Fly through the heavens,

make love with beautiful honey-skinned goddesses, and impress friends by

folding a city on top of itself a la Inception.

These are the familiar

advertisements for lucid dreaming; we know them well. Sure, these things can be

achieved in dreams in which we are self-aware, but they

are weak analogues to the shamanic context that our ancestors and cultural

forebearers provided for dreams and visions.

Dreaming can be more than a

reflection of our fears and desires. Actually, dreaming is a shamanic

technology. The skills to dream for healing, guidance, and power — the classic

domains of shamanism — lay hidden in our own Western culture.

Where we are headed today: eerie

springs and caves concealed under Christian temples that once served other

gods. It is here, amongst the numerous ruins of the most popular mystery cult

in the Hellenic Age (the first three centuries of the Common Era), that the full potential of dreams and night

visions is revealed.

In thousands of temples

built specifically for dream incubation — the

ritual calling of a dream — ordinary people claimed extraordinary cures,

visitations by healing gods and goddesses, and renewal from the kinds of

psychosomatic illnesses that modern medicine still does not adequately address

except by numbing us further: chronic pain, sexual dysfunction, and spiritual

malaise.

Dream Incubation In The Ancient World

Dreams can be called. Known as Dream incubation, this

skill is about mindfully and ritualistically inviting a dream into your life

for problem solving, healing or a renewal of life force. The term comes from

the Latin incubare, which means to lie down upon, or as we say today:

just sleep on it.

While dream incubation is largely a lost art, many

people have participated in dream rituals by attempting to have a lucid dream. Lucid

dreaming can be thought of a specific form of dream incubation in which we are

not looking for a dream message, but a specific form of dream cognition.

As it turns out, lucid dreaming cognition is characterized

by the synchronization of the frontal lobe (waking consciousness) and older

brain structures (dreaming consciousness). This integrative mode of

consciousness, as anthropologist Michael Winkelman terms it, invites the

classical markers of visionary awareness, such as abstract geometric imagery,

encounters with animal-human hybrids, emotional catharsis and ecstasy, and

finally, experiences of white light and nonduality.[i]

A reliable gateway to his realm has always been right

in front of us, hidden by camouflaging beliefs like “dreams are meaningless”

or, at the least, “dreams are irrational.”

The practice of dream incubation is well documented

throughout the ancient world. Over the centuries, as the Church rose to power

and supplanted pagan social structures, spiritual leaders began pulling away

from the idea that dreams can contain wisdom, leading to a loss of this

important ability that is still practiced today in small pockets around the

world, especially in indigenous societies.

But the writing is literally on the wall. The work of

archaeologists and classicists has reconstructed the Western practice of dream

incubation based on ruins, documents and statues.

During the Hellenistic era all across the

Mediterranean, the practice took place in temples that were staffed by

priest-physicians. In fact, dream temples made up the single most popular spiritual healing

institution in the Mediterranean world, more popular than the Jesus cult. As

it has done with hundreds of native cultures, the early Church

ended up incorporating the healing imagery of dream temples into the Jesus

myth.[ii]

These restful sanctuaries were designed to produce

dreams that provided healing wisdom — and also instant cures — if

we are to believe the boasts of ancient graffiti. Successful cures were honored

with inscriptions on the walls of the sanctuaries, acting as advertisements

as well.

The dream healers of ancient Greece were also surgeons

and herbalists,

teaching their young doctors the art of empirical observation coupled with an environment

of safety and spiritual cleansing. Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, learned

from his dream healing mentors to make empirical observations rather than simply

following untested beliefs. Hippocrates is also cited as writing a medical

dream dictionary that focused on a number of common dream

symbols that indicate bodily ailments, although many scholars attribute the

work to his disciples.

Aesclepius: Greek God Of Healing

The figure most often associated with these dream

temples is Aesclepius, the Greek god of healing. Up into the 1960s, new doctors pledged the

Hippocratic oath and thanks to Aesclepius and his daughters. Aesclepius

was commonly depicted standing with a large staff with a snake curling up it,

identifying his origins as an earth spirit related to healing and

the animal powers.[iii]

From the very beginning, Aesclepius was also associated

with caves and springs, cementing his identity as a chthonic — or

underworld — power.

In Greek mythology, Aesclepius teaches that healing is

holistic. Vitality in life comes through exercise, proper diet, spiritual

practice and mindful study. In some tales, he carried two vials of Medusa’s blood:

one that healed, and another that killed.

Dangerous knowledge requires a strong ethical code:

now the Hippocratic oath begins to come into focus. Healing powers can be used

for or against our better natures. Psychotherapist Edward Tick suggests

that the ambivalence of Medusa’s blood highlights how important a secure

container is for any exploration into our inner lives.[iv]

This is true of lucid dreaming as much as it for psychotherapy, spiritual

authority, and any secret body of knowledge.

