The Realm Reviewer

I remember standing outside a mall while my fiancé is indoors. A kid walks toward our car, touches something, and runs away fast. When my fiancé returns, he gets inside the car, and we continue our journey.  The car starts to have a mind of its own—it doesn’t stop when he hits the brakes but simply keeps driving! We try to navigate, but it gets out of control. I do a reality check, realize that I’m dreaming, and decide to fly through the roof of the car. My fiancé manages to get out too, and we fly away.  I remember a landscape of rolling hills and beautiful nature when I suddenly see the black puma I met more than 15 years ago in one of the earliest false awakenings I can recall. Back then, he sat right outside my front door, and now he’s sitting there again—identical, calm, looking at me. Remembering a quest I wanted to complete in a lucid dream, I wonder: is he my animal guide? Or are there more?  Suddenly, I see a grey parrot, and then another one in different colors....

Another one from my old collection. It’s been a while since I last read this book, but I remember finding it fascinating, so I thought it deserved a spot on my blog. Naturally, I’m rereading it. The concept of this book revolves around a wheel—the Wheel of Consciousness. This wheel moves, in general, according to our biological clock, following a 24-hour cycle. Sometimes, it turns faster; at other times, it moves more slowly. The book is divided into two parts: Night and Day . From there, it splits further into segments of the “pie” (or wheel). First up: Night, starting with its opening chapter: Hypnagogia There aren’t many books dedicated to hypnagogia. I did review one recently ( Liminal Dreaming ) that dives deeply into the subject. It’s only in recent years that writers have started focusing entire books on this topic, which is great for those who want a comprehensive look. But for anyone not ready to commit to a full book, this chapter provides an excellent summary. Image by Jeff...

I'm in the bathroom of an apartment building. The bathroom has a large window that looks down on a lush courtyard and other buildings. There's no privacy at all; anyone in the courtyard or on other floors can see straight into it. I spot a woman in the courtyard looking up, so I point toward the hallway, hoping she'll stop staring at me! Good grief, the lack of privacy! Since I often find bathrooms without privacy in my dreams, I decide to do a reality check. Seven fingers. Then six. Just to be sure, I pinch my nose: Hey, I'm dreaming! The scenery shifts, and suddenly I'm in a different building downstairs, with the night outside. I try to go through the window but fail a few times. The window is like some kind of film I can’t pass through. Clack! The film breaks, and I'm outside. I try to recall the Tier 3 tasks from the Icarus Project. Task 1, 2, 3... Cool, I remember them all! "Let's try the first one..." I decide. "Quack, quack, quack!...

This book was recently shared for free in the Discord group The Icarus Project by Lee Adams himself. It’s a server entirely dedicated to lucid dreaming... and it makes things fun with different tiers. So, of course, the book immediately went onto my reading list. The book is divided into five parts: The Dreamer and the Dream Lucid Dreaming: Foundational Techniques Working with Your Dreams The Dreamer’s Journey Advanced Tools and Supplements for Lucid Dreaming With a total of 30 chapters. Yes, 30! With so many chapters, you know this isn’t just a basic book on dreaming. The Introduction The first part covers what lucid dreaming is, what’s important to have lucid dreams, the difference between lucid dreams and OBEs (Out-of-Body Experiences), and why awareness is key to the lucid dreaming journey. Lee delves into the different states of consciousness, mindfulness, and daily habits. This quote sums it up nicely: "Developing the skill of lucid dreaming is developing the habit of being...

I’m in my old bedroom, showering, when I notice the neighbors looking inside. Wait a second… I dream this all the time! I do a few reality checks, but everything seems normal. I pull the curtains down, but something still feels off. I pinch my nose—yep, I’m dreaming!  Hold on, I’m still naked. I quickly find some underwear and leap right through the window. Once outside, it feels like I’m dressed again. Hmm. I try to remember the Quests for Icarus—(Quest 1, 2 and 3). Cool, I can remember them all!  First, let's manifest an object. I’ll let the dream decide to see how accurate it can be. I close my palm and demand that ‘one of my favorite things’ appear. I open my hand and find four pieces of seaglass! (Accurate—I collect seaglass in real life.)  I float up to the street and decide to use a well as a portal. The street looks different... old water features are everywhere, but they’re too small to use. At the end of the street, I find larger ones—stone chalices. Some have w...

