Dreaming is traveling. In our dream bodies we get out there, leaving the physical body behind. This goes on every night whether we intend it or not. Lucid dreamers, intentional astral travelers and shamanic journeyers embark on these excursions consciously.

My recent post about Ruby Modesto’s 13 levels of shamanic dreaming and her difficulty – in the first big journey – in getting back to the physical body has inspired a torrent of questions about the possible risks involved in soul travel during dreaming.

I am going to offer just a few notes here:

(1) There are bad neighborhoods in the dream worlds, as in physical life, and if you find yourself going to some of those places – maybe drawn by your appetites and cravings – you had better learn how to handle yourself.

(2) You don’t want to leave your body unprotected while you go off on your travels, any more than you would want to leave your front door wide open while you went on vacation, or even just round the corner to the grocery store.

(3) You have allies and protectors available, but you need to know how to strengthen your connection and remember to call on them when there is a need. If you are on a shamanic path (and deep dreamers are, whether they know it or not) you’ll find that the animal helpers – often called “power animals” – are impeccable guides and protectors, as long as you remember to feed and nourish them in your energy body.

(4) You are unlikely to get lost in coming back from the far corners of the dream worlds if you remember, how ever far you have gone (a) to focus with clear intention on your desire to return to your present physical body and (b) if you carry with you, at all times and in all realities, a clear sense of one thing that really makes you want to be in that body. The one thing may be sex or chocolate or your family or your commitment to fulfill your sacred contract in this lifetime. Whatever it is (in my workshops, chocolate is often at the top of the list) you need to have it clear.

I am now going to paste in an excerpt from my book Dreamgates on “airport security”  for dream travelers. At the risk of sounding like an author, I’ll say it: Dreamgates is essential reading for frequent fliers.

ON AIRPORT SECURITY

Before you embark on a soul journey, you need to ensure that you are protected psychically as well as physically. This involves establishing a psychic boundary. A simple way to do this is to walk the perimeters of your space, and perhaps the whole property. Start facing the east and walk in a sunwise (i.e., clockwise) circle until you return to your starting point. As you walk, see yourself creating a wall of Light around your space. This wall of Light will be a welcoming beacon to those who come to you in love, but will repel and shield you against any unclean or hostile thoughts or presences. After you return to the east, move in an inward spiral until you reach the center of the circle. Now see the circle becoming a sphere of Light that extends beneath you and above you, shielding you on all sides.

When you invest the full source of your will and intention in this mental shielding, it is highly effective. You may see yourself tracing the circle with a sword of fire. You may choose to invoke guardian presences to watch over the four quarters and the above and below. If you are working with power animals — and you will before long, if you take the shamanic path — you may call them to stand guard over your space. You may call on angelic figures to watch over you. Raphael is traditionally associated with the east, the direction of air; Michael with the south (fire); Gabriel with the west (water); and Uriel with the north (earth).

You should use only the names and the images in which you truly believe. These must come from the heart. It is quite sufficient to invoke the saving power of Love and Light.

Once you have set up your shields around a particular space, you will not have to renew them every time you journey. They should remain effective for a considerable time unless you invite people and presences that create confusion in your field — in which case, you will need to cleanse your space thoroughly and raise the shields again. But it is always advisable to call in spiritual protectors to watch over you and your body when you are preparing to embark on dream travel.

“Airport security” is adapted from Dreamgates: Exploring the Worlds of Soul, Imagination and Life Beyond Death by Robert Moss. Published by New World Library.