Entering The Inner Sanctum

In ancient Greece, thousands took pilgrimages to local

temple sites, which are usually situated in a beautiful natural setting, often

with a spring or a cave site built into the grounds. They stayed in the temple often for

weeks, a time spent relaxing, walking in gardens, and attending to their bodies

as they cleansed and reduced stress.

Finally, the clients were invited into the abaton, the inner sanctum of the temple,

where they stayed until they had a healing dream, a process that

could take three or four days. The incubation was short, but intense, and also

saturated their every thought.

Key to the Aesclepian model of medicine is the patient’s responsibility for

his or her own healing. Rather than limiting the endogenous healing response (often called the “placebo effect”

today), Aesclepian rituals were designed to heighten, refine and direct one’s

intention.

Elements Of Aesclepian Dream Practice

What made Aesclepian rituals so effective for bringing

on big dreams and visions? The following elements can be leveraged today,

thousands of years removed, because they are neurologically built into the

human experience.

Sleeping practices. Clients

slept on special ritual dreaming beds known as klines. More like a couch, the kline often included a stone neck or

head rest, facilitating clients to elevate their heads and sleep on their

backs.

These sleeping styles are known today to encourage

lighter sleep, more awakenings, as well as longer experiences in REM sleep.

Given the universality of sleep biology, it seems as if Aesclepian temples

directly encouraged vivid dreams as well as realistic hypnagogic hallucinations.

Disruption of circadian rhythms. When

those seeking healing crossed the threshold of the abaton, they entered an inner

sanctum where sleep and prayer intertwined until a strong dream came. This

pattern can also be seen in Native American vision quests, where disrupted

sleep (and attempts at night-long vigilance) leads to powerful lucid dreams and

waking visions often involving visitations with larger-than-life figures.[v]

Positive expectation. Clients

hoped for and actively sought an interaction with a healing figure. This

powerful intention is easy to achieve because we are neurologically primed for

encounters with self-like entities.[vi] But the

positive expectation turns the experience towards healing rather than terror,

as is often the case in unanticipated hypnagogic visions in the modern world. Known

today medically as sleep paralysis,

in these terrifying waking nightmares we are more likely to be anally raped by

aliens than healed by gods.[vii]

Priests and priestesses also whispered in the ears of

the sleepers to encourage dreams of Aesclepius. Today we know that dreams can

incorporate sounds and suggestions into the dream narrative, as well as smells.

Lucid dream researcher Stephen LaBerge’s wisdom here: Expectation creates

dreaming outcomes.[viii]

Relaxation and cleansing. Before

the intense dreaming incubations began, dreamers relaxed in baths, walked

around the beautiful gardens around the temple, and took naps. They were

removed from their everyday life in order to focus on healing. They also

adhered to a cleansing diet while staying at the temples, further setting the

stage for ritual purification in the final part of the healing process.

Good dreamsigns. Dreamsigns, a term coined by LaBerge, are elements

that can alert us that we are not in ordinary reality. In

classical times, snakes roamed the dream temples unmolested. As an ancient

symbol of healing, snakes are at the center of the Aesclepian worldview. Dreams

about snakes were taken to be dreams of Aesclepius himself. This is the perfect

example of an effective dreamsign: one that is focused, meaningful and has an

element of the bizarre.[ix]

How

to set up a lucid dreaming sanctuary today

We don’t have to travel to ancient Greece to

re-establish the dream practices that bring lucidity, shamanic contact and

powerful visions. Most of the work of establishing set and setting can be done

in your own home. The ritual setting is simple, combining strong intentions

with good social boundaries.

If you are looking for a quick and safe way to delve

into the deep side of the dream realm, the following practical advice will get

the process started. Powerful dreams start with the right kind of sleep, in

which relaxation and mindfulness come together.

Where you sleep is the inner sanctum. Treat it that

way by setting up your bedroom in a way that encourages relaxation and clarity.

This is reflected not only in the physical set up of the room but also how you

approach going to bed.

The

physical boundaries here are essential. In the spirit of Aesclepius, create

an inner sanctum that is truly a restful and protected space from the world.

Turn

off the TV. Limit exposure to television, computer monitors and

mobile media devices at least an hour before bed. The content is emotionally

stimulating, and rapid fire light in the blue spectrum may prevent the release

of the sleep-promoting hormone melatonin in the evening.

Dress

for comfort. Sleep in clean, loose clothing, or nothing at all.

Putting on your sleep clothes an hour before bed is another way of reinforcing

your downward shift. It sends a message to others in the household too.

Keep

it clean. Fresh sheets, clean pillowcases, and a neat room

create a relaxing space. Reducing clutter is crucial for creating mental space.

On a related note, I recommend not keeping a computer or mobile phones in the

room to clear the electro-magnetic field too.

