Hi, Ryan. Is it too late to claim I was doing the RC thing? As to the boundaries/persistence issue, that's encouraging news. Kate

Hey, everyone, this is my first post on the forum, though, like many, i've been reading it. I was going to go on the retreat when it was going to be in July, but as it got postponed, i decided to get a NovaDreamer and spend some time at home over the summer doing the exercises, and more RCs than ever before, etc. I've had the 'dreamer for about 2 weeks now, and have been having fun and massive dream recall (5 pages every morning!). Two mornings ago, i tried the 'Getting up early and working before going back to sleep' induction exercise. At 7.00 (an hour later than i meant to wake), having written 4 pages of dreams, i had no motivation to go and work, so went back to sleep ,wearing NovaDreamer. I dreamt i was on a school trip, and we went to a suburb where there was an alpine style house, amongst a load of normal ones. That and something else made me think "That's odd..." and i realised i was dreaming. As if in response to this realisation, the ground disappeared. I suddenly woke up... in a church near my house. Instead of wondering why i was in a church, i started recording my dream (by sticking scrabble letters to a safe) and became disappointingly un-lucid, before actually waking up. Strange thing: when i told my brother i'd almost had a lucid dream, he said "wow! me too, but i can't remember what i was dreaming about!" (apart from a few comments from time to time, he's taken hardly any interest in my dreaming endeavours, and seemingly even less interest in his own) so i was quite surprised and looked around to check i wasn't dreaming again. This morning, i woke up feeling a bit annoyed, 'cos i didn't get anywhere near lucid in any of last nights dreams, and missed a load of screamingly obvious dreamsigns (a glacier in the middle of England, small purple dog flying thru the air, etc.). Anyway, i have a short term goal of having a "full length" lucid dream (i.e. one i can at least explore and get really lucid in) before i go to France on Friday, but as many people say, heckit! why not tonight?! sweet dreams (is that a clich$B!&(Bon this forum?) ciaow, Sparky

Hey, Sparky Marky!

Good to see you here... and still regretful that we had to postpone our shared tropical dreamtime with you last July. I do hope you'll be able to join us another time.

Sounds like you've been doing your homework -- and reaping the rewards. Congratulations! We'll look forward to hearing more as you explore the glittering world of NovaDreaming.

In the meantime, have a splendid time in France -- and "Bonne Dodo!", Keelin

PS: If you pack your NovaDreamer as carry-on luggage, be prepared to do a lot of explaining -- and more than a lot of reality checks! [*])

Welcome, Mark. If you can keep recognizing cues like that, you should have great lucidity. The attempt to record the dream with scrabble letters is interesting. Next time you'll probably feel less pressured to record and just be able to explore the dream. Kate

I want a small purple dog flying through my dream! May I borrow yours?

Joy

Hi, Joy. If I can use Owen's normally cat, I'm sure you can borrow Sparky Mark's small purple dog. And it's funny, I was using the normally cat and the German-speaking dog when setting an intention last night, and although i didn't dream of them, I did dream of animals, just as I did the last time I tried to use them to incubate a dream. So I'll keep trying that. Kate

Hi everyone. I recently became a member (something which I'd wanted to be for a long time) and it's so refreshing to see so many fellow dreamers out there. I had my first LD about a year ago when I was attending school in the states (I'm Norwegian) doing a research paper on dreams and lucidity. "Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming" by Dr. LaBerge was the book that really got me going and I've had about 20 LDs since then. I just want to point out that in my first LD (after becoming lucid by looking at my digital watch and attempting flying) I flew out into the dreamworld with one task in mind: to help others. I found a dog locked in a cage on a building-ledge and even though the dog was barking and being generally mean I knew it really couldn't hurt me. After petting it for a while, getting some nasty bites in the process, the dog relaxed and became friendly. I opened the cage, it jumped into my arms and we flew away talking for a while before I woke up. It was the most amazing and energizing feeling I've ever experienced. Ever since, my goal has been to approach any dream character and ask if they need any assistance. They are, after all, products of my own subconciousness and what can be more productive than putting these unsolved issues to rest

Best regards André exploring the low and dark places

Greetings, Andre! and welcome...

What wonderfully unselfish motives, even if you are actually helping yourself...

Some say that there is no such thing as an entirely altruistic act...implying that we always get something out of helping others, even if it is the satisfaction of doing so...

After hearing mention recently of Albert Schwietzer, first in the movie Waking Life, and then in a UU service, I explored this great man's philosophy. He had a beautifully simple notion of " the meaning of life "...

Quite simply put, "to be of service to others".

