Intro to Dreamwalking

Dreamwalking occurs after mastering lucid dreaming, and I’ve heard lots of people come up with lots of different methods over the years with little to no success. I go with what I was taught because it’s never failed to work, but it’s not an easy process. There’s no immediate “Wow, I had a lucid dream I controlled!” Nothing in life is that simple. It takes time, it takes effort, and it will be exhausting.

Just like any muscle built up through exercise, dreamwalking builds up mental muscle. And like exercise, you don’t start with the finished product. A lot of people think psychic skills / mental abilities should come to them easily – sorry, life isn’t that kind. Sure, there are people with a higher potential skill level than others, just as there are people with higher natural athleticism than others. But if that athleticism isn’t trained into something, it never becomes more than potential.

That being said, lucid dreaming must be mastered before dreamwalking occurs. And to master lucid dreaming, you first have to become aware that you *are* dreaming. If you never manage to wake up in a dream and think, “Oh, this is a dream,” you will never learn to control it, and thus never learn to dreamwalk.

The first step then, is to master the awareness of the dream, and the trick that I used when I first learned the skill is a very simple one. The only thing required is a place to lay down. This is a trick my mother taught me when I was very young, and I have taught others this same trick one-on-one. To my knowledge, it works for everyone.

First, pick a number higher than five but less than ten. Then, before you get ready to sleep, tap the back of your head that many times on your pillow and tell yourself, out loud, that you will know you are dreaming when you begin to dream. The vocal affirmation is necessary only until you get used to waking up in a dream.

When I first taught this trick, I was unaware of the level of exhaustion it would cause. The first person I taught told me that he slept nearly ten hours after he did this trick, and he woke up feeling like he hadn’t slept at all. This is normal, so if you don’t want to sleep more than an hour or two when you start, I suggest setting an alarm.

This trick only allows you to realize that you are dreaming. Control, the pinnacle of lucid dreaming, comes later. First, you must master the ability to handle your dreams as they come to you, no matter how disturbing or bizarre they may be. When you get to the stage that lucid dreaming is possible, you learn how to wake yourself up out of the disturbing dreams. That’s the first step to controlling the dreamscape itself, but it’s a lesson you must learn on your own.

If and when you start using this trick, begin keeping a dream journal. The best way to do this is to keep the journal by your resting place with a pen beside it, as the dream realm and physical realm are connected by the thinnest of margins. If you place your feet on the floor before you have written down the dreams you’ve had, you will forget most, if not all, of the dream. We naturally ground ourselves when the soles of our feet contact the ground, so if you intend to remember everything, write it down before grounding yourself.

Also, as one final note, remember that we have multiple dreams when we sleep. I have gotten to the point that I have five to six dreams that I remember each night, but it didn’t start off that way. If I am remembering correctly, when I began dreaming purposefully, it took me awhile to realize that the “dream” I woke up in was actually a chain of dreams running together. It’s that realization, along with the ability to wake myself up, that allowed me to learn how to control my dreams and begin to dreamwalk.

So to recap the steps to dreamwalking

1) Master the awareness of dreaming (using the trick mentioned)

2) Learn to wake yourself up out of bad dreams

3) Learn to distinguish between dreams and identify the chain of dreams

4) Lucid dreaming allows dreamwalking

Remember, dreamwalking isn’t an easy thing to do – it takes time, it takes effort, and it takes dedication. If you truly intend to learn to dreamwalk, it’s not something that can be done in the space of a week or two. Nothing worth doing in life is simple.

Revised from 2019. 

Sleep & Its Spirits

Sleep. We all need it, sooner or later. And, like any other shared human experience, it’s subject to its share of myth and magic. There are a few deities across cultures who rule sleep and/or dreams, but there are also spirits who disrupt it; we’ll look at a few examples of both here, starting with the good…

Baku
Though not deities, these helpful Japanese spirits go around devouring peoples’ nightmares. Appearing as a composite creature with an elephant’s head and tiger’s feet, the Baku can be called upon to protect from nightmares before going to sleep or to devour a nightmare after waking up from one so that it won’t return upon falling back asleep. The petition for Baku to eat a nightmare must be repeated three times.

Caer Ibormeith
This Irish goddess ruled dreams and prophecy. Her main myth involves her appearing in the dreams of another god of the Tuatha Dé Danann, who sought her out upon waking to marry her. Also according to this myth, she spends most of her time in the guise of a swan. If you’re having trouble with disruptive dreams, try leaving her some food or drink offerings before bed; based on the ancient tradition of Celtic offerings being buried or thrown in bogs, I’d recommend tossing these offerings outdoors the next day.

