Lucid Dreaming with Mugwort

Mugwort is one of the main plants that I work with in my spiritual practice for a variety of reasons. I used to run the UKs largest event about lucid dreaming and out of body experiences, I discovered that my biggest ally in lucid dreaming was the wonderful plant, Artemisia Vulgaris, commonly known as Mugwort or Cronewort.

Mugwort is most famously known as the dreaming herb for it’s capacity to help us remember them, help us have more vivid ones and to get lucid within them.

The potential for healing and transformation contained within the dream is vast and thanks to Mugwort’s active ingredient (thujone), she is a strong ally in helping us access that potential.

Lucid dreaming is the state of being consciously aware that you are dreaming while you are in the dream itself. There are many great books (see below for recommendations) on the subject so I do not need to go into the whys and hows here, it is enough to understand that when you are lucid within the dream you are accessing a deep level of your consciousness that is usually not accessible, unless you are an adept meditator or work with entheogens.
This is the realm where our memories and suppressed emotions live and where our shadow side resides. You can see that actually being conscious in this space and learning to navigate it will not only help understand all those shadow elements that Dr Jung stated need reintegrating for us to become whole again, but will profoundly change your perspective on life and bring your thought processes more in alignment with reality rather than being highly conditioned by biased perspectives and experiences. This is why Mugwort is the perfect ally for us here, her principle vibration is of re-alignment.

Not only does Mugwort bring harmony and clarity into situations in our waking state that need re-balancing but she brings us into the present, centering us and bringing us focus. These are the essential ingredients for lucid dreaming, if we are not present in our waking state, then we will not be present in the dream either. It is therefore advised to take a holistic approach when working with Mugwort and consume it during the day aswell as at night.

For those fortunate souls who already lucid dream then Mugwort will help you become more consistent, but for the lucidly-challenged section of society then this plant will boost your dream memory capacity and make them more vivid. If you are learning to lucid dream this is an excellent ally! And so to maximise Mugwort’s potentiality in the dream state I employ a three-fold approach. Firstly, it is essential to build up a strong connection and relationship with the plant. Drinking Mugwort tea and taking an essence every day is ideal for building up that connection. And consistency, not quantity of the plant, is the key here.

Secondly, I employ a good lucid dream technique (again, many techniques are contained in any good lucid dream book) I use the Wake Back To Bed method. This involves setting your alarm for 4am, affirmations as you fall asleep, getting up at 4am for 10-15 mins, then going back to sleep with the intention of becoming lucid. I slip in extra essence drops here before I fall back to sleep to allow the vibration of Mugwort to be fully present as I drop off.

This is where the magic happens. That presence of mind that we have cultivated in the waking state is held in the vibration of mugwort and transferred to the dream state. The level of your lucidity will differ from dream to dream but Mugwort helps to increase it and make the experience more visceral. From here we can journey wherever we wish (it's always good to have a plan!) and confront whatever shadow aspect arises from your subconscious. This is the imaginal realm and one that we have long forgotten exists as a reality within our being.

Thirdly, don’t forget to write your dream down as soon as you wake up. This is an important part of any dream work for many reasons that will become apparent as you progress, but for now it is enough to know that it helps you remember more dreams and allows you to analyse the ones you have had.

This three-step approach to dream work, integrating Mugwort as your ally, will set you on the path to deep transformation and healing.

Recommended ''How To'' Lucid Dreaming Books:

• Lucid Dreaming Plain & Simple, Robert Waggoner & Caroline McCready
• Lucid Dreaming, Gateway To The Inner Self, Robert Waggoner
• Dreams of Awakening, Charlie Morley