This article is part of the series Mastering the Art of Lucid Dreaming. If this is your first visit to the site, I recommend starting at the beginning of the series.
Through the many techniques described in this series, you have already discovered you have the ability to create objects and even create entire scenes within your dreams. It is also possible to create people within your dreams. With this technique, you'll develop the skill to create entirely new characters to act independently or to act jointly with you. You can create not only characters to accompany you on playful adventures but also characters to act as your teachers or instructors.
Your unconscious mind is a tremendous resource filled with valuable information. Much of that information can be of great use when practicing a task or learning a new skill. By creating a dream character to act as your teacher, you provide your unconscious mind with the perfect outlet to convey information to your conscious mind.
A musician may wish to take lessons from a famous classical composer. An athlete might want training from a world champion or Olympic medalist. A writer may hope to gain inspiration from a bestselling author. A scientist may wish to study with a renowned Nobel prize winning physicist. A martial artist may desire instruction from a master in a martial art. As you can see, the potential uses for this technique are endless.
If you select a person from history as your instructor, the teacher you meet in your dreams obviously will be a creation of your own unconscious mind and not the person himself, but your unconscious mind will fill in the blanks to provide you with the lessons you need most. You won't be getting the real Albert Einstein or Mozart or Jane Austen, but your mind will get as close as it possibly can on its own.
It may help to create a fictional teacher instead of trying to create a specific historic personage. In your dreams you have the opportunity to create your own ideal teacher, one who embodies all the qualities you desire in an instructor. You can create a teacher who is an amalgam of several different historic masters in your field. Select the best qualities and personality traits from many different masters and merge those qualities and traits to create a single teacher.
To create your ideal teacher, first consider the skills and abilities the teacher must possess in order to provide you with the best possible training. Also consider your own personal learning style. Do you learn best through visual demonstrations, audible instruction, hands-on participation, or a combination of all three learning styles? Do you feel more comfortable with a teacher who instructs through firm guidance and gentle, supportive coaching, or a teacher with a tougher and more demanding approach?
Spend a little time creating a mental image of your ideal teacher. Is your teacher male or female? What does he look like? Is she old or young? How is he dressed? What does his or her voice sound like? Your unconscious mind will fill in many of these details for you, and may even send you a teacher who appears nothing like you originally imagined, but you'll greatly encourage the process by providing your mind with this mental image to use as a template.
Before bedtime, take a few minutes to vividly imagine a scene of yourself in the appropriate setting, studying or practicing your desired skill with your ideal teacher. Imagine your surroundings. Are you in a studio? In a lab or classroom? On a sports field? Fix this image in your mind and take the appropriate steps to incubate a dream of that event. Imagine your teacher standing before you, providing you with thorough instruction and guidance, pointing out all the details you need to know. During this dream incubation process, be sure to incorporate a conscious dreaming technique to ensure you become lucid in your dream, and then go to sleep with the intent and expectation to meet your teacher tonight in your dreams.
When you arrive at the dream scene, look around for your teacher. If all goes well, he or she will be there waiting for you. If your teacher is not already there, wander around a little bit and explore. You may find your teacher somewhere in the dream scene, or he/she may find you. Pay special attention to paths and doorways that branch off from your current dream setting. If you come across one, follow the path or open the door. They frequently lead directly to your teacher.
As you're exploring the dream environment, use some of the techniques to make sure you remain lucid. If you don't use any of those techniques, there is a good chance you'll get caught up in other dream events and lose your lucidity.
