Book excerpt: How and why we dream is one of life's deepest mysteries. Most of us have little awareness of our dreams and find them extremely difficult to recall. But people who can remain aware while dreaming have a tremendous advantage over those who can not. Dreaming lucidly enables us to explore hidden layers of consciousness and discover answers to many problems in our waking life. Lucid Dreaming is a practical handbook designed to show you how to create the world you want. The book covers: managing your dreams; keeping a dream journal; understanding and using symbolism and archetypes; dealing with illness or personal difficulty through precognitive dreams; and using dreams to change your day to day reality and create a positive, rewarding future.