Character Test

Though I continue to have lucid dreams, sleep paralysis, and out-of-body experiences from time to time, I have reached a point where I find myself driven to step things up a bit. There have been short spells in the past in which I have conducted various tests or experiments within these states. The findings have always been eye opening to say the least. It is time again for some more serious exploring. I have recently started my MFA program (specifically in figurative, representational, oil painting). My tentative thesis and body of work are directly related to my explorations in consciousness and to my resultant findings. At any rate, it seems to be a perfect time for some more focused adventures.

Before discussing the first set of tests, I should explain something to prevent confusion. I have read my fair share of lucid dream and out-of-body related literature. Something that I have come to realize over the years through these readings and through my own experiences is that there are no solid distinctions between lucid dreams and out-of-body experiences. Much of the lucid dream literature is essentially describing out-of-body experiences and much of the out-of-body literature is describing lucid dreams. They are, as far as I am currently concerned, one in the same. The labels themselves and the expectations of the person in question seem to be the key factors that create any notable difference. So, I will frequently use the terms interchangeably or together as “lucid dream/OBE”.

The first set of tests will focus completely on communicating with the characters, beings, people, etc that I encounter in these other states. Over the last few years, I have begun to more seriously consider the notion that some of these characters are in fact sentient and aware beings separate from my own consciousness. Because the potential exists that these various characters/beings may be “real” to some degree or another (outside of my subconsciousness or imagination), I (to the best of my ability) will continue to interact in a respectful manner during all encounters.

The first challenge of course is to instigate the lucid dream/OBE experiences. My basic approach is a mixture of the various techniques that I have found success with over the years. The real secret to instigating these states, as far as my experience goes, is to think about the subject frequently (almost obsessively) and to get plenty of rest. There are other aspects that help as well, but the two noted above are the bulk of the process.

The basic phrasing of my intent for these tests will be: “I wish to interact with a friendly being.” Anytime that I find myself in a lucid dream or OBE, I will clearly express this intent. The word “being” in this case is referring any character, being, person, etc in the experience regardless of their origin (from me or from outside of me). I’m honestly not seeking to answer if they are “real” or not. What I am really seeking are the experiences that follow the question. The best I can do is to form a probable truth based on those experiences and move on from there (all the while expecting that I will have to set that probable truth down at some point and replace it with another one... and so on). Such is the process of growth.

Only Consciousness is Fundamental – aha!

I have had a good number of lucid dreams and out of body experiences over the last 20 years. These experiences have varied. Some short, some long, some dull, some amazing, etc. I realized something though about a month ago. I had never stopped during any of these experiences to test the realness of it. Sure, they have been very vivid and amazing, but I had never stopped inside of a lucid dream and pondered or tested just how real it was. So, I set my intent to perform a realness test during my next experiences. Fortunately, I had a span of three in one week to do this.

I will spare the details of the full dreams for the sake of time.

In the first experience, I was (at the time) following around an Asian man. He kept leading me through tunnels and stairwells. I was trying to get him to tell me what he was going to show me or tell me, but he just grinned and kept motioning me to follow him. I remembered my intent of testing the realness of the dream. I stopped in one of the hallways that I was in. There was a random piece of foam hanging from the wall. I walked over to it to focus all of my attention on the piece of foam. I looked at it, touched it, deeply thought about the fact that I was touching it, etc. Then I thought about the fact that I was even doing this test and it hit me. I'm not exactly sure of what I said or thought, but it went something like, "Holly *bleep*! This is all real! Oh.. wow..." I was truly shocked. It was the fact that "I" (consciousness) was thinking about it and experiencing it that made it real. In the past, after waking up from a lucid dream, I would still carry some of the excitement and vividness back, but this time was different. The experience did not feel as distant and foggy. I was still in a state of amazement.


