In previous articles of this series, I simplistically outlined how awareness functions within the capacity of two distinctly different and necessary areas of the mind. The balance between the influences of the waking mind and the sleep or dream state of mind can drastically affect how we develop and utilize our faculties for dealing with perceptions of the world around us. Everyone uses both areas of awareness in varying degrees, but it is highly advantageous to exercise methods that open a steady two-way information exchange between these areas of the mind.

Like any other form of exercise, one can choose methods that keep both areas of awareness in tune and communicating, or they can simply neglect to do anything and settle for the results that develop from the kind of mental exercise life demands the most effort to maintain. Exercising complete awareness is like establishing a dialog between two completely different kinds of people. The waking mind is all business; logical, methodical, sensory oriented, and completely devoted to the premise that "Seeing is believing," on all levels. The world of the waking mind is orderly, definable, and under the control of proven laws and statutes that command what actions should be taken under any circumstances. Depending on how much command this area of our mind is given, it will resist processing input from emotions, creativity, and new ideas in favor of executing repetitive proven actions to solve problems. The conscious mind is the disciplined soldier of the soul, giving and receiving orders according to established rules. It is the supreme commander of reality, ready to spring into action.

The sleeping or dream state of mind is completely free of limitations, ignoring the rules, but making up its own worlds based on what it knows about reality. Purely creative, sensitive, caring, and emotional, it has no fear of making mistakes, has little judgment, and a short attention span in dealing with troubles. This area of the awareness works on concepts and intuition, while defying logic and operating with what might be perceived as unpredictable random or chaotic impulse.

Though both these areas of mind are rolled into a single package, one is literal and one is symbolic and abstract, making a dialog seemingly difficult to establish with clarity. Using the methods and techniques that follow, it is possible to establish a real connection between these distinctly different elements of our internal entity, and come away with an exchange of information that utilizes the best aspects of both sets of qualities. These exercises will require varying degrees of effort and persistence to accomplish, but the rewards and personal insights are worth the effort.

Each night at bed time, take a few moments to relax while lying down preparing for sleep. Before you feel yourself becoming drowsy, take some time to step through some of the issues of highest priority from your waking day. Keep the concepts simple and limited to a short list of things you intend to work on while sleeping. Phrase your thoughts as if you are giving your mind a clear directive to follow. You might think about things like finding out why you having problems at work, or how to come up with an idea for a new project on your job. Do not try to establish a complete meeting agenda, just say to yourself, "I'm going to work on ___ tonight, and I want to remember what I dream about this," filling in the blank with the topic of your desire. Use the same level of concentration you use when you are setting your internal clock to wake up at a specific time the next morning. After completing the exercise, stop concentrating and allow yourself to naturally fall asleep. The next day, take some time to write down the dreams you remember right away before the thoughts leave your mind. It is important not to neglect this step. Describe your dreams as if you are telling someone a story about them, and be as detailed as possible in your description. If you do not normally remember any dreams, keep up with the exercise prior to falling asleep until you begin to remember something about what you dreamed while asleep. No matter how "crazy" the dream seems as you write it down; be as correct as you can about the details of the dreams you experienced. Before long, you may be surprised to find some completely different ideas flowing through your mind as your conscious thoughts begin to put an interpretation on the symbols and concepts expressed in the projection of your abstract dreams. Your conscious mind will naturally begin to translate these abstractions into meaningful information related to the subject of your sleep agenda, and you will find yourself gaining insights that seem to come as if by magic. By following these instructions explicitly, you will be establishing a functional two-way channel of communication within your complete awareness and perceptions.