Philip K. Dick’s Communication with Valis and the Evolution of Humanity
Valis, Philip K. Dick, and the Evolution of Humanity
When Philip K. Dick went to the dentist in February 1974, the acclaimed science fiction author did not know that his view of reality was about to change. He was in a lot of pain with what turned out to be an impacted wisdom tooth, and was sedated with sodium pentothal while the dentist removed the tooth. The pain afterwards was fairly severe, so the dentist ordered a painkiller, Darvon, for delivery to his patient’s home later that day.
When the courier arrived, Dick answered the door and was suddenly taken aback by a pendant she was wearing. It was a fish ornament, which she explained Christians adopted as a symbol of their religion. He saw a “red and gold plasmic entity” coming from the pendant and, as he reported it, immediately experienced “crystal clear” vision and “sudden exposure to a vast amount of knowledge.”
This was not his first experience with visions and hearing voices. The voice he heard was the same voice he had heard years before while in college. He also began channeling an alien presence he called “Vast Active Living Intelligence System,” or “Valis” for short. The intense visions lasted for two months, leading him to refer to this period of his life as “2-3-74,” for February and March 1974. During the next eight years, he wrote thousands of pages about his visions and voices. His novels were more autobiographical than they were science fiction.
Dick died suddenly in 1982, shortly before the release of the movie “Blade Runner” based on Dick’s book, “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” Many of his other books are now movies, as well. He is now known as the “most influential writer of science fiction in the past half century.”
But, was it all science fiction? He received multiple communications from Valis, had dreams and visions about the future, and spent the rest of his life trying to understand why he gained such supreme knowledge. He claimed to have “total recall of the future.”
Philip K. Dick: The Pre-Valis Years
Philip Kindred Dick was born in December 1928 during the cold Chicago winter. He had a twin sister, Jane, who lived for only about eight weeks. She died mysteriously, some saying she had an allergy to her mother’s breast milk. Whatever happened, Dick went through his life always missing his sister and blaming his mother for her death. His father left the family when he was only 5 years old. Shortly after that, he and his mother moved to Berkeley, California, where he lived most of his life.
First published when he was just a teenager, his first short story marked the beginning of a prolific writing career. Although he successfully published a number of his stories, he was not such a success financially. He was always running out of money and seemed to live from advance to advance.
Dick’s life was not emotionally easy and he seemed troubled throughout his entire life: married five times with three children, thought to use drugs and experiment with LSD, and frequent visions of his own death. Despite drug use allegations, he was able to continue writing. By the time of his death, he had published more than 120 short stories and 44 novels.
As early as 1954, Dick wrote about precognition in his novel, “The World Jones Made.” Based on his own experiences, the main character in that book was a “precog” who could see one year into the future. His books often referenced precognition, and Dick believed he himself had this ability.
He also heard voices, or at least a voice. As a young man taking the physics portion of a college entrance exam, Dick found that he did not understand eight of the 10 questions. Suddenly, he heard the voice explain to him, in a completely understandable way, what he needed to know. As a result, he received a perfect score on the test.
He heard the same voice again years later, when it explained to him what was happening in a television documentary that he had had difficulty understanding. In 1974, the same voice returned when he had his life-changing vision in response to the fish-pendant worn by the pharmacy delivery girl and he began his regular communications with Valis.
Philip K. Dick: The Valis Years
Although Dick reported only sporadic communications with the voice until 1974, after that date, the communications became fairly frequent and routine. Valis gave him advice on improving his health, his appearance and his financial situation. Dick credited the voice with saving the life of his young son by describing the medical condition the boy suffered from and urging Dick to get the child immediately to a doctor. He convinced his wife of the need to take their seemingly healthy boy to the doctor where they discovered the child had the exact condition the voice described to Dick. Prompt surgery saved the boy’s life.
Dick believed the voice he heard was from God, or at least from some higher power. He wrote continuously about what he experienced. He ended up writing thousands of pages and hundreds of thousands of words in his attempt to make sense of it.
He intended his 1981 book “Valis” to be a trilogy. It was more of a biographical presentation of Dick’s visions and voices than it was a book that fit in the science fiction genre. As one reviewer put it, “He’s not looking for aliens; he’s looking for the meaning of life.” Due to his sudden death in 1982, at the age of 54, Dick never completed the trilogy.
