Photo by LeandroDeCarvalho via Pixabay

 

Author, lucid dreamer, and consciousness explorer Emma Toynbee shares how she uses lucid dreaming for insight into future probabilities, developing creativity, personal growth, and healing. 

 

When did you first learn about lucid dreaming?

My first proper introduction to lucid dreaming was in London when I attended one of your (Robert’s) workshops. I had friends who were practicing lucid dreaming who recommended I attend, and I’m very glad I did as that really was the beginning of what is turning into a beautiful and continually inspiring journey.

 

Did you have immediate success with lucid dreaming, or did it take a while to learn how to induce them?

It took me a while to learn how to induce lucid dreams, or should I say it took a while for my intention to strengthen. My early lucid dreams happened spontaneously in that I would become lucid during the dream state, usually at an hour of the morning close to waking, by something strange or very surreal happening. I think I willed these lucid dreams to happen out of sheer determination by thinking on it often, plus setting a very clear intention, and setting specific questions I wanted to find the answers to just before falling asleep.

 

What happened in your early lucid dreams?

My first lucid dream was beautiful. I remember becoming lucid in a large airy room filled with people celebrating or having some kind of festive gathering. The whole of one wall was glass and the ceiling was high so the room was filled with the brightest sunshine, and it was due to the intensity of the sunshine that I became lucid — which in hindsight I realize was pretty apt!

I walked around through the crowds, until I spied a serving platter covered with different foods. I picked up a strawberry and in eating it could not believe how amazing it tasted; it was sensationally heightened beyond anything possible of a physical waking life strawberry. Somehow I managed to leave the platter, I think because there were other wonderful things to try out. Flying, for a start!

I flew straight out of the huge window and into a beautifully sunlit garden filled with huge green houses. Inside the green houses were fig trees laden with ripened fruit. They were so tall they were pushing against the glass. I flew around the greenhouses until I noticed a pond with lilies floating on the surface.

 

Knowing that I should be able to “breathe” underwater, I dived straight into the pond between the long lily flower stalks. I could indeed breathe underwater, though in actuality I wasn’t physically breathing outside of the pond either. Plunging below the waterline, I felt the coolness and drag of the water on my body and I completely lost control of my flight trajectory and start spinning and thrashing about in the water. I quickly resurfaced and flew out of the pond, where I regained complete control. (I now realize that my fear-based thought process just on entering the pond, I’m not sure I can fly in the pond but maybe need to swim, produced exactly that confused experience.)

On dry land, I asked the dream to show me my future children and then, on a path, holding hands and walking towards me I saw a set of identical twins of about two years old. Their features and colouring slightly resembled my own and I was astonished; I don’t yet have any children, so whether this was a projected mental overlay or not remains to be seen, though I can’t imagine I would have assumed a set of identical twins!