I'll just answer in point form from the original post because its easier for me.
1. Best way I found to lucid dream is to practise testing and remembering to test your reality all through the day. Try to think 'am I dreaming? ' as often as you can and basically by habit you will do it in your dreams. But you must do this technique with real thought and not a quick thought otherwise you are lazy in your dream too and dismiss that you may be dreaming. If you do this technique alot and then tell yourself that you will know when you are dreaming(as you go to sleep)you have a better chance to remember to test your reality when dreaming.
2. To stay lucid I found that by staying calm helped alot.. and you kinda still go with the flow of the dream as well and not get too stuck down in the thoughts of it. Its hard to word but basically it just takes practise. I used to be able to pretty much(what felt like)stay lucid all night. I would have a lucid dream and then it would end and I would find myself in either the blackness of space or infront of a large dark red theater curtain which would then open up for the next scene, which I would find myself in shortly after(the next dream).
Anyway methods to stay lucid.. keep your breathing slow and dont speed it up or hold it etc.. like if you go underwater remember to not bother to hold your breath. Go with the flow of thr dream and kinda keep moving and even sometimes when you all of a sudden feel like you have just woken up and are in the blackness before opening your eyes dont open them, because the next scene may be about to begin.
3. Dunno about the food.. but Ive found that a tiny bit of alcohol actually sends me lucid easier sometimes. I dont really drink but Ive found that I do go lucid if I have a glass of wine or two before bed. I think its because it makes me sleepy and dream quicker or something.
4. Astral projection, Im guessing you mean OBE's.. Im not the best at OBE's and I kinda get them confused with lucid dreams because to me they are like ontop of each other or something. Like I've only had one really good OBE and it was by going through a lucid dream first. I was lucidly dreaming and I summoned Ariel who I asked to help me have an OBE. He did instantly and it really worked for me. I could feel the difference because I had come straight out of the lucid dream and into the OBE. But apart from that I dont really know how to go straight into the OBE.. or its more like I cant be bothered anyway because lucid dreams are better imo because they are more vivid and with more colour basically. OBE was very cool though and more real feeling.
5. Become fearless which is kinda a personal thing.
6. Things that interfear with lucid dreaming would be certain drugs and stimulants and stress that might keep you awake, stuff like that. Also your own lazyness to not see the dream reality because you'd rather just sleep. lol. Which is fair enough.
7. I'll share my personal technique which seems to work for me. There are so many tips and stuff and Im not usually much of a typer so I'll just share what I found works pretty well. First you must learn to lucidly dream though.. so practise to test your reality and when you manage to go lucid in a dream(during it) try to run. Run as fast as you can and then place your hands down and use your hands to kinda pull the ground the same direction you are running... you find yourself running like extra fast because you are pulling the ground, and basically at this stage I've found myself to be fully shifted into the animal. Anyway if you do that lots and lots everytime you lucidly dream it becomes a habit too. Like testing your reality. It becomes a habit to run with your hands for extra speed ect and you then find yourself doing that habit in normal dreams that then triggers you to go lucid because they have kinda gone hand in hand before. So any normal running in future dreams becomes a trigger for lucid dreams because you shapeshift.
8. To switch from a lucid dream to a OBE I would just practise trying to by maybe just thinking about my real body and stuff like that. But I dunno because I havent had many obvious OBE's but you could summon someone to help you by simply vibrating the name during the lucid dream.
QUOTE(Triad @ Sep 4 2006, 09:16 AM) [snapback]1334710[/snapback]
Now in relation to astral projection what some do not realize is the importance of a target or goal in respect to your intent. Literally, the most common such efforts are in relation to identifying animal spirit guides, with regards to Western Hemispheric Native American culture.
Any thoughts?
Umm.. I use my lucid dreams to identify my animal spirit guides.. or its more like.. my normal dreams show me the guide first and then later I lucid dream/shift into it. Then its like I understand the guide more. I'm not sure what else to add cause Im not sure what your after exactly.
Anyway.
It will, since you must gain freedom through studiing metaphysics...not being a kind of "slave" of the food. I assure you, exe11er you would be able to concentrate much better if you won't use it.