The Death of Philip K. Dick
In February 1975, Dick wrote a letter to a friend telling her about a dream he had just had where he saw “a stark single horrifying scene, inert but not still; a man lay dead, on his face, in a living room between the coffee table and the couch.” He followed the letter with another one in May 1975 in which he said he was “scared.” He added, “What scares me most Claudia, is that I can often recall the future.”
Almost exactly seven years after the first letter, Philip K. Dick’s dead body was found face down in his living room, wedged between the coffee table and the couch. Without realizing it, he had accurately predicted the circumstances surrounding his own death. Some reports say he died of a stroke. Others claim it was congestive heart failure. Others regale in the mystery of why he died so young.
Philip K. Dick left behind, in addition to his short stories and novels, his influence on other sci-fi writers and pop culture, as well as many mind-bending films. Unfortunately, he did not live to see his work on the big screen. He died before the release of his first movie, “Blade Runner;” however he saw about 20 minutes of the finished product and seemed pleased that the filmmaker preserved Dick’s vision. Other movies based on his books that were made after his death include: “Minority Report,” “Total Recall,” “A Scanner Darkly” and several others.
He also left behind more than 8,000 pages about his experiences with Valis since his 1974 vision. The pages had narrow margins and were mostly single spaced with numerous handwritten journal entries. Dick referred to this body of work as his Exegesis. The papers were edited and published in 2011 as “The Exegesis of Philip K. Dick.”
Was Philip K. Dick more than just a legendary science fiction author? Check out Mysteries of the Solar System, part of Gaia’s Deep Space series, and watch the conversation between Open Mind’s host Regina Meredith and her guest, Anthony Peake, on Scanning the Future with Philip K. Dick.
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Don’t miss Deep Space on Gaia for more on the long and hidden history of Earth’s secret space program.
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Lucid Dreams: Can Dreaming Be a Spiritual Practice?
Lucid dreams are those in which people are aware that they are dreaming while still asleep. This ability not only facilitates the conscious manipulation of the dream but also serves as a valuable tool for personal and spiritual growth. In this article, we explore what lucid dreams are, how to induce them, and their potential for spiritual transformation.
Table of Contents
- What Are Lucid Dreams?
- 5 Techniques to Induce Lucid Dreams
- What Is the Purpose of Having Lucid Dreams?
- Lucid Nightmares: How to Manage and Transform Them
- Dreaming as a Spiritual Tool
What Are Lucid Dreams?
Lucid dreams are those in which the dreamer is aware that they are dreaming and can, in many cases, control the dream. This phenomenon can occur spontaneously or through the use of specific techniques that enhance lucidity. Lucid dreamers can interact with the dream environment, make conscious decisions, and explore their scenarios with full awareness.
This capacity of control and awareness in the dream has multiple applications, from problem-solving and practicing skills to exploring deeper aspects of the self. Lucid dreams also offer a path to confront and transform recurring nightmares, turning them into less disturbing and more enriching experiences. The practice of lucid dreaming can strengthen the connection between the conscious mind and the subconscious, facilitating greater self-understanding and personal growth.
In the third season of Mystery Teachings, available on Gaia, Theresa Bullard explores how dreams can serve as a spiritual tool. She provides methods and practices to increase lucidity and use sleep time as an opportunity for self-exploration and spiritual development.
5 Techniques to Induce Lucid Dreams
Inducing lucid dreams can be achieved by implementing habits and techniques that prepare the mind to recognize the dream state. This process involves a combination of daytime and nighttime practices that increase awareness and dream memory. It is essential to maintain a clear and consistent intention to experience lucid dreams, as repeating this intention reinforces the mind’s ability to detect the dream state.
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Keep a dream journal
Keeping a dream journal is a fundamental tool for inducing lucid dreams. By writing down your dreams every morning, you improve your dream memory and recognize recurring patterns. This habit strengthens your ability to remember dreams and increases the likelihood of identifying that you are dreaming. Additionally, regularly reviewing your dream journal helps you become familiar with the common themes and symbols in your dreams, making it easier to recognize these elements while you are dreaming.
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Perform reality checks
Reality checks involve performing small experiments during the day to verify if you are dreaming. For example, you can look at your hands and count your fingers, or try to push a finger through the palm of your other hand. If you are dreaming, these actions will produce unusual results. Practicing these reality checks habitually trains your mind to question the nature of reality, increasing the likelihood that you will do the same during a dream, which will allow you to achieve lucidity.
