Most people find that they have recurring themes, items, or circumstances that occur repeatedly in their dreams.  This could be a place that they know, a person such as a lost relative or an individual event such as a car accident.  These events may be shadows of real events that occur while awake or may be total fabrications of the dreamers subconscious.  Oftentimes these events are accompanied by very strong emotion, perhaps anxiety, love, hate, or fear.  These emotions may be passing or strong enough to cause physical changes such as elevated heart rate, shortness of breath, or that nice floating feeling you get from realizing you are in love.

All of these are known as Dream Signs.

A dream sign is an important tool to the lucid dreamer.  Through recognition of recurring dream signs, the dreamer can come to the realization that he or she is dreaming.  A dream sign might be an embarrassing moment, like finding yourself nude in public.  It might be a fearful event like being unable to sub away from danger.  Some dreamers have reported loss of teeth as a dream sign.

Dream signs continue to change and evolve throughout our lifetimes.  You will often find that a previously reliable dream sign may suddenly evaporate, for this reason it is essential that you constantly scan your dream journal to identify when old dream signs have vanished and are replaced by new dream signs.

For the next couple of days, please review your journal for the month of April and identify at least two common dream signs.  You may identify more if you wish or review as many months as you wish.

If you experience difficulties identifying your dream signs, please make a post in this thread to ask for assistance from the rest of the workshop members.

When determining if a dreamsign is common  or not how often should it occur in my DJ? Also I've only got 13 entries for April so should I go back to March to help verify which dreamsigns are currently recurring?

Quote from: Emerald Wolf on May 06, 2008, 03:39:21 AMWhen determining if a dreamsign is common  or not how often should it occur in my DJ? Also I've only got 13 entries for April so should I go back to March to help verify which dreamsigns are currently recurring?

There is no real rule for this.  When dealing with sample sizes and such on my job, we perform a Pareto Analysis. To apply this to your dream signs, start a list of all elements of your dreams and put check marks by the repeats.  When finished, choose the three or four that have the most check marks.

If nothing clear emerges, look for general themes instead of individual items.

What about people, can I include people? [I ask this because now I doubt my knowledge of dream signs]

I don't have any constant signs in dreams that I'm in a dream Generally, my dreams are scattered and random with only people as constants.

People can be a good sign, but as in, specific people. I myself for example: most of my cousins live far away, but nevertheless at least one of them visits my dream each night xD

The presence of the deceased is usually a score

In addition to Seeker's insights, I have placed importance upon events or appearances in my dreams that have strong emotional factors attached - but may or may not be repetitive.

Gah, no dead people haunt my dreams... at least, aside from the occasional ghost and spirit, no dead relatives visit me. Only dreamed of one once and had "happy goodbye" time.

People can be good dream signs, yes. And they can be real, fictional, alive or dead. One deceased friend has triggered lucidity for me twice (both of the times that I dreamt about him since his death). But then I have the relatives who live in other towns that I dream about on a very regular basis but NEVER think twice about. In both situations, the 'people' - DCs - in question can be considered dream signs but their usefulness is obviously very case sensitive.

The most useful dreams signs are the things and situations that are unlikely to happen in real life, for me at least. Though I realise it varies from person to person and time to time. It seems that the most common dream signs are the one's that have the lowest probability of triggering lucidity. Those are the classics: falling out/breaking of teeth, water situations, floating/flying, bathroom mishaps, wielding magical powers, being in person with DV/MM members, lost at school, etc... If we could only tap into - and dependably recognise - those kind of dream signs, think of how dramatically we could each increase our lucidity rate!

But all dream signs are useful if recognised for what they are, which is why listing them is such a good idea. You become more consciously familiar with them and, as result, more prepared to latch on when it really matters (during a dream).

Quote from: Inevitable Craze on May 06, 2008, 08:23:26 PMI don't have any constant signs in dreams that I'm in a dream Generally, my dreams are scattered and random with only people as constants.

How about emotional states, such as nervous or stressful situations? Odds are there's something there if you look hard enough, even if it's somewhat vague at first.

Sorry I haven't been able to spend much time here the past couple of days. Busy with life and all. But I'm still following the program

scurries off to workbook

Quote from: Oneironaught on May 08, 2008, 08:56:06 PMHow about emotional states, such as nervous or stressful situations? Odds are there's something there if you look hard enough, even if it's somewhat vague at first. A "feeling" happens to be my only dream sign, as he said. Vague feeling of stress... its like standing on the bottom floor of a skyscraper, watching the supports crack as though the whole thing will topple and rain upon you. Distress... choking, its so thick. And when you awake, you're damned glad it was a dream.

The actual events in the dream are a speck of sand compared to the entire desert of emotion they cause.