5-HTP: A Lucid Dreaming Supplement

In a previous blog post I relayed that I would be experimenting with several different supplements that are touted as being helpful for the struggling lucid dreamer in that they assist in establishing a proper brain environment for the likely occurrence of a lucid dream (read that post here).

The first supplement I have worked with is 5-HTP or 5-hydroxy-tryptophan. While many claims have been made about 5-HTP and its effects on the human body, its effectiveness as an anti-depressant seems to be the most substantiated. Although, there does seem to be some evidence that it assists in the treatment of Fibromyalgia, anxiety, mild sleep disorders and weight loss. The web is full of information regarding the typical mainstream uses of 5-HTP, so I will not delve into the matter further here. What I do wish to discuss in a little more detail is the use of 5-HTP as a lucid dreaming supplement (LDS).

Apparently, one of the most common side effects noted by those who ingest 5-HTP is increased dream vividness and bizarreness. This is not totally surprising, however, since 5-HTP is a precursor to serotonin and research has correlated increased serotonin levels with dream vividness. How does dream vividness and bizarreness help to establish dream lucidity? Well … rather indirectly. It is thought that if the dream is bizarre enough, the dreamer might be lead to question the reality of his/her experiences and realize that a dream is in progress, thereby gaining lucidity.

A more direct effect of taking 5-HTP for the lucid dreamer may very well be an increased amount of REM period during the latter hours of sleep, thereby increasing the amount of possible dream time that one can work with. It is believed that this increased REM period is the result of REM suppression during the early stages of sleep due to increased serotonin levels in the brain (as a result of taking 5-HTP prior to the onset of sleep) thereby resulting in a REM rebound effect. It is also believed that the increase in serotonin levels caused by 5-HTP help facilitate lucidity by heightening rational thought and self-awareness during REM sleep.

So, did 5-HTP assist me in becoming lucid at any point during my two week experimentation? The answer is a resounding “NO.” I took 100 mg of 5-HTP before retiring to bed every day for two weeks and experienced none of the effects discussed above. I did not experience any increase in dream vividness, bizarreness or REM rebound, not to mention lucidity. This is not to say that 5-HTP is ineffective as a lucid dream supplement. It may be that 5-HTP works better when combined with other lucid dreaming supplements. It may also be that my trial period was too short to bring about the desired effect or it may simply be that my physiology prevents 5-HTP from working its magic. Regardless, I will assuredly repeat my experiments with this supplement again in the future. But for now, it is on to the next supplement.

 

A Halloween Public Service Announcement

The Magical Lotus interrupts it's regularly scheduled blog posting to bring you the following important holiday message:

 

 

 

 

Meridiana: An Unbinding Spell

Oh, Meridiana, the crime was his. He tasted of your delights and then disowned you. Oh, Meridiana, I strip away the devil's mask unjustly forced upon you, permitting your sultry visage to freely enchant once more.    

Advanced Magick For Beginners: A Brief Review

    Alan Chapman’s Advanced Magick for Beginners covers all the major subjects that one would expect to be present in a beginner’s book on magick and more besides. This is certainly a plus for the book and its readers. Unfortunately, I fear that many of the chapters may be too terse to be of any great value to the novice magickal practitioner. What is more, Mr. Chapman’s presentation of his material may not be the best for beginners. The author has taken great care to speak intelligently to his audience and has, it would seem, avoided “dumbing-down” much of his work. While this should be both appreciated and applauded of an author, it may in this case (in a book marketed to beginners of magickal practice) serve only to confound the beginner and hinder learning. Simply put, this is a book targeted for beginners of the magickal path presented in an advanced manor.

Despite these drawbacks, Advanced Magick is an excellent book if you want to get practicing magick immediately. Drawing upon a post-modern paradigm, Chapman offers many techniques and suggestions as to how magick may be performed without all of the ritualism that so often accompanies magickal practice. Of particular interest is his five step model for magical enchantment that, as he clearly demonstrates, can be applied to several modes of magickal working (viz., sympathetic magick, sigil magick, physical link magick, etc).

While I do recommend this book for the serious student of the occult, I do so with some reservations. It is most likely a work that the beginning student of the occult will need to read several times before he or she is able to absorb the nuggets of wisdom inside.

   

 

Lucid Dreaming Supplements (LDS) – A Preface

 

Lucid dreaming was something I did as a child long before I ever knew what lucid dreaming was. I was not particularly adept at the technique of becoming lucid, however.  It was typically the case that a nightmare would trigger lucidity and I would use that lucidity to wake myself from the dream. Thus, dream lucidness during childhood was a brief occurrence, lasting just long enough to scream myself back to wakefulness (only to find myself terrorized by sleep paralysis).