zzzz( Let'snot even bring it up! ) z z z z Joe

WOOHOO! YAY! i had my first lucid dream (i.e. with control/length etc.) this morning. I have recently got back to university, so have been very busy, fairly short of sleep, and not that dedicated to reality checks, thinking/reading about dreams, etc., so i'm really quite happy about it! I have been using the nd/snd. What happened was this: after a lecture this morning, i had some free time, so read the WILD section in "exploring the world" went back to bed. I wore the nd, and fell asleep listening to the "trance induction" cd. i got sleep paralysis (which i have learnt to enjoy/be comfortable with) and found myself able to look, with my eyes closed, at the surface of a non-existant wall behind my head, and found out i was able to shift my vision around considerably, without moving my head. (sounds kinda strange? - it was!) I found myself in a stadium, and without consciously thinking "i am dreaming", i somehow knew i was, and flew up to a dark window. Through this, into a large dark house. I didn't walk at all, just sort of floated around thru the air. I also tried spinning, which was fantastic, and really helped prolong the dream - the overall experience seemed to last for hours, although i was awake within 30 minutes of lying down. Anyway, floating through the house, i found things like: a mirror which wobbled (like the one in The Matrix) and i met a person (large dark cloaked figure) walking up the stairs. He seemed quite scared of me (probably thought i was a ghost, being as i was floating) and he ran away up the stairs. I decided to go and find some people, but had a false awakening, and went into a period of half awakedness, with some confusion about whether i was awake, dreaming or whatever. An Awesome Experience! message to frustrated people yearning for first taste of lucidity: DON'T GIVE UP TRYING! a week ago, i was tired, frustrated, and almost ready to give up dreaming for a month! I'm so glad i didn't! unfortunately, my university term finishes in December, so i can't join you lucky lot in Hawaii. be good, and be lucid! ciaow Sparky

Congratulations and may you enjoy the next 100 as much as the first!

First of all, congratulations to all who achieved their first lucid dream =)And I just have to agree with Mark: Never stop trying, but also: don't be "obsessed" by your wish to become lucid (=lucidity killer)

..Amazing how happy one can feel after waking up from the first lucid dream... I was absolutely in high spirits after my first one ;) Unfortunately it was on a schoolday, so I had very few time. After I had set off the alarm I floated back into dreams: I was in a car, realizing some of my molars were loose. After arriving at school, I had a look in the mirror and suddenly my front theeth were gone! First I was shocked... and then I became suspicous: I told myself that this was to be treated with scepticism, I knew I had brushed my teeth always very well g - and as you will all expect, I realized in this moment I was dreaming. I grinned at myself grinning back at me in the mirror and spoke it out loudly. I was so hilarious that I couldn't stop giggling. When I had a look in the mirror all my teeth were on the right place.. So I thought I had to try flying.... After getting in the middle of the room, I jumped and reached with my arms towards the ceiling... But now remembering that it must be 7.00 am now, and I really had to get up now for school, I concentrated on my eyelids and made me wake up..

I really should have stayed in bed dreaming that day... But in dream-state oneself is always honest...unfortunately.

I thought it was a really intensive lucid dream for the first time, and in fact I never reached a similar intensive one up till now. But since that I made great strides in flying ;)

sharing the enthusiasm of Mark, =)

Natalie

Natalie!

Nice to "hear" from you again and thanks for posting your teeth lucid dream. A common subject. The intensity of my first LDs was very high, too. Then I seemed to be forced to work my way back up to the peak. But in the longer run I succeeded and exceeded the ecstasy of my first experiences.

Weiter so! Und lass mal wieder was von dir hören!

Dein Ralf

Motivationstrainer?

Immer schoen, so empfangen zu werden, danke Ralf..

At the moment I'm quite "unlucid", not only during dream but also during waking-life... But usually, when thinking more about it again, it's back quite fast!

If Freud was right with his interpretation about loose teeth?!

=) Best wishes from Natalie

Yeah...

motivation is one of the keys to success in LD. what good is a forum if not to motivate? Where else do you share advances in LD practice?

The while: Enjoy lucid being, it is so much pleasure...

:D

Ralf

FREUD'S TEETH HAVE ALL FALLEN OUT: THE AMPLIFICATION OF DREAM FEATURES

So don't worry Natalie, there are more plausible alternatives to Freud's interpretation of loose teeth. I regard it as rarely having symbolic meaning. All it takes is for you for any reason at all to notice your teeth. In waking life, we don't notice our teeth unless something is wrong with them, so expectation provides the dream mechanism. Ah, my teeth are a little bit loose. Looseness, like any other feature (wetness of water, steepness of stairs, etc.) in dreams gets amplified because there's no sensory feedback limiting the feature perception. So teeth slightly loose rapidly become very loose, usW. Oddly Freud's Interpretation of Dreams includes a figure ("The Nursemaid's Dream", I believe) showing the dream feature positive feedback mechanism, but he doesn't explain it correctly.

Anybody have other examples of this phenomenon?

Aloha, Stephen

Natalie,

Here is a good site for interpreting such dreams. http://www.dreammoods.com/commondreams/teeth.htm

It says, "....that dreams about your teeth reflect your anxiety about your appearance and how others perceive you."

I dream a lot about failure. The site says about me.

"To dream of failure, signifies your fears of inadequacy, low self-esteem and foretells that you are not applying yourself to the fullest potential. You are overwhelmed with anxiety and the pressure to excel."

A common NLD I have is that I'm at a conference, it's time to go and I must catch a train. And can I pack my suitcase and get off, no chance? I keep finding stuff to go in it, then when I return to my suitcase it is empty or overflowing and I always fail in getting the job done.

My experience of lucid dreaming has revealed to me the real reason that I cannot pack the suitcase.

In a lucid dream, I will see a pair of shoes on the ground. I could pick up the shoes or leave them, but if I look elsewhere in the room I might see another pair of shoes or even a row of shoes. I believe that my brain is creating new shoe schemas in response to the original shoe schema.

Of course I'll never be able to pack the suitcase with this going on!

