The Dark One

Hello. This is my first post.

I've been interested and practicing lucidity for a while now. I had a long dry spell after having my first couple of lucid dreams years ago, but have recently continued practice again. I've had a few lucid dreams as of late, but something is different about them from before. Before I didn't have many problems, and most of my trouble was in simply trying to enduce lucidity.

My lucid dreams of late have always been cut short. Usually to enduce them I will rality check by bringing up my hands and looking at them. If they blur or distort, then lucidity is gained and all is good. That is, until the Dark One comes.

When I was a kid, for a short while I had a reoccuring nightmare, that wouldn't leave me even after I would wake up. It was always the same thing. My vision was of a dark alley at night. There would be a figure at the end of this alley. He appears as a black silhouette, a shadow, usually with a hat and trenchcoat of sorts. In this reoccuring waking nightmare he is always at the end of the alley, always walking toward me, but never really getting any closer. It is hard to describe, but he is the embodyment of fear itself.

Like I said though, this didn't really last past a night or two, but had shaken me. Only recently has this figure appeared again. I've had a few lucid dreams, and in them, not too much longer after I gain lucidity, the Dark One appears. When he appears, my control over the dream world is taken by him. Usually to avoid letting him have control over the dream I wake myself up. It's almost as if he doesn't want me to be lucid. This shadow is some sort of entity outside of myself.

I was wondering if anyone else has had a simliar experience with such an archaeic black figure. And if so, who (or what) do you think he is?

I have a few theories. One being that he is in fact the one pulling the strings, and the world of dreams is his, and when the control is taken from him, he wants it back. And that maybe has something to do with the fundamental ability to be able to create the world around you.

The other theory is that the Dark One is actually my own "shadow". He is a living personification of all the unrealized dark nature within me. I think Jung proposed this theory of one's shadow side of the psyche:

"What is the shadow? While Jung finally defined the shadow as "The thing one has no wish to be," we continue to know it by many names: the alter-ego, the lower self, the other, the double, the dark twin, the disowned self, the repressed self, the id, etc. We speak of "meeting our demons," "wrestling with the devil," ("the devil made me do it"), a "descent to the underworld," a "dark night of the soul," a "midlife crisis." The shadow abounds in the classic human stories: it is a Grendl to his Beowulf, Shakespeare’s Macbeth to his more noble Hamlet, Mephistopheles in dialogue with Faust, Darth Vader (the "dark father") in battle with his ego-heroic son, Luke Skywalker."

The last time I encountered him was today. I had my first WILD. After not being able to sleep some of the night I was awake for a while, and decided to try to stay conscious after laying down for a while and encountering the first stages of the transition from reality to dream, which were sounds, very particular sounds. I have done little reading on how to do a WILD but achieved it nonetheless. the interesting thing is that when I started out, I believe I had either an OBE or a waking dream where I was in my room, despite not even being in the dream state yet. And as my real body faded and dream body and environment slowly manifested, I found myself in a lucid dream.

It didn't last long however. The Dark One appeared after I found myself walking downa dark street. It suddenly reminded me of him and the reoccuring waking nightmare I had as a kid. And thats when he appeared. I asked who he was, but then felt immense fear as the dream control slipped form my grip and into his, and once again forced myself awake.

My question is not just that of whether or not anyone has had similiar experiences, but more to the nature of what the Dark One (or Taunter as I called him) is. Also, should I encounter him in the future, would it be wise to continue to force myself awake to avoid giving his control back. Or should I confront him, despite my primal fear, as I wish to do?

I may find that he is, in fact, my own "shadow". But if he is something else, what would that mean?

Thanks
-Jonathan

One of my earliest memorable dreams was a reooccuring nightmare I had a s a child of being stuck in the centre of a maze with only two entrances .From one entrance a sucession of Darth Vaders were entering the maze from the other entrance a succession of Rupert the Bears slowly the maze would fill up with hundres of these figure marching in file like soldiers not say anything It was a very scary dream.

The Darth VADER figure is a interesting one in terms of Jungian Psychology its interesting what you say as "the shadow "being "the thing you least want to be" which i guess is simimilar to the idea of the dark knight of star wars and Arthurian legend being "the fallen hero" and in Stars Wars own mythology ( which isnt really its own) of the Jedi real battle with their own dark nature.

In relation to my own dream I remem ber going to a theatre production of Rupert the Bear around the same time i saw Star Wars and in it Rupert was captured by pirates and put in a cage I was very upset with this so although Rupert was a " good, white, bright and colourful character completely the opposite to DARTH Vader in some way he was the same in that he reprsented the idea of being captured by malevolent forces

Dear Exolut10nx

I think that you need to be killed in a dream by this Dark One. the trick is to die and remain in the dream long enough to realize that you can get up and continue. When once you die in a dream and stay with it long enough to experience yourself coming back to life, then you get beyond these Dark Monsters and Dream Pursuers.

