By KEN KORCZAK
Many of us have a favorite restaurant where we love the food, the atmosphere, and the special feeling it gives us. Today I bring you a story of one of my favorite restaurants — but I can only get to it through the process of lucid dreaming.
For those who don’t know: A lucid dream is a dream in which you know you are dreaming.
About 35 years ago, I began experimenting with advanced lucid dream inducement techniques, including using the NovaDreamer developed by THE LUCIDITY INSTITUTE.
The latter was founded by Stanford University psychologist STEPHEN LABERGE.
The NOVADREAMER is a kind of “dream mask” which you wear over your eyes at as you asleep at night. It uses motion detectors to discern when you have entered the REM state — Rapid Eye Movement — which is an indication that you are dreaming.
Once REM is detected, the NovaDreamer signals you to “come awake” within your dream. It does that with a combination of flashing red lights and clicking sounds. Note that I had already had some ability to lucid dream since childhood, but I had never developed a way to do it “on command” or in a pre-programmed way.
The information provided by Dr. LaBerge in his two books, Lucid Dreaming and Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming, were instrumental in my ability to take my dream exploration abilities to a new level. The second book was co-authored by Howard Rheingold.
The following story tells of a fantastic restaurant I discovered in the “dream world.” I have come to call it: “The Restaurant on the Edge of Time.” You will soon see why.
One night as I was going to sleep, I was hungry, but I was too tired to get up for a snack. After a few minutes — and after setting an intention — “I will realize I am dreaming and awaken within my dream!” — I found myself in an exhilarating dream!
I was flying through a high, craggy mountain scape.
This caused me to easily realize I was dreaming. Thanks to long practice and training, I did not allow myself to get overly excited despite the thrilling circumstances. I didn’t want to collapse the dream and wake up.
After a time of soaring through the mountains, there was a sudden “whump!”
After just an instant of disorientation, I found myself grounded. I was on my hands and knees and looking down at a vivid red carpet.
Lifting my head, I found that I was in a bright room with sunshine streaming in. I quickly recognized it as some kind of large restaurant-like facility or perhaps an inn furnished with heavy tables and chairs fashioned from age-blackened oaken timber.
One side of the place, an entire wall, was a gigantic window — it was about 25 feet high — like a big solarium, or I guess what the Brits call a conservatory.
Outside the window was a vast, snow-covered vista. Gargantuan black-gray mountains with jagged, toothy peaks loomed in the mid-distance. The illustration I posted at the top of this story is remarkably similar to what I saw outside.
In front of the mountains was a frozen glacial landscape, broken only here and there by a few gray rocky outcroppings. The sky was vibrant cerulean blue and dramatically punctuated by crackling light filtering down from a white sun.
It was a breath-taking sight. I stood there, gaping out that big window. Suddenly, I felt someone touch my elbow. Startled, I whirled and saw a petite woman, about five feet tall and of astounding beauty.
She had luxurious chocolate-brown hair tumbling to her shoulders. Her skin was pale ivory and she had stunning green eyes. Her lips were ruby pillow cushions, her cheekbones were of movie star quality. She was the most profoundly lovely woman I had ever seen! Her radiant smile was competition for the luminous sunshine streaming through the giant window. She was achingly lovely!
I quickly became apparent this stunning person was a waitress. She said to me: “Do you want a table?”
I stammered and said: “I guess so, but where am I?”
As I asked this question, the place began to shift and waver. I was starting to wake up — something I did not want to do yet!
I wanted to experience this world!
But the woman helped me. She said: “Look down at the carpet and focus all your attention on it until things solidify for you.”
I obeyed and looked down at the carpet. As I did so, I began to regain control of the dream. The carpet became solid; I could soon see vividly discern every fiber. (I later learned this was the purpose of the carpet — it’s a special color designed to help people stay solid in the dream state!)
Anyway, once I was back in control, the beautiful waitress asked me how I got here.
I said: “I think I’m dreaming, but I’m not sure. My physical body is on Earth, in a place called Minnesota. Do you know where that is?”
She laughed and said: “Yes, you are still on Earth, but you are probably in a different time period, and there is no Minnesota now.”
And then she added: “But, anyway, congratulations on making it here!”
Then she led me to a table and asked me if I wanted something to eat. I said yes, but that I didn’t have any money. She laughed.
“You don’t need any money here!” she said. “Serving you will be an honor — you’ve earned it!”
I asked, “Why?”
She answered, “Because you’re here!”
I said: “Thank you. But I’m not sure if I can eat, or what I want.”
She winked at me, and said: “Don’t worry, I’ll bring you something you’re going to love.”
As she turned to go back toward the kitchen, I looked at her more. She was wearing a prim, earthy green knee-length frock. Her legs were smooth and muscular. Her feet were adorned with soft black ankle boots. She also evinced sweet scent, very subtle, like melted white sugar, or perhaps mild vanilla. Whew! She was so attractive I wanted to swoon!
But I forced my mind off Eros. (This, again, is another important element of lucid dream control). I looked around the restaurant a bit more.
Perhaps six to eight other diners were present, speaking in low voices, minding their own business. Were they dreaming, too? They sipped drinks from crystal goblets. I noticed they ate from dark wooden bowls and wooden plates.