Owen

DREAM INTERPRETATION DEPENDS ON THEORY OF DREAM CONSTRUCTION: SCHEMA COMPLETION VS LETTERS TO SELF

Owen: do you really buy those dream interpretation stories? As an alternative to the interpretation about anxiety and social-self-consciousness that you quote, I note that the same website (title page reads "Dreams That Your Teeth Is Falling") offers the following: "It has also been said that if you dream of your teeth falling out, then it symbolizes money. This is based on the old tooth fairy story. If you lose a tooth and leave it under the pillow, a tooth fairy would bring you money." How would you choose between these "interpretations"? Personally, given the choice of just these two, I'd take the money!

But we do have the alternative I just described in my previous posting. What did you think of that?

Given your astute observations about suitcase dreams, I'd think you would find the fulfilled expectation mechanism for tooth displacement dreams worthy of consideration.

I frequently have similar dream travel difficulties. I'm in some strange, distant place and somehow it occurs to me that it's time to go home. And unless I become lucid (this whole scenario makes a great dreamsign!) I'm in for a round of anxiety about getting ready (there's always more baggage as soon as I think about it), getting to the airport ("What airport?"), and on the plane ("Ticket? You mean I need a ticket?"). This all can be seen to develop from my initial perception of the situation of being in another city ready to return home. Once this schema is activated, all the rest follows. Given your use of the term "schema" I presume you've read THE BUILDING OF DREAMS chapter in Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming? So why not apply the idea to teeth as well?

Meanwhile, don't worry about packing the suitcase, just leave that baggage behind!

Aloha! Stephen

Stephen, no I agree with you about the teeth. I wasn't very skilful in indicating my disdain of symbolic dream interpretation....though I must remember to keep an open mind. And yes my use of the word schema came from your book.

I have exactly the same journey experiences that you quote. Even if I buy the correct ticket, when I take it out of my pocket again it's morphed into something quite useless, of course I'll never get to my destination in an NLD with this going on. I now know that this has no symbolic meaning, it's the same as when I take my "Am I dreaming?" card out of my left pocket as a state test or when I'm already lucid, it's morphed into something quite different.

Is there any literature on the use of these schema arguments to undermine symbolic dream interpretation theory?

Owen

During my life as a dreamer I seldom experienced such a sensory amplification while dreaming, although my dreams are based heavily on sensory input (especially on eating ^_^).

Usually my dreams are very realistic, sometimes it takes a criminologist's work to find out that this is supposed to be a dream =) To attribute a symbolic meaning to specific dream features can surely be revealing, if interpreted by the dreamer himself...

Failure might really be possible, or powerlessness... I sometimes have similar dreams like you are having about the office, Owen :/

Stephen! You made me think of another "phenomenon":

What about the reverse conclusion - There is sensory, limiting feedback (like breathing, heartbeat, bloodpressure) which is influenced by amplified dream features? Are these limiting feedbacks sensory perceptable in any way during REM? --> I already had dreams in which I've been aware of these physical functions like breathing or hearing my own heartbeat.

Could it be?

=)

Dream on,

Natalie

By the way: The Chinese believe that by gritting one's teeth ghosts will be driven away ;)

Hi, Stephen, Owen, Natalie and all!

The thing with dream interpretation is tricky. Teeth: I often had teeth dreams indicating I should take time to go to a dentist. And I had to and knew that for days, if not weeks... Dream did amplificate that by teeth falling out. BTW the word amplification has a certain meaning in the context of Jungian analysis.

Amplification might be one of the mechanisms of dreammachine, but not the only one. The thing is, that most of time you might find day residue as a trigger for any scheme appearing in your dream. But then I can ask: What is the meaning of driving my car, why did the dreammachine take that and not any other residue as a starting point? And why does dream develop in that direction, not the hundreds of other ways? Yesterday I had a dream of looking for a place to park my car. Can't remember, I ever looked for a parking lot in a dream, although in waking life, I do it nearly every day. How come? I see meaning in that special arrangement of my dream and had a great "aha" when finally the meaning came on me. And I mean it this way: I of course look for meaning, but often it comes on me and changes me, as if it were an information from outside. As if I spoke with a friend or analyst.

Of course dreams use schemes and patterns, they use memory and what we have learned, they are subject to expectation, motivation, belief system. Nonetheless (and the former thoughts don't contradict that) I can't keep from saying that they are makings of an intelligent being (that is me - to say the least ;-) - or what you may call the self in Jungian sense). And that is, what Stephen says, too. And to a part, that remains to be found out for every dream, they may be influenced by psi perception, which seems to be incorporated, that means mostly being somewhat disguised, using our schemes.

Natalie, in some LDs, especially WILDs I sometimes can't move freely. I think this is due to being close to perceiving the physical body and experiencing the REM motor system inhibition. This is a kind of limiting feedback, if I understood you correctly.

I would say, even in a non lucid dream the dreaming ego "acts" according to its character. And like in our (more or less lucid) physical waking life, it makes choices and interacts with the environment given. So of course you can say, that the normal non lucid waking physical ego is subject to schemes, also. The more lucid we are, in all worlds, the more we may be conscious of experiencing models and by this we have a freer choice. We may even have the chance to find the most fitting, the most adequate schema for this situations using our increased awareness. We might perceive our neighbour (or dreamcharacter ...) maybe not directly (that doesn't seem to be possible, but who knows?), but have a very close approximation, what in common sense I would call: I see him or her, as he or she is. That is the chance, we get by looking at all our perception as dreamlike, as made of the "substances" I cited above and we talk about here: expectation, motivation, belief, memory, schemes, patterns, models:

Incredible freedom, lucid wisdom, clearer - sometimes ecstatic -perception, deeper love and compassion.

