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Dream Yoga: Writings on Dreams and Astral Travel

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Dream Yoga is short, simple, and practical. It provides methods that any sincere student and seeker can utilize in order to experience vividly, for themselves, the great reality of the Astral Plane.

I've been familiar with the Astral for a long time. However, I'm really just an exception, because most of humanity still doesn't understand that we exist in many dimensions. We only percieve this three dimensional world with the five senses, even though there is much more. If you look at the snail, you understand that it percieves one-dimensionally through sensations. The dog percieves two-dimensionally. And yet, both these animals exist within the three-dimensional plane. We know this because we have the faculties to proove it. However, these animals don't. This is the same case with higher dimensions, like the Astral Plane. There exist beings who understand that we are like the snail and the dog, without the faculties to percieve higher dimensions.

When human beings dream at night, what really happens is that we leave our physical bodies. Most people aren't aware of this because it takes a certain discipline in order to awaken the Conciousness, in order to live and breathe in those dimensions just as we do here. A person who is awakened is always aware, 24/7. In the day they are like any normal person. They have a job, kids, and a marriage. What makes them exceptional is while the rest of humanity is unconcious of where it goes at night, the awakened individual knows. He has Concious Will. He can study all the Great Mysteries of the Cosmos, speak to Self-Realized Beings, visit wonderful places, etc. (because there are less laws, including the absence of gravity, you can fly to places).

All of this is very possible. Any individual can experience the Astral. It simply takes interest, effort, and discipline. The book Dream Yoga offers such a discipline, including practices that will help one get started. It's also an excellent reference for advanced students.

I was not familiar with Samael Aun Weor before reading this book. He is described on the cover as a "Gnostic Master" and the founder of the International Gnostic Movement. He is the author of a very large number of books on esoteric subjects. Dream Yoga seems to be mainly aimed at people who are familiar with his teachings and terminology. For someone new to his rather idiosyncratic point of view, such as myself, the book is quite difficult and sometimes confusing. The book is quite short, 108 pages, and 30 of these pages are a dictionary of dream symbols.

Weor is definitely one of those occult teachers with his own system. He draws on many different traditions --mainly Eastern religions such as Tibetan and Tantric, but also Kabbala, Christian and Mayan. I found this radical eclecticism a little disconcerting, especially considering the dogmatic tone of the book. There is no attempt to explain how these traditions are connected and many of the terms, such as obscure (to most readers) god and goddess names, are never defined. He never, for example, explains how these many traditions are united under the banner of Gnosticism, which was originally a Christian sect (albeit one deemed heretical). I am not saying that all of these ideas cannot be synthesized, only that the reader deserves a little more explanation than is provided here. When I say Weor is dogmatic, I mean that he has a rigid idea of what is right and wrong. Although he claims that "Gnosticism is not against any religion, school, order or sect," he frequently refers to ideas that contradict his own as "pseudo-esotericism" and "pseudo-occultism." In one place he refers to those who differ on some rather obscure point as "imbecile ignoramuses." He also makes a statement that will surely offend gay people, who he sees as symptomatic of "this perverse, corrupted and doomed Aryan civilization." I am quoting some of this to give potential readers an idea of what they are in for if they choose to read this book.

Despite all of these criticisms, I don't doubt that Weor possesses some genuine knowledge and that many of the techniques given in this book can be quite useful. He points out, for example, that to master being awake in dreams, you must work on being conscious while awake. This idea is not unique to this author, but it is a valuable piece of advice. I would recommend this book mainly to readers who are already familiar with Weor's system or who are interested in following the Gnostic path (which is rather ascetic and mystical, at least as Weor interprets it). It also makes a good addition to a collection of books on dreaming. If you are a beginner to dream studies, however, you would probably do better with a more basic and less jargon-filled book.

This concise text details an exact and clear method for any sincere person to directly experience the truth of the Internal Worlds. Saints and mystics have long tried to explain that this physical world is not the limit of nature, and occultists have described the many aspects of this truth, some well, and some poorly. But "civilized" humanity has always rejected such claims as "fantasy" and "foolishness." Who is the fool now that physics recognizes the incontestable truth of these worlds? The sincere student finds a wealth of practial help in this book. Any human being who works seriously to utilize the steps given in this book will see the truth for themselves. This means that one must make strong effort and be willing to see that truth; the one who practices while also feeding their doubt is like a person who wants to lift some paper that is under their own foot. Move your foot and the paper lifts easily. Keep your foot down, and you will never move it. Dream Yoga is the same.

Includes a dictionary of dream symbols written by Samael Aun Weor and appearing in English for the first time.

Chapters include: The Awakening of Consciousness, On Dreams, Dream Yoga Discipline, Nourishment for the Memory, The Return Practice, The Four Blessings, The Guardian Angel, Hod, Meditation, Order and Esoteric Discipline, Dream Interpretation (First time in English), A General Guide to Dream Symbols, The Astral Body.

This is a book that is compiled from various lectures and written works by the Great Initiate Samael Aun Weor.

Written in a direct and easy to undertand way, Samael explains what dreams are, where we go when we sleep, why we dream and how to be awake and stay awake in the dream world (also called the Astral plane). He also tells us about higher beings that exist there as well as different spiritual places.

He relates this from his personal experiences and esoteric investigations and shows how psychology plays an important and crucial part in awakening.

Packed full of practices and excercises, the book is great for beginners and also experienced people.

