By Marcelle Liemant © 2015
The unconscious mind is a powerful place, and this power is only really just being explored. When we lucid dream, the unconscious mind becomes our playground. But I wanted to see what else besides fun it had to offer. I wanted to experience an abstract concept. As a student of chemistry, my first idea was to experience the subatomic level. To actually become an electron and see what new insights my unconscious mind had to offer. However, experiencing the subatomic level is a rather extreme perspective shift. It took a process of trial and error, over four dreams, to finally get there.
Dream one
I became lucid via the counting technique and then had left my bed, inside the dream, to go outside. I said aloud, ‘Good thing my chemistry lab is in the shed with the experiment all set up and an assistant ready to help.’ When I entered into the shed of course that was exactly what I saw. There was a bubbling purple liquid over a flame on a heavily stained desk. This was the most stable this dream situation had been for me, after I‘d just chained a few unstable dreams. So the next question was how I was going to actually become an electron.
I decided to ask my assistant for a liquid I could drink that would allow me to do so. My assistant handed me a shot of clear liquid which I drank and immediately felt my perspective shift.
I was then in a fuzzy sort of environment. But I could also feel that I was laying in my bed. I waited for the liquid to heat up and cause the jump of electrons between orbitals. I consciously made myself heat up while laying there and then made my awareness go shooting around the room.
It was an uncomfortable amount of energy so I then consciously directed myself to emit colour. As I did so, I had the thought that the experience ‘felt like the sun was rising.’
Using expectations is a very powerful technique when dreaming, for better and for worse. In this dream, it allowed me to create a dream scenario that was seemingly conducive to my goals. But I also made the mistake of trying to control the experience. I consciously directed every aspect of it, making it hard to experience anything beyond my own expectations. I made strained guesses at what it would be like to become an electron, rather than actually finding out. I could have just as easily done this while awake.
I wanted the experience to go beyond just what I could consciously create. I have a lot of information about electrons stored up both consciously and unconsciously. But to experience it, that‘s an entirely new level of understanding. I had to somehow work out a way to quiet my conscious mind and let my unconscious take over. In the forums of one of Robert Waggoner‘s workshops, he gave me the advice of asking the awareness behind the dream to create this experience for me. I‘d done this in the past and asking the awareness behind the dream was always a fascinating way to lucid dream.
Dream two
I used the counting technique to enter into a dream lucidly and immediately jumped out of bed, split the walls in half and went outside. I said to the dream:
‘I want to experience the existence of an electron beyond my expectations and beliefs,’
I really wanted to go with the dream so I consciously ‘gave myself over.’
I immediately began rolling down the road as if I was a ball. I thought to myself ‘oh I see, the electron spin,’ I then directed my intention to experience a reaction of some sort. But unfortunately, I woke up.
This is certainly not what I had been expecting. In my mind I was going to become an electron and experience the subatomic level of existence. So you could actually say that my expectations were definitely defied. Typical dream humour.
However, this was a useful stepping stone. After this experience I thought more about electron spin and decided to do a bit more reading about the subatomic level. I refreshed a lot of the concepts in my mind, helping to reduce any hesitation my conscious mind had over what this experience would be like.
It‘s also very important to be selective with your wording. The dream had technically given me an experience that I wasn‘t expecting. But I wanted to go deeper and so I altered my approach further in my third attempt.
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
Dream three
I became lucid in my parent‘s bathroom and then went outside.
I said “I want my awareness to become the size of an electron and to experience the subatomic level beyond my beliefs and knowledge.” After that I just let go.
I definitely felt some shrinkage and began to float over the lake in the garden. Everything was enlarged around me and the edge of the lake started to open up. I could see these coloured threads that made up everything. As I watched a giant strand of DNA grew from the threads, I zoomed in closer to see the actual atoms bonded together. I could see the electrons shared between the atoms as moving tendrils almost. On negatively charged atoms a small sign said “take it” (as in the electron to reduce the negative charge) which I found amusing. The dream then ended.
I chose to change my awareness rather than become an electron in this dream because it was a bit easier for my conscious mind to allow. But as this was a beautiful and fascinating experience, I felt like I had dissolved even more mental blocks. What was also interesting about this dream was that I could never have predicted it. The coloured threads and the ‘take it’ sign were very odd and I didn‘t quite understand everything I saw.
Robert Waggoner encouraged me to write down every single detail of my attempts, as dreams tend to communicate in abstract ways in which the meaning may not be initially clear to the conscious mind.
I gave the experiment one last try to see what else my unconscious would come up with.
Dream four
I entered into a dream using the counting technique and went outside.
I said ‘I want to experience the subatomic level.’
It took a second, but I trusted that the experience was coming. I was then lifted into the air and the whole dream environment started buzzing, as did I.
I then said ‘I want to become an electron.’
I started to whirl around an atom-type centre. I saw other electrons that I would be repelled from and go shooting off in the other direction. I became charged up with enough energy to jump orbitals. I was buzzing uncomfortably and went shooting across a stunning field and came back with purple trailing at my feet. I woke up feeling euphoric and peaceful.
What I learned from this dream was the experience of being so charged with energy that I had to move. I was also filled with immense joy. The dream led me to wonder a little more about electrons and what truly drives them to behave as they do in their strange, playful manner?
What else did I learn about electrons? Electrons are no longer just a word or a negative charge to me. They are very real, though very strange, particles that somehow exist in absolutely everything. I have thoroughly deepened my connection to the concept, which is the best way to truly understand and learn something so abstract. Also, as I continue studying chemistry, maybe some of the more abstract meanings of these dreams will become clearer.
The unconscious mind is a place of mystery and wisdom. I encourage you all to experience concepts within your lucid dreams.
See where your dreams can take you.
You can read more about my lucid dreaming experiments, including meeting the main character of my novel, at my website:
Twitter: @marcelleliemant