Now I have again come that far in rambling. But it feels so good to share the joy and to light the lucid fire.

Yours Ralf

Hi everyone. Just wanted to tell you all that I had a dream last night and you were all in it. Ralf, Natalie, Owen and of course my main man Stephen. You were all in this room discussing dreams when I walked in. And I told you how much I love you guys and how I totally worship your work Dr. LaBerge and then I gave you all a big hug.

That's all. Just a little love from me

André sometimes exploring the warm and fuzzy places

Hi, André

explorer of interesting places and helpful friend to all the dream figures

Your dream shows, how important a good dream recall is. Sadly I didn't remember any dream, because I did get up so fast on Monday.

But my mood was very fine, who knows, maybe due to meeting you and all.

Yours Ralf

P.S. I like the picture in your profile

P.P.S. I had a dream with Stephen appearing some weeks ago. It was after doing sports, everybody took a shower and he was there, too. I thought: Stephen is here, now I should get lucid! But didn't fully. I thought about asking him a question appearing in waking physical life, but thought, his mind were now occupied with the upcoming DreamCamp. Then I awoke. I will remember to be more aware in his presence, next time. But I'm not sure, whether a shared dream naked in a shower would be appropriate, because he could see my somewhat, let's say: pot shaped, belly then. And pot shaped doesn't come from the so called breathing exercise, advised in his book. So much for psi dreams and their hazards...

Hi Andre =)

Nicest thing that I've been told since a long time

In my next lucid dream I'll return the hug....

Have a wonderful time,

Natalie

Here's a post of my first pseudo lucid dream. What's a "pseudo" lucid dream, you ask? I dreamt I was having a lucid dream, but I wasn't really lucid in the dream. Funny thing was, I did many of the things I've always wanted to do in a real lucid dream, like magic, flying, and manipulating the dream.

I think I'm getting closer and closer to having real lucid dreams.

I seem to recall someone on this board posting a dream about being lucid, but I couldn't find it. Can anyone direct me?

Here is the first lucid dream I remember having. I was pushing a small mining truck along a railway which lead to an opening in the hill side. In front and behind grey hooded figures push similar trucks, everything is grey.

Suddenly I realise I am dreaming and the scenery is in colourful. I stop pushing the truck and try to explain to everyone else they dont have to push these trucks slavishly because it is my dream and they can do what I want. They don't believe me so I decide to show them by flying off a cliff. They plead with me not to try it. I fly arms out-stretched and spot some water below. I decide to dive into it, and on the way down decide ti make it a warm blue lagoon, but just before I hit the water I think 'maybe it's a muddy swamp' and then I land in it. And it is.

Its interesting that I didn't know anything about lucid dreaming (or even the word) when I had this dream in the 1980s. I think it illustrates nicely how in dreaming, as in reality, I have little control over thoughts and desires. But in LDs your wishes can come true before you have decided if they are wise!

Dear John, Your artwork continues to frighten me. But anyway, what makes you believe you were not lucid in the dream, since you did all those things? Sometimes after a lucid dream, it can feel as if the whole thing was just a nonlucid in which we dreamed we LD'd. Regards, Kate

P.S to John - there is some discussion on when we're lucid and when we're not on the most recent Learning Lucid Dreaming, Secondary Techniques, Prolonging thread. There's also another thread on this topic earlier in time somewhere you could find by going through the topics board. (I think.) Bill - I enjoyed visualizing your long ago dream. It speaks to me of escaping slavish bonds of restricted thinking, but we're not allowed to get too much into dream analysis here because it can sometimes be upsetting for some people, and drives them away. Stay lucid, Kate

Kate,

I guess you really don't like Dali. He's always been one of my favorites. I really like his "The Disintegration of the Persistence of Memory." That's the one in my photo. To me, it looks like a bunch of 1k memory chips, even though Dali painted it long before such things existed.

I can assure you I wasn't lucid in that dream, I have no doubt about it. However, it will do until the real thing comes along. I'll check out the topics you suggested -- thanks very much for that suggestion.

My biggest problem with my ND is setting it so it's effective without waking me up. I had a dream where there were lots of flickering lights, but I failed to recognize their significance. If nothing else, my ND seems to help make my dreams more interesting. Getting involved with this whole issue of dreaming has also made me more aware of things during my waking life. I think I've been spending my days just going though the motions. My dreams were much the same, but no longer.

It's been about six months since my divorce. I'm now realizing how much of a constraining and depressing influence she was on me all these years. I feel liberated at last. I can now do what I want and say what I feel without fear of ridicule. My dreams are no longer dark and intimidating. There is hope at last.

