“What you seek is only a dream away” was the phrase I kept muttering to myself as I settled into my apartment that evening. Located on the Upper East Side, my one-bedroom place was small but well lit and well appointed, thanks to a talented decorator I ended up dating for a short while.

“A dream away …” I wondered if the message was indeed literal, that I'd perhaps learn something while I slept, maybe even that night. My next thought was how horrible it would be to learn the meaning of life but then wake up without any memory of it. That's when I remembered Larry's mention of lucid dreaming.

I grabbed my iPad and googled the term. Over three million results. Wikipedia said that “A lucid dream is a dream during which the dreamer is aware of dreaming. During lucid dreaming, the dreamer may be able to exert some degree of control over the dream characters, narrative, and environment.” Okay, I thought to myself, this might be the right path. Maybe this is what the beggar meant.

Trying to narrow down the results, I typed in “lucid dream workshops near me.” I much preferred experiential learning to most other methods, so attending a face-to-face workshop felt right. On page two of the search, I saw an advertisement for a workshop at a nearby center, but it was another one outside the city that caught my attention and spoke directly to me. “Learn how to wake up in your dreams” was obvious enough, and then after a few more bullets, “Learn how to find the answers you're looking for.” As soon as I read that, I got a strange but comforting chill, and I became aware of something within me that, without words, said, “This is it.” I ended my research and called Larry.

“Sorry. I know it's late, but you won't believe the description of a workshop I just found.” I could feel a level of excitement building. Since my experience earlier that day, I had felt very little of anything but confusion.

“Cool. When is it?” he asked, getting to the point.

“Uh … looks like next week. Tuesday night. Want to come with me?

“Let me check.” I heard a muffled conversation in the background as he consulted Ginette. “I can't, sorry. Paula has a recital that night.”

“No big deal. I'll still go. I'm a big boy.” I still had some pride left.

“Good!” he said. “I think it's a great step for you. Maybe you'll even meet your dream woman there.” This led to Larry's second belly laugh in only a couple of hours.

“Oh boy,” I said. “That's quite brilliant and equally as disturbing.” He laughed even louder. I heard Ginette's voice behind him whisper something, after which he said he had to go.

* * *

The next week flew by uneventfully. Each night, I willed myself to dream, and each morning, I tried to recall if I'd had a dream. I still couldn't remember having a single one.

At work, it felt like Damon had been avoiding me since the day of the “incident,” and I was still unmotivated to get anything done. Even though I was still very curious and somewhat excited about the dream workshop, I thought that it was still life as usual. “Still life.” I pondered the term and figured it was just about right. I dialed Karine's extension.

“Can you come into the office?” I asked. “Sure,” she said, unenthusiastically. A few moments later, she walked into my office wearing a tight skirt and low-cut blouse.

The “sexretary” was the nickname people around the office gave her, and the clothing she wore didn't help change that image. I felt badly about that nickname and knew it wasn't appropriate, but I never stood up to the other idiots in the office to defend her. I just didn't want the confrontation. Mostly, the people in the office just left me alone, which I preferred.

I felt that Karine and I had a unique and mutually beneficial relationship. Even though she didn't overtly show it, I believed that she genuinely liked me. And even though she had the reputation she did, she was always very professional and proper with me.

Karine earned more than the typical administrative assistant, but that's because she was as far from typical as possible. At some point, we had kind of switched roles. I started doing all the back-end work, and she would meet with clients and prospects instead of me. Over the years, the introvert in me grew to hate talking to people I didn't know, while she was really good at it. I really didn't know if she actually knew anything about what she was doing, but the clients seemed to like her, a lot, and I didn't ask why. Regardless of how she did it, I knew that Karine was the best salesperson in the entire company.

“Thanks, Karine. Listen, I know you are well aware of how important this account is for the company, and I want to make sure you are prepared. So, what can I do to help you with that?”

“I think I got it. It'll be good. You don't have to worry,” she said.

She always said the same exact thing. I counted on it, as I doubted I could help her, anyway. Karine never complained about anything. I assumed she enjoyed her job and was happy with the arrangement. To show my appreciation, I once bought her a pearl bracelet, and she wore it every day.

