Dream-Walking

I've mentioned this term several times but it occurs to me that I should actually explain what it is for those who are unfamiliar with it.

Dream-walking is basically astral projection. I only ever dream-walk in my sleep, with two exceptions. The nitty-gritty mechanics of the process escape me, but it is essentially you - your consciousness, your soul, your spirit, or whatever you'd prefer to call it- leaving this particular plane and moving into the Upper World or the Lower World.

To clarify, we - you and I- live in between those according to most shamanic traditions. The Upper World is reserved for Gods and the like, while the Lower World is home to ancestral spirits, Totems, and so on.

Each location within the Upper and Lower Worlds looks different to each individual person. When I've gone to the Lower World during a mediation (one of only two successful attempts) I went to a bright and sunny barely field, and I was sitting upon a large, flat boulder. That was, incidentally, how I met Coyote - he wandered up to greet me before I lost my concentration and snapped out of the meditation.

I've also ended up in a cave in the Lower World, right beside the entrance to the barley field, but I held that meditative state for an even smaller amount of time and didn't get the chance to explore. The scenery can change quite easily, however, and I've been in a multitude of places. This is where I most often interact with my Totems.

Typically speaking, I am largely unable to meditate due to my inability to concentrate hard enough or for long enough, so I normally dream-walk while, surprise surprise, sleeping. I typically have no control of where I go when this happens, and the scenery there is a combination of my perception of a location, heavy symbolism, and a few other random elements.

When I am in the Upper World, which is almost always where I go when dream-walking for some reason, I interact with Gods a fair bit - usually Hermes, as it happens, but not always; I've interacted with Loki while dream-walking two or three times, as well.

One thing I should be very clear about is that I do not use hallucinogenic or narcotic drugs to achieve these state, nor do I condone their use. I meditate and achieve the desired mental state through concentration and willpower, nothing else. When I dream-walk, I do little more than simply go to sleep - the rest happens on its own.

I won't rant and rave about my opinion on drugs which are not prescribed by a certified physicians or are caffeine or alcohol - and even those I use in moderation. It's enough to re-state that I do not and will never use such things, as it is my personal feeling that the use of hallucinogenics and narcotics outside of a cultural thing, like peyote in specific rituals, cheapens the experience and makes it less than it could have been if you had simply made an effort to do it on your own. It's not you reaching the Upper or Lower World through honest meditation and reaching a mental state of absolute calm on your own - it's you dosing yourself.

There, done. Topic closed, moving on!

There are dozens of techniques when it comes to meditating and dream-walking. As I rarely am able to meditate due to my busy lifestyle, and as dream-walking comes naturally to me, I'm afraid I can't recommend much. I did find that listening to a guided meditation recording in a dark room while completely relaxed was very helpful, though. Some people prefer to listen to a specific drumming pattern, or nature-based sounds, or hum. Some people even listen to trance music in a closed room at high volume. Dancing, in combination with such sounds, is commonly used in many cultures to achieve a trance-like, meditative state.

It's all completely subjective - as is everything in this world. Choose what suits your path and your lifestyle.