-John

John-Kate_ Dali's work tends to frighten me too but I think thats what I like about it. J

Bill_ Thank you for the story about your first lucid dream. I laughed out loud when you turned the lagoon into a swamp. I had a similar experience once as I tried to fly through an open window ' "Hmm" maybe that window isn't really op*~' Bong" Thump'

Shane and John - I don't really dislike Dali - I was mostly joking about finding the artwork frightening. And I agree that artwork that gives us a strong reaction is definitely something to appreciate. I loved the curtain of eyes done by Dali in the movie Spellbound mentioned in another thread. Shane - Your experience with the window and Bill's experience with the swamp/lagoon would fit well with the expectations thread on the Post Your Lucid Dreams. I started it becasue I think I have a major stumbling block in that area and would like input from others on that issue. John- I think pursuing lucidity definitely increases one's awareness and appreciation of what's all around us in waking life. And it's wonderful to be freed from things that make us feel negative about ourselves, or hemmed in and restricted. I'm positive that LD'ing comes more easily to those who have less negativity in their minds, but that's a lot more easily said than achieved. I got an e-mail from someone called Dennis that touched on that, although I was leery of opening it becasue I don't know who he is. And Ralf and others have mentioned the importance of being well-rested and physically healthy in pursuing LD's. Maybe you could try to incubate a ND dream about Dali's work? Look at a lot of his stuff before going to sleep and shine a red laser pointer at it, or something? Good luck, Kate

John!

Pseudo Lucid dream? Is that what it's called? I think I had one of those two days ago. I had never had a dream like it before and I noted it down as a lucid dream. But now that I think about it I was really just dreaming about being lucid. I was walking along this pond talking to a friend about LDing when I suddenly found myself under a cliff. I thught "Hey now, how did this happen. It must be a dream" so I started floating (although at first it was like I was glued to the wall behind me) and carried out the experiment of shouting out my name and my girlfriend's. My girl's name was sort of hard to shout and it was more like a squeak. I immediately got transported back to the non-LD with my friend by the pond and I told him I just had an LD. He envied me Anyway... it was a weird LD within a non-LD and it didn't really feel real... which LDs most certainly do.

Finally, the 1rst lucid dream on Sunday morning.

I had problems getting to sleep. I used the NovaDreamer in conjuction with the Focus 10 CD from TMI. I got relaxed, but no sleep. At about 3AM, I got out of bed and went into the living room with the NovaDreamer to change sleep venue. When I eat a high calorie meal, my body seems to overheat during the night. I needed to cool down.

After about 40 mins. I settled into sleep. I dreamed that I heard sirens from emergency vehicles were coming up the street, but some part of me knew that this wasn't happening. Then I dreamed I was standing in a darkened basement looking up and out a 2'X 3'window at either a twilight or pre-dawn dark-blue sky. My consciousness flowed out that window and it was dark.

In the dark, I heard the Beatles learning 'Get Back' for the first time on acoustic guitars in my living room. Not only that, but Ray Charles was singing along with them, echoing the 'get back' part of the chorus. This wasn't some dim meek sound I was hearing; it was lush, live sound. I knew I was lucid. Things started to fade & I tried the spinning technique.

BAM.

I was awake next to the spot in my living room with the light on. All of the debris from mandolin kit (saw dust, coping saw, Dremel tool, etc.) was sitting there in a pile with the unfinished mandolin [that I've been desperately trying to keep from turning into a jr. high school woodshop spice rack -- fortunately it still looks like a mandolin]. As I'm sitting there, a bluegrass gospel song was being sung by unseen a capella voices. Again, very lush, live sound. Intuitively, I knew that the name of this lucid dream song was 'Hallelujah Style' and was being composed on the spot. I wanted to hear more bass voices and instantly two bass voices, singing honey-smooth harmony were introduced into the song. (I am not allowed to attempt singing harmony by my musical peers, I truly suck at it).

The scene changed, but not as radically as before. I was now in a darkened living room {not mine)and this country musician that I've been recording lately was playing my (bought) mandolin. I notice a banjo in a case right next to me and try to jam with what he's playing, but he doesn't seem to be interested, he puts down the mandolin and walks away. I start picking out some chords to go with 'Hallelujah Style' that I just heard and then the lucid dream ended.

Notes of interest:

• As far as I know, the NovaDreamer never alerted me about the dreaming. I picked up no light cues. The mask seemed more of a symbol and physical reminder of my continued intense intent. Perhaps I need to work more with the settings.

• I was elated. Not only for succeeding in my goal of having a lucid dream, but to share in this forum's experience, and just because it was so f**king cool.

• Having such a vivid aural experience was very interesting. Throughout this forum's postings that I've read, not much has been said about the sound in lucid dreaming. I sincerely wish I had waking access to the musical imagination that was happening during those dreams.

• OK, I get it about the reality testing and the false awakenings now. Not that I didn't understand it from reading about them, but to experience the vividness of lucid dreaming, one can realize how consciouness can be totally fooled in and outside the lucid dream experience.

I'm just now peeking over the ankles of the lucid dreaming giants in this forum and the vista is breath taking.

Thank you.

Hi Paul, congratulations at you first (and very acoustic)LD.That many more may follow. Reacting to your remark that not much is said in this Forum about sound in LDs (and I am not sure that you are correct on that point), I have to say that in my 30 plus LDs to date, only in one of them was I aware of hearing music. Although I forgot the dream context (I don't have my dream diary at hand), I do remember that I was quiet disappointed with what my brains came up with; it was the kind of nondescript, background music you hear in supermarkets and planes. Well, enjoy your dreams,best, Edwin

Congratulations, Paul, on your first lucid dream - and on being a musician in real life! I'm a musician only in my dreams! - but my dreams sometimes come up with music so rich and beautiful, it just kills me that I'm totally incapable of creating it in waking life. So, I know what you mean....

