The 7 Gates of Dreaming
These are also known as the 7 Obstacles of Awareness. The Gates of Dreaming, when crossed, mark changes in the use of our energy bodies. They must be crossed in the right order. It is possible to have dreams which are similar to an experience one might expect from later gates before one has reached that point,
There are several components to each gate. There are the experiences of finding/reaching a gate, the method one utilises to create the energy body in order to move through the gate, and then the actual crossing itself.
The First Gate of Dreaming
To cross the First Gate only requires that one become lucid in their dreams. Try to become aware of falling asleep. When one becomes lucid, they engage their dreaming attention.
There are many ways to go about achieving lucidity, and the internet is full of recommendations. Like the ones above, reality checks and all. Personally I never use reality checks. I always go lucid naturally or don't. What does affect me to go lucid is light in the room. if it is light i usually have more chance of getting lucid than in a dark room. there's more things that matter you can surely find that info around
Wake-Induced Lucid Dreaming is also a possible method. This involves holding onto your conscious awareness while your body falls asleep and then transitioning straight into a REM cycle. You retain your lucidity when entering the dream. This is also explained above
I've found that nightmares make excellent triggers for lucidity. When confronted by a fear, it is felt by the energy body as well. One need only use the fear as a grip to draw their conscious awareness into the dream in order to confront the fear. Sorcerers are sober of mind, and fear is intoxication. Once lucid within the nightmare, one is presented with an excellent opportunity to control and bend the dream to their own will, or choose to wake up into the physical world.
Once one achieves lucidity, there are a few exercises that are optional that one can perform. Practise exercising control over the dream space; creating and changing objects, people, set-pieces. I also recommend practising to achieve stability and cohesion of the Assemblage Point. To do this, one can examine their hands and then use that as a point of departure, looking at other items that they find around them, and then returning to their hands again. Do not be alarmed if your hands look quite strange (same goes for any reflections you may see). I've also found sitting down to meditate within the dream space for some time to stabilise the environment and my own perception of it. You can try 'twin positions', where upon achieving lucidity, one lies down within the dream to go to asleep and 'wakes up' into the dream again.