Join dream researcher Ryan Hurd in a deep exploration of the Talisman principle, the importance of ritual practice around dreams, and the magic of liminal objects. Where do these objects come from, how do you activate them, and how do you use them for nocturnal and diurnal lucidity? Ryan shares the scope, depth, and applicability of the Talisman, which includes their use for conducting state checks, how they “incept” into dreams, how they act as apotropaic amulets that protect us from fear, and how they focus and “reify” intention. The protection principle, at multiple levels, is then discussed, along with advice for how to care of the Talisman: when to put it away to avoid “cognitive domestication,” and desacralization. How does the Talisman challenge the dominance of materialism, and stretch the mind into more open dimensions? How do these objects actually work, and where does belief come into play? Are the forces invoked internal, external, or both?

The Talisman is a bridge between multiple worlds, multiple states of mind, and a powerful induction method that works at many levels. It’s also an alchemical, tantric, shamanic, and transitional object, that bridges East and West, North and South, ancient and modern. Ryan shares practical tips for how to achieve lucidity altogether, and how right effort has to be balanced with relaxation to avoid lucid burnout. Where does karma fit into all this, and how about developmental levels? The Talisman, being a multivalent object itself, opens us to multivalent dimensions of mind and reality, and a vast variety of topics that circumambulate this ancient ritual object. This is a podcast that connects wonderfully with Andrew’s recent podcast with Sean Esbjörn-Hargens.

Ryan Hurd on the Importance of Ritual Practice Around Dreams and the Magic of Liminal Objects

This interview with noted researcher, author, and veteran lucid dreamer Ryan Hurd covers a wide range of fascinating material. Part One discusses the “archeology of consciousness,” and what Ryan refers to as the Paleolithic Mind. We talk about polyphasic cultures that honor dreams, and the limitations of our monophasic view that colonizes and dismisses states of consciousness it can’t fully experience. The conversation then turns to some of the shadow sides of lucid dreaming, Ryan’s expertise with lucid nightmares, and how to work with fear – seeing it as a good sign. “We have to go to the underworld to enter the upper-world.” We talk about sexuality and dreams, using the “safe sex” of lucid dreams to transform the heat of passion into the warmth of compassion, and how to work with this connecting energy in what Buddhists call “the realm of desire.” Ryan’s intelligence, scholarship, and passion for lucid dreaming is clearly evident in this rich romp.

Interview | Ryan Hurd [1 of 2]

Join Andrew and David Jay Brown for a delightful romp through a host of topics that surround lucid dreaming and altered states of consciousness. David writes a great deal about non-ordinary states, so the conversation begins with a look at whether waking consciousness is the altered state, and the unconventional idea that traditional altered states actually point out aspects of the natural state. David then shares his “go-to” induction methods, and a battery of practical tips about having lucid dreams. The conversation transitions into his area of expertise, which is supplemental agents for initiating lucidity (like Mexican and African dream herbs, velvet bean, mugwort, vitamin B-6, galantamine), and tips for how to use these available substances. The dialogue shifts into a discussion of psychedelics, and their extraordinary potential. Emphasis is placed on how to bring these mind-altering experiences onto the path. What’s the best thing to do before and after a trip? What is the promise and peril of these agents? What’s the safest way to use them? David then shares some of his most transformative lucid dream experiences, and closes with how to use lucid dreams for healing (including surrogate healing). David’s work around lucid dreaming is among the most radical, innovative, controversial, provocative, researched, and mind-expanding approaches I’ve seen. No stone is left unturned.

Because David was unable to do this recording with our usual platform, the audio is a bit compromised. We apologize for this, but had no other options. After a technical hiccup about seven minutes in, the conversation proceeds without interruption.
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ABOUT - DAVID JAY BROWN
David Jay Brown is the author of Dreaming Wide Awake: Lucid Dreaming, Shamanic Healing and Psychedelics, and The New Science of Psychedelics: At the Nexus of Culture, Consciousness, and Spirituality. He is also the coauthor of five other bestselling volumes of interviews with leading-edge thinkers, Mavericks of the Mind, Voices from the Edge, Conversations on the Edge of the Apocalypse, Mavericks of Medicine, Frontiers of Psychedelic Consciousness, and of Women of Visionary Art. Additionally, Brown is the author of two science fiction novels, Brainchild and Virus, and he is the coauthor of the health science book Detox with Oral Chelation. Brown holds a master’s degree in psychobiology from New York University, and was responsible for the California-based research in two of British biologist Rupert Sheldrake’s books on unexplained phenomena in science: Dogs That Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home and The Sense of Being Stared At. His work has appeared in numerous magazines, including Wired, Discover, and Scientific American, and he was the Senior Editor of the special edition, themed MAPS (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies) Bulletins from 2007 to 2012. In 2011, 2012, and 2013 Brown was voted “Best Writer” in the annual Good Times and Santa Cruz Weekly’s “Best of Santa Cruz” polls, and his news stories have been picked up by The Huffington Post and CBS News. To find out more about his work see: www.davidjaybrown.com

Interview | David Jay Brown

“Night Club” is a groundbreaking venture for exploring how mind creates reality through the study of meditation, lucid dreaming, and the bardos. Its mission is to establish and nurture an international community of students and teachers who have an interest in Lucid Dreaming and other extraordinary nocturnal practices. The nighttime meditations are solitary by nature, and the nocturnal path is subtle and strewn with obstacles. Ongoing encouragement, advice, and guidance are critical to success. Join as a free or premium member, you will receive continuous offerings that are not found anywhere else.

Ryan Hurd on the Importance of Ritual Practice Around Dreams and the Magic of Liminal Objects

Night Club Podcast

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