is to trap the negative energies in my home, it was given a triangular shape (viz., triangle of invocation and spirit trap) and painted black (an absorbing color that is associated with banishing and protection).  To help lure the negative energies to the object some personal artifacts from each of the members of my family were included within the object during its formation. Also, each of the object’s three sides displays the name of a family member in sigilized form in its corresponding astrological color (not pictured for security reasons). The top of the object was constructed in such a fashion that it would easily and securely hold an egg. Once the object draws the negative energies to itself they will become absorbed by the egg, which then can be discarded.

Working With The Expansive Energies Of Jupiter

Working with the sphere of Jupiter can be rewarding. Since Jupiter’s energies are primarily concerned with expansion and increase, they facilitate “the more” in one’s life and thus can lead to wealth, prosperity and abundance (among other outcomes). For those among you who plan to work with Jupiter to attain this “abundance,” I would just like to offer a word of caution and some advice.

While your Jupiter working may be intended to bring about a positive outcome, you should be fully aware that the energies of Jupiter are quite capable of manifesting unintentional and unwanted negative side effects through your magic. My recent encounter with Jupiterian energies is a good case in point. Having recently found myself burdened with some unexpected debt, I was quite pleased to receive a general Jupiter blessing from Rufus Opus, author of Head For The Red blog (link to the blessing). The day after receiving this blessing it became clear to me that my debt would easily be accommodated. I would be able to pay off the debt by tapping into some vacation pay. This was a sweet deal. A harder pill to swallow was that I also found myself “asked” to pick up an additional shift at work for a couple of weeks. This expansion of my weekly wages, however, though helpful, came at a cost – working sixty-five hours a week for an undetermined period of time. The expansion of my work week was not only unintentional but unwanted as well. I have come to consider it as negative fallout from RO’s blessing.

My brief brush with the energies of Jupiter, while not entirely pleasant, has been informative. I have learned something of the sphere of Jupiter and wish to pass my meager reflections on to you, especially with respect to mitigating some of the negative fallout that may be experienced through working with Jupiter’s energies.

Prior to any Jupiter operation one should ask him or herself a few simple questions.

1. Do I need more?

2. Do I want more?

3. Can I handle more?


If you can answer “yes” to 1-3 or 2 and 3, any negative ramifications of your Jupiter working should be minimal. If you cannot, then I suggest you rethink your desire for “the more” of Jupiter. You can certainly do a Jupiter working if you can answer “yes” to 1 and 3, but the negative repercussions will be substantially higher.

Lastly, make sure you provide some intended avenues through which the expansive energies of Jupiter can flow. In my case, the energies of Jupiter where not directed (i.e., general blessing) and they took the easiest path to manifestation through my only source of income – my job. In other words, make sure any Jupiter working has an intended and specified sphere or field to expand. But be sure to have these spheres or fields in place before the Jupiter working, as Jupiter’s energies often come on quickly.