In trying to remember if I'd ever had one of those that was lucid, I recalled posting one in this forum (now obscurely imbedded in old archives) so I found it and am re-running it here just for you.

On remembering I was dreaming I decided not to just fly off compulsively this time, but focus in on detail. Suddenly I found myself walking across the living room of my childhood home saying, "Know what I'm gonna do? I'm gonna play the piano!"

I went to the corner where the piano used to be. There was none, but I thought, "That's okay - I'll just start playing and it will come." I was equally untroubled by the fact that in waking life, although I love music, my musical skills and knowledge are next to zero.

So I sat in front of the vague image of an imaginary piano and confidently began to play. I plunged right into a complex modern composition with elements of classical and jazz. I could hear the music perfectly - all the notes of the chords - at least ten fingers' worth! I could feel the keys, gradually more realistically, and slowly their image became vivid too.

The music came into being almost on its own: I had to think about where to put my hands to produce the music as I was hearing it. Once when the melody switched places with the base line I crossed my hands, then figured out that wasn't necessary.... I even wondered if it would go on like a player piano if I stopped, but I really wanted the kinesthetic and tactile experience of playing it.

Meanwhile I enjoyed the music as it grew in its rich complexity. Dissonant elements would enter it, just enough for a strong flavor before I would guide it back toward more viscerally pleasing harmonies. Finally it built through a soaring crescendo and ended with four tremendous chords - the fourth dissatisfying because it wasn't what the progression led one to expect; then with its haunting notes still ringing, I reached out my little finger and added that last high bell-like note that made it perfect! "Ahhhh! I should wake up now," I thought happily, and I did....

Have you tried a keyword search on various musical instruments to find more audio-rich dreams? Thanks for sharing your musical lucid dream; it's quite wonderful. May you have many more, and may your mandolin kit become a mandolin unless you someday find greater need of a spice rack,

Joy

Joy:

Thanks for the kind response and sharing your piano dream. I said in my post that I wished I could drag that musical awareness into my waking life. I found your dream fascinating in that as a self-declared non-musician you used all these musical terms and you described exactly what composing is like [search of the lost chord, et al].

Perhaps this is what Mozart and other musical geniuses had access to; that is, that they could plug into this rich motherload of music out in the ether or collective unconscious or whatever during their waking hours.

If I had the presence of mind, I could have reconstituted the lucid dream music, but I was so awed by the experience, it took a backseat to the giddiness.

When a song occurs to the lead singer [in the band that I play in] and she's away from her tape recorder, she calls her answering machine and sings it into the phone. Next time I have a musical lucid dream, I won't waste the gift. I'll tape it somehow.

Again, thanks for sharing your dream and the kind words.

Paul

That's great that yer bandmate calls herself and quickly records her musical notions! I often carry a tiny tape recorder with me for writing ideas, because years of miniscule scraps of parchment hastily stuffed into odd books and pockets proved to provide only a cryptic mishmash in the end. I had an LD years ago where I heard the most stellar music issued from...somewhere and it was like an exquisite cross between Lay Lady Lay and acoustic Celtic music and the lyrics were brilliant and I remember vaguely thinking that since it was my dream that I must be the author of said song and was quite overjoyed at the composition! (esp. because, although I play flute, I do not write music) Would that I had had me tiny recording apparatus by the bed and had hazily arisen to burst into song to the shock and vexation of my sleeping Sweetie. Aaah, I am still looking for a Creative Writing tutor from a higher plane in my dreams for private lessons to launch my wordsmithery into eternal genius and Universal appeal. Wax joyful and aware, Friends.

Tiffany:

I found joining a good writer's group a great help. It is a trip when your characters start creating their own dialog and all you do is transcribe. The tutor from a higher plane is likely yelling in our ears all the time; we just have to create the conditions so's we can hear all about it.

Gambatte!

JoY!

Astonishing - I dreamed of playing piano today as well! I already did several time and everytime I got lucid. We should found a piano-duett ;) I was playing piano virtuosly today... It seemed no matter how I touched the keyboard it would sound stunning. Everybody looked at me with astonishment. But it lasted only short time...

My dreams about playing an instrument always seem very realistic and extremely lucid; I think because one is used to play very concentrated and sometimes this concentration turns into easy-going creativity... Just like water it seems to flow from your hands...

I would have loved to hear your music! Music in general sounds so wonderful in dreams...

Keep on playing,

Natalie

Hey,Paul-That's a fine notion. I do live in a remote little town that may not even exist for all I reahehehehely know ("a conspiracy of cartographers"ha!), but there must be some other wordy loonies within an hour. Yeah, betcha the High Tutor is likely on the megaphone and my "hearing-aid" is turned too low, "What's that yer sayin', Sonny?" I've invited the Dream gods AND the Word Muse over for sushi and ice creamcake for years in the hopes of catalyzing the expansion of my ukemi, if you will, but it's been a slow goin'. (Maybe, they don't do meat and dairy.snicker) Keep on.-T.