Hypnos (Roman Equivalent: Somnus)
Probably the best-known god of sleep and powerful enough to put even Zeus to bed, Hypnos is the son of the night goddess Nyx and twin brother to the death god Thanatos (who is his frequent companion). And luckily for us, the ancient Greeks always considered the youthful, winged Hypnos to be gentle and wrote several surviving prayers to him (including one written by an insomniac who lamented apparently having offended the god). So if you’re having trouble falling asleep, try pouring Hypnos some wine, or keeping a bouquet of red poppies for him.

Oneiroi
In some myths, Hypnos and his wife Pasithea are the parents of the Oneiroi; in other versions, they are siblings to Hypnos (as children of Nyx). The Oneiroi collectively refers to the innumerable gods of dreams. In the poet Ovid’s Metamorphoses, the three named Oneiroi are Morpheus (god of dreams), Phantasos (god of surreal dreams), and Phobetor (god of nightmares).

A Nighttime Prayer to Hypnos:
“Beautiful winged Hypnos, I call to You. Gentle Hypnos, son of Nyx, twin brother of Thanatos, I honor you. Youthful theoi who dwells by the river Lethe, surrounded by crimson poppies, I ask for Your assistance. Hypnos Epidotes, grant me a restful night’s sleep, that I may awake renewed; when your dominion falls over the beasts of this land, may I find respite from the day as well. On my behalf, ask that your kin of dreams Morpheus be kind to me, and that your kin of nightmares Phobetor pass me by. Gracious theoi, beloved of the gorgeous Pasithea, I thank you.”

Statue of Hypnos, 2nd century AD
(National Archaeological Museum of Spain, Madrid)

Unfortunately, not every spirit of the night has our best interests at heart. Some spirits will attack in dreams, or strike at a vulnerable sleeping body. These attacks often manifest as recurrent nightmares or sleep paralysis.

Succubus & Incubus
Likely the most recognizable spiritual threat of the night in modern times, the succubus (female) or incubus (male) are known for attacks that tend to be sexual and/or violent in nature, often using the guise of an attractive human in dreams to deceive victims. They feed off the life energy of their victims, causing fatigue. Given their rise in Christian times, such as their description in Demoniality by Sinistrari, religious protection would usually be recommended to dissuade them from targeting a person.

Penanggalan & Manananggal
Its name, meaning to “detach” or “remove”, describes the Malaysian Penanggalan pretty succinctly; this vampiric creature, though appearing as a normal woman during the day, is believed to fly through the air at night as only a head, though with still-attached organs and glowing entrails trailing after, as well as an accompanying odor of vinegar. (In other areas, the Penanggalan is also known as Krasue.) And with both names coming from languages of the Austronesian family, Manananggal can also be translated to refer to removing; this time, it’s the entire upper torso which can detach itself and, sprouting bat-like wings, fly off at night through the Philippines. Both spirits allegedly favor pregnant women as their targets, feeding on their blood, and the Penanggalan especially favors newborns or women who just gave birth. Their attacks are sometimes blamed for things like disease, miscarriage, or deformities at birth. The Penanggalan is deterred from entering a home by the scattering of thorny leaves and wrapping of thorny vines from local plants, which injure the creature’s exposed organs; sleeping with scissors under the pillow also deters attack. The Manananggal, like a typical European-style vampire, can be discouraged with garlic and salt.

Hag/Boo Hag/Witch
Here in North Carolina, the term “witch” didn’t always necessarily refer to a human magical practitioner. There are many older sources, such as the Life of William Grimes (a runaway slave who details his experience with a “witch” around page 29), where a witch is described as a creature that rides and exhausts human victims at night, in some versions leaving their skin behind at home when going out to do so; some old ghost stories even describe a witch transforming victims into horses to literally ride. Also known throughout the American South as a Hag, this ugly and terrifying spirit attacks at night by sneaking into a victim’s bedroom and sitting on their chest. Victims would awake to feel the pressure on their body, or even see the creature atop them; given their tendency for repeated attacks, it’s believed that a hag could eventually cause its victim’s death. Given that a Hag was believed to enter through a door’s keyhole, something like a sieve/colander would be hung on the doorknob so that the Hag would become confused going through all the holes (or that the spirit would compulsively try to go through every single hole); alternatively, the sieve/colander was kept near the bed. Playing off the same belief in the Hag’s compulsions, a broom could also be kept laying by the bed, where the Hag would be driven to count every single straw on the broom. These methods essentially occupy the Hag, wasting time until the would-be victim wakes up in the morning. Sulfur around the bed or an open pair of scissors under the pillow will keep the Hag away.

