Lucid Dreaming for Beginners: Simple Techniques for Creating Interactive Dreams (For Beginners (Llewellyn's)) (Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: lucid dreaming goals, next lucid dream, dream cues, Peter Tripp, Stage Two, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

In a lucid dream, you're aware that you're dreaming ... so you can transform your dreams into fabulous adventures where you possess the ability to experience anything you wish—from flying to traveling through time to visiting loved ones in spirit. It's easy when you follow the techniques in this book.

Popular author Mark McElroy presents a simple and effective 90-day plan for achieving lucid dreams. Along with step-by-step instructions and practical tips, Mark shares entertaining and enlightening stories from other lucid dreamers. Once you've mastered self-awareness while sleeping, you can use lucid dreaming to:

Live your fantasies
Heal yourself
Discover past lives
Consult dream guides
Enhance your spirituality
Solve real-life problems
Explore alternate realities

About the Author

After purchasing his first Tarot deck in 1973, Mark McElroy began terrorizing other neighborhood nine-year-olds with dire and dramatic predictions.Today, he calls Tarot "the ultimate visual brainstorming tool," and shares techniques designed to help others ask better questions, see more options, and achieve their goals.

He is the author of Putting the Tarot to Work, Taking the Tarot to Heart, What's in the Cards for You?, and the new I Ching for Beginners (all Llewellyn). He is also the author of The Absolute Beginner's Guide to Tarot (Que).

Mark holds a B.A. and M.A. in creative writing and composition from the Center for Writers at the University of Southern Mississippi. He has more than two decades of experience as a public speaker and corporate trainer. He has written, produced, and hosted classroom, video, and online training for some of America's biggest companies, including SkyTel, MCI, Office Depot, Staples, and many others.

Mark lives and writes in Mississippi, where he shares a home with his partner, Clyde, and two cats, Tiger and Lilly.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Llewellyn Publications (July 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738708879
• ISBN-13: 978-0738708874
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #412,838 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Exactly... For ABSOLUTELY beginner..., March 15, 2008

By	Luis Miguel (Portugal) - See all my reviews

As the book title says, "for Beginners" but not for all of them, unfortunately...

This is a book that talks more about the attitude of practicing lucid dream (among many other things that have little of nothing to do with lucid dreams) and less about the actual practicing... What I'm saying is that, for example, the author dedicates a whole lot of pages to the dream diary. Good, isn't it? It would be if he talked more about how to use it instead of talking about the cover and if it has a nice color or has a collage with your favorite pictures or symbols... And how about pens and pencils? What's best? And pens with little incorporated light gadgets so that you don't have to turn on the room light to write your dreams? Is it really necessary to talk about this? I mean, the book is for "lucid dream" beginners, not "surviving the every day annoyances" beginners...

But the thing that upset me most was the constant inclusion of tarot cards references. What's with that? In one chapter the author actually describes some tarot cards that have to do with the moon and with dreams. He also references different card decks that, I guess, tarot enthusiasts use and the differences between them. I didn't bought the book to read about tarot...

Techniques for Beginners? I couldn't find any solid technique that I could follow to begin the quest into lucid dreams... I'm not actually a beginner, I've been practicing for a few months before even buying the book but not with a regular schedule. I bought this book precisely to try and find a schedule to practice. Waste of reading time...

The thing that I enjoyed about this book was actually the one I thought I would skip pass it. The dream interpretation. There are actually three techniques about that described in the book that are very nice to try.

(I know it's kind of bad to mention one book in a review of another but since I bought these two together I have to do it...)

I bought Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming by Stephen LaBerge at the same time I bought Lucid Dreaming for Beginners. EWLD has a much more scientific approach to lucid dreaming with actual techniques, studies and experiences that in fact are completely related to lucid dreaming.

If your more into the science, practical use and practice of lucid dreaming I would advise you to go for EWLD by LaBerge. It covers all the aspects from "What is lucid dreaming" to very good techniques to scientific studies about it and gives you the knowledge to understand how the brain works which in turn can help you increase the success in lucid dreaming.

If you really are the ABSOLUTE beginner I would advise you to read stuff from the Internet before buying this book. Besides the things I mentioned above it doesn't add any valuable information to the one you can collect by yourself in forums, sites and blogs.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very informative, April 29, 2008

By	Broadspectrum (Lexington Park, Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews

I felt that Lucid Dreaming for Beginners was a very helpful book that opened up my dreamtime to all kinds of new possibilities. I have been documenting my dreams for many years because I thought they had some meaning, but I didn't know how to analyze them in a way that would help me when I am conscious. I learned to break down my dreams and use associations from real life to figure out what is bothering me or what I need to change in my life. I have to admit there are times when I don't know what is bothering me on a conscious level and analyzing my dreams helps me bring things to the surface.
Another positive thing about this book is that it helped me to get past concerns I had about lucid dreaming. I used to feel that dreams were important for learning and processing information and you shouldn't interfere with that process. I was glad to hear that most people will not lucid dream unless they want to and their subconscious allows it. In other words your body/mind will tell you when you should rest or when you can lucid dream.
The suggestions on how to start lucid dreaming are helpful too. I just made some minor adjustments in my daily routine and was able to lucid dream very quickly. I chose to do the impossible things first like flying, breathing underwater and magic and it was thrilling. I am still working on resetting the dream and using it for rehearsal, but I am sure that with Mark McElroy suggestions I am well on my way to lucid dreaming on a regular basis. I look forward to opening up endless possibilities through lucid dreaming.

5.0 out of 5 stars Extremely readable and lots of great ideas, October 15, 2009

By	vobsister - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

Disclaimer: This book has 262 pages and I am on page 166. I am a new lucid dreamer--just a few under my belt to date--and accordingly have read several books on this subject in recent weeks. I saw this one recommended at the Dream Views website, so I ordered it from Amazon and have been pleasantly rewarded. First of all, McElroy's tone is warm, clear, and highly readable. I pretty much couldn't put it down once I started reading it; today I have it with me at work so I can read between other tasks. It is also full of helpful, specific suggestions, many of which I know I will adopt. I'm planning now to finish the whole book (probably later today) and then go back and reread a couple of chapters to decide which of McElroy's many suggestions to incorporate first. So far, I have seen two references to tarot, one brief and one extremely brief, no more. It is inaccurate and unfair to say this book mentions tarot many times; it does not. I almost let that review scare me off; I'm glad I didn't. That same reviewer doesn't feel this book explains how to learn lucid dreaming. I believe it does. In fact, it has the exact same advice on lucid dream induction you'll see in any book, article, or website, only fleshed out with many details, and presented in an enthusiastic, sensible, upbeat manner. I recommend this book.