Any words I try to use will not do it justice. I can say that it's beyond description, unbelievable, and awe inspiring. The problem is that those words don't carry much weight because you've heard all of them used in car commercials. I find it impossible to share words from a marketing campaign with what happened to me.

Maybe I'm a little too impressed with myself. Maybe my experience is somehow different from others. Maybe the whole subject excites and intrigues me more than it should.

I'm convinced that there really aren't words that can adequately describe my first lucid dream. Even that sounds trite. It's almost like I need new words, new adjectives to describe what happened.

I've heard some describe it as an awakening. I tend to think of it more as an agnostic who has literally touched god. I use agnositc because, before it happened, I didn't really know how profound an effect it could have. It's not that I didn't believe it could happen. I know that our brains are extremely powerful if given the right environment and that the absolute power of the human mind might very well be inconceivable as well.

So, "how powerful"? It's like those videos of nuclear tests. Not the mushroom cloud, but the shockwave that rips through the mock city. Nothing can stop it. Now imagine that shockwave not as a destructive force but as mental energy, knowledge, wisdom, and experience. Imagine with such incredible force that everything you thought you knew is now very different and it all happens in a split second.

That's what my first lucid dream was like.

It's your favorite song, the miracle of life, the big bang, the cure for cancer, and your favorite restaurant all rolled up in one. It's an elation and ecstacy sundae with a serenity topping. I can't compare it to anything. It's not a "dream", though. It's everything and nothing. It's looking at your world through the eyes of a child with the power of god.

As I said, my experience might not be categorized as entry level lucidity. I woke up like a lot of people, I simply said to myself that I was dreaming. It was a gimmie because up until that point I had never seen H.R. Giger's aliens in my parents house.

Disclaimer: I was 15. Prepare for an ego dream.

And when I said it, everything slowed down. Every character and inanimate object suddenly realized that, for the next few minutes, things were going to be very, very different.

The Giger alien sprouted Bugs Bunny eyes in horror. My dream of apprehension suddenly turned a bit tongue in cheek, it appeared.

I punched him in the snout and he scurried away.

My brother screamed. I knew he was in the backyard and that I had to save him.

I willed myself to be there. The interior streaked away from me and was replaced with the backyard. "My will be done", and all that stuff.

I felt like I could exist however I wished. When the scene changed I was airy and ethereal. All of the same molecules and atoms but now stretched over a 10 foot radius. They didn't seem so concerned with binding together and orbiting each other. They were on vacation so to speak. I somehow felt myself materialize and the atoms that were me were less laxadaisical about the laws of physics.

Then my alarm went off.

Haven't been able to recreate that level of awareness since that day.

Heck, now I'm just chasing ANY level of lucidity.

Hi everyone - Here's my first lucid dream. I was in my old home town, walking home from work in the early evening. I suddenly felt that I should turn around and look up at the sky so I did and saw a flying saucer moving slowly in the direction I was walking. I thought, "Oh my God, a flying saucer!" and began to walk a little faster but trying not to focus on my anxiety for fear that that would call their attention to me. I walked two blocks further than my block (hopefully, to throw them off as to where I really lived) and walked into the vestibule of a small apartment building. I remembered to do a reality check to see if I was really dreaming. I looked at the sky and it was blue and I looked at the bushes and the grass and they were green. I thought "This isn't a dream!" and became even more frightened. I waited in the vestibule for a reasonable length of time and felt they had passed me by and it was now safe to walk home. I have never attempted lucid dreaming again because I'm too afraid of another occurrence like this. My "abductee" acquaintances also said "That was not a dream." What do you think? and can I do anything further to verify if I was dreaming or not? Thanks a lot and please don't tell me it was an abductee memory!

Dear Josephine,

Welcome to the Forum! And thank you for bringing us the opportunity for some basic reminders.

Safer than any vestibule in any realm is a clear understanding of what truly defines a lucid dream! ;) If lucid dreaming is the state of being aware that you are dreaming while you are dreaming, can you see how your experience does not exactly fit into this category? You might call it "pre-lucid" in that you questioned your state enough to believe a reality check was warranted, but alas, you found the sky as blue and the grass as green as what you might expect in the waking world. Does this really surprise you? If so, you'll want to read more about your brain's ability to create the fantastic mental models we experience in both dreaming and waking ("Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming" by LaBerge & Rheingold is highly recommended). And rather than offer a repeated lecture on proper state checking and more here on the Forum, my suggestion is to take advantage of the wealth of enlightening information available to all by reading:

1. TLI's FAQ: http://www.lucidity.com/LucidDreamingFAQ2.html

2. A Fool's Guide to Lucid Dreaming: http://www.lucidity.com/NL62.FoolsGuide.html

3. Varieties of Lucid Dreaming Experience: http://www.lucidity.com/VOLDE.html

Also, keep in mind that your pre-lucid dream offers an excellent opportunity to progress in your ability to lucid dream IF you use this experience to prepare for next time! Use the Keyword Search feature to look for the article "Using Missed Dreamsigns as Stepping Stones to Lucidity" by Stephen LaBerge right here on the Forum!

