What is the black void?

Some people describe it as infinite black space. Others experience it as a grey space or multi-coloured dots, a bit like an old-fashioned television screen when there’s no image present. The void can be any colour, but its most common form is one of deep blackness. It is a natural and integral part of our night of sleep. But most of the time, we are not even aware of the black void.

The black void is a space of lucidity.

In Llewellyn’s Complete Book of Lucid Dreaming, I refer to the void as “the gap between dreams”. And it is, but it’s also more than that.

The reason I call the void the gap between dreams is because dreams are normally so filled with this bright, vivid, energetic, lively emotional imagery. Storylines, crazy plots. We’re very busy and active in our dreams a lot of the time.

But between dreams, we float in the black void. Often, we have no memory of this black space during our night of sleep. This is because there’s not much to report – there can be zero imagery. There are no physical sensations apart from floating, or sometimes falling or spinning. We may experience ourselves as a dot of consciousness. We often don’t have a dream body in the black void state.

But the black void is not only the gap between dreams. It is a space of lucidity, and it can be accessed from lucid dreaming.

The black void is infinitely creative.

I often backflip into the void, or simply dive through the dream scene to enter the void.

Why do I do this? Because the lucid black void is a space of infinite potential. It’s an incredibly creative space. It’s also a space in which we can heal. We can meditate without the usual distractions of the physical body and the senses.

And we are effortlessly lucid in this space.

The black void is a thought-responsive environment.

The black void reacts to our thoughts, intentions, emotions, and fears. If we feel scared, scary imagery or sensations are more likely to occur. So we need to calm down and relax!

Once calm, we can use our lucidity in the black void to direct our intention to whatever takes our interest. Maybe we’re thinking about how dreams are built from the bottom up. Maybe this thought will cause some dream building to manifest: we’ll have the privilege of watching the way that swirls of energy or tiny patterns of light coalesce to form first an image, then a setting, then an entire dream scene.

We can build up music in the void by intending to hear a particular instrument or band. We can sing with the voice of a thousand people, or ride weightlessly on a crescendo of sound. We can invite particular sensations in the lucid void: we can travel at great velocity through space, or expand and shrink our dream body if we have one.

Or we can experience how it is to have no dream body at all.

We can invite solutions to problems in the black void, allowing our unconscious to get creative and communicate directly with us as we are suspended in this dream space.

The black void is a meditative space.

We can forget about trying to make anything happen when we’re floating in the void. Instead, we can simply BE. We can enjoy this expanded lucidity, and allow whatever happens to happen. The black void experience can become an incredibly deep meditation once we relieve ourselves of any fear or worry.

You will return safely from the lucid black void!

This is a state we always encounter, every night. Only most of us forget it, just as we forget the hypnagogic state, and most of our dreams.

When we train our lucid awareness, we recognise the black void for what it is – a space of sparkling creativity, a place for healing and regeneration. A place to explore the nature of mind, and expand our consciousness even as our body sleeps peacefully in our bed.

So it’s a treat to be in the black void, even if at first you feel small or a bit scared. Just trust to your own consciousness, the bright spark in the darkness.

The black void is a fascinating space in its own right, and it’s also a powerful gateway to lucid dreaming.

It’s very good to release any fears you may have around the lucid black void. Prime yourself before you go to sleep. Say, “When I next find myself floating in the black void, I will stay calm. I will enjoy the experience, knowing that I will wake up safely in my bed.”

It’s all good! Enjoy this mind-expanding experience.