This information was taken from OMNI magazine, April or June 87, so I'm sure
that it is copywrited. Do not reprint as your own work !
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   Most people don't realize they've been dreaming until after they've awakened
and the dream has come to an end. Some people, however, are conscious that
they're dreaming. These lucid dreamers, scientists have discovered, can      
literally direct their actions and change the content of a dream, deciding
perhaps to talk physics with Einstein, woo and marry a movie star, or
assume the powers of Superman.

   After nearly a decade of piloting these daring nocturnal flights, two
psychologists - Stephen LaBerge of Stanford University, author of LUCID
DREAMING (Ballentine), and Jayne Gackenbach of the University of Northern
Iowa - have begun to develop a series of techniques aimed at helping ordinary
dreamers "turn" lucid, and lucid dreamers gain greater control over the wooly
behemoth of the night. These special techniques, still under development, have
never before been presented in a public forum.  

   For those who have aquired the knack of lucidity, the benefits can be
enormous. Lucid dreaming gives one the chance to experience adventures rarely
surpassed elsewhere in life. These experiences can enhance self-confidence and
promote personal growth and self-development. By facing fears and learning to  
make the best of the worst situation imaginable, lucid dreamers can overcome
nightmares. Because recent scientific studies have demonstrated a strong 
connection between dreams and the biological functioning of the body, lucid
dreams might facilitate physical as well as mental health. And finally, 
because lucid dreaming allows us to tap the power of the unconscious, it may
also be useful for creative problem solving.

   To direct your own nightly dream-time show, attempt exercises one, two, 
three and four as outlined below. LaBerge and Gackenbach suggest that you  
do the tasks as often as possible. Some people may succeed in having a lucid
dream the very first night they use the techniques; others, the researchers
note may need to practice for several weeks before getting results. 

                          EXERCISE ONE

   A number of techniques facilitate lucid dreaming. One of the simplest is 
asking yourself many times during the day whether you are dreaming. Each time
you ask the question, you should look for evidence proving you are not
dreaming. The most reliable test: Read something, look away for a moment, and
then read it again. If it reads the same way twice, it is unlikely that you are
dreaming. After you have proved to yourself that you are not presently 
dreaming, visualize yourself doing whatever it is you'd like. Also, tell 
yourself that you want to recognize a nighttime dream the next time it occurs.
The mechanism at work here is simple; it's much the same as picking up milk at
the grocery store after reminding yourself to do so an hour before.

   At night people usually realize they are dreaming when they experience
unusual or bizarre occurrences. For instance, if you find yourself flying with
no visible means of support, you should realize that this only happens in 
dreams and that you must therefore be dreaming.

   If you awaken from a dream in the middle of the night, it is very helpful to
return to the dream immediately, in your imagination. Now envision yourself
recognizing the dream as such. Tell yourself, "The next time I am dreaming, I  
want to remember to recognize that I am dreaming." If your intention is strong
and clear enough, you may find yourself in a lucid dream when you return to
sleep.


                          EXERCISE TWO

   Many lucid dreamers report dreams in which they fly unaided, much like  
Superman. Some lucid dreamers say that flying is a thrilling means of travel; 
others, that it has helped them return from one of the more harrowing dream
experiences --- the endless fall.
   
   Why is dream flying so important ? It's a form of dream control that's 
fairly easy to master. It gives the dreamer an exhilarating sense of freedom.
And it's a basic means of travel in the dream world. 

   How do you make a dream flight happen at all ? We suggest that before you
retire for bed, you simply repeat these words: "Tonight I fly !" Then while
still awake, imagine that journey.

   If you find yourself flying, it will be a clear sign that you are in a 
dream. In any case, when you realize you're dreaming, remember that you want
to fly. When you actually feel yourself flying, say, "This is a dream." Make
sure that you start modestly, by simply floating above the surface of your
dream ground. As you gain confidence, both in the notion that you are dreaming 
and in your ability to control that experience, you might experiment with 
flying a bit more. Run, taking big leaps, and then stay aloft for a few seconds
so that you resemble an astronaut walking on the moon. Try sustained floating,
and then flying at low altitudes. As your confidence increases, so will your 
flying skills. While asleep, work on increasing your altitude, maneuverability,
and speed. As with speed sports, you should perfect height and maneuverability
before speed. Of course, you couldn't really hurt yourself --- it's only a
dream. But you could get scared.

   After you get proficient in dream flying, remember to ask yourself these
questions : "How high can I fly ? Can I view the earth from outer space ? Can
I travel so fast that I lose awareness of my surroundings and experience the 
sensation of pure speed ?"

   Throughout your efforts in dream flight, please remember that you're in a 
dream. With this in mind, your fears will be held at bay, and your control
over your dream will be greatly enhanced. 


                         EXERCISE THREE

   Even if you're a frequent lucid dreamer, you may not be able to stop your-
self from waking up in mid-dream. And even if your dreams do reach a satisfying
end, you may not be able to focus them exactly as you please. During our years
of research, however, we have found that spinning your dream body can sustain
the period of sleep and give you greater dream control. In fact, many subjects
at Stanford University have used the spinning technique as an effective means 
of staying in a lucid dream. The task outlines below will help you use spinning
as a means of staying asleep and, more exciting, as a means of traveling to 
whatever dream world you desire.
    
   As with dream flying, the dream spinning task starts before you go to bed.
Before retiring, decide on a person, time, and place you would like to visit
in your lucid dream. The target person and place can be either real or 
imaginary, past, present or future. For instance, Sigmund Freud, Vienna, 1900;
Stephen LaBerge, Stanford, the present; or the president of the solar system,
Galaxy Base, 2900. Write down and memorize your target person and place, then
visualize yourself visiting your target and firmly resolve to do so in a dream
that night.

