Hi, Naomi. Thanks for the laugh! I picture things as I read, and the vision of someone hauling the whole pond away, and the way you put it, made me laugh. I'm not sure about the fish stuff anymore. I think it may be Ralf who finds them to be a frequent dreamsign. But I discovered the keyword search option with all that stuff on the left of this site, and it's really fun and useful. I used it to get the name of Tenzin Wangyal, which I never can recall, and finally was able to order the Tib. Yog. of D&S. I'll own it in 4 to 5 business days! Anyway, you can use the keyword search to locate many discussions on fish throughout the forum. I hope they're useful to you.

Hi Joy. I'm still planning to get back to you on the quantum Buddhists thing. Just because my mind is weak in grasping concepts of that kind, doesn't mean I can't improve in that area. (Maybe that's why I dream of children so much.) Anyway, I enjoy your combination of intellect and playfullness in your postings.

Lucidity to all, tonight! Kate

Work has been so crazy recently I haven't followed this board much lately. But it seems like a good way to get prepared for Dream Camp, so here I am.

Naomi: with regard to your question on how to tell whether the awareness of you waking body stretching in bed is real or a dream body while I can't give you an absolute answer I can tell you two things:

1. Every time I've been certain that I was aware of my body in bed while having a lucid dream it's turned out to be a dream body. I've occasionally gotten so far as to sit up and write down my entire dream before realizing I'm still dreaming.
2. From what I've read sleep paralysis is pretty absolute while in REM sleep. Therefore if the body is stretching, it seems very likely that it's a dream body and not your waking body.

Joy: Wonderful synchronicity to read your quote from Buddhism with an Attitude. I'm in the middle of reading the book now and read that same passage earlier in the day before reading your post. Did a reality check after that one :-). Your comment on quantum physics reminded me of a similar double take I did recently while reading an article on current cosmological theory in The Economist. Here are some excerpts:

" According to the version of that theory put forward by Andrei Linde of Stanford University and Alexander Vilenkin of Tufts, it [the universe] begins with nothing whatsoever, not even space itself... the fact that it requires the sum total of the stuff in the universe to be nothing as well... Add together the negative gravitational energy in the universe and the positive energy (including all the mass around), and the result is zero...Given that the universe actually consists of nothing at all, explaining its existence becomes rather easier. The separation of the nothing into energy and gravity is a result of the uncertainty principle..." " I sat there for a moment and said 'huh'. Is this physics or the Heart Sutra?

"Form is emptiness, emptiness also is form, Form is no other than emptiness"

Is there really any difference here :-)?

Hi, I had a short ld last night shortly after going to sleep in which I saw a baby by himself by an elevator. I noted that a baby wouldn't be by himself and realized I was dreaming. Just then I heard noises from the waking world made by my son using the bathroom next to my bathroom. (This is a frequent source of my waking up from early morning lds). I was aware of the noises but still in the ld, only the scene dissolved into a very lovely pattern of short black lines in all kinds of intricate swirling designs. I often see very beautiful patterns in my lds. I didn't try to extend the ld because I just wanted to study the patterns hoping I could remember some of them. Then I woke up and got up and tested my reality and I really was awake, and the noises I had heard had been real, as my son had been in the bathroom.

There was some talk on the novadreamer forum regarding studies showing that people into lucid dreaming tend to be introverts. I'm wondering if any other introverts going to camp are a tad nervous about sharing a room for 10 days

Naomi

Dear Joy

thanks for the link on quantum physics. I deeply enjoyed reading news on this intriguing subject. In the next life I will certainly spend more time on physics.

Best wishes for all upcoming Big Island - Dreamers

Yours Ralf

Hi, all -

Thanks for the quote, Jay - that does indeed seem relevant! Near the beginning of the book Choosing Reality plunges into a long discussion of the debate over whether the energy contained in any volume of vacuum is infinite. It ended up in my dreams this morning, thus:

0830 Ha, I just now got the pun on this one! Yesterday I was reading Alan Wallace's Choosing Reality, in which he discusses the Casimir effect ' involving measurable differences in the vacuum energy within two cavities of different size ' and the debate over whether it demonstrates that vacuum energy is infinite.

Okay, so this morning I'm trying desperately for one last chance at sleep and dream despite various noises and disturbances and, most of all, restless thoughts. Finally I become determined to "set the mind in the natural state" as Wallace puts it in another book, by visualizing but not grasping a Tibetan A (although he doesn't recommend visualizations because they might keep you awake if you fixate on them) and letting thoughts and hypnagogic images alike drift through without attachment. Pretty soon I'm dancing in my living room. A tall upright vacuum cleaner is to my left and it's as if I'm dancing with it, brushing against it lightly. To my right, I then notice, is a small canister vacuum down on the floor. I dance with it too, leaping over it and landing surprisingly softly. A light, joyful feeling pervades. "It's almost like a dream,' I think. "But of course it isn't. I can't fly.' I prove this to myself with an unsuccessful takeoff attempt, leaping past my African drum but no higher than its head. However, once again my landing is unexpectedly light. "Maybe I could be dreaming,' I think and the scene dissolves!

So much for the energy of two different-sized vacuums....

I had two long LDs prior to this and went on to another (my favorite part was bringing dead flowers back to life) so wasn't too disappointed at losing this one so promptly - it was worth it for the terrible pun, anyway!

Ralf, thank you for the good wishes. You and the other Maui dreamers were a very strong influence in my deciding to try out dream camp. It's a pleasure to see you all keeping in touch and exchanging ideas afterards. Interesting that you seem to be the only group to have done that, at least within this forum. Anyway, I'm looking forward to it, introvert though I may be....

INFP or INTP depending on when I take the test, nothing being immutable,

Joy

p.s. Like Linus I say hooray for holidays - if he were in the USA he'd be sleeping late today too.

Dear Ralf!

Thank you for your "best wishes" to all of our upcoming retreat participants. Those of us who know you from your formidable presence and excellent contributions to this Forum will miss your being with us physically, but no doubt we will dream you there among us.

With warm, tropical hugs to you (and Astrid!), Keelin

Dear lucids

I hope the dreamcamp will bring new impulses for our discussions here (not, that there are none yet!). I think everyone profits a little bit from the experiences of the dreamcamp participants. But being there is incomparable, there is no substitute... I hope, that there will be tradition of dreamcampers keeping in contact via the forum.

CU in LD

Ralf

"So much for the energy of two different-sized vacuums.... " Joy, that's hilarious. I'll toss that copy of The Economist into my luggage in case you or anyone else is interested in reading it. Fascinating that there's such a concentration of interesting research going on at Stanford.

Was there a Myers Briggs/Kiersey thread that I missed?

Jay (INFP, but using the 2 type sorter come up INTP for my secondary type).

Hi, Jay - Yeah, we were discussing under "Induction Devices" (ND Experiences) personality profiles of dream camp participants. I'd love to read the article - thanks in advance for bringing it!

Joy

Another Lucid Dream happens !

I had another Lucid Dream last night, quite a nice one really, however, I'm finding it harder and harder to stay focused and stable in the dream, as I'm getting more and more concious in the dream to the point where I try and crouch down in the dream and close my eyes to concentrate on staying in the dream, rather than going out there and exploring.