Move

the bed. Make sure the bed is not against a wall in which electrical

outlets are near your head. Metal water pipes in the wall can also cause noises

and may create subtle effects on consciousness too. Sleeping below a window

also creates background anxiety.

Clear

the air. If you can’t get fresh air, have some fresh flowers

in a vase, aromatherapy candles, or small dream pillows stuffed with lavender

or mugwort. Bad smells can actually increase the likelihood of negative

emotions in dreams.[x]

Shield

the sounds. Erratic sounds are the worst. If you live in a busy

house or neighborhood, turn on a small fan or invest in a white noise machine.

Traffic sounds are particularly disturbing.

Darkness

rules. I just read an article about how the musician Moby

used to have a bedroom composed of walls of glass with fantastic views of Los

Angeles. He ended up sleeping in the closet.[xi]

The bedroom should be dark, with good light-blocking curtains for your

afternoon naps. A door that latches also helps create feelings of safety in the

evening hours.

Wind

down for an hour. In general, create a ritual of winding

down that incorporates relaxation, the dimming of household lighting, and the

shutting out of information input (TV, computing, texting, etc). Read if you

wish (storytelling is an old friend of nightfall) or listen to some relaxing

music while you settle down with your dream journal.

Stay

cool. The lowering of the body temperature is a further cue

for the brain to release sleep-inducing hormones, so sleep comes more easily

when the room temperature is slightly on the cool side. Taking a cool bath in

the summer months is another refreshing way to get ready for bed.

Post guards. If you are draw inspiration from any of the faith

traditions, you may also want to mark the boundaries of your room with sacred

objects or images. Thresholds take new significance when we are the grips of

sleep paralysis, or during a hypnagogic vision of an intruder. Mugwort under

the pillow, a dark stone in the corner of the room to absorb negative energy,

or guardian figures can facilitate feelings of safety and security. I keep a

horseshoe over the front door of my home as well, honoring my Celtic roots.

Other dreamers I know make use of Virgin Mary figures, dream catchers,

crystals, and even small gargoyle statuettes.

The Ritual Context of Inviting Dreams Today

Setting up the dream chamber is

only the first step towards inviting visionary dreams and visions, but it’s the

one that most modern dreamers forget. If you want to go deeper into the

dreaming mind, you must protect yourself. That’s why beginner lucid dreamers so

often crash and burn. Like entheogens and vision quests, set and setting is key.

Without the foundation in

relaxation and positive expectation, you are unwittingly setting yourself up

for sleep paralysis nightmares and other forms of uncomfortable states of

consciousness.

Now the ritual context of lucid

dreaming incubation is revealed. Once you have made your physical boundaries,

the next step is focusing on intentions and combining these with sleep

practices that bring on visionary REM, excite the frontal cortex of the brain,

and induce relaxation.

Our neuro-shamanic heritage is revealed

under these conditions, bringing visions, big dreams, as well as a more lucid

life in general.

This article is adapted from my

new multimedia ebook project Lucid Immersion Blueprint, a

holistic guide to advanced lucid dreaming.

[i] Winkelman,

M. (2010). Shamanism: a biospychosocial

paradigm of consciousness and healing. Santa Barbara: Praeger, p. 141

[ii] Tick, E.

(2001). The practice of dream healing:

Bringing back Ancient Greek mysteries into modern medicine. Wheaton. IL:

Quest, p. 133

[iii] Friedlander, W.

(1992). The golden wand of medicine: a history of the caduceus symbol in

medicine. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.

[iv] Tick, p.

25.

[v] Irwin, L. (1996). The dream seekers: Native

American visionary traditions of the Great Plains. Norman, OK: University

of Oklahoma Press.

[vi] Laughlin,

C. and Loubser, H.N. (2010). Neurognosis, the development of neural models, and

the study of the ancient mind. Time &

Mind 3(2): 135-158.

[vii] Hurd, R. Sleep paralysis: a guide to hypnagogic

visions and visitors of the night. San Mateo: Hyena Press.

[viii] LaBerge,

S. and Rheingold, H. (1991) Exploring the

world of lucid dreaming. New York: Ballantine Books.

[ix] Post, T.

(2011). Lucid day dreaming technique. http://www.luciddaydreaming.com/

[x] Schredl M.,

Atanasova D., Hörmann K., Maurer J.T., Hummel T., and Stuck B. (2009).

Information processing during sleep: The effect of olfactory stimuli on dream

content and dream emotions. Journal of Sleep Research, 18 (3), 285-90.

[xi] Wadler, J.

(2011, April 27). A castle for the king of techno. New York Times, www.nytimes.com/2011/04/28/garden/28moby.html

© Ryan Hurd 2012 for Reality Sandwich

Image by Chiara Marra, courtesy of Creative Commons license.