I was seated at a large oak table right near the big windows. I looked out into the landscape and was surprised to see a human-like figure walking out on the glacial ice-pack. It was coming toward the restaurant.
As it got closer, I was flabbergasted by what I saw!
I realized that I was looking at not a human, but some kind of proto-human! This “person” was possible a Cro-Magnon man, or who knows, a Denisovan or some other forgotten or unknown species of human.
This proto-man stood tall and erect but had a heavy brow and face. He had thick, tangled black hair and beard. He was wearing animal furs and high animal-fur boots or leggings. Strangely, he must have been 6’-8” or 6’-10” tall.
The proto-man was skinny, but tough-looking and sinewy with muscle. He was also carrying a variety of soft leather-like pouches. I had the impression that he might have been a shaman on a vision quest.
In the dream state, thoughts like that just come to you; it’s kind of like ESP, I suppose — call it “dream ESP.”
As the proto-man man came closer, I realized he could not see me through the window, and it seemed likely he could not see the restaurant. He stood there for a while, just kind of testing the air. He seemed to sense that this was a magical place.
It began to dawn to me that this restaurant was probably designed to be a kind of viewing area, set up in the distant past, where “mind traveling or dream traveling” beings from the future could come to witness the ancient landscape while relaxing over a fine meal.
What a concept for a restaurant!
A was stunned and fascinated. I could not take my eyes off the proto-man. It was an eerie feeling to see a being that was perhaps only “somewhat” human.” He had the unmistakable mannerisms of a human, yet he was alien somehow — truly another species. I felt I could sense high intelligence in his face, a certain light in its eyes — as if he too was transcending to a higher level of understanding, just as those of us at the restaurant might be doing.
Suddenly, I made a mental connection.
Here I was at this restaurant, honing my own abilities to live and experience consciousness beyond my ordinary physical reality— striving to transcend my present level of existence — just as this proto-human was embarked upon a vision quest, striving to transcend his own level of development.
He eventually began to walk on, and slowly disappeared into the distance.
Presently, the lovely waitress returned with my food.
She set down a wooden bowl filled with what looked like a delicious beef stew. It had small whole onions (or seemingly so) along with some sort of nondescript tuber vegetables. She also set down a bowl of leafy salad, looking similar to spinach leaves. Finally, she presented a large, crystal glass containing a green drink of some kind with ice in it.
She said: “You’re gonna love this. What you might want to try is spearing a chunk of meat, wrap it in one of these valor leaves and pop the whole thing into your mouth. The stew is quite spicy and the cool taste of the leaves balance the flavor.”
I said, “Okay,” and then, “I’ve never heard of ‘valor’ leaves. What are they?”
She said, “Just a kind of delicious plant we grow here.”
She left. I began to eat.
I took her advice about wrapping a chunk of meat in the valor leaves. I popped a wrapped bit into my mouth — and the flavor exploded within! The meat had a pungent, hot-n-spicy tang — it was marvelously savory! The minty flavor of the valor leaves balanced it perfectly. It tasted so good I almost went into a trance!
I dug into the rest of the bowl and began to eat like a starved animal. It was so delicious I couldn’t shovel it all into my mouth fast enough! The “onions” were cooked to a perfect degree — just slightly crispy and full of flavor. The “mystery tubers” were sweet and savory.
As I was eating, I hardly noticed that the waitress had brought me a large husk of freshly baked bread with a golden brown crust and fluffy white on the inside. I grabbed the bread and used it to sop up the gravy. After I finished the bowl of stew, I reached for the glass of green liquid and took a tentative sip.
It was a magnificent wine!
It was like kiwi-fruit wine, except the sweetness was more perfect, the flavor more exotic. It gave my tongue just the right sensation. After a couple of sips, I poured the entire contents down my throat! When the waitress came back and asked me how I liked it, I made a fool of myself, babbling about how superb everything was.
I asked her what the stew was made of, and get ready for this — she said it was made from mammoth meat!
I had just eaten mammoth stew, and it was the best meal of my life!
She asked me if I wanted some desert. I said “YES!” with embarrassing enthusiasm.
A minute later she was back with what looked like a dry, crispy piece of toast, or perhaps some kind of large, squared cookie. It was waffle-yellow with bits of red in it. I took a bite — again my mouth erupted with delightful flavor! It had a sweet, banana-strawberry taste. Although it looked dry, it had the moist consistency of a strudel or a fresh scone.
As I was eating this, I began to feel the solidity of the restaurant shimmer and waver. I tried looking at the red carpet again, but it wasn’t working. Darn! It was time to go, time to wake up.
This is another things you learn about lucid dream adventures after you gain some experience. When it’s time to go back— it’s time to go back. There’s no fighting it.
As I faded, I saw the waitress-goddess smiling at me with a look of pure love — she seemed to be saying good-bye, and telling me to come again.
To my regret, I realized that I had no way to leave her a generous tip!
I awoke. I got up out of bed, and for a long time, just sat there and felt the sense of wonderment about the incredible journey I had just experienced!
Little did I know that in the coming years, I would return to the Restaurant on the Edge of Time (The RET) countless times and continue to do so today.
This “dream-state consensus reality” would become a touchstone for me in many ways and a location where I have met some of the most interesting people, “beings” and “entities” of my life.
NOTE: For more stories of lucid dreaming adventures, please see: KEN-ON-MEDIUM