Counting Dreams: A Journey Through the Years  I finally took the time to tally up all the dreams I’ve had over the years. Let’s just say, this wasn’t a weekend project! For anyone curious about my journey and how it all started, I’ve shared my story and the stats below.  How It All Began  Officially, I started my dream journals in the summer of 2007 , though I had tried several times before that. I remember one attempt when I was a teenager—I used colorful pens and pretty sheets of paper, hoping to make it all special. But I couldn't keep up with it. Eventually, I gave up because it wasn’t as perfect as I’d imagined. This pattern repeated over the years, and the only attempt I clearly remember was from a family trip under a full moon. All the other times, I can only recall as spontaneous decisions on random days. Then, I came across advice that changed my approach: journals don’t need to be pretty, because that might create resistance. So, I bought a simple, sturdy notebo...

I find myself in front of an unfamiliar house with a large garden. There are a lot of people outside, and I decide to join them. I float over to them so quickly that it catches everyone's attention.  "How did you do that?!" one of them asks, astonished.  "I can only do this in dreams, so we must be dreaming!" I reply with a grin.  Just to be sure, I do a reality check: I pinch my nose and try to breathe through it. Yep, I'm in a dream! Feeling excited, I decide to go to Ireland and wonder if anyone wants to come along.  "Do you want to come with me to Ireland?" I ask a woman nearby.  "Sure, but how?" she replies.  "I’ll fly us there, so hold on tight!"  Without hesitation, she jumps onto my back, and I soar into the air. As we fly, I spot a building ahead and decide to impress her by heading straight for it.  "Close your eyes!" I tell her.  We fly right through the building, and the dream begins to fade. I can fee...

  This book is one of the gems from my earliest collection, and it holds a special place for me. It's all about creating dream art in a quick and easy way. The book begins with a simple introduction, emphasizing key points like making time and creating space for your practice. Then, it offers a range of creative exercises to explore, including:  Dream work in 5 minutes  Dream work in 10 to 15 minutes  Dream work for nightmares  How to care for characters and dream animals  Recurring dreams and dream series  Group dreaming  Some of these exercises take as little as 5 minutes, and honestly, some are so simple you’ll wonder why you didn’t think of them sooner. Who doesn’t have 5 minutes to jot something down? A few ideas are quite familiar—write a poem, draw a sketch, or do a gestalt exercise—but there are also some wonderfully original suggestions, like turning a dream into a fairytale, writing a haiku, creating sound mandalas, or making dream figu...

  "A pun in a dream is a way of sugar coating some pill of self-knowledge that would otherwise be difficult to swallow."    The book opens with examples of seemingly trivial signs and symbols—nothing of real significance, yet this is how many people begin their journey into dream interpretation, whether intentionally or not. Recognizing these elements from a dream can be an entry point.  The author shares an intriguing experience:   "There were times when I felt I was walking in a kind of ‘synchronicity cloud’, in which parts of my dream and everyday life were fusing into some state that was neither one nor the other, with coincidences and precognitive flashes going off around me for a week at a time, accompanied by the feeling that the partition between my inner and outer world had become extremely porous."  This passage is captivating, and it sets a promising tone for the book. The author also offers a truth bomb:   "Most ‘dream interpreta...

