I have always wondered why we can become lucid in a dream, but not in waking life, and I think I finally discovered the answer.

In a nutshell, whilst dreaming we are usually not very consciously aware and being directed around by our subconscious. In comparison to waking life it's quite the opposite, we are way more consciously active and barely able to tap into the subconscious in daily life. To become lucid in a dream, we have to become conscious, but to become lucid in waking life we have to become subconscious. Let me explain in more detail..

The general idea behind all this relates back to the 7 hermetic principles, notably the first (mentalism - all is mind) and the principle regarding polarity (we live in duality, everything has an opposite). When you consider that we are conscious in waking life, and unconscious in dreaming (or rather subconscious) the polarity here is obvious. So too then, is it's lucid counterpart - lucidity in dreaming is achieved by becoming more aware, and lucidity in waking life by becoming more unaware. When we are dreaming, our subconscious is guiding the plot, it's all around us, and so too it's all around us in waking life (whether we realize it or not). I'm not suggesting solipsism here, more like a collective solipsism that sometimes overlaps like many individual minds inside the mind of all. So, in waking life we need to rely more on the subconscious at play in the world around us, become 'blissfully unaware' as it were, the more we allow our subconscious to play a vital role in our daily life, the more benefit can be gained by it. In dreaming, it's the opposite we have to overcome the subconscious at play in the world around us by becoming more aware.

There's definitely a difference here between consciousness and awareness, they are not one and the same. Think about it, you can be conscious and completely unaware of what is going on behind you, or around the corner. It's also possible to be aware whilst in unconscious dreamless sleep (difficult, but not impossible). If everything has an opposite then the opposite of awareness is un-awareness. The more unaware you are, the more subconsciously driven you are and vice versa the more aware you are, the more conscious you become. They are like two sliding scales linked with each other.

The other part of the equation is that there seems to be a force at work, trying to keep us going along with the plot, trying to keep us non-lucid. I think this is just a mechanism of the subconscious, as it's major function is to provide story and a role that you play. So as much as we have to wrestle with our subconscious for control, it's also about letting go of control and allowing the subconscious to have more control during the day and less at night. The subconscious is the deepest part of our own selves, it's your own best friend and perfect lover that knows your deepest darkest secrets and still loves you. It knows intimately what you think and feel, it knows everything about you and only wants what's best for you. The more you allow it to have control in waking life in the world around you, the better your story will get.

For too long, we have been sleeping in waking life and it's time to become lucid now my friends.