Yes, it is indeed amazing that such a mind-blowing phenomenon is real and accessible to anybody who wishes to explore it.

How can one not be interested in lucid dreaming, right? I have encountered all sorts of reactions after having articulated to people what it entails and the one response that appears to completely miss the point is, 'So what? They are just dreams ...' It is worse than, 'You mean I'd be able feel fully awake in a dream? It sounds scary, no thank you!'

At least, in the latter case, the individual appears to somewhat understand how 'real' it can get—hence the fear. But even this perspective fails to grasp the possibilities that a fully conscious dream can bring. Why fear a world that you understand to be a manifestation of your subconscious mind? I'm not implying that in a lucid dream the sailor can control the sea, as it were, but a sailor who is not inebriated is one that can make sound decisions about the direction of his ship.

This is a point that Robert Waggoner would not deny: Lucidity permits more control. When dreamers become lucid, they are promoted to director status and cease to be mere actors following some illogical plot.

Dreams get tricky when mundane things happen within them. What we take to be 'normal occurrences' then go on to distract us from using the dream sleuth's most powerful weapon, which is, of course, questioning reality itself. For anyone who enjoys those 'aha!' moments in DILDs, reality checking during the day and recording ordinary dreams is key. The irony of our minds couldn't be made up: the very act of explaining what lucid dreaming entails to a group of people can be a dream itself—showing us that we could be neglecting the reality of our situation at any given time.

We take perception for granted! I'm 'pinching myself'—so to speak—right now, just in case ... Go ahead! Ask yourself if you're dreaming right now even if it feels silly. Look at your hands; examine your fingers and see if they can withstand a fixed gaze; look at this text, look away, and look back; look at the time and do the same. The point of this habitual exercise is that its intention tends to be carried into your dreams and promotes consciousness.

You are pretty much like me. As much as we enjoy the adventure and the escapism that comes with lucid dreaming, we are oneironauts at heart. There are deeper things to be discovered here, and the more we understand about this phenomenon, the more I feel it will add to its beauty and sense of magic. It can provide the path to intimately 'know thyself'. It is said that if you know others really well, you are wise; but if you manage to look at yourself and understand what you see in the mirror of dreams, you are enlightened.

By all means, explore Wonderland for yourself because there are already enough of us scientifically testing this phenomenon. And congrats on more progress with OBE-styled WILDs. Autoscopy is a weird experience, especially when you see what appears to be your sleeping self—making you feel as though you have really left your physical body. By the way, looking at the ground and feeling it in lucid dreams can also help with stabilisation. At least it is something that tends to work quite well with me so it might also help you.

I'm glad you found methods and techniques that work well for you. If they ever lose their effectiveness, for some reason, try something different and then return to what worked before if you so choose. For example, if you tend to visualise something when trying to induce a WILD, but on a particular occasion it's not working, trying 'listening in' until you hear something strange, or imagined, with great realism. I do think you are ready to continue by yourself and I'm glad to have helped. I don't think I've posted any guides here but I did one for the World of Lucid Dreaming website, entitled 'The Phase State' by Arlindo Batista, which was published by Rebecca Turner.

You'll find some of my lucid dreaming art in Rebecca Turner's dream gallery here:
https://www.world-of-lucid-dreaming....t-gallery.html

But I also have an Instagram account with my art in general here:
arlindo_visual_art