Unfortunately, it seems to be the Dark One's prerogative to call the shot. When it happened to me -- my Dark One was the Guard with the Mirrored Sun Glasses from the movie "Cool Hand Luke", and he shot me in the head with that 30-06 of his. I suppose that Death in a Dream comes at the right time in one's life, when the Dream Life is ready for that sense of fearless immortality, for until one is certain that one cannot really die, then one is not really as brave and courageous as one could be.

I would pre-program my reaction and go over the scenario in my head during meditation... Analyze how you feel when you encounter him. How do you look at him? Is he a superior being to your self? How would it feel to look at him as an equal and just walk up to him and observe him... I think observation is the key to facing inner daemons...

When I was in a dream a DC went up to me, put a hand on my shoulder, looked me in the eye and said: Raz always remember: No fear… After this each time I feel fear in life or a dream I hear his voice in the back of my mind: No fear… And I regain control over the situation without thoughts running wild or basing my actions on fear. No fear… Peace… Observe… Be curious…

"I think that you need to be killed in a dream by this Dark One. the trick is to die and remain in the dream long enough to realize that you can get up and continue. When once you die in a dream and stay with it long enough to experience yourself coming back to life, then you get beyond these Dark Monsters and Dream Pursuers. "

That's a really good idea. I think I will try to confront him first, and see what happens with that. But I've never been killed in a dream, and perhaps it is his time.


"I would pre-program my reaction and go over the scenario in my head during meditation... Analyze how you feel when you encounter him. How do you look at him? Is he a superior being to your self? How would it feel to look at him as an equal and just walk up to him and observe him... I think observation is the key to facing inner daemons... "

Well, I don't meditate, but perhaps I should. Whenever I encounter him, I always lose lucidity, and always feel fear. Well, not so much fear, but more of a fight-or-flight instinct. And I usually choose flight and wake myself up before he has control over the dream. I'm not sure if he is a superior being to myself, but he does feel that way. Almost as if he is otherworldy, and is the one pulling the strings.

Perhaps, no fear is the only way I'll be able to confront him, though it's hard to deny such a primal feeling.

"Perhaps, no fear is the only way I'll be able to confront him, though it's hard to deny such a primal feeling."

You don’t need to deny it... You can let it fuel you with energy. You just need to keep in control of it... Try to simulate the feeling of sudden fear. Not the way you act on it. It can feel a little like trying to simulate the feeling of falling. Now build on that feeling... Get used to it... analyze it... Go over scenarios in your head... Day dream... Imagine a sudden BANG. observe and control it...

I would try and befriend him. You know, turn to him and say "Hi, what's up?" and shake his hand. I think this could turn him into a less formidable figure. He could actually turn out to be a cool dream buddy in your adventures.
But death is always a good choice :lol:

Typically, such dark-themed dreams are usually the result of fear. It's a dream, remember? There is no man behind the curtains controlling the dream world. Just you. Once you remember that its a dream, and said dark figure has no power, not much else matters. Do what you want with him, though I'd recommend just talking to him. Most people who try to kill dream characters have an underlying fear that they'll come back. That fear is given form in their dreams, and the character DOES come back, no matter what you do to it.

I haven't encountered such a being in my travels, other than once when i was about 8, and that was the only time.

Has there been anything similar going on at these different stages of your life where you have encountered the figure? Something that has been on your mind throughout the day before such experiences?
I also like Freud method of free association to interpret dreams. What's the first thing you think of when you imagine the figure? If fear comes to mind, then what is the first thing you think of when you think fear? Try breaking it down like that, sometimes you'll get to a point that makes sense.

Action to take;

If it's a lucid dream, you can go any which way you like. Letting him kill you is an interesting suggestion and can do you no harm, i've died several times in dreams, it feels odd when you wake up, but is a different experience and worth a go.
Going into the dream completely relaxed and observent is a good idea as well, as mentioned before it may take a few practice goes but that is the way to go. If you arent afraid then the manifestation has nothing to feed on!
If you feel like it you could go in guns blazing as well, try to hurl fireballs and lightning at the figure, I think that would be enjoyable.

It's certain he/she is not the owner/controller of the dream world as there is none. You maybe be astral travelling as opposed to lucid dreaming which is very different. There are many people who claim that there are good and bad spirits in the astral, some to guide you and some to detour you. I'm not certain of the validity of this, but if it's true, you are in the astral, and he/she is a bad entity, then there are a few steps you can take. There are some mantras which can be said as you go into the astral which will ward of negative spirits. I know one is raaaa ommmm, gaaa ommm. Repeated over and over as you drift off, and there are many others. Once in the astral if you are relaxed, and in a calm state you are pretty fine, just observe as has been reccomended and pay no mind to the bad entity's (if they still show) shinanigans. Just go somewhere else, it may be hard, but a few goes at it and you'll make it, your obviously talented as you get in so easily.

Whatever you decide on don't let the experience of this figure detour you one bit! There is way to much to miss out on and it will be good learning getting rid of him.