Specific examples can be a good starting point for focused thinking about the subject, but when it comes down to the practical application, your quality of sleep will likely be improved by the presence of any form of spiritual protection. However you ward your home–be it amulets or tools, or purely energetic barriers–it is likely that it will keep out much of the spiritual nuisances out there. Also, any friendly spirit can provide protection and comfort during the night, if you only ask.

(unknown artist)

And of course, magical efforts must always be helped along with practical, physical efforts. So if you’re having trouble sleeping, read up on “sleep hygiene” and what you can do to help yourself along. As a lover of teas, let me recommend a blend of chamomile, lavender, catnip, passionflower, linden flower, lemon balm, and/or peppermint. You can mix these with each other as you please (they are among the more palatable herbs), or mix them with other naturally non-caffeinated herbal teas of your choice. All these herbs are sedatives and/or relaxants. These herbs are also among the safer herbs to take regularly and don’t tend to interact with any medications you may be taking. As always, be aware of any herbal allergies you have; I would also note that there is some controversy on taking non-commercial herbal teas while pregnant due mostly to the lack of data on certain herbs in unmeasured/copious amounts, although these specific herbs listed are commonly used commercially and considered safe in reasonable doses. (You can always look through the ingredients list on commercial tea bags to find what you need; most of these companies adhere to FDA-approved herbs in safe quantities.)

Revised from 2019

Devotional Primer

I’m going to provide a brief sketch of how to get started and then list a few different activities people can undertake as devotional acts.

Getting Started

• Choose tradition/religion to study.
• Study that tradition/religion for a year before dedicating yourself to that path.
• Set up an altar to the god/s that calls to you
  • Note: Figure out whether the god/s that call to you are actually interested in working with you. If they aren’t, don’t force yourself on them. Just like how we aren’t compatible with all people, we aren’t compatible with all gods. If a god comes to you that makes you uncomfortable, you can ask them to back off and leave you alone. You are not required to work with every spirit/deity that shows up. Same goes for the gods – they aren’t required to work with every human who takes an interest in them.

Altar Essentials

• Altar cloth – this can be as simple as a bandana or as complex as a tapestry.
• Image of the deity – there are tons of options for this one
  • Printed picture from a Google search (if money is tight!)
  • Carved statue of the god (check Etsy)
  • A hand-drawn rendition of the god (either self-done or commissioned)
  • Etc.
• Offering dishes– there are also tons of options for this one
  • Any extra small cups/bowls that you happen to have sitting around
  • Buy a small cup/bowl from a thrift store or Etsy if you can afford it
  • Etc.

As you get more familiar with the god/s that you’re working with, you’ll start feeling pulled towards certain items that the deities want on their altars. Whether or not you can afford it – well, if you can’t, ask them to help you get it for them. If a god wants something badly enough, they will make it happen.

Daily Practice Options

• Prayer
  • You can find tons of pre-written prayers for most deities on the internet. It is okay to copy a few down and use them. Generally, you kneel (or stand, if your ability makes kneeling too painful)before your altar and offer the prayer to the god by reading it out loud. You can also write your own prayers.
• Libation
  • Generally, libations are alcoholic. It might take some research to figure out what the god/s that you’re working with like to drink. It might take trial/error. To do a simple libation, you simply pour the drink into the offering bowl, invite the deity to partake, and then drink afterward and offer a brief word of thanks or hail the god. What you do with the drink afterward is tradition-dependent, but it is fairly standard to simply take it outside and pour it on the ground. If you have absolutely no other option, pouring the remaining liquid down the sink drain is okay – but this is if you live in an area that makes pouring the libation on the ground unrealistic and/or if your physical ability prevents this kind of moving around.
  • If you cannot afford – or do not want to use – alcohol, water is always an acceptable libation. After all, water is life. I have never heard of a deity that would reject water, and I have never experienced the rejection of such a libation.
• Divination
  • Do a daily rune or tarot reading related to your relationship with the god/s in question.

Long-term Devotional Acts

• Continuously reading all the information you can on your religion/tradition and the gods you honor
• Creating art for the gods
• Dedicating a particular event or community service to the gods
• Taking an oath in the service of the gods
• Becoming a devotee, godspouse, or clergy

I hope this has given those who needed it a basic outline that will allow them to move forward with their devotional practice.

Revised from 2019.

True Colors

Discernment. The foundation of sane spirit working. For many people who interact with any kind of spirits, discernment comes with experience; the more different spirits you interact with, the more context you gain for future use.

But sometimes, less savory spirits aren’t going to wait for you to develop a solid basis for judgment, so I thought a short post detailing a few possible red flags that you can watch for when interacting with an unfamiliar spirit could be useful. Of course, with the vastness of spirits, this will by no means be exhaustive or steadfast, but I’ll be mentioning topics that have been reliable in the vast majority of my spiritual interactions. More than one of these red flags popping up has certainly resulted in me sending that spirit on its way.