I find I'm spending my golden dream time trying to hard to focus on staying Lucid - I want more FUN TIME !!! I guess I need to stick to the methods explained in the book, however, then I'm still not exploring.....

The dream was good in itself, I realised I was dreaming when I suddenly found myself in a resturant I used to work in, and thought, hey, this is definately not real ! I managed to have a wonder around for a few minutes, but found myself answering Dream Characters as if I was not realising I was dreaming when they spoke to me. In other words, I found that I was Lucid, and my old boss asked me a question about the computers in the front desk - I remember answering him seriously, when infact, I could have told him to leave me alone cause I was dreaming. It's almost like slipping in and out of Lucid states ....

Keeping up the spirit always -> Danielson Mr Miagi's work of art

Hi, Daniel

Nice to hear of your success!

This seems to be a phase some people go through: You get TOO awake in dreams. It is the same for me.

In your dream, you haven't been too awake. Maybe it is a difference (I think so, at least) between saying: "This is not real" or "this is a dream". I suspect, that saying "this is a dream" TOO definately somehow disturbs the dream. Like yelling in a church disturbs the prayer and meditation.

I know, it is not so for many LDers. This is my hope.

IN dreams awake!

Ralf

Oooo, I never quite thought there was such a thing as being TOO awake. Hmmmmmm ... how do you turn down the tempo then ?

Just thought I'd mention that I had another short Lucid Dream the night after the one above. A lot shorter, but seemed more stable. I must say, I like the idea of being more and more awake in the dreams, but didn't ever think it was having a negative affect on the stability of the Lucid Dream .. good point Ralf

I'm still coaching myself with the 'looking at your hands' method, which seems to really help a lot - will keep you posted.

Is there such a thing as being TOO concious for Lucid Dreaming Ralf ?

Best wishes always, Daniel :-)

Hi, Daniel et al.

Congratulations to you for another LD.

It is rewarding to try again and again for lucidity. You'll succeed at last. In January I set a goal of using prolonging techniques four times until February. Today was the third time. And what a long lucid dream in my proportions! I did a detailed report and translated it with the thought, that it might be helpful for all oneironauts, because it gives good examples of how to use prolonging techniques. Maybe the dream answers some of your questions, too. I think there is a difference between awake (physically), aware and conscious. I don't want to go to deep into the definitions. What I wanted to express is, that strong emotions, high levels of arousal may disturb the ongoing dream by waking up the physical body. Maybe this has hormonal aspects. I have to learn to keep cool, emotionally detached (that seems to be important for me) and at the same time engaged in the dream. Thinking and willing something too hard may have the same effects. I have to find the right balance of thinking and acting. It is like learning to ride a bike. Get the right velocity, control, but don't steer to hard, use the brakes, but at the right time. After some training you are free to ride for hours...

Awake in dreams!

P.S. Maybe it was random. But I suspect it may be helpful to use doors as doors in a dream (and not to jump through closed doors) as a means to make it more "realistic". That means in a way to surrender to the dream - reality.

P.P.S. Looking at hands: A good technique for stabilising / prolonging. I've used it in previous dreams. I think about opening a new thread on "Looking" in "Discussion of Primary Techniques". What do you think?

And don't loose it...

The report:

I did a real MILD this morning (this exercise IS powerful), after 5 hours of sleep. Previously had emotionally high loaded dreams. Got up, wrote down dreams, read some lines. Half an hour of wakefulness. 61 points relaxation, reach 31, then I did the MILD exercise.

Successful Prolonging 04032002

I sleep in, have a dream about the hospital that ends up in an extremely embarrassing situation for me. But I am helped by an unknown nurse. I wake up REALLY released, that this was a dream. I sleep in again. (Nonlucid) Meet this friendly nurse in another room. She asks me how came this embarrassing situation. From the bottom of my heart I say: "Yeah, this was a real nightmare!" Saying this it dawns on me, that it was actually a dream and that I'm dreaming right now. With this insight the surrounding gets blurry, shortly I see diplopic images, then vision fades quickly until everything is grey and formless.

But this time I won't give in! I don't make a move, don't open my eyes. I try spinning the dreambody. At first it feels like the heavy physical body. I keep on trying. Feel like turning the physical body to the left side with force. Then I have the impression, that my legs are swirling. That can't be real! Finally I get into the fast spinning feeling. Yeah, I did it. With this thought it abruptly stops. I calm myself down, relax and focus on spinning again: It works. But I can see nothing. Don't really know, how I come to the thought, but I simply start to look around, I move my eyes to the right abruptly, a short instance later I see, that I'm inside a room. I quickly and abruptly look to the left side, before this image fades. The looking opens the room, the field of view after a short delay, again. Just as if the intention to see something or the simple act of moving the eyes creates the dreamscape. I'm in a slightly changed version of a room in Badendorf (my former home), first floor.

I'm continuing looking around, I don't focus on one object or direction and stay rather calm. I focus on doing something, moving continuously, but not too hasty. The vision is still rather blurry with pitches of grey, no colours. I see a lit pendant with stripes attached, which nearly reach the floor. Looking at this arrangement and thinking it is strange increases my lucidity. I notice, that I have to take care not to loose it. With this thought my dad and older brother enter the room. I ask myself why they are here, they don't fit. And I don't want to talk to them, I fear it would distract me too much. I turn to the window, away from them. I test the solidity of the dream - wall by pushing my forearm through it in a semicircular movement. It feels less dense than water, but thicker than air. I see the whole forearm inside the wall, as if the wall is semitransparent.

Everything gets blurry again. Seems, I looked at wall and forearm too long. I look around. Environment gets sharper again. Then I push my arm through the window pane. No resistance, no crashing, as if it wasn't there. But I see it. I jump through the closed window. After a short blackout I find myself on the street. Anybody around. I take the sidewalk heading to Luebeck. Again I force myself to stay calm and to keep on moving and just looking. Still not satisfied, that everything is grey in grey and somewhat blurry, I remember, that I could rub hands. It is like turning the contrast knob of a black and white TV: Everything gets clearer, black and white appear. I scan the houses of the neighbours. Thinking, these are dream - houses and dream - neighbours, that social rules are different here in dreams, I decide to enter the house. I run across the street and jump through the closed door. No problem.

Inside the house I look around again. I ask myself, if it would be worthy to remember details and prove them later. But I decide, that this is a too hard task for today and I doubt if I would ever prove it in reality and I know, that the houses looked different from waking life anyway. Environment starts to fade again. Maybe too much thoughts, too little action. I look around and rub hands. Stabilised. I open the door in front of me, in the same instance thinking, that this is a flaw. I should have jumped through. And these are the consequences: While crawling through a high window to leave the house, I bump my head. The dream - matter is getting harder due to me respecting physical laws in dreamworld. That's my own fault, that is actually what I think in the dream! The next doors are already open. A nice compromise made up by dreammachine, isn't it? I see an edge of blue sky through the door. That looks delicious!