   When following this procedure, it is possible that you might find yourself
visiting your target in a non-lucid dream; you will be aware that this happened
only after you awaken. Nevertheless, you should strive for lucidity by 
following the techniques in exercise one. Then proceed to your goal.

   To do so, repeat the phrase describing your target in your dream, and spin
your whole dream body in a standing position with your arms outstretched. You
can pirouette or spin like a top, as long as you vividly feel your body in
motion.
   
   The same spinning technique will help when, in the middle of a lucid dream, 
you feel the dream imagery beginning to fade. To avoid waking up, spin as you
repeat your target phrase again and again. With practice, you'll return to your
target person, time, and place.


                          EXERCISE FOUR

   Up until now we have had little control over the occurrence of creative 
dreams. But with lucid dreaming it may be possible to intentionally access the
creativity of the dream state. You can help determine the feasibility of this 
idea by attempting to solve a problem in a lucid dream. Before bed, decide on a
problem you would like to solve. Frame your problem in the form of a question.
For example : "What is the topic of me next book ?" "How can I become less 
shy ?" If you have an illness, you might consider the problem "How can I regain
my health ?"

   Once you have selected a problem question, write it down and memorize it.
When doing the lucid-dream-induction exercises, remember your question and see
yourself looking for the answer in your next lucid dream. Then, when in a lucid
dream, ask the question, and seek the solution.

   You might be most successful at problem solving if you take the direct 
approach. For instance if your problem is shyness, be less shy in your dream.
If your problem is health, try to heal yourself in the dream. Then reflect on  
how your dream solution relates to the waking problem. It may help to question
other dream characters, especially if they represent people who you think might
know the answer. For example, if you were trying to solve a physics problem,
Albert Einstein might be a good dream character to query. You can even combine 
this task with the dream spinning and flying tasks, visiting an expert on your
problem. You can also just explore your dream world with your question in mind,
looking for any clues that might suggest an answer.

---Stephen LaBerge and Jayne Gackenbach

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For those of you who have made it this far, I have just a couple of comments.
Lucid dreaming is the absolute MOST fun I've ever had, and that's saying a lot,
since I've had some terrific times while awake. I can't dream lucidly every
night, and if I stop the exercises, it takes a couple of days to get things
lucid again. If you do try lucid dreaming, don't expect results the first 
night. Give it a few days, and keep up the exercises. They really work. I've 
found that it helps me to write down every detail I can recall from a dream as
soon as I get up in the morning. Then before bed the next night, I read those
details, making them fresh in my mind. It seems to help bring on dreams that 
night.
  
   If you have questions or comments about this article, you can leave a 
message on MENHIR BBS at (609)-263-2861. Just leave a comment to the sysop.

                        PLEASANT DREAMS !

                           DAVID TOWN
  Out on a Limb
  Shirley MacLaine
  Bantam Books, New York, 1983

   Out on a Limb recounts Shirley Maclaine's search for self-discovery and
spiritual unfoldment.  This trip takes her around the world as she pursues
her career, has various intense encounters with her politician lover, and
seeks answers about the revelations occuring in her life.  She remarks that
her investigation into the spiritual aspects of existence was instigated by
her best friend and "twin soul", David.
   MacLaine then set on a course to read everything from the Bible to the
Cayce readings.  The more she opened up to the realm beyond  her five
senses the more that world presented itself to her.  An old acquaintance
causally mentions a trance medium in Sweden and within hours, MacLaine
finds herself in a situation where she must go to Sweden to meet her lover.
The serendipity and the unusual nature of events occuring in succession
cause a deep search for self-realization.
   For every step taken to find answers, a greater number of perplexing
questions arise.   Her personal quest took her on a retreat high to the
isolated mountains of Peru.  During this retreat, she learned of David's
experiences with a being from anther world, had an out-of-body experience
and visited a Peruvian psychic that accurately predicted Bella Abzug's loss
in her campaign for mayor. 
   Maclaine's spiritual drive now took on a magnitude of a cosmic scale.
David had told her she would be able risk humiliation if she really
believed what she had learned.  But what could she do about it?. She began
to wonder if the string of coincidental events of late his some deeper
meaning and direction.
   After these series of events, MacLaine began to develop and lead a more
spiritually-oriented life that was covert and hidden from most friends and
associates.  To most of her friends, her convictions began to take shape,
became more obvious, and were confirmed as she pursued her daily
activities.
   MacLaine also encountered strong prejudice from, as she states, "highly
intellectual people" at the mere mention of words like "astral" and
"spiritual dimensions."  As MacLaine's spritiual interests and experiences
increased, the crossroads of whether or not to write this book had to be
faced. She had gone public on politics, women's rights, social change, and
war.
   Out on a Limb is an insightful explanation of Shirley Maclaine's
spiritual unfoldment.  As an author, Ms. Maclaine is intellegent, witty and
sincere in her endeavor to relate her experiences openly and fairly.  Much
courage was evident in order to create such an expose concerning her
extraordinary path of growth.
   Much research was done and cited, with the author attempting to
substantiate her claims of paranormal phenomena.  Even at that, some of the
information in her book is difficult to accept and it is left to the reader
to believe or reject the material.  While the author undoubtedly has proof,
to her own satisfaction, of spiritual entities and UFO contacts, I have
reservations about the validity of some statements and claims until further
and more sound evidence can be provided.
  Historical evidence, not withstanding (UFO documentation and Cayce
research), I find these claims not without drawbacks.  Because "It feels
right" isn't enough.  A more solid case needs to be offered before public
and individual acceptance will be forthcoming.  Out on a limb is a very
appropriate title as the author has laid her reputation on the line with
the spiritual stance she has made in writing the book.