1. Are they inconsistent or wholly evasive in their communication?
If you don’t tell a lie, you don’t have to remember a story. When a new spirit I’m talking to wildly changes its answers to questions, in a way that I can’t make sense of, I’m going to get a bit suspicious. To be sure if the spirit is indeed changing its story or not, there are two important questions that will keep you on track: how many spirits are present, and are you talking to who you mean to talk to at the moment? If multiple spirits are present, then preface each question or interaction with an indication of the particular spirit you are attempting to communicate with. It’s also important to remember that there are certain spirits than can impersonate and mimic other spirits, so be mindful. And while it should go without saying, some newer practitioners I’ve spoken to have proven that this needs to be shared: spirits can indeed lie just like humans, and malicious spirits certainly will.

2. Are they refusing to give any basic identifying information at all?
Some spirits, especially non-human spirits, may be reluctant to give out their name to a total stranger; as a spirit may be summoned by its name, it would be similar to us giving out our personal cell phone number to random people we met in the street. However, you can ask how the spirit would like to be addressed; many will offer a title, nickname, or initials. Many spirits will also be willing to describe what type of spirit they are; it helps to at least start with broad classifications, such as human versus non-human, elemental, otherworldly, etc. Most spirits I’ve needed to interact with, or that have initiated interaction, were willing to tell me general things like what they were and why they were present or seeking my attention. I don’t expect any spirit to immediately give me its life story, and frankly it’s probably not my business, but if they’re entirely dodging introducing themselves at all or offering any of the above information, that’s definitely going to be a potential red flag going up for me.
For an example of a safe spiritual interaction, I currently know an air elemental spirit whose real name was shared with me after we had interacted for months; when I first spoke to him, he only offered that he was an air elemental and male, so we agreed that I could address him as AE (short for Air Elemental) at that time.

3. Are they acting harmfully or purposefully causing undue distress?
If a spirit is causing physical harm to a person, such as scratching them, they’re bad news. That simple. However, some spirits may be negative but not strong enough to physically affect our world; these spirits will cause harm emotionally and mentally. (This will all be assuming that a medical cause has been ruled out by a professional, or sometimes is continually unresponsive to treatments.)
However, good or neutral spirits may also cause emotional distress to those nearby; the difference is intention, in that these spirits aren’t being malicious. These spirits may cause a feeling of unrest or anxiety, or act out in other ways, as a means to get your attention; these actions may feel different than those of a spirit doing so to be malevolent, and usually don’t do any notable or lasting damage to a person. The real giveaway will come when you address the issue: a good/neutral spirit who needed your attention, when approached about their disruptive behavior and their motives, is going to be ready to discuss it.

4. Do they react negatively to spiritual/energetic cleansings?
The easiest and surest way to answer if a spirit is negative is to try to cleanse, and see if they react. Cleansing removes negative energy, so if a spirit reacts badly to you cleansing it or the space around it, they’re probably made of negative energy.
The positive spirits I keep, as with most humans who receive a cleansing, usually tell me they feel a bit better if you cleanse any spiritual gunk they’ve picked up off them. A protective canine spirit who lives with me absolutely loves to have a frankincense and myrrh oil I keep used on his vessel–whereas a negative spirit would be disrupted by a powerful cleansing and protecting ingredient like frankincense. I also once interacted with an ethereal/celestial spirit (an uncommon but extremely positive type of spirit) who had spiritual cleanliness preferences that set a higher standard than some of the divinities I work with.
Personally, I usually ask permission or give notice before cleansing my new spirit’s space or items, just to be polite. But if a spirit reacts poorly to this, or to the cleansing, you’re going to want to take note…and maybe keep that spirit further away from you, until you’ve figured it out.

5. Is your gut instinct telling you you’re in danger?
Instinct is an invaluable tool when in the company of spirits. It’s one thing for a spirit to startle you or give you the feeling they’re looking at you (they probably are)–it’s another entirely when your fight-or-flight instincts are trying to tell you that you’re getting sized up. If your gut is telling you that a spirit is sizing you up as a tasty treat or has the intent to come after your giblets, trust it. Put some distance between yourself and that spirit; if you can’t, then the next best move is to immediately employ spiritual protections until you have a better understanding of the situation or are more prepared to handle it (remember to ask for help from other trusted practitioners or friendly spirits if you need it). I have, though few times, come across spirits that undoubtedly meant me real harm; nothing else has triggered such a deeply gut-churning dread, and while it’s rather hard to describe, if you ever do feel it, you’ll know.

Revised from 2020.