Review: Dreaming and Awakening 2015 with Stephen LaBerge
Sallybrarian and I recently returned from a ten-day lucid journey to Kalani Oceanside Retreat on the Big Island of Hawaii, to meet with Stephen LaBerge and his associates for a week of lucid dreaming and lucid living. Below is a quick distillation of events as I experienced them, as well as some thoughts along the way. What an incredible experience.
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The Retreat Center
Kalani is probably one of the most atmospheric, mindfully-operated retreat centers I’ve stayed at. The center itself is situated in the middle of a rainforest on the Big Island, fairly close to the volcano. The center is entirely run by volunteers, who spend 26 hours a week taking care of retreatants, working on one of Kalani’s many projects, or preparing amazing vegetarian and vegan meals (if you’re into that stuff--they cook meat, too). The rest of the time, they are in Hawaii, on some of the most beautiful and untouched parts of the state. Consequently, these people seem really, really happy, and they extend that happiness willingly to anyone who comes across their path. Kalani literally feels like a different universe.
The amenities were comfortable (random swinging hammocks, anyone?) and mindful (triple-purified rainwater available from dispensers all over the site, fresh food with ingredients listed, and compost piles for gardens). Our bungalow was a small one-room affair with two beds, a shower and a sink. It was screened in, but not glassed, and the cool night air was actually a bit chilly (extra blankets were available at guest services, no charge). During the day, temperatures reached into the 80’s. Absolutely beautiful, perfect weather.
Oh, the pool:
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The pool was low-chemical, with only the slightest hint of chlorine. It was also clothing-optional, which I took advantage of often :cooler: There is something very refreshing about swimming nude. As one retreatant said, “Kalani just feels like home. Where else would you swim naked?” The low chem-treatment also extended to the hot tubs, providing a relaxing end to the day, with no worries about burning eyes.
Dinners were served cafeteria-style, outdoors, on a covered patio (called “the Lanai”):
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Free Yogi tea was available at any time of the day, as well as fresh, organic almond and peanut butter, and organic hot chocolate mix (yum). There were tables established for Dreaming and Awakening, and most meal conversations centered around lucid dreaming (or any number of tangential topics--spirituality, meditation, astral projection, etc.). There was a vegan and vegetarian dining option every night, and the food was delicious.
The Retreat
The workshop sessions were held in one of the large, dorm-style living areas near the cafeteria (called “Halles,” and pronounced HAL-ays). The seating was, as described by one of our English retreatants as, “dodgy, crap chairs.” I didn’t mind them though, and I think because of the large number of people (30+), extra seating had to be pulled in to accommodate the dreamers.
Stephen’s retreat was wonderful. His two assistants (Keelin and Dr. Kristen LaMarca) are both avid lucid dreamers (Keelin in particular is highly skilled in dream work involved in trauma resolution and personal healing) who have a deep passion for what we do. They held smaller sessions on meditation, dream journaling, shadow integration, MILD, and so forth.
Stephen’s lectures centered around the material available in “Exploring the World,” but simply hearing the words from their author provided me with new insights I would not have gotten alone (for instance, I realize I have been doing MILD incorrectly this entire time. I’ve changed my method, and have seen my lucid activity increase). He also shared some of the interesting experiments he has run (anomalous perception in lucid dreams, for instance) and some insight into his own practice, and how he has seen that develop over the years.
The workshops were supplemented with two field trips (one to the volcano, and another to the warm springs). In smaller groups, we also made trips into Pahoa, where we raided the bookstore for dreaming books, and out to Hilo, to see the waterfalls. Stephen also has a penchant for dreamy movies, and we watched David Cronenberg’s eXistenZ and Peter Weir’s The Last Wave. Since I am a party pooper (and wanted to get my dream on), I skipped out on the showings (which ran a bit late). I’m sure they were good movies, though, and some of the imagery was incorporated into dreams during the night.
And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for. . . . If you are on the Lucidity Institute’s mailing list, then you are aware that the ND2 will not reach production. It has been superseded by a new device (called the N2D2) which (in my opinion) is better than any device currently available for purchase. While I signed a nondisclosure form assuring Lucidity that I would not post pictures of the device, or discuss what it looks like, how it works, etc., I will say that I used both devices (the older ND2 prototype, and also the new N2D2). Both devices were effective for me, and resulted in lucid dreams. In fact, during the eight days, I had a total of nine lucid dreams). I’m quite excited to see the new device on the market.
Probably the greatest part of Dreaming and Awakening, however, we meeting so many lucid dreamers. It just isn’t every day that we can sit down at a dinner table with 30 people and just talk dreams. I met many wonderful, beautiful souls on this trip, and shared many stories and experiences. We have all kept in touch, and plan a reunion in the coming years. I hear there is a discount for alumni.
I have, of course, left so much out of this review. If you have any questions for me, please let me know! Maybe I will see you at the next Dreaming and Awakening!