I leave the house. I'm in the garden behind the houses. Magnificent! I'm nearly overwhelmed by all the green of grass and bushes and trees, the skies so blue. Hard to keep cool. What is left to do now? I decide to fly, I'll reach the tree - tops, remembering Linus (?) advice to use arms as wings. I climb on a pedestal, jump and try to fly like a bird. It works. For a moment I'm getting higher, then I'm forced into a position lying on my back. I can only see the blue sky. I have the impression, that the dream will end soon. I try the looking thing. This time the effect is, that I open my physical eyes. I'm lying on my back. Looks like our bedroom. I close my eyes, see the blue fade. That's it for today. I awake in physical body.

Hello everyone! My name is Bill and I am a longtime "lurker" on these boards. I bought an ND from the lucidity institute several months ago, and drop in often to read what new is happening on these boards.

I hope to be able to post here on a semi-regular basis going forward!

I have had maybe 7-8 LDs in my life, all within the last 2 years. One every couple months on the average. Not too often, but I very much enjoy them when they occur and I would like to be able to have more.

Anyway, greetings to all of you - though I feel I already "know" a number of you from reading so many of your posts!

Bill

Hi, Bill. Welcome. Hope you have an LD to post soon. I hope I do, too. Hi, Ralf. I had a similar experience to yours in my last LD, in that I was searching around for things to do. I'm hoping that next time I'll take much better advantage of the situation. Because of course we can do pretty much anything we want. But not if it doesn't occur to us... Lurking on the edge of lucidty, Kate

Hello!

Soon it's summer! Just wanted you to know...

Very well. If you don't mind I would like to update you about what's been going on in my lucid head lately. Well, sure, it's fun flying, bouncing and fuss about. But I want to do this in the forests of Mirkwood or on a future space station on Mars. Not at my backyard! You know, something like 50-70% (I haven't made any more detailed calculations) of my lucid dreams are taking place in my own yard or in the close neighbourhood. And I want to go see other places. Just changing the environment to what you want is rather difficult. It's much more easier asking someone for the way (or similar), preparing the brain for what will come and that way get where you want. But often in my lucid dreams they end before I've reached my destination. Therefore I've skipped all little experiments and just tried to develop techniques to stay in the dream world and prolong my LD's. If I'm able to do this I, except getting more fun time in the dream world, may more often be able to reach the places I want to visit before waking up, increasing the quality of my dreams. And by having this slightly altered approach I've already, after two LD's, gotten a deeper insight in how the dream world works and what to do to stay in it.

Now I'll tell you what I know so far:

It seems as the more you bombard you brain with information from the dream world the harder it's for it to leave it. From this knowledge you can develop many techniques. I tell you which I have so far: First of all I never stay in the same place to long. I'm always on the move, changing my view. If you're heading for something far away it's a good idea to spin around a lap or two while walking, looking on what's behind you. Bombard you eyes with information. Therefor I also avoid darkness. You simply get less information in darkness. In broad daylight you see much more details and colors and so on. I also try to stay away from water. You move slowly in water. Second, I rub my hands, giving my brain constant impulses from my sensory nerves. Third, in my two most recent dreams I've had great success by having a dream mate coming along with me. First of all it's fun interacting with dream characters, but it's also an excellent way to keep your ears occupied.

Just try to be aware of the world. Feel, is it warm/cold? Listen, do you hear birds twitter? Etc. Take in as much information as possible...

Another thing I've realised is that if you pretend to be non-lucid the brain is less eager to wake up. By this I mean that you should let the subconscious be in charge over some things. Don't try to take total control. Keep acting, interact with the environment and the dream characters. When the subconscious make new suggestions of how the dream should continue develop the idea. Pretend as it's an ordinary dream. But stay lucid! Manipulate the subconscious in your own direction. I know this sounds weird. But I really believe I'm up to something here. Or maybe I'm just about to go insane. In the dream I had this morning my fellow dream companion (a thin middle age women (she hit me with her car earlier in the dream (a fun experience (Whieee! (if you wonder I just illustrated the sound I made when bouncing of her windshield (is there awfully many bracket in this sentence or is it just me? (I really should finish the sentence of))))))) told me on her own initiative that there was a camp not far from here. Of course I followed this trail and asked her what sort of camp it was. Soon I had turned her scout camp into an ancient maya village full of lonely, sexy, bikini-models. It was so fun. Twisting her every word into what I wanted, making my subconscious thinking it was really its own idea. I saw the camp in distant, but I forced myself not to not go there, even though I was very tempted. It's this I mean, let the subconscious think it's in charge, but use it to do it your way.

I learned something else some days ago. If you want to find something, a bicycle in this case, just don't think: "When I turn around I'll find what I'm looking for." Let the subconscious decide where to put the object. Instead think: "Soon I'll find a bicycle." This gives the subconscious much more choice. It seems to like it. (I get the feeling that I'm beginning to develop some kind of relationship with my subconscious. I catch myself thinking of it as a friend. Is this a good sign?)

Hmm... I actually have some more things, but when going back reading what I've written so far, I get afraid. So I think I have to come back with those things later on.

Keep on dreaming!

And Kate, now I remember which fish you meant. If you want to know, those fishy dreams stopped after I had told about them... I don't miss them. They were weird.

Hi, fellow dreamers!

A welcome to Bill.

Yes Kate. Let's live the lucid freedom!

Linus: Don't let fear rule your life. You don't do it anyway. The subconscious has great power. Don't mess with it. Being friend and being respectful is a good way, I think. Thanks for the encouraging words on prolonging techniques and different subjects.

You and everybody: Please feel free to join our next experiment: Prolonging. For details see thread: Open Conversation: "Dreaming and Awakening May '01 @ Maui"

Yours Ralf

I agree completely with the effectiveness of everything Linus describes because it matches what I, too, have discovered. The basics: Keep the dreaming attention engaged in the dream world with details from all the senses. And don't try to take complete control but knowingly go along with the game.

May I add that practicing these very same basic concepts in waking life makes for a rich and wonderful life asleep and awake as well!

Joy

Aloha, Kevin. Thea here, from beautiful Maui. As to reoccurring dreams, I often have a dream like that. Either I'm in school, taking a test for a class I know nothing about, or performing in a play I've never rehearsed. The theater is filled, the dressing room is bustling with actors who know what they're about, and I'm searching for a Braille script so I can read quickly the name of the play and my character name. Not that that would really help. I haven't a clue about my lines. Perhaps this dream is about the curves life throws at us whether we are ready or not. That's all I can think it means. Of course, if one were to get lucid, one could as you suggest, take the class over. Or, since you're lucid, you could say, I know this stuff, I'm prepared.

Naomi, I just read about your bodyless experiences in the dream state. Hmmm. I've never had one of those, but a thought popped into my head, and I hope it's helpful. Suppose you're in a dream without a palpable dream body. Would visualizing something else spinning prolong your dream? For instance, if you imagined a whirlpool or merry go round, something that is not you, but spins around and around, would the visual be enough to keep you dreaming? Just a thought, Thea.