She left the office without any other conversation.

* * *

Tuesday evening finally arrived, and I left work early to get a bite to eat at Las Puertas before heading to the workshop. The waitress was friendly as usual, and unfortunately the place was empty as usual, as well. “Where are all the customers? The food is excellent here,” I asked.

She shrugged her shoulders and, in her slightly detectible accent, she said, “I don't know, compañero.” I didn't know, either. In fact, except for my expertise in the eating end of it, I knew nothing about the restaurant business. So, I just ordered my favorite dish, arroz blanco con habichuelas y pollo guisado, a mildly spicy combination of chicken, rice, and beans. I devoured it, paid the bill, and left for the workshop.

After a thirty-minute cab ride, I stood in front of an old stone building that had probably been used as a grammar school years ago and was now home of the Ann Marie Casman Center for Holistic Education. I walked into the lobby, checked in at the reception desk, and spent some time checking out the list of upcoming workshops before heading up the old and creaking stairwell to a fairly small classroom. The chairs were set up theater style, with four seats across and four rows back. I chose a seat in the third row, behind most of the half-dozen others there. In the front of the room, a thin man, dressed very professionally and probably in his late sixties, was attempting to get a projector to work.

The presenter, who introduced himself as Tom Reynolds, began. “Welcome,” he said. “Today we're going to explore the world of lucid dreaming. I just love this topic, and think you'll find it quite eye-opening, until you go to bed that is, in which case keeping your eyes open will definitely get in the way of the process,” he snickered. Other than a couple of grins, the participants were silent. He continued with a warm and engaging smile. “Sorry about that, couldn't help myself. So, before we get going, I'd like all of you to briefly introduce yourselves and tell us the one thing you hope to gain from tonight's workshop.”

I only half-listened to most of the answers, thinking about what I'd say when it was my turn. What could I say, anyway? That I'm here because a beggar told me that what I am seeking is but a dream away? Or that I'm questioning my sense of reality? Nah. I just said, “My name is Scott, and I just want to know more about lucid dreaming.” Clearly not very original or deep, but at least no one thought I was crazy. Well, except me, perhaps.

The guy sitting next to me, Alex, was the last to go. Without any hesitation on his part, he announced that he wanted to learn to have sex in his dreams. Really? I thought. And I was worried about seeming crazy? As I pondered what he said, however, I considered that, since I hadn't even been out on a date in a while, the notion of having sex in my dreams didn't really sound like such a crazy idea.

“Thank you all for sharing,” Tom said. “Let's start with a guided meditation.” He turned off most of the lights and invited us to close our eyes and to get comfortable. I wasn't entirely sure how comfortable I'd be with my eyes closed and Alex in close proximity, so I kept one eye slightly open, mostly just curiously, to see what he would do.

I heard a noise and turned toward it. My one half-open eye focused on a new workshop attendee who had just walked into the room. I opened both eyes enough to get a clearer view. He was wearing light gray pants, a dark gray sweatshirt, and a black baseball cap that covered his eyes with its brim. He was holding what seemed to be a book in his right hand.

He walked right past me, and when he did, I felt a different kind of chill than the pleasant one I'd felt when I'd read about the workshop. This one was like a deep shiver, almost painful, causing the hairs on my arms to stand up. He sat directly behind me where I couldn't see him at all. I was seriously frightened and couldn't wait until we were done with the meditation so the lights would again brighten the room.

Finally, we all opened our eyes, and the lights came back up. Tom told us to stand up and stretch a bit, and I did so, trying to look casual as I glanced at all the others in the room. When I looked the stranger's way, he was still seated with his head down.

I looked forward as Tom began speaking. “The purpose of this workshop is to learn about lucid dreaming; to develop the ability to ‘wake up’ or become conscious in your dreams and know you are dreaming.”

I thought it weird that Tom didn't address the new attendee. I wondered if he even noticed him. Just then I heard the door in the back of the room close and turned to see that the stranger was no longer in his seat. Wrong workshop, I gathered. No one else was distracted by this, so I took a few deep breaths and then refocused on Tom.

