A two-day ritual to engage in dream divination, lucid dreaming, receiving prophetic dreams, or other types of dreamwork.  Before engaging in this ritual, be sure you have a firm understanding of your own natal horoscope.  For this ritual, you will need to know the sign that rules over your ninth house, the house of dreams and prophecy.  Various free online astrological services as well as professional astrologers can provide you with that information.  Although this ritual is geared towards calling upon the Hellenic deities of Morpheus, Hermēs Chthonios, and Selēnē, other gods that fulfill the role of a deity of sleep and dreams, the psychopomp, and the Moon may be called upon from other traditions if desired and if approached appropriately.

This ritual was mentioned in this 2013 post, but has since been revised and elaborated.

Supplies needed:

• Three black candles, with an extra fourth if needed
• Three white candles, with an extra fourth if needed
• “Heavy incense” focusing on soporific smells such as opium or poppy
• “Light incense” focusing on sweet floral smells, such as jasmine, violet, or gardenia
• Dream-conducive tea, e.g. an herbal tea composed of mugwort, jasmine, rose, valerian, etc.
• Other offerings, such as wine or fruit, as desired
• A nightstand or stool to go by your bed

Day of Preparation

The day before the Moon enters the sign of your ninth house, prepare yourself mentally and physically for dreaming.

1. Banish yourself and your bedroom, take a spiritual bath, and generally cleanse and clean oneself and your sleeping area from spiritual impurities.
2. Start winding down your food and drug intake: no caffeine, no heavy foods, light fruit or stomach-soothing foods only.  You can extend the fasting period as long as you like, but one day should be sufficient.  Avoid sexual activity starting today until after the ritual has been completed.
3. Begin drinking the dream-conducing tea throughout the day and continue drinking it through the operation.
4. If you have a nightstand, clear it off of anything that normally sits atop it and wipe it down with holy water or lustral water to spiritually cleanse it.  If you don’t have a nightstand, get a small table or stool and prepare it similarly.  Offerings to Morpheus, Hermēs Chthonios, and Selēnē will be made on top of this surface.  This nightstand or stool should be placed by your bed closest to where your head will rest, ideally on the left side of the bed.
5. Pray and perform your usual ritual routine as you normally would.
6. As the last thing you do before retiring to bed, make an offering to Morpheus, the god of sleep:
   1. Light a black candle to Morpheus and dedicate it to the god of sleep.
   2. Light some of the heavy incense and dedicate it to him as well.
   3. Sing or recite the Orphic Hymn to the God of Sleep:
      

      Sleep, King of gods and men of mortal birth,
      Sov’reign of all sustain’d by Mother Earth;
      For thy dominion is supreme alone,
      O’er all extended, and by all things known.
      ‘Tis thine all bodies with benignant mind
      In other bands than those of brass to bind;
      Tamer of cares, to weary toil repose,
      From whom sweet solace in affliction flows.
      Thy pleasing, gentle chains preserve the soul,
      And e’en the dreadful cares of death control;
      For Death and Lethe with oblivious stream,
      Mankind thy genuine brothers justly deem.
      With fav’ring aspect to my pray’r incline,
      And save thy mystics in their works divine.

   4. Ask for his help in bestowing good and healthful rest, and protection in sleep and dreaming.
7. Retire to bed.  Be sure to get a full night’s rest, at least 7.5 hours’ worth of sleep (or five average sleep cycles).

Day of Dreaming

The next day, the Moon should be in the sign ruling your ninth house before you go to bed that night.  Be sure you have at least ten hours to spare that night for proper rest and sleeping, with the addition of ritual.

1. Fast.  Drink only water, and ideally eat only white food with little to no salt.  Plain or vanilla yoghurt, bananas, white rice, and similar foods are suggested, if any food is to be eaten at all.
2. Continue drinking the dream-conducive tea throughout the day.
3. Pray and perform your usual ritual routine as you normally would.
4. In an hour of Mercury while the Moon is in the sign ruling your ninth house, make an adoration to Hermēs Chthonios, the subterranean psychopomp who leads us into the embrace of the other world.
   1. Light a black candle to Hermēs Chthonios and dedicate it to the god.
   2. Light some of the heavy incense and dedicate it to him as well.
   3. Sing or recite the Orphic Hymn to Terrestrial Mercury:
      

      Hermēs I call, whom Fate decrees to dwell
      In the dire path which leads to deepest hell
      O Bacchic Hermēs, progeny divine
      Of Dionysos, parent of the vine,
      And of celestial Venus, Paphian queen,
      Dark eye-lash’d goddess of a lovely mien:
      Who constant wand’rest through the sacred feats
      Where Hell’s dread empress, Proserpine, retreats;
      To wretched souls the leader of the way
      When Fate decrees to regions void of day:
      Thine is the wand which causes sleep to fly,
      Or lulls to slumb’rous rest the weary eye;
      For Proserpine through Tart’rus dark and wide
      Gave thee forever flowing souls to guide.
      Come, blessed pow’r the sacrifice attend,
      And grant our mystic works a happy end.