Linus, I just read your thoughts on letting the subconscious think this is all its own idea. Neat thoughts, and I'm going to give it a try. I've had about 4 LD's so far, only 1 of them before I heard about the Lucidity Institute. Food for subconscious consumption, and it seven PM here on Maui, so I'll have a few hours to incubate before bed. Thanks, or as we say here in Hawaii, mahalo. Thea

Walking through the house

After waking early in the morning briefly, I make the intension to have a lucid dream and return to sleep for a quick nap before I actually have to awake for work. I drift off to sleep and find myself first floating above a freeway about 30 ft high. I continue to move with the freeway looking both right and then left at the scene as it passes by. I enjoy the movement and focus on the hills to my left. I instantly find myself standing in the exact spot I was looking at just moments ago. I study the spot and notice gravel and what looks like a building in front of me. The building is smaller and begins to take shape. I suddenly realize I am on a rooftop with a gravel roof. I feel excited at the height and begin walking towards to edge of the roof near the small building that changes into an elevator utility building. As I walk forward the roof edge and the building begin to change right before my eyes and I find myself inside a house. The house is large with wooden floors and stucco walls. The house seems to be older and have various personal belongings that I do not recognize as mine but female in nature. I look up from the floor and realize I am inside someone's house that I don't know and was not invited into. I smile and realize I am dreaming and become lucid. I remember not to get to excited and try to distance myself from my overwhelming and growing excitement that I am experiencing at being lucid again. I simply look around and feel the walls of the house as I walk by and chuckle to myself at how solid a lucid dream can be. I then notice that I am not wearing any clothing and for a moment get distracted that someone might see me. I look around a corner near some steps and find my clothing in a pile. I realize I am dreaming again and decide to keep my hands where I can see them so I don't loose lucidity again. I turn and walk towards what looks like the back door of the house, I open it and walk outside. It's a warm sunny day and I can see grass of a yard and a large tree. Beyond the tree I can see a neighborhood and streets. In the far distance I can see a man and some children playing some sort of game in the street. I decide not to investigate the activities because I am still not wearing any clothing and return back inside the house to explore more of my surroundings. I walk back into the house and into the room I was in before. I notice the clutter of clothing and other belongings scattered about the room. Keeping my hands where I can see them I try to stabilize the dream and make it as sold as possible. My image of the room become sharper and I have a stable feeling and continue to walk towards the stairs that I can see to my right. I walk up the stairs, dragging my hands along the wall as I walk to the upper story of the house. As I reach the top of the stairs I hear a woman's voice that seems to be talking to someone downstairs. I remember I am not wearing any clothing and loose lucidity and awake to my alarm going off.

Don Gaconnet

Hi, Don Interesting dream; thanks. Kate

I had a few very fun WILD's this morning. I had just awakened from a LD and lay still as usually, hoping to make it back into the dream world. Very soon, just seconds later, I begun hearing this linkman. He was announcing a music video. He talked a little while, then he silenced and a picture of a lobby, in a luxury hotel, emerged. Down in the left corner of the picture it stood "Guano Apes - Notified". As the music slowly started the text faded. The camera made a sweeping movement zooming one of the elevator doors. I was rather excited because I knew they hadn't made a song like that, so my subconscious had to make it up. The doors opened and Sandra Nasic appeared (the singer in Guano Apes). It seemed to be one of their earlier songs because she had blond hair. She began singing, with this sorrowful voice. I still remember the words, almost. It was something like: "I've been notified you're on your way back home. I've been notified you'll leave me far behind." Here it was a short camera clip to the reception where someone took up a note. Then it was back to Sandra again. She was singing with such feeling. It was something about "remembering the days we had together". Shortly thereafter the song really kicked of and the camera changed into a big dreary fabric hall. One of those they have in almost every music video. You know, obscure and with shattered glass and water on the concrete floor. Here the whole band stood on a little scene. Now Sandra sang, or rather screamed, something similar to: "How could you turn your back against me, and betray everything we had?"

It was really nice, but it was more like looking on a TV. It wasn't an actual dream, just a sort of fantasy. It was very real and stable though. My brain seemed to have sunken deep enough back in the dream world, so now I tried to enter the dream. The picture disappeared.

I begun rock back and forth, sort of, where I lay in my bed. Slowly I sat up but I was wrapped up in my quilt. Everything was so real and I managed to convince myself that it was reality. I lay down again, but seconds later I remembered that whenever you doubt if it's reality or not, it's almost always a dream. So I sat up again and went out of my room. I noticed furniture that shouldn't be there and now I knew it was a dream. But I had troubles to see. My eyes were almost closed. I tried to open them but I couldn't. I just stood there for a few seconds, not knowing what to do. I tried again, as hard as I could. Impossible. I tried to use my hand to press my eyelid up. And then I open my eyes. My real eyes. I closed them as fast as possible and tried to get back. Soon thereafter I was standing outside my room again. I knew it was a dream but to be really sure I jumped around a little to see if the gravitation worked, it didn't.

It was fun because I could feel my dream arm and my real arm at the same time. I was lying in this weird position and my real arm was about to go numb. I could feel all the little tickles in my dream arm, which by the way was getting hard to move properly. Anyway, I went outside and jumped around a little. Doing these cool karate kicks and stuff. Then a few people with a bull came along. I asked them were the gate to Mossgrift (my village, remember?) where. They gave me a detailed explanation and while listening their stupid bull attacked me. I just took of and flew away. I landed 20-30 meters away and stole a bike instead. Then I headed at the place where they had said the gate would be. I never made it, but it was fun riding bicycle. I'm always able to reach such incredible speed with bikes. Much, much faster then with cars. Maybe it's because I'm not so used to drive, but much more used to ride bicycle? I guess so.

Hi, lucid folks!

This night I woke up shortly around four o'clock, stayed in bed, only focussed on the statement: The next thing, I will see, is a dream.

Ralf, Ralf und Rolf 28032002 #NT #LT #Prolonging #Spinning #Interacting #Sylvia #Fahren #Essen #Rolf B #Joy I'm joining Sylvia, a girlfriend of mine more than ten years ago. She is going to visit her child by car. The destination is outside Luebeck. I say: "My car is in Luebeck, how am I supposed to get back?" She doesn't answer and I don't longer mind, because I'm quite pleased to be with her. We arrive at the location and get out of the car. She says: "If you happen to drop by, leave some buns in the trunk. (She didn't say bun in the oven... honestly) The car stands here rather often." I suppose, that I'll never come around this location by chance. What a strange thought by her. I look around. It is a larger piece of ground, nearby a hall, with walls made of windows. It is made of red bricks, too, like many of the houses in Luebeck built around 1900. Nobody lives there, although the outside looks neat and I wonder, why Ralf (her spouse, maybe ex - spouse today) doesn't make anything of this building. Maybe he is too lazy or hasn't enough money. A hundred meters further off are some houses with yellow painted walls where everybody seems to live. I walk around the hall, look inside, suspecting that the parquet may be damaged, because some windows are open, the entire side I'm going through is open. I'm surprised. The inside has been dark, now I see Rolf Beyer (the manager of our table - tennis club) sitting on a bank standing at the right side of the wall. Some younger people are sitting close to him. They look like relatives, the noses seem similar. I shout "Hi, Rolf!" He looks around, but doesn't seem to recognise me in the crowd. One more time I shout: "Rolf Beyer!" Now he seems to say to himself, that this is not his name. And I'm confused. I look at him intensely. He changes slightly. I must be dreaming. I continue staring at him, call his name one more time. The dream is fading. I'm in a fuzzy state of mind, but I remember Joy's advice to interact. So I keep on talking to him, asking for help in spinning. I get into the spinning movement and end up in a non - lucid sequel of the dream, all I remember is that I saw his face one more time.