He began to share some general but interesting information about various aspects of lucid dreaming. “There are three common types of lucid dreams. The first is for fun and adventure. In this dream you can fly, go through walls, live out your sexual fantasies safely …” I looked over toward Alex who was taking copious notes. “… or do anything else you desire.”

“The second type of lucid dream is for interpretation. Simply allow whatever is happening to continue to happen. Do not alter the dream, which, by the way, can be done with a simple snap of the fingers or clap of the hands. Just make every effort to be an observer, trying only to grasp the meaning in the dream's message.

“The third type of lucid dream is for receiving information. You can ask questions of any person in your dream.” Now I was the one taking copious notes. Tom continued, “Because you're not distracted by your physical senses, this state of mind allows you access to the part of you that knows the answers to all questions. I call this my Higher Coach.”

This guy is pretty cool, I thought.

“There are many ways to have lucid dreams, and these days there are pills and tools and many more techniques than when I first started lucid dreaming about forty years ago. I tried a few of the newer ideas but found that the basics worked best for me. Get ready to take some important notes,” he prepared the class, though everyone was already writing at that point.

“Throughout your day, think about lucid dreaming and the type of lucid dream you want to have. Repeat to yourself, as often as you can, ‘Tonight I will have a lucid dream.’ It may help to put a rubber band around your wrist as a visual reminder to repeat the saying. You may also try meditating on the center of your forehead where the sixth chakra, or third eye, is located. Tibetan tradition says this enhances the process of lucid dreaming. If after the first few nights you haven't had a lucid dream, set an alarm to wake up two hours earlier than normal, meditate, repeat the saying, and go back to sleep. You are then more likely to have a lucid dream.

“I highly recommend keeping a dream journal. As soon as you wake up, write down whatever insights you got from your dream and as much as you can remember. Also, in case you were wondering, everyone remembers lucid dreams, so if you've had trouble remembering your dreams, once you get good at this, that shouldn't be an issue.” I nodded in appreciation of that comment.

Tom talked for a while more, mostly to share some history on the subject and then said, “I'll stop to see what questions you have.”

Alex quickly shot his hand up. “Yes, Alex?” Tom inquired. I heard someone gasp.

“Yeah … how do I know what I'm experiencing is a dream?” Alex asked. I breathed a sigh of relief and was sure I heard a few other tension-reducing exhales as well.

“There are many signs in the dream world that will let you know you're dreaming. In your dreams, things tend to be distorted. A clock or watch may be moving backward or not working at all, or it may be blurry or have strange numbers on it. A car may be flying. Your hair might be a different color or style.

“I like to test myself while I'm awake—for example, I might try to lift a really heavy piece of furniture with one finger—which doesn't work when I'm awake but could in a dream. You can come up with your own tests and practice them while you're awake so you'll know the difference when you apply them in your dreams. I ultimately found that just looking at my watch was all I needed. If it worked right, I was awake. If not, I was dreaming. I found that works for most others, too.

“Another key to knowing if you're dreaming is to simply ask yourself ‘Am I dreaming?’ If you keep asking it during the day, you will find that you'll start asking it in your dreams, at which time you will be able to apply your test and know if you are having a lucid dream.”

Another participant, Rachel, raised her hand, asking “How do we keep the lucid dream going? I've had a few of them, and every time I realize I'm dreaming, I just wake right up.”

Tom patiently responded. “I always just spin around in my dream a couple of times, and that has kept me sleeping and lucid. Other people find that rubbing their hands together in the dream accomplishes the same thing. Other questions?” No hands went up.

“Let me say one more thing that I've noticed. When I feel any tension or stress in the dream, I usually wake right up or just lose dream awareness until I do actually wake up in the morning, so if you find yourself in a dream, try not to create situations that cause you stress.”

I wrote that down but didn't think it was very important at the time. Tom wrapped up with some stories from his personal experiences, and there was some lively conversation, but I didn't participate in it or pay much attention. My mind was wandering and I was looking forward to getting to bed.