   4. Make any other offerings, such as of wine or fruit, as desired.
   5. Ask for clarity, memory, truth, and direction in the realm of dreams and sleep.
5. In an hour of the Moon while the Moon is in the sign ruling your ninth house, make an adoration to the Selēnē, the goddess of the Moon herself.
   1. Light a white candle to Selēnē and dedicate it to the goddess.
   2. Light some of the light incense and dedicate it to her as well.
   3. Sing or recite the Orphic Hymn to the Moon:
      

      Hear, Goddess Queen, diffusing silver light,
      Bull-horn’d and wand’ring through the gloom of Night.
      With stars surrounded, and with circuit wide
      Night’s torch extending, through the heav’ns you ride.
      Female and Male with borrow’d rays you shine,
      And now full-orb’d, now tending to decline.
      Mother of ages, fruit-producing Moon,
      Whose amber orb makes Night’s reflected noon:
      Lover of horses, splendid, queen of Night,
      All-seeing pow’r bedecked with starry light.
      Lover of vigilance, the foe of strife,
      In peace rejoicing, and a prudent life:
      Fair lamp of Night, its ornament and friend,
      Who gives to Nature’s works their destined end.
      Queen of the stars, all-wife Diana, hail!
      Decked with a graceful robe and shining veil;
      Come, blessed Goddess, prudent, starry, bright,
      Come moony-lamp with chaste and splendid light,
      Shine on these sacred rites with prosp’rous rays,
      And pleas’d accept thy suppliant’s mystic praise.

   4. Make any other offerings, such as of wine or fruit, as desired.
   5. Ask for help, guidance, and illumination in dreams and the realm of night.
6. Set pen, paper, and a gentle nightlight or flashlight by the bed for later.  These may be put on the nightstand or stool if there is space available for them; otherwise, underneath your pillow will suffice as well.
7. Meditate silently to calm and relax the mind for at least twenty minutes before retiring for the night.
8. As the last thing you do before retiring to bed, make another offering to Morpheus as before.  However, in addition to making the same offerings as the night before as the god of sleep, make a second set of offerings to his other role as the god of dreams:
   1. Light a black candle to Morpheus and dedicate it to the god of sleep.
   2. Light some of the heavy incense and dedicate it to him as well.
   3. Sing or recite the Orphic Hymn to the God of Sleep:
      

      Sleep, King of gods and men of mortal birth,
      Sov’reign of all sustain’d by Mother Earth;
      For thy dominion is supreme alone,
      O’er all extended, and by all things known.
      ‘Tis thine all bodies with benignant mind
      In other bands than those of brass to bind;
      Tamer of cares, to weary toil repose,
      From whom sweet solace in affliction flows.
      Thy pleasing, gentle chains preserve the soul,
      And e’en the dreadful cares of death control;
      For Death and Lethe with oblivious stream,
      Mankind thy genuine brothers justly deem.
      With fav’ring aspect to my pray’r incline,
      And save thy mystics in their works divine.

   4. Ask for his help in bestowing good and healthful rest, and protection in sleep and dreaming.
   5. Light a white candle to Morpheus and dedicate it to the god of dreams.
   6. Light some of the light incense and dedicate it to him as well.
   7. Sing or recite the Orphic Hymn to the Divinity of Dreams:
      

      Thee I invoke, bless’d pow’r of dreams divine,
      Angel of future fates, swift wings are thine:
      Great source of oracles to human kind,
      When stealing soft, and whisp’ring to the mind,
      Through sleep’s sweet silence and the gloom of night,
      Thy pow’r awakes th’ intellectual fight;
      To silent souls the will of heav’n relates,
      And silently reveals their future fates.
      For ever friendly to the upright mind
      Sacred and pure, to holy rites inclined;
      For these with pleasing hope thy dreams inspire,
      Bliss to anticipate, which all desire.
      Thy visions manifest of fate disclose,
      What methods best may mitigate our woes;
      Reveal what rites the Gods immortal please,
      And what the means their anger to appease:
      For ever tranquil is the good man’s end,
      Whose life, thy dreams admonish and defend.
      But from the wicked turn’d averse to bless,
      Thy form unseen, the angel of distress;
      No means to cheek approaching ill they find,
      Pensive with fears, and to the future blind.
      Come, blessed pow’r, the signatures reveal
      Which heav’n’s decrees mysteriously conceal,
      Signs only present to the worthy mind,
      Nor omens ill disclose of monst’rous kind.

   8. Ask for truth, understanding, memory, and power in one’s rest, that true and meaningful dreams be bestowed upon them, &c.
   9. If you have any specific requests that should be answered, now’s the time to make such requests.
9. Go to sleep, but set a (quiet, soothing) alarm after 4.5 hours (or however long three sleep cycles would be for you).  Upon waking, write down any dreams that one may have had immediately.
10. Make another short entreaty (reciting the Orphic Hymns again may be done but is not strictly required) to Morpheus as both God of Sleep as well as God of Dreams using prayer, lighting more of both the heavy and light incense.  The two candles for Morpheus should not have burnt out yet, but if they have, light new ones.  If the request for a specific answer has not yet been answered, pray for it again; if so, and if another question needs to be answered, ask it; if no other questions need to be answered, ask for illumination, truth, and awareness generally in dreams.
11. Return to sleep for at least another three hours; however much is up to you, since this second sleep is the final sleep of the day.  Upon waking, write down any dreams as before.
12. After rising from sleep and taking any notes of dreams, make another offering of candles and wine to Morpheus as the god of both sleep and dreams as thanks for any dreams, revelations, or assistance from the previous night—even if just a peaceful night’s rest.