Next time I should add: The next thing I'll see is a dream and focus my awareness. But I was fuzzy, maybe due to not getting up for some minutes. This one seems to be due to my waking life dream - sign - awareness training. I found, that it pays off for me after doing it merely for a few days. Dream sign awareness is increased all over the dream, with a crescendo from 0 to 1 and 2, finally 3. These gradual onsets of lucidity seem to be more comfortable for me. It is more easy for me to stay in the dream, when the onset isn't too abrupt. (Although I didn't prove it with the dreams of today) Later:

Bin luzide Welle 28032002 #NT #LT #DSA4 #Musik #Fliegen #Prolonging I'm a lucid wave I'm in a house. I'm singing and playing guitar in one room. It is a cover version of a well known song, maybe U2. I sing with all my heart and a voice incomparable to waking life. It is so ecstatic to make and be in this wonderful music (only few times did I experience this level of ecstasy while performing waking life music). After the song I leave the room, enter the floor. I do some hovering and flying exercises. There is a young woman, watching me. I show her, that one doesn't need to flutter wildly, but tenderly. (In the dream I seemed to be reminded of a waking life experience the day before yesterday. Some perfect minutes outside in early spring's sun, all by myself and serene, enjoying the uplifting view of seagulls circling in a thermal, nearly effortless, in harmony with the natural forces. After they reach a great height, they fly in a perfectly straight line towards the Baltic Sea, which is some miles off. Seemingly without moving one feather. In this moments I conceive, why men since primitive times have the ineffaceable desire to fly.) I lift myself up and hover right beneath the ceiling. I look down and see, that my foot still touches ground. Hm. I do some jumps. Sometimes staying longer in the air, sometimes landing on my belly. I wonder, why it doesn't work all the time, until it dawns on me, that I'm dreaming. I immediately wake up. But don't move. Instead of hand rubbing I decide to use guitar playing to re - enter the dreamstate. I focus on the feeling of body, of guitar in hand and striking of the strings, not on the sound. After some seconds the feeling gets more and more realistic. Now I can hear the sound, too. The longer I play, the larger vibrations I experience. It feels, like the dreambody morphs into waves of sounds, except the arms, which keep playing the guitar. It is an ecstatic experience. I'm happy that I've come that far in my dream - practice. But unfortunately I still seem not to be able to "bear" this ecstasy for more than some seconds. (But I can say, that I'm getting better in the "enjoying - exercise".) I force the dream body to let go of physical body with the intend to enter another dream. But this seems to be a too hard try. Dreambody vanishes. I turn and doze into another non lucid dream.

All in all not too bad for one night without the benefits of MILD exercise. With a longer period of wakefulness I think, I would have been more alert and able to focus on the prolonging tasks. But this special state of mind seemed to be very creative, otherwise I would have never used guitar playing as a means of dream re - entering. My waking mind is too conservative to do so...

Morph into the lucid wave!

Yours Ralf

P.S. Was it Frankenfurter in the Rocky Horror Picture Show, who sang: "Don't dream it! Be it!"? I would sing: "Just dream it! And be it!"

P.P.S. Linus, thanks for: "Don't accept oddities!"

Don!

Welcome to the forum! And thanks a lot for your detailed dreamreport. All these details about getting lucid, prolonging the dream, maintaining lucid are important, and of course the fun of exploring the dream world at all. BTW Thanks for your interesting question in the Miscellaneous section. I've had very similar feelings and fears regarding the intermingling of night- and "daydream". Interesting subject. Very instructive for me to see, how different dreamers react very different on the situation. Sorry, that I can't go deeper into this subject. I try to spend most of my limited time to practise of LDs. But one thing I can say: It is good to get over the fear again and again, and then - like you - just let it go some day and be free.

Linus,

Thanks for another funny dream. I very appreciate your ability to detect false awakenings. And of course your ease in having so many LDs. The situation of feeling physical and dreambody at the same time is new to you? For me it is kind of habitual. I think this is because of our different dream - physiology. But my impression is, that by time, with practice, all lucid dreamers somehow learn to be more flexible, they learn to be lucid in more and more different situations, they learn to spread lucidity over day and night.

Lucid learning for all

Ralf

Hi, fellow dreambodies. I think I was lucid again. I don't recall how I realized I might be dreaming, but I was in a post office, standing at the counter. I wasn't sure whether I was dreaming or not, and I was trying to think of a way to check. I asked a man standing next to me, "Am I dreaming?' I don't recall what he said, but it wasn't conclusive for me. I recall preparing to walk away from the counter and just experience the dream, and telling myself that the important thing was to relax and make sure to retain lucidity. Then I thought of checking text. There was a box behind the counter, and I read the label. I don't recall what it said, but I think the letters were in different colors, and that it might have been in script, or some special font. I closed my eyes and re-read it at least three times, and it never changed. I don't recall anything after that ' I think I went into NLD's then. It's almost as if the text test worked in reverse for me. In terms of prolonging, I've noticed that for me, staying calm and simply planning to maintain the lucid state works well. Not that I maintained it in this dream, but I still would advocate it. However, next time maybe when I'm in doubt I'll try spinning. What really would have been good is attempting to fly, but this didn't occur to me. Note to Keelin: I thought I remembered text mostly being stable in my dreams ' finally I have a remembered example for you. BTW, did I see something on the forum from you re another dream camp in the summer, with a blue website address to go to, or did I dream it? If it was real, where is it posted? Happy dreams to all, Kate

Hi Kate,

Thanks for sharing your lucid dream with us. As long as you can say you knew you were dreaming, you can call it a lucid dream, but obviously the level of lucidity (awareness) can fall anywhere along a wide spectrum -- and can vary dramatically within any dream experience. It sounds like the account you've reported here falls somewhere within the "tacit" range.

Regarding the text-based reality check: It's important that you do more than close your eyes in between the readings. Better to look away, focus on what you're seeing at that point (remember this will be a fresh brain-construction) and then "return" to the text (which your brain will then be constructing anew!). Please try this next time and let us know the outcome.

The post you saw announcing the upcoming Dreaming and Awakening Retreat on the Big Island of Hawaii, July 19-28, 2002 was posted to the Open Conversations topic. The link below will take you directly there (to the Lucidity Institute web site): http://www.lucidity.com/DAAK02/index.html

Hope to see you there!! Keelin

"Flipping Out In the Library" [9 a.m., Sat, Mar.10, 2002, LUCID]

I'm running around the crowded library, and I see a copy of Tim Leary's book DESIGN FOR DYING. When I first glance at it, it says DEATH DESIGN or DEATH PLAN - but when I look again the text has changed. It may be this which triggered lucidity, but unfortunately my recall of the beginning of the dream is murky. I was drifting in and out of sleep in the morning and I have a feeling it may have started lucid.

