Grid Contemplation

(This is a preparatory exercise for increasing the frequency of Lucid Dreams.) You will need a blanket or fabric with a fine grid pattern – from 1 to 9 sq. cm. You should sit comfortably in a stable posture that you can maintain for a long time without discomfort (for example, leaning your back against a wall, spreading your legs, or crossing them in a lotus position, or sitting on your heels). Place the fabric or blanket with the square pattern in front of you. Cross your eyes to achieve an overlap, similar to magic pictures. The fabric's texture should acquire the quality of "a pattern behind glass." Maintain this quality for as long as you can. Try to increase the continuous duration of holding this quality, starting with one minute, then two, three, and so on. Notice the moments of switching between modes of vision – ordinary and unusual. Notice how fatigue hinders concentration. Notice how extraneous thoughts disrupt the process of unusual vision. The essence of this exercise lies in developing a new element of the first attention and in training the fixation of attention. If, over time, you become bored with this exercise, which will lead to an intensification of the internal dialogue, use another trick: try to notice or simulate waves on the surface of the pattern. Or create a bulge in the pattern on a specific area within your field of unusual vision.

Assignment for Dreamers

1. Continue to work with the grid pattern.
2. While fixing your "unusual gaze," note where the "switch" for vision modes is located.
3. Try to remember this location and the bodily sensations.