Thread: semi-formal introductions from a semi-well informed semi-newbie

greetings all,

i have been lurking here for a minute, enjoying the advice, learning from the tutorials, and being entertained by the inevitable forum / personality clashes, and have decided to make the leap, register and write my formal introduction to the community.

my interest in lucid dreaming began with the classic Carlos Castaneda and LaBerge texts about 15 years ago when i was in college. i had lots of time to sleep and a flexible schedule, i began keeping a dream journal, i had probably 10 lucid dreams where i did such interesting things as fly, take various substances, and kill myself (which sounds morbid and all, but as it was just an exploration it was one of the most interesting lucid experiences i have ever had.)

at some point i lost interest, finished school, got a job, got a family, got a divorce, started playing in a band (i play keys in a nine piece funk and soul band called sky hi - skyHi ) and generally just lived a pretty decent life with all it's ups and downs. during this time i had no lucid dreams, virtually never remembered my dreams, and generally didn't really pay them much heed.

fast forward to last March, i stumbled across the most excellent book by Robert Waggoner "Lucid Dreaming: Gateway to the inner self" which expounded a more profound look at dreams and dream characters than i had previously grasped. this interest led to a voracious appetite for information on sleep, dreaming, spirituality, states of consciousness, memory, and extends into Tibetan Buddhism, esoteric principles, and history.

i am interested in these things as a synthesis of knowledge from a scientific, spiritual, and practical point of view:
-how can i stabilize my consciousness in waking and dreaming?
-how can i enjoy my dreams more fully? how can i elevate my dreams to higher levels?
-how much sleep do i need? what is my natural cycle? how can this be achieved in the modern world?
-how does spirituality play into dreaming? how does it play into scientific views of the world?
-how can i use dreaming to heal / improve my waking body? to deal w/ emotional issues? to push the boundaries of existence and learning?
-how can i do all this and work 40 hours a week (w/ 2 hour commute a day), keep up w/ physical excercise, rehearse / write / and perform regularly with a band, care for and enrich my four year old daughters life, shower my girlfriend with love and respect, explore waking spiritual aspects of life (i am very much a beginner at Tibetan zhine meditation - hence the screen name), keep finances and practical matters in line, and have a healthy social life? (often i get only four hours of sleep a night, which is frustrating, not healthy, and detrimental to dream work.)

since April i have kept a consistent dream journal, had six short lucid dreams, and read and collected a wealth (a horde perhaps?) of books, audio, techniques, and ideas to experiment with. i have lots of book knowledge on lucid dreaming, but i am still a newbie in many experiential ways.

nevertheless, i hope to be of assistance and continue to learn from this forum.

howdy yall.

-josh