Then I'm running quickly around the library, wanting to make the most of my time. I rub my hands briskly together to help stay in the dream. A character catches my eye so I stop and say, "Is there anything you want to tell me?" We walk for a few minutes during which he advises me to mingle, talk to a few people, and have fun. Completely ignoring this advice, I run off again, to his amusement. I think, "I could do a cartwheel," and try flipping over; I end up flipping over and over in an uncontrolled way, my sense of the rest of the environment gone. The sensation is quite intense and enjoyable, but I'm afraid I'll lose the dream. Shortly after this thought I stop spinning and fairly quickly merge into my "actual" body lying face-down on a hard floor beside my bed. I have an interesting sensation of rapidly increasing heaviness as I "fall" into my body. I get up, failing to realize it is a false-awakening, and a short non-lucid dream occurs. Then I wake up for real.

[I believe my awareness was at a fairly low level in the dream. The most interesting feature of it for me was the intensity of the kinesthetic sensation when I was flipping.]

Hi! I had an over coming nightmare LD today. In the dream I was in a Haunted House and became lucid somehow. I decided to act as a dream character, doing no changes inside the dream, just reacting with the people around. I want to watch what really scary things my dream will show me. Yes, there was some blood and people dying but I had no fear. I though that all of that was not scary enough. Then some other people entered the house and I started another NLD. This LD dream reminded me when I was a child and watched scary films and was never very much satisfied with them. Now, there is a long time I don't watch that kind of films because I do not want to have nightmares. I was brave again in the LD! Beatrice

Hi, Beatrice!

What an opportune time to become lucid! It is always encouraging to hear such a report -- and the fact that you continued on with the given dream scene shows a great degree of knowing what actions are appropriate in the Land of Scary Unreal Things. Congratulations!

On a more personal note, I miss your warm smile and the company of our Maui companions. I can still hear the voices of our campmates in the dream reports here on the Forum, so thank you again for staying in touch.

AlohaDreams! Keelin

Hey! Lately I've had somewhat success of changing the dreamscene in my LD's. I haven't had a stunning success yet, but I've come a bit on the way. For example I changed an extremely boring waste asteroid with messed up gravitation, making it very hard to move properly, to an extremely cool and entertaining computer game with a ponderous gothic atmosphere and a lot of action. Whoa! Go me! It wasn't my intention, I actually tried to get to my village, but still! Whoa! Go me!

Now I must go to bed, I might get back tomorrow with new LD's to report. Who knows! Maybe I have that stunning success this very night!

It's been swell talking to you!

Hello Lucid Dreamers,

I've had Lucid Dreams every two or three days or so when I was really into it last summer but then I stopped cause I was tooooo busy with Piano and School. Now I started for good, but the problem is Dream Recall, I had a very good Lucid Dream two days ago but my Dream Recall is REALLY HORRIBLE compared with how good it used to be. I started a dream journal again, anything else that might help?

Any advice would be appreciated, Happy Dreams, Damien

Walking Through Walls

I found myself in a field of grass and large trees. The sun was shining and I could see the blue sky through the leaves of the trees. A slight warm breeze was blowing on what looked like a perfect summer day. I walked forward towards the grassy clearing ahead and found myself standing overlooking a large field. Several houses in the distance gave me the feeling that I was in a neighborhood park of some sort. I continued walking towards the houses as I enjoyed the warm sun and breeze. A sense of peacefulness and wellbeing surrounded me as I walked down the slight grassy hill and into the neighborhood below. I first noticed a stucco house on the corner that was under construction. I decided to explore the new house, as I had loved to do as a child. I entered through the front door and noticed that the house was almost completed but lacked carpet and some fixtures. Walking from room to room I entered a back bedroom and noticed a closet door that was shut. The door was on the back wall of the house in what I felt was the direction of the neighbor's house next door. I thought the door was placed in an odd location because it did not appear to go outside but was on what obviously was an exterior wall. I opened the door and to my surprise I found myself looking into the neighbors fully furnished house! I walked into the neighbor's house and quickly moved towards what would be the same back bedroom. I could tell where the bedroom was because this house was the same floor plan as the house I just left. Entering the room I found two doors on what was supposed to be an outside wall. I opened the first and to my surprise the door opened to a blank sheetrock wall painted white. I instantly knew I was dreaming and chuckled to myself while opening the other door which opened again into the house next door. I walked in fully lucid and saw an older out of shape man sitting in a green leather easy chair watching TV. The room was poorly lit by a amber glass lamp on the end table near him. The man asked what I was doing in his house. I smiled and replied to him that this was a dream, "My dream" and that it was actually not really his house at all. The man looked at me with a perplexed look on his face as if I were crazy. I smiled and said that I would prove it was a dream by running thought the wall at the far end of the room. I looked at the wall and ran towards it as fast as I could with my hands out stretched so if it was solid I could at least absorb some of my momentum. Quickly I felt my hands, then my arms, then face and body pass through the wall and I landed outside face first in the wet slippery grass on the side of the house. I slid for what seemed like forever even though the side yard was very small. Still lucid I could see that I had passed though the entire block of houses and was again next to the street. Chuckling to myself everything began to blur and I woke up. Awake I did a state test and found to be truly awake. I thought about the wall and what it felt like to run through it. It was like running thought a sheet of paper. Only the sheet of paper was as thick as a wall. I was also amazed that I was able to run though the wall without instantly waking myself up from the dream. Interesting

Don

Kate, Don't feel confused about the text not changing in your dream. I have also had some dreams where I read text and it dose not change. I have even looked away and looked back again and read the same thing again. I figured it was my mind being stubborn with me at a time when I was trying to hard to become lucid. When I relaxed and did not try so hard doing a state test reading text worked much better for me. Also I have never had the text stay the same the 3rd time I looked away and read it. Maybe the 3rd times the charm?

When I read your dream Don a question I've been thinking about bubbled up. I think I've never stumbled upon a dream character admitting he's part of a dream. When I tell them they´re not real they most of the time just say it's ridiculous and refuses to believe me. Still, they often do as I say and catch on to my ideas, doesn't matter how dangerous or impossible they are. Sometimes they just silence when I tell them it's a dream, not denying it nor confirms it. But I think I've never heard a clear confession. I thought I had one once. He admitted he wasn't real. Then he added though, that this of course was only his projection, the real him was sitting at his computer. I was in a sort of game you see... Well, how do your dream fellows react when you tell them they're not real? Do they confess and admit that they're just a product of your brain, an illusion? Please, all of you who wants to share your experience, enlighten me...

Linus

I have had the same experiences with dream characters as you have. Not one of them has ever admitted that they were not real. The character in the dream I just posted was very quiet and did not say anything once I told him we were in a dream. A few lucid dreams ago I was on top of a very high set of stairs when I realized I was dreaming. A dream character was climbing the stairs behind me, I told the dream character that it was a dream and to prove it I would jump off the high point of the exposed stairs and float to the ground some 100 ft below. The dream character started screaming that I was crazy and was going to kill myself if I jumped. Being lucid I just laughed, smiled and floated to the ground. I wonder why it is that dream characters try so hard to act real? Or should I say what makes our minds try to make dream characters so stubborn and unwilling to except the truth about their situation at that moment? If I were to follow the line of thinking that everything in our dreams is a reflection of our waking life and vise versa. Then it could be safe to say that maybe we are just as unwilling to accept our true waking situation whatever it maybe like our dream characters while dreaming. Hmm, I think I will pursue this more in my next lucid dream and see what I can get out of a dream character.

