Review: “Dreams of Light”

We review “Dreams of Light: The Profound Daytime Practice of Lucid Dreaming” by Andrew Holecek.

Andrea Miller31 August 2020

Dreams of Light: The Profound Daytime Practice of Lucid Dreaming

By Andrew Holecek
Sounds True 2020; 352 pp., $19.99 (paper)

In his 2016 book Dream Yoga, author Andrew Holocek, an expert in lucid dreaming and Tibetan dream yoga, provided instruction on nighttime practices. His latest book, Dreams of Light, focuses on daytime, or “illusory form,” practices—that is, insights, meditations, and actions, which help us understand the dreamlike nature of our lives. “Illusory form and dream yoga, the diurnal and nocturnal, support each other,” writes Holocek, “so working with both practices creates a kind of staircase between two states of consciousness that eventually lifts you into their fundamental unity.” Part one delves into the concept of emptiness; part two explores how to manifest “clear-light mind”; and part three looks at the science behind illusory form. As Holocek asserts, beginners and those who have struggled with lucid dreaming will find illusory form practice more immediately accessible; seasoned practitioners will encounter a welcomed complement to their existing practice.

Andrea Miller

Andrea Miller

Andrea Miller is the deputy editor of Lion’s Roar magazine. She’s the author of Awakening My Heart: Essays, Articles, and Interviews on the Buddhist Life, as well as the picture book The Day the Buddha Woke Up.