Occult things around bedtime

[CowboyYggdrasil]

Earlier this week there was a post about sleeping in a position like the Hangman. As a general question/topic I am curious how different people play around with that half-dreamy energy right before you slip into sleep. Do you attempt any rituals in the mind while dozing off? Do you use it to program the subconscious? Perhaps you attempt to keep complete physical stillness and keep awareness as long as possible in order to enter a trance and explore. Curious to hear your experiences.



I can say that one of my first forays into exploring the sefirot was before dozing off for a nap (I had an encounter, on some level, with the Goddess Venus who taught me to love studying for her sake).

P.S. this is my first thread here - I hope I am doing this right!

 

[Morell]

I always focus when drooping to sleep. Sometimes I try to astral, which doesn't work. Sometimes I focus on some thoughts which can influence dreams but that doesn't work for me either...

 

[akenu]

Yeah, a lot of my work came from this. At the beginning, you keep repeating "I will remember all my dreams" to improve your dream recollection, very good for journaling.

At some point, you will notice a sort of semi-state between the waking and the dream, that's the actual point when whatever litany you used gains effect. Then you can just utter that sentence in that particular moment.

The Astral projection method I've used also comes from this state, you prepare a sigil beforehand and just focus on it while drifting off.

 

[Ben Gruagach]

I find that meditation sitting upright in bed is particularly effective. And when I finish meditating and lie down to go to sleep my dreams stay with me longer so I can write them down.

 

[smegvig]

That in-between state is actually one of my favorite times to practice. I don’t do anything too complex and I usually just stay still, slow my breathing, and let my thoughts drift while keeping a bit of awareness.

Sometimes I’ll set a simple intention or focus on a symbol and kind of “hold” it as I fall asleep. Other times I just observe what comes up, images, feelings, random ideas, and see where it goes without forcing it.

It’s a really natural way to slip into a light trance without much effort.

 

[sistersu]

Lately I’ve been trying to keep things simple before sleep. I’ve noticed that whatever I focus on right before bed tends to carry into my dreams or my mental state the next day.

I usually do something light like a short meditation or just grounding myself instead of anything intense. For now I prefer to keep that time more calm than active.

I’m curious if others have noticed that doing more complex or heavy practices before sleep affects their dreams or rest.