I've never phrased it as asking a dream character if they were real, but I have asked dream characters if I was dreaming. Interestingly, adult dream characters have denied it and dream children have confirmed it!

My favorite (I posted it somewhere in here once) was when I was flying around and soliloquizing at length to my neices about how it would be amazing if I were actually flying in real life, but on the other hand, it would be great to be dreaming because then I could do anything at all; and ended by asking them, "So what do you think?" and they both agreed: "You should be dreaming. Definitely dreaming."

Joy

Dear dreamcharacters and dreaming characters

You are not real!

Your dreaming dreamcharacter

I've had many unusual experiences with Dream characters, but one stands out in my mind as I read these recent posts. Off the top of my head, I date this Dream as taking place in 1993. At the time, I was a student at Pennsylvania State University. Then (and now), looking up at either the sky or a high ceiling causes me to immediately question my state of consciousness.

I'll also take this opportunity to say hello to everyone. This is my first post. =)

Title: Magic Carpet

I'm walking to class and headed toward the Sparks building, feeling slightly disoriented and not entirely certain whether my class is in the Sparks building or in some building beyond it. The building is darker and more Gothic on the outside than it once was, and stone gargoyles are on the roof and to the sides of the staircase leading into the building. Inside, immense chimeras are carved onto the armrests of the wooden benches in the lobby.

As I enter the building and step into the main corridor, I notice that I am alone, and I again wonder if I should be here at all. When I look up at the high, overhead ceiling, I'm struck with the realization that I am Dreaming.

Throwing my backpack aside, I rise up into the air as I always do in order to confirm it. Immediately, my thoughts become very focused and clear, and my sensations are amplified. For several moments, I do nothing but concentrate on the fact that I am ~aware~, making certain that this takes precedence over all of my other racing thoughts.

As soon as I'm confident that I am in the appropriate mindset, I start flying down the corridor, determining that I will be able to fly continually in a square around the building, with all doors and other obstacles out of the way. I pass my original starting point three or four times as I make my way around the empty building, changing my speed and elevation several times as I admire the sensations of flying, the clarity of my surroundings, etc.

For a moment, I entertain the thought of leaving the building, but I decide against it, feeling concern that I'll be distracted by Dream characters or other elements outside. As soon as this thought occurs to me, I see a young man coming into view near the end of the corridor.

We make eye contact, and though I felt somewhat threatened by his appearance initially, I now feel that he will not interfere with my experiences. I pass him and continue around the building, coming to a stop and landing as I approach him for the second time. He's probably in his early twenties and has thin, almost-shoulder-length brown hair and brown eyes. He's extremely thin and graceful, and he appears very gentle and calm.

As I always do, I continually renew my awareness of the awareness that I am Dreaming. It's too easy for me to get distracted, particularly by sneaky Dream characters! =)

I do like to interact with Dream characters when I don't feel threatened by them, and I look around for a reason to instigate an encounter. There is a beautiful carpet on the floor that looks like it should be a 'magic carpet', so I tell him that if we both climb onto it, we can fly together.

He seems to find the suggestion amusing, and when he gives me no obvious response, I'm offended and a little embarrassed. I become indignant and sit on the carpet alone, willing it to rise into the air.

Nothing happens! I renew my concentration, renew my awareness of awareness... and nothing happens. He's now endlessly amused by the situation, and I express that I don't understand why this is happening to me. He explains in a perfectly pleasant manner that he is the only one who can will the carpet to do anything. He tells me that this is his Dream, and I am nothing more than a figment of his imagination. A 'character' like me cannot hope to usurp control from the Dreamer himself!

I'm speechless. My mind is racing, and I'm tempted to believe what he says, because he is so clever and unusual. I consider the possibility that it started out as my Dream and ended up as his. As he continues to speak, and I ponder all of these things, I lose my concentration and awareness.

The carpet does rise from the floor for whatever reason, and I do climb onto it and ride, but the Dream breaks up almost immediately afterward because I have inadvertently lost control!

I finally got my Lucid Dream :o)

I have no idea how it started I remember being in my room and something happened, I think it was the NovaDreamer sound and flash that made me question my state. I looked at the digital watch in the corner and tried to make the numbers change, and they did.

Right after I realized that I was dreaming the dream started to fade and I rubbed my hands together, looked at the floor, and then I was spinning and it finally stabilized in about 5 - 10 seconds.

Immediately I started thinking what to do next and I decided to try to fly, so I went downstairs I remember it very in detail, and opened the door and went outside, the weather was not to hot and not too cold and it was pretty windy I think. I saw our neighbor get inside his house and everything was real.

Now I'm trying to fly, I stand in the middle of the road, stretch my arms out and jump but I'm unable to go forward. I only get up vertically and a bit forward but I can't fly straight! So I try it like 2 more times but I can't do it, it's like gravity is pulling me down.

The dream begins to fade again but I'm unable to stabilize it again, and so I wake up.

It was amazing =) I can't wait to have another one again..

Hi, Amy

Welcome to the forum.

I'm glad to welcome you as an experienced lucid dreamer here and hope your future post may be as intriguing as your first one. I thought on your dream for some time, but didn't remember any dream of mine or of other forum members, where a (seemingly) dreamcharacter turned out to be the dreamer and the dreamer turned out to be the dreamcharacter (in the dream at least...)

Would you please be so kind and answer the "standard questions for new forum members:

1. How did you come to lucid dreaming?
2. What kind of techniques do you use to increase LD frequency?
3. What kind of techniques do you use to prolong lucid dreams / lucidity?
4. What for do you use LDs?

Thanks in advance

CU later

Yours Ralf

Thanks, Ralf. Certainly, I would love to answer the 'standard' questions! =) I'll apologize in advance for what I feel will be an extremely long post.

1. I've been able to achieve 'awareness' in many Dreams from the time I was a young, young child--five years old, I would say. I would recognize a Dream for what it was and spend the duration of it flying around my house or (when I was a few years older) just outside my apartment. I spent a great deal of time trying to understand why I could fly when asleep but not awake, and I tried to memorize the process and retain the ability after awakening. It never worked. =) Still, I believed at that time that wherever I was when I was Dreaming was as 'legitimate' as wherever I was when I was awake.

What I would consider to be my first hyper-lucid Dream occurred when I was 12, I believe. It was a recurring Dream I'd had several times before. Near the beginning of the Dream, I would find myself exploring a strange house, eventually locating a closet with a 'console' on one wall.

After playing with the console, I would find myself transported through time to the center of what seemed to be a late 19th century town..? I wanted to explore the town, but I knew that if I didn't return to the time machine before noon, I'd be trapped in this strange town forever.