In the second experience, I was driving down a winding road. I was lucid, but withholding my excitement and just going with the dream. After a while the road turned into a hallway. I was no longer in a car, but was floating along. Four walls closed in around me (not in a scary way). Then it all stopped and I found myself in a room with green shag carpet. I waited a bit, but nothing changed or happened. I took this chance to test the realness. I bent down and ran my fingers through the carpet. I focused on how the carpet looked and felt. Again, I stopped to ponder the notion that I was present at that moment in a state that felt perfectly real. Again, I was amazed. I slowly got lost in looking at the texture of the carpet. I got closer and closer, until I felt like I was a spec of dust floating through the carpet. I began to feel vibrations. From past experiences, I knew that this meant that I was either waking up in sleep paralysis, or changing states. I tried to hold onto the dream, but it slowly slipped away and I found myself in my bed waking up. Like the first test, I woke up in absolute amazement at the level of realness that I had experienced.


The third test took place as I was flying down a road. The Asian man was back, this time he was in a car and racing me. I was lucid and remembered my intent to test the realness. I was flying in a seated position with my legs out in front of me (no car, just me). I looked down at my legs. They did not look like my normal legs, but they were real, they were mine. The road zipped by underneath me. I proceeded very calmly with my thoughts. I did not want any over-excitement to stop the dream. I looked up to the side of the road. I was passing a house. I looked at each detail of the setting very carefully; there was a truck parked out front, gravel in the yard, a chain link fence. I took it all in very carefully, almost daring it not to be real. I was fully existing... testing my surroundings, thinking about the fact that I was thinking about all of this. Again the shock and excitement hit me. At this, I zoomed down the road and exclaimed, "Take me to my guides!" (this was something that I was planning to explore next). The dreamscape began to literally fall apart and vanish. I found myself zooming through thick black nothingness. I admittedly thought to myself, "Oh *bleep*! It worked." I become a little over excited at this and quickly found myself back in my bed waking up.

It is clear that things are not the same in the dream state as in this current state (sitting at my desk). The rules seem to be much different. The level of realness however is the same. As I sit here and type, the only thing that I can truly prove is that I can think and that I can experience. I can say that the process of thinking and experiencing are real; they are a result of "me" existing. It is very interesting to me that this is also the case with lucid dreams and out-of-body experiences. The state and rules may change, but the realness does not. The fact that I exist remains constant in all states. The "realness" seems to be relative to me but not the state itself. This has really made the idea that only consciousness is fundamental make a great deal of sense. I understood the logic of it before, but now I get it. Just thinking about it makes me chuckle and say, "Wow."

He'll Leave the Light on for You.

Consciousness Exploration Journal

I was having an extensive dream in which I was part of a large convoy of sorts. It was as if an entire city was picking up and relocating. I was driving on the road with the convoy. Several cement trucks were near me. The road became a bit snowy and icy. I was driving too fast and kept loosing control of the truck. Eventually the road transformed into a sidewalk and I found myself alone and on foot. I continued to walk down the snow covered sidewalk. It grew darker as I went. I became a bit nervous and wanted more light. At that thought, a porch light at a house about 10 feet from me came on. There was a man on the porch of the house. We talked for a bit (though I can't remember about what).


At this point, the man was standing right in front of me. Trying to examine the details of his face made me realize that I was dreaming. I remember pointing my finger at him and saying, "Wait a minute, this is a dream." I felt a change in state coming as if the dream was slipping. "I am dreaming, but I am not going to get too excited. I'm going to stay calm," I stated out loud. I was saying all of this to the man as if I had busted him. Still I sensed a change in state coming. I tried to hold onto the dream, but it continued to slip away from me. The face of the man began to fall apart like a virtual reality suddenly shutting down. I remember the area around one of his eyes falling away like a broken digital sculpture. In the place of his eye was a dark void. Though this did not directly frighten me, I did realize that I should not just stand there and stare at it. At this thought, the man slowly floated around behind me as if he understood my concern. As he was moving out of my line of sight, I remember my intention, "I seek guidance with my evolution." I began to feel the typical buzzing and vibrations and could sense my physical body laying in my bed. During this shift, I saw several clocks with the hands spinning very quickly. I had the thought that as they were spinning, "physical" or "waking life" time was also passing very quickly. Something about 9:00am seemed important, but I was not able to decipher why.

This dream is interesting because it leaves me with a sense that I was being led to experience it. So though I was wagging my finger in victory at not being fooled, it seems likely that it all played out exactly as planned.