Later, after I had learned of lucid dreaming, I was lucky enough to have a few fully lucid encounters within the dream realm. Since I knew what was occurring, I was much more willing to spend some time exploring this inner world.  Unfortunately, the occurrences of lucidity during dreaming have been relatively few. Furthermore, as my interest in the subject of lucid dreaming has increased over the years, my ability to induce a lucid dream has decreased. As a result, I now find myself to be an unemployed oneironaut. While I have read a great deal of the literature regarding lucid dream induction techniques, none of the techniques have been successful for me (one technique that I have not adequately investigated [my bad!] involves a special wrist watch to prompt for a reality check. You can read my blog post about it here).

While my rather abysmal record of lucid dream events has left me rather discouraged, I have recently become aware of a growing segment of the lucid dreaming community advocating the use of dietary supplements to enhance the likelihood of lucid dreams (note: I did not say cause a lucid dream).  This has given me the hope I might be able to achieve my goals with a little dietary assistance.  There are quite a few supplements being touted as helpful in promoting an environment conducive to lucid dreaming. In the coming months, I will discuss a few of these and relay whether they have or have not been helpful to me in my quest for the elusive lucid dream.

 



Diamond Magick

 

 

Over the last couple of months I have been performing some magick that I never dreamed I would. The first bout of magick, unfortunately, turned out to be a dud.  Despite the fact that my magick failed to manifest, I can’t be too upset with the results.  Not only did I learn a few things from my working, but the first round of failed magick led me to where I am today … right at the heart of some complicated and perhaps profitable diamond magick.

In my dealings with diamond magick I have come to see that the procedure of diamond evaluation can actually be utilized as a model for aiding magickal practitioners in evaluating and structuring their magickal workings. In order to demonstrate this, we must first take a brief detour and learn how diamonds are evaluated or appraised.

 

 

Cut diamonds are appraised on four qualities (known as The Four C’s):

1) Cut – In simplest terms, the shape of the diamond.

2) Color – While most people probably are familiar with “colorless” or “white” diamonds, diamonds actually come in a wide array of colors (these colored diamonds are referred to as “Fancy Color Diamonds”).

3) Carat – This is the weight of the diamond. One carat = .0070547924 ounces; 200 milligrams; 0.2 grams or 1/5 of a gram.

4) Clarity – This refers to the number and type of blemishes or inclusions found within the diamond or on the diamond’s surface.

 

The Four C's Of Diamond Magick

Now, the Four C’s become magickally useful when we utilize them as a pre-working strategy for understanding both the situation that is eliciting a magickal response and our own mental/emotional makeup. Hopefully, these understandings will be of benefit when devising a magickal working.

1) Cut – Analyze the “shape” or “form” of the situation that is eliciting a magickal response? What does the situation “contain” and what are its limits? How is the situation structured? Does it have many levels? What is the shape of your response to the situation? Is your “shape-response” appropriate? Does your shape-response need to be reformed in order to better work with the situation at hand? Begin to think how you will structure your magical response.

2) Color – What is the “color” of the situation eliciting a magickal response? Is it a cool blue situation that can be handled calmly or a fiery red situation that demands an equally red response? Is the situation so red that it would be better to not respond at all? What “color” does the situation make you? Would a different hue be more beneficial when planning and carrying out your response?

3) Carat – What is the “weight” or “gravity” of the situation eliciting a magickal response? Is the situation “heavy” or pressing and demand an immediate response or is the situation “light in weight,” allowing one to ease into a response? Is the situation light enough that it requires no exertion on your part at all? What “weight” does the situation elicit in you? Is the weight you are experiencing appropriate or would a loss/ gain of weight be more beneficial to you?

4) Clarity – What are the imperfections or problems found within the situation eliciting a magickal response? Are they surface imperfections than can be polished away or are they invariably tied to the situation. Is there a way to minimize the problem areas that can’t be irradiated? Can the situation be worked in spite of its problem areas or should the situation be abandoned altogether? What blemishes or problems do you find within yourself that might limit your response to the situation at hand? Do you have too many blemishes at the current time to attempt to shape a response?

The questions above are just a sampling of many that can be asked as a precursor to any magickal operation. Hopefully, by utilizing “diamond magic” modeled on the Four C”s the stage can be set for a more efficient and productive magical operation.

 

 

A Kurukulla Sigil Working

The above photo is a derivative of Shakira Rock in Rio 08 003 by Andres.Arranz. Permission granted under Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Spain license.