The Next Oneironauticum is Saturday, September 19

Posted on September 14, 2009 in All, Event Reports | 1 comment

The next Oneironauticum is Saturday, September 19. I’ll be conducting this Oneironauticum at the presentation/workshop I’m giving at the Symbiosis Gathering.

My talk, “Dream Work as Visionary Practice”, will address the visionary nature of dreaming and discuss how to cultivate experiences and practices based around dream. At the end of the workshop, participants will choose an oneirogen to work with that night. As always, dreamers are invited to participate remotely, joining our world-wide network of dreamers who go to sleep with the common intention of percolating vivid dreams by using the same oneirogen. To participate remotely, acquire one of the oneirogens and use it on the night of the 17th, or simply go to sleep with the intention to join us in our group dreaming experience. Anyone who participates, either in person or remotely, is welcome to post their dream experiences to this site.

For oneirogens, we’ll have a few options:

Mugwort: is a plant (sometimes called a weed) that contains thujone, the active ingredient in absinthe, and is known to promote powerful, visionary dreams and often also lucid dreaming. You can get dried mugwort at many health food stores that sell bulk herbs. We’ll be working with mugwort as a scent in dream pillows. To make a dream pillow, start with a sachet, or sew together two pieces of cloth to create a small pillowcase, or even use the end of a sock. If you want a stronger experience, you can add a couple drops of mugwort essential oil to your dream pillow mix, but this isn’t necessary. Stuff the herb into the pillow (you can use the cut off top of a small water bottle as a funnel) and place near your head at night.

Calea Zacatechichi: is an herb used by the Chontal natives indigenous to the Mexican state of Oaxaca for the purposes of oneiromancy, a form of divination based on dreams. In some Mesoamerican cultures, people believe that dreams happen in realms beyond those we consciously perceive and that the contents of dreams can convey meaningful messages or prophecy. The herb also induces lucid dreaming. Calea can be brewed into a very, very bitter tea by steeping two to three grams (a really heaping tablespoon) of dried and crushed leaves in a cup of simmering (not boiling) water for 15 minutes. The taste is nasty, but it’s effective. You can also make an extract by soaking the same proportion of dried leaves to liquid in vodka or some other alcohol for a few days, shaking frequently, then straining out the leaves. Finally, the dried calea can be smoked. We’ll use all three methods. Calea can be ordered online or purchased in some stores that sell herbs. We buy ours from the Botanical Preservation Corps.

Galantamine: or, in its organic form, red spider lily, is used to treat Alzheimer’s and other memory impairments. An alkaloid, Galantamine is believed to increase the concentration of acetylcholine—a neurotransmitter that plays a very active role in dreaming—in the brain. Used to promote lucid or vivid dreaming, Galantamine is taken five hours after you go to sleep, right when the longer periods of REM sleep begin. Set an alarm just before bed. Galantamine can be purchased at some supplement stores, or online.