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Practice the MILD technique (Memorized Induction of Lucid Dreams)
The MILD technique involves repeating a phrase or affirmation before sleeping, such as “Tonight, I will realize that I am dreaming.” This method relies on intention and prospective memory to induce lucidity. By focusing on your desire to have a lucid dream as you fall asleep, you program your mind to remember this desire. This constant practice reinforces your ability to become aware in the dream and increase the frequency of your lucid dreams.
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Use the WBTB technique (Wake Back To Bed)
The WBTB technique involves waking up after about five or six hours of sleep, staying awake for 20–30 minutes, and then going back to sleep with the intention of having a lucid dream. This method takes advantage of the fact that REM dreams, where lucid dreams occur, are more frequent and longer in the second half of the night. Being awake briefly disrupts your sleep cycle, increasing your mental alertness as you fall back asleep, which facilitates lucidity.
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Meditate before sleeping
Meditating before sleeping is an effective practice for inducing lucid dreams. Meditation helps calm the mind and reduce stress, creating a mental state conducive to lucidity. Practicing mindfulness and concentration before sleeping improves your ability to maintain awareness while you sleep. Additionally, meditation can help you establish a clear intention to have a lucid dream, facilitating the conscious transition into the dream state.
What Is the Purpose of Having Lucid Dreams?
Having lucid dreams is not only a fascinating experience, but it also offers multiple practical and spiritual benefits. Lucid dreamers can use this state to explore and resolve personal problems, practice skills, and experience a deeper connection with their subconscious. Lucid dreams are a powerful tool for personal growth, enabling a profound exploration of the mind and spirit.
- Overcoming fears: Lucid dreams allow you to face and overcome phobias and anxieties in a safe and controlled environment. This can lead to a reduction of fear in everyday life.
- Problem solving: Using lucid dreams to explore creative solutions to problems can result in unique ideas. The subconscious mind can offer new and valuable perspectives.
- Skill practice: Athletes and musicians, among others, can practice and perfect skills within lucid dreams. This can improve performance in waking life through mental rehearsal.
- Self-knowledge: Lucid dreams facilitate introspection and self-awareness. By interacting with the subconscious, dreamers can discover desires and internal conflicts.
- Spiritual exploration: Lucid dreams can serve as a platform for spiritual and meditative experiences. Dreamers can explore spiritual dimensions and gain a deeper understanding of their inner selves.
Lucid Nightmares: How to Manage and Transform Them
Lucid nightmares are those in which the dreamer is aware of being in a dream but is trapped in a negative experience. The advantage of lucidity is that the dreamer has the capacity to transform the nightmare into a positive experience. To handle a lucid nightmare, it is crucial to first remember that the environment is not real and that the dreamer has control.
An effective technique is to confront and dialogue with the frightening elements of the nightmare. Asking them why they are there or what they want to communicate can deactivate their negativity. This not only transforms the nightmare, but it can also provide information about the fears and internal conflicts that generate it.
Another strategy is to deliberately change the dream environment. By remembering that you are in a dream, the dreamer can try to modify the scene, create protective objects, or fly away from danger. These actions reinforce the sense of control and can turn the experience into something enriching and empowering.
Dreaming as a Spiritual Tool
Dreaming can become a profound spiritual practice. Dreams, especially lucid dreams, allow access to levels of consciousness that are normally outside of our reach. This access can facilitate encounters with spiritual guides, the resolution of internal conflicts, and the integration of forgotten or repressed aspects of our personality.
Lucid dreams can also be a gateway to the exploration of other planes of existence and realities beyond the physical world. Many spiritual practitioners often use lucid dreams for astral travel, communicating with spiritual entities, and receiving teachings directly in the dream state. This exploration not only enriches spiritual life but also provides a greater understanding of life’s purpose and the universe.
Moreover, dreams can serve as a mirror of the individual’s internal state, reflecting both spiritual progress and the areas that need attention. Interpreting and working with dreams can be a powerful way of self-discovery and spiritual growth. Through the conscious practice of lucid dreaming, it is possible to access a deep inner wisdom and transform daily life with the teachings received during sleep.