-Forget about all the pseudo "spiritual" junk out there and go to a living fount of knowledge...Samael Aun Weor.

This is a good introduction to lucid dreaming/astral projection. The approach given is very similar to Tibetan dream yoga, which is somewhat different from western lucid dreaming. The latter puts a scientific spin on dream travel and consists of induction techniques and self-suggestion exercises. This book, however, presents lucid dreaming in a more spiritual way: as a means of exploring superior worlds in higher dimensions.

This books was created from Master Samael's lectures on the subject of awareness and dream yoga. The book, though short is packed with so much information. Information that you can start 'practicing' as soon as you finish the first chapter. I have been practicing the key SOL for some time now so after reading the first few chapters I put the information to good work and have been able to achieve astral experiences in the short time I have owned the book. The book is good for beginners but they might have to explore some of Samael's other writings and gnostic information in general to get the full 'knowledge' from the writing. Overall straight forward and a great read, also highly recommend the 'Yellow Book' by Weor to compliment the practice of Kundalini Yoga.

I ordered this book based on some good reviews and found it deeply disturbing. In order to articulate my point I will include quotes from the book with my comments in parenthesis:
p. 60 Neurosis is a terrible sickness of the soul .... And is a disgrace to homes (and that would be most people since most of us do have some degree of neurosis)
p. 90 in regards to snake symbolism - "we will be sexually attacked by a woman" (attacked? that must happen really often to men, scary thought for some perhaps but pleasant fantasy for others)
According to the gnostic master hypnotic trances are detrimental (I happen to find them very pleasant and useful)
p. 99 "intellectual beast, intellectual animals" (I guess those are the ones criticizing him)
p 100 "wandering degenerated infrasexual" who might suggest that the astral body can be built without the necessity of the sexual act (ridiculous without needing explanation, plus very unbecoming language for a spiritual "master")
"Those imbecile ignoramuses" (language, pleeease!)
P 100 "What is as abundant as evil weed in this Perverse, Corrupted and Doomed Aryan Civilization are the false hermaphrodites, meaning the homosexuals of Lilith, the gays" (I guess everyone has an opinion on homosexuality but Aur Weon's has a very destructive edge to it. He cerntainly does not subscribe to the live and let live attitude. It is sad that he feels that he needs to displace his anger on a group of people who are already marginalized and harassed as it is)
P 65 on strawberries: "if we are making strawberry jam, we will have failure in love" (I would interpret it more like preserving love but since a word with loving and loved people would be so much better in my view, please, just make a different kind of jam if you must in your dreams or set the intent of buying you jam in the store)
P60 "the readers of this book must not fall into errors by judging a person because of their dreams or because anything else" "must not slander people" (it seems to me that he could take his own advise)
P 53 "sacred sperm" "spermatic liquor" - don't loose it in sleep (OK, I find this a little grandiose and quite honestly a bit tacky. I also did not see a mention of sacred egg. If sperm was sacred, then quite naturally so should be the eggs released by the ovaries. However, stopping their release is not something that nature intended us to control in order to develop spiritually or else we should all go on birth control pills and ease our paths towards enlightenment. So perhaps it is not such a bad thing to dispose of some sperm and egg periodically, unless of course the treasures of the male gender are superior to the ones of the female gender)
P 38 "those people with subjective psyches........are ignorant of their own impotence, nothingness, shamelessness, misadventure, and psychological misery and nakedness" (whoever he is referring to, growth and spiritual development cannot be encouraged by berating and humiliating people. If anything it just crushes the spirit. But I don't think that is a concern for Samael Aun Weor)

I read this book and another book on the same subject from someone who claims to not only be a "V.M. (Venerable Master)) but also this author's student. There was no comparison between the two books. This book continues to leave me stunned and inspired, while also giving me plenty of things I need to work on. Everytime I read it (and I have read it many times now) I find something new, as if I never read it before. That is the true test of a classic, and this slim volume is definitely that. The book by the other supposed Gnostic? I threw it away.

This book is for those who want to learn to become awake in the internal worlds.
Follow the exercises and experience for yourself. It will take a lot of practice and patience, and is well worth your effort!

I bought this book a while ago and have read it thoroughly many times.

Master Samael Aun Weor writes about importance of awakening ones consciousness here and now in the physical plane, Malkuth.. a prerequisite in order to become awake and conscious in the internal worlds.

If we are asleep during the day, daydreaming or identifying with our thoughts, emotions, objects, people around us etc... then the same will occur during sleep.

We will be dreaming and identifying with the images in the dream just like we would in our everyday existence.

So in order to experience the internal worlds, the astral world one must start putting their consciousness into activity in every single moment. Observing our thoughts and actions whilst also observing the physical world that we experience through our five senses without becoming identified nor attached to any of this stimulus.

The Master Samael gives us general meanings to some common dreams that one may experience.

Contained in this book is a simple and short description of the inferior dimensions (Klipoth) where the subconscious, unconscious and infraconsciousness reside.

There is also a section on the specifics of the wrongly called (by many people) Astral body (Body of desires, or lunar double is the correct term) as the true astral body one has to develop through white tantra, sexual alchemy.

It is a short 101 page book, but the knowledge contained in these 101 pages are quite potent.

I highly recommend to anyone seriously interested in esoteric studies, personal development, spirituality and of course astral projection of the lunar double to add this book to your collection.