Sweet lucid dreams to all, Keelin

Hi just signing in as a new board member (thanks to Keelin!) and thought I may as well post my first lucid dream although not a whole lot happens

I am standing on a cruise ship - one of those old ones where they have wooden decks like the titanic and a women goes past in some old bathing suit that is striped white and green, then about 40 clones of the woman go past all wearing the exact same thing - not suprisingly this was the clue that i needed that i wasn't in reality anymore. As soon as i realised I was dreaming I went up on the highest deck and just looked out to sea making everything far brighter and more colorful than any dream Id ever had - I was ecstatic. This lasted for a short while (not long enough then I fell overboard into the sea. I thought about testing if i could breathe underwater but before I had the chance I felt a sharp pain in my arm. When I looked round I found a crab had got it in its pincers. This woke me up. When I awoke I found my elbow had slipped off the bed and got trapped between it and the cabinet so I guess the pain filtered through into the dream!

It was a suprise to have that happen though because it had never happened before and hasn't since although Ive had the same bed/cupboard layout for years!

Hi Olie,

Welcome to the Forum! Sounds like you had the beginnings for a great Busby Berkeley water ballet unfolding there. ;) Congratulations on catching the cue.

Many years ago, I missed becoming lucid in a similar situation by rationalizing that all the men on the bus were wearing the exact same color and style of shirt because it must be some kind of Theme Day. At the time, I was employed by a design firm in San Francisco where such events would not be considered out of the ordinary. (Wild Hat Day was my favorite.)

There is also a curious tendency for the objects of close attention to multiply in dreams. I often have this problem with clothing in my lucid dreams -- socks under socks under socks appear as I struggle to peel them off and set my wiggling toes free before the seductive dream sea evaporates! Eventually I learned to solve this problem by simply shifting my attention, and wonder of wonders, the socks simply fade away.

Wishing multiple lucid dreams for all, Keelin

hi i am new to the forum. But my lucid dream was very scary. I think that might be why i lost interest in it a few weeks after that but now i am trying to do it again no matter how scary it is.

Rocky:

Welcome to the forum! Hopefully your courage will reward you with many non-scary but very fun lucid dreams!

Be sure to tell us how they go...

Peter

Hi Rocky,

Welcome to the Forum and congratulations on your willingness to venture beyond your fear! If you'd like to share more details of your first lucid dream which you've described as "very scary", I'm certain your fellow oneironauts would be willing to offer some helpful feedback. In the meantime, you'll find excellent information on nightmares at the two links below.

http://www.lucidity.com/LucidDreamingFAQ2.html#nightmares http://www.lucidity.com/EWLD10.html

Sweeter dreams! Keelin

Hello everyone! Ok, so I've been on this forum for what, hmm, 4-5 days, and already my dream recall as skyrocketed! I've been setting an alarm around 5-6am to wake up around the time I'm dreaming. It used to be that I would get up in the morning and "sort of" remember my dreams, like trying to grab at smoke. Now I'm better able to use key images when I wake up during the night to remember whole dreams later. Sweet!

Not only that, but I had my first lucid or quasi-lucid dream last night. At some point in the dream (not yet lucid), I found myself getting in shallow water (waist deep), playing around with a girl, spraying water on each other. Then she started spinning around, slightly hitting the water with her hands, using that to balance herself on the water. After I saw that, I decided to do the same myself and started to spin and spin and spin, feeling the centrifugal force and the water and everything, then afterward, I let myself go underwater, noticing she did the same. At that point, I started to swim towards her underwater and felt myself waking up... and immediately remembered that if I spun and rubbed my hands, I could stay in the dream for a bit longer. The interesting part is that I don't think I was lucid completely, just that this is what I had to do to stay in the dream. Which I did, and had the strong sense of getting "pulled" back into the dream, back into the waters. But I don't remember anything after that, so it may be that I kept dreaming or that I eventually woke up or went to a different dream.

So the interesting part of all this, is that I saw a difference between non-lucid dream spinning and more-lucid purposeful spinning. The first didn't do anything to keep me in dreamstate, the other made a huge difference.

Anyone else felt the same? Either way, I'm pretty excited!!!

A bientot et avec amour,

Philippe

Hey, you are quite fast in LD thing, aren't you? Congrats!

I had a non - lucid spinning dream, where nothing much happened. Spinning in LD is mostly combined with some expectation, that seems to make much of the difference. It is still a mystery to me, in what ways lucidity can change a dream, even in this regard.

Ralf

Hi all!

Dunnit! First lucid dream successfully accomplished, although it lasted only a couple of minutes and involved almost nothing in any way spectacular.

It was a false awakening, something I've had many times before already, but this time the dream bedroom around me was totally solid. I glanced at my Hi-Fi digital clock nearby, as I've taught myself to do, and found the digits to be far too many...! Couldn't believe it. I actually lay there for a second just staring around them room and thinking - "No - no way." Got up, walked around for a moment - checked the digital clock again, which this time had just a few minute points of light and no digits...

Couldn't believe it. I never even left the room, just walked around, pressing against the walls, looking at the bed, my clothes (hanging just where I'd left them). Tried to float into the air but couldn't. Tried instead to conjure a something out of thin air and ended up with what looked like a cross between a cucumber and a toy robot, which lay on the floor in front of me. Most odd...

Was trying to decide what to do when, for no apparent reason, I lost lucidity, and made no attempt to fight it.

A very very interesting experience - no major thrills, but still fascinating - my room was absolutely solid, no doubt about it, and none of the strange semi-lucid warping that has been present in previous false awakenings.

Thought I'd share it - will keep trying!!

D