October 26, 2024 - LD Waning Moon in Leo, Lunar day 24  I suddenly find myself awake in a dream while strolling down a bustling street. There are crowds everywhere! Just to double-check I'm not actually awake and making a fool of myself, I perform a quick reality check and—whoosh!—I start to float. Feeling adventurous, I decide to leave the street behind and let the dream conjure up a new scene: Ireland! With my sights set on the stunning cliffs, I turn right and behold rolling green hills and ancient castle ruins. I’m really in Ireland!! Below one of the castle ruins, I spot a dream character wandering about. Unsure what to do next, I boldly ask him where my friend is. He gestures toward a little hallway nestled beneath the castle ruin. Curiosity piqued, I step inside and see my friend emerging from a dressing room. Now, his outfit is rather… unique, to say the least! We chat for a bit, and he casually mentions that his sister-in-law is moving to Iz, a small town where my si...

"Astral Projection and Lucid Dreaming: Spiritual Revelations and Out-of-Body Experiences in Higher Dimensions: A Complete Guide to Exploring Nonphysical Reality" is a book written by Vincent Field. It is a self-published book with 15 chapters, and when it was published in January 2022, it gained significant attention. Field actively promoted the book through interviews on YouTube and extensive marketing on Discord, which resulted in widespread exposure. His YouTube channel, 'Paranormal Spirituality,' covers a range of topics including ESP, aliens, and astral projection, infused with an element of mystery. The same vibe permeates the book as well. If you are not interested in reading about alien abductions, this book may not be suitable for you. Approximately 80-90% of the shared experiences revolve around UFOs and aliens. Personally, I would have suggested a title like "Astral Experiences with ETs" to better reflect the content. Honestly, the book doesn...

  After a long dry spell, I decided to read a few books on OBE again. 'Travel Far' is one of those books that caught my eye because of the high ratings online. The book is written in two parts. Part 1 immediately starts off with his early experiences. Stories like fighting against entities, meeting friends, encountering the deceased, meeting ETs, staying in a desert world for a week, and even an experience some call the mind-split effect (or multiple bodies) are included. Very soon, I notice that the book is heavily focused on the ET subject and energy work (such as chakras and mudras). If you are not spiritually open-minded, this might not be the book for you because the spiritual belief system is very apparent from start to end. "After years of looking into the concept, I have concluded that in any scenario where we are uncertain or have regrets, there is an alternate universe where the other scenario is also played out." This is one of those quotes that makes m...

  May 24, 2023 - OBE  Waxing Moon in Cancer, Lunar day 6 I wake up, and there are several cellphones on the nightstand. Each of them shows a different time, which I find a bit odd. Suddenly, my vision is stuck, and I realize I must be in an early OBE, so I try to get up. I manage to stand up, but my vision is fixated on my physical body lying on the bed. I find the door, attempt to open my astral eyes again but fail. Since my vision is still blocked, I continue blindly. I feel my way along the paintings in the hallway, descend the stairs, and reach another door. I discover a table in the living room, where a cat sniffs my hand. Furthermore, I spot another cat sleeping in the middle of the couch. I sit down and wait. Then my vision reappears! At first, I'm not fully convinced because everything looks so real. I must have woken up and sleepwalked my way here. I perform a couple of reality checks, and then it slowly dawns on me—I'm still in the other realm! I decide to go strai...

  There’s a swirling, kaleidoscopic, free-associative experience on the edge of your mind. You’ll find it in the space right between awake and asleep, where your meandering consciousness mixes memory and thought with visionary imagery. I call this experience liminal dreaming. “Liminal” refers to the spaces in between things, the transitional condition of thresholds or boundaries. There are two dream states that, together, make up liminal dreaming: hypnagogia and hypnopompia. "Liminal Dreaming" is a book about hypnagogia and hypnopompia. For people who are new to this phenomenon, it's a very motivating book on how to get started. The book starts off with a few of the author's own experiences and a history of sleep before diving into the subject. Throughout the book, you'll find several exercises: Feedback loop  The vanishing point  The morning linger  The Dali/Edison method  Voice-activated recorder method  Liminal dream dialogue  Dream cruising ...