I would walk around the town and look in windows, but I'd never interact with townspeople. By the time I would notice a large clock on top of one of the buildings, it would be 12:01 (one minute after my deadline), and I'd be so upset by the fact I was trapped in the town that I would wake up immediately.

On one occasion when I had this Dream, I stepped out into the town as I always did and recognized the recurring Dream for what it was, as I often did. I was determined to somehow change the Dream this time so that it wouldn't end so abruptly. This is a ~Dream~, after all, and I won't ~really~ be trapped here forever.

And I could never pinpoint what it was about that specific thought that pushed me over the edge, why it was different from any other realization that I was Dreaming, but my mind soared. I was somehow enlightened and liberated at that moment. It was my first ~truly~ 'lucid' experience. I was overwhelmed with sensations, ideas, and feelings, and of course I woke up immediately because the excitement was too much for me to handle.

Obsessed and filled with determination, I was able to repeat the Dream (yet again) later that week, and at the same moment after stepping out into the town, I achieved the same realization that I was Dreaming. I deliberately tried to suppress my elation because I wanted to remain in this Dream as long as possible.

Once calm, I did nothing but stand and look around. I'd never experienced such clarity of thought and experience while awake... and I was doing nothing but standing there! I looked up at the clock above the building, and it read 12:01 as always, but I wasn't afraid. In fact, I realized that the clock was broken and would have read 12:01 no matter when I'd have looked at it. This realization excited me so much that I woke up immediately! I never did have that Dream again.

I never heard the phrase 'Lucid Dreaming' until many, many years later, though Dreaming was always of major importance in my life. In the very late 80s(?), I found the book 'Creative Dreaming' by Patricia Garfield at a yard sale and bought it. I was so, so amazed by this book and read it many times, using it as a workbook and study guide. A couple of years after that, I bought 'Lucid Dreaming' by Stephen LaBerge after seeing it as a new release at my local library.

2. I never started using 'techniques' to induce lucidity until after I read 'Creative Dreaming'. What I do most often is question and test my state of consciousness. I do this ~constantly~ throughout the day, every time I look up at the sky or a ceiling, and often at other times.

I also keep a really, really messy Dream Diary! Before I started working full time, I'd always put more care into it. Now I scrawl everything in darkness throughout the night and can barely decipher what I've written in the morning. Still, it's important to me to keep that diary.

I wake up many, many times throughout the night out of habit, and I have something to write down every time I awaken. I've recorded as many as 17 Dreams in a single night, but I guess I average around 5-6 on weeknights and 8-9 on weekends.

If I have an agenda for the night, if I want to Dream of specific people or places, etc, then I have other techniques. I will try to immerse myself in those ideas and remind myself constantly of that agenda. The last thing I try to do before going to sleep is something 'creative' relating to what I want to accomplish. I'll draw or write perhaps, and I'll always leave it unfinished if possible. It works for me.

3. What techniques do I use to prolong lucidity? Concentration is the most important thing for me. I am so easily distracted by everything, so above and beyond all other things, I am always reminding myself that I am aware of the fact that I am aware. I remind myself continually. I've also noticed that if I 'go with the flow' rather than try to 'redirect the flow' of the Dream a great deal, I can remain within it an extremely long period of time.

Something else that almost always works for me is falling, similar to 'spinning'. If I feel the Dream breaking up around me, I close my eyes, wrap my arms around me, and fall in slow motion. I will fall into either a false awakening (which I usually recognize as such) or else into another Dream entirely. I often can control the environment into which I fall, but I'm usually more successful in maintaining awareness if I don't immediately try.

4. How do I use my Dreams? That's the most difficult question. =) I don't think my answer will be impressive. I have always used my Dreams for personal gratification... and personal enrichment, I would have to say. I believe most people would say that compared to a truly lucid Dream, when you are at the height of awareness, the so-called waking world is awfully... dull. That's not to say that I am not a content person who enjoys life outside of Dreams, of course!

I Dream for the experiences. Those experiences could range from mindless fun or unusual encounters to enriching experiences or achieving true awareness as a spiritual being. Whatever the experiences are, I cherish them all. I assign them a position of great importance in my life, and the Dreams are good to me in return. =)

Amy,

Welcome to the forum. Thank you for taking the time to answer Ralf's questions. Your answers were very interesting to read. Sometime I will have to try dreaming about something I choose in advance. It sounds useful and fun. You mention falling is a method to keep your lucidity. I've only fallen in a lucid dream once. I was floating over my neighbor's house and decided to drop in through their roof. Once I went through the roof the world went dark, and I felt myself falling backwards with the wind rushing by. It felt like I was falling forever. I did finally end up in their kitchen, but I was anxious the entire time I was falling because it was taking tremendously longer than I expected. Perhaps I should overcome my anxiety and try falling again.

By the way, is the windowbox website a favorite of yours? Have you drawn some of the art?

John

Hi, John!

That is my own website. How embarrassing that somebody actually went there! All of those drawings are old and terrible. =)

For me, falling is very relaxing and peaceful. The manner of falling I specifically use to salvage a Dream an act of desperation when I feel awakening is imminent. I close my eyes and fall slightly to the side in slow motion. I guess you could say that it's as much floating as it is falling. Anything beneath me ceases to exist, and I generally float-fall for as long as my eyes are closed, until I'm calm and ready to continue. When I open my eyes, I could be anywhere. I could lightly land in the same Dream, a different Dream, or else a have a false awakening. I never try to control where I'll land if I'm doing it out of desperation, and it usually does salvage my Dream!

Hi, Amy and John

Amy, I very enjoyed your long answer of the standard questions. One reason, why I'm so lazy with writing in the forum these days is, that my nine years old son is with me and I am "daddy, mom and pal (supported by my beloved Astrid) " in one person. I talk about my dreams often and now as he gets more open it dawns on me, that he often dreams lucid (seemingly more often, than me) and continues unfinished dreams deliberately. This is what I thought of, when I read your lines re your childhood. I've visited your website, too. And tried some of the links. Interesting, especially the "coelacanth" link (we call them "Quastenflosser"). I'm interested in paleontology, I search for fossils in our local gravel- pits and on the Baltic cliff line.

Prolonging by falling was the experience, that pushed Stephen to develop the spinning technique, as far as I remember.

Thanks for sharing your experiences

Yours Ralf

Last night I was spinning in the dark and I realised I could hear the feint noise of cars passing on the road outside. When I awoke I realised that the noise was authentic (Today was a public holiday, so I lay in and there was more noise at 9am than when I usually get up).

Of course it could be that I dreamt the noise, but I did not think about the noise for weeks prior to the dream, never mind last night.

Has anyone had a similar experience. I'd assumed that auditory capability for external noises would be switched off in a dream.

Owen

I had a similar situation the other night. I went back to sleep around 5:30, and guess I actually fell asleep around 5:45. I became lucid very near the time I returned back to bed, and the most of the dream scene was in my bedroom. At exactly 6:00am Dana's watch went off'beep'beep, and I knew it was six o'clock. I even thought about in my dream, that fact that I wanted to get up and exercise, as I had promised myself the night before, but stayed in the dream a little while longer. I woke up a couple of minutes later. There were other noises I heard in the dream that were not actually happening in my room at the same time.

( : smyles : )