Dream Incubation Writing/Drawing

[Alucinor XIII]

Well, in order to exercise my imagination (so that I have better ideas/flow in lucids) and to hopefully incubate dream ideas, I've begun writing out first-person dream meditations, and then drawing them out. First I visualize a scene or character, and come up with a few progressions of a vague story until I have a bit of a story board in my head, then I sit down and write them out in first person, and finally I attempt to draw out the major points of the dreams! My goal is to re-read them at night, and visualize myself having the dream with the help of my drawings. Feel free to critique the art, but the writings are just to have the story set in stone for later, Thanks!

[Alucinor XIII]

The first few drawings arent all that great, IMO. I started putting in much more effort in the last couple days. Anyway, heres the first-- I went with trying to place myself in my novel idea that I've been working on. Dream Meditation: The First Battle I awaken from ameditative state in a tent- a quant living quarters, made of patched leather, with naught but a bed roll and incense altar of shaped stone in the form of a leaf. The incense, similar to sage, fills my mind and grounds me to the dreamworld. I arise from half-lotus and set forth into the campsite. The smells of burning wood and open roasting waft through the encampment. It is dark, early morning, with vague hints of purple and pink trickling from the horizon. A nearby galaxy bands across the sky, providing more light than usual of earth. I immediately pick out the tent of the elders, rectangular, with banners depicting wild-ivy, and a large leaf emblem above the entrance. I hasten my pace and enter, to find three elders perched upon cushions, behind a table with a map and plan of action. I turn to my sides to see Kael and Nevara (two of my characters) and tell them how honored I am to finally see them in person, so to speak. We know the battle is about to begin, and we are all eager. (I left the rest of the story for my dream to play out on its own...) IMG_20120804_161732.jpg (Sorry, all the pictures are taken with my phone. :S)

[Alucinor XIII]

Dream Meditation: The Witch's Hut I awaken from meditation ( I planned all these to be WILDs, from which the transition would bring me 'out of meditation' and into the dream). I find myself perched upon a ledge, in monk garb. I feel the chill of autumn air wash over me gently, grounding my to the dreamworld. Across the ledge, I can see a vast forest, with mountains on their right, and large billowing clouds against the blue sky of midafternoon. Black chimney smoke ominously rises from the west of the forest. Intent on investigating, I stand and leap over the ledge, and am exhilarated with the sensation of acceleration. I break through the branches of the canopy and land, gracefully, by a lagoon. I can feel the presence of forest creatures watching me, and just then a lone, dark maned wolf approaches and stares me down. Without words, the wolf and I communicate. (I plan for this Wolf to be a reoccuring dream character to help me become lucid). He leads me down a barely traveled path to a hut, the source of the black smoke. It resides by the river bank, and is carved out of the hill, a home made into the earth itself. It has a stone border, and a rickety wooden door. The wolf tells me that therein resides a witch, who may help me in my lucid endeavors-- if I ,in turn, help her... IMG_20120804_161742.jpg

[Alucinor XIII]

Dream Meditation: New Companions, and Old Ruins I find myself sitting at the ledge of a river, my feet dangling in the flowing water, glistening in the sunlight and with all manner of colored pebbles and stones littered amongst the bed. The breeze is gentle and cool, and the sound of chirbing birds and buzzing damsel flies fill my ears, grounding me to the dreamworld. I inherently, somehow, know of some abaondoned ruins nearby, but as myth has it, only those who are one with nature are able to tred the path that leads there, as it is covered in moss, and thick vines are said to bar its doors shut-- for nature has purposely sealed it shut. I ask the forest to guide me, and I hear a rustling from behind a tree, preceeded by a glowing light. Out from behind the tree, a dryad of the forest steps out to greet me. She is beautiful, in a way. The upper right corner of her face, however, appears to be gnarled wood. Her right forearm, too, shows not skin, but instead a branch with a wooden claw. She is clothed in giant leaves, latched together with vine. She reveals her name to be Iylena Ivywood (also another dream character I intend to make reoccuring), and she offers to guide me to the temple. But within is a dark creature. This monster, she says, was forged by the forest itself. A defense, so to speak, against the men who so eagerly destroy the woods. I have a feeling that I must help her defeat it. IMG_20120804_161753.jpg

[Alucinor XIII]

Dream Meditation: The Inner Sanctum I find myself in a beautiful open field, with tall, green grass waving along with the currents of wind as far as the eye can see. Tall mountains completely encircle this carpet of green, against the backdrop of a bright blue spring sky, with the moon faintly hanging above. Amidst the grass stands a solitary tree, a wavering weeping willow, its shades fluttering in the breeze. I feel a serence presence, calming and nurturing, grounding me to the dream world. I make my way through the grass, and as I approach the tree, it comes into full bloom, with pink blossoms being tugged and torn away with the wind. I feel a familiar presence, now, and know that the dryad Iylena resides with me. As I enter the shades of the willow, I see her lounging, not on, but in the branch of a tree-- not fully having pulled herself out of its spirit. (she's an elemental, after all.) She tells me that this place is called the inner sanctuary of my mind, where all creativity and thought flows freely. She goes on to tell me that beneath this field, is a giant cavern, with a ritual circle. She opens a rift in the tree, which reveals a spiral staircase, leading down in the cavern--massive, open, with blue adn green crystals protruding from every crevice, lighting the place-- leading directly to a set of runestones encircling a withering tree. I know that I need only heal the tree to heal myself, and plant the seed of further lucid dreams. IMG_20120804_161809.jpg

[Alucinor XIII]

Dream Meditation: The Spirit of Earth I find myself nestled upon a stone pillar, surrounded by candles. I immediately feel the blasting, arid desert heat grounding me to the dream world. The pillar appears to be protruding from a great, but abandoned temple, that stood on an island, in the center of a lakebed-- a lake that has long since dried up, leaving nothing but the cracked husk of earth, with naught but an occasional shrub strunggled to remain standing in a crevice. To the west there are great canyons, stretch far beyond the horizon, and to the east lie spiney mountains. It is nearly dusk, and the sun creates stretching, collosal shadows as its rays beat upon the canyon summits. Intrigued, I leap down from my stone perch, and land with a thud, throwing up a cloud of dust. In bounding leaps, covering hundreds of yards, I make my way to a intrigued gap in the canyon walls, near which lies a massive skeleton from many years ago. As I approach, a gust of wind sweeps up a great cloud of sand and dust, which coalesces into the form of a stone man, a spirit of the earth-- named Baelorn, he reveals. He says that there are great cities carving into the canyon faces, which stretch further into the earth than most have ever traveled. He warns me, however, that they are inhabited by the remains of a once thriving civilization of reptilian humanoids, who destroyed thmselves through war, hate, and greed, and now lurk in the depths of the earth. He agrees to accompany me as I explore them... IMG_20120804_161824.jpg ( I havent finished this one yet. This is a clsoe-up of just two panels, there are two or three more to go...)