DJ Comments

Thanks a lot Canis.

Yeah, I really don't believe walls and doors are solid. Thank goodness. I need SOME kind of dream powers!

I often dream what I'm thinking about when I go to bed, though it is usually sex, so as long as I can do that, I'm typically successful. It is a narrow band of success, but results in a high percentage of success. Keep in mind, I also had an outside stimulus, sufficient in strength and uniqueness that it made a big impression on me. I can't attribute this lucid to SSILD; it was simply the technique I used.

That aside, I may cycle on my back or in my sleeping position on my stomach. If I fall asleep on my back, I think there are some benefits for dreaming, but I have to be very tired to fall asleep on my back. If I fall asleep on my stomach, I'm in a comfortable position to dream.

On this night, I cycled a few times and thought about what I wanted to dream about, and it happened. If I had put just a little attention to the ToTM, I could have completed it. I flew by two gardens and was with a DC within seconds. UGH!

If you have insomnia, I don't know what to tell you. I think about things hard and it can keep me awake. If it starts to keep you awake, then quit thinking about it. Maybe you will have planted a seed of intention.

I'll work on my goals; you work on yours. We'll both succeed.

Congratulations on the lucid! You really are a natural with the phasing. Or, to put myself in the proper mindset, you really are good at recognizing that these walls don't actually exist. There? That better?

So did you basically go through your SSILD cycles, flop into your sleeping position, and then incubate the dream as you fell asleep? I should take another spin with dream incubation. I'm always so focused on heading off insomnia at the pass that I tend to be laser focused on just falling asleep as fast as possible. But I might be missing out on an opportunity by being so single-minded.

This was the best, most controlled, most vivid, longest lucid I've possibly ever had.

Amazing! Congratulations x2!

Great recall last night! Sounds like a lot of really vivid scenes. Was the FA in your own bedroom or were you someplace unusual?

Good question. I was in bed, but in a strange location--a nonspecific dream location. I never questioned it.

I swear I need to set myself up for a lucid. I was just telling you about my cast of characters. I could even have predicted the conversation to a point. I have to work on my coupling technique.

That's a great thought. We let a lifetime of these simple moments pass us by, unnoticed and unappreciated. And when they're beyond our reach, we'd give anything for one more.

I've been waiting all my life to have money that I'll probably never have, but I spend all my life just being. It's obvious what I needed to enjoy with my dad. Oh well. I've come to terms with it.

Great recall last night! Sounds like a lot of really vivid scenes. Was the FA in your own bedroom or were you someplace unusual?

I recently told someone IWL that that is all I want from my dad, nothing fancy--just to sit down and enjoy a cup of coffee.

That's a great thought. We let a lifetime of these simple moments pass us by, unnoticed and unappreciated. And when they're beyond our reach, we'd give anything for one more.

Ah, you grow flowers! That makes total sense. It's easy to get really into some aspect of the dream that you know well that for some reason just isn't sitting quite right.

Yeah, you know, I've gotten really fixated on random stuff in dreams before. I ran across one of my friends in a movie theater in one LD and she was like two feet too short. I just couldn't stand it, so I frittered the dream away trying to make her the right size. It's so easy for me to get wrapped around the axle with stuff like that. I'm getting better at catching it, though. Lately I'm at least a little bit better at recognizing when I'm becoming obsessive about some detail or the other.

Wings or no, nice job on this one!

Canis,

Thanks man. It's the weirdest thing, but I'll take it. Right now it's like when people say two in a row. To me, two isn't really a row. It's back to back wins. If I get a third within a week, or even two weeks, that would be something. I'm going to keep trying SSILD and hope for the best. Three in as many days is really doubtful, but if that's what The Sandman has in store for me, then who am I to argue? o/***

As for the flower, I wasted valuable time looking for a "better" flower. I should have been looking for a DC immediately upon finding the flower and "limped" across the finish line as you put it. No question. The flower was one success. Finding a DC and giving it to them would be a second hurdle, but one I could manage. Why didn't I?

I grow flowers, so I have my own ideas. I must have lost clarity of thought to mess that up. That's OK; I learned something.

Wow, congratulations, Sandman! Nice lucid hot streak you've got going!

It's funny how you were working to make sure you completed the Task of the Month in sufficient style. I'm usually trying to limp across the finish line any way I can. Was that a dream logic thing or do you still think those early flowers weren't quite up to snuff?

And yeah, whatever combination of life elements is coming together to help you become lucid, I'm glad that things are falling into place. Enjoy!

Canis,

I agree that the wings are just a little bonus. The main thing is being lucid. Nothing like it! The community is next. I have a few friends that are really awesome. I want the wings this month because I'm afraid the other tasks will all require manipulation. Still, failing at the lake was pretty cool. I felt the water on my feet. I could skate on the water, but I couldn't freeze the lake. GRRRRRRRR! I didn't even think about it. I just figured if I could skate, maybe the lake would turn frozen. Instead I just water-skated.

Thanks for the link. I actually found it in your reply to Xanous. Good to have it here though. I'll read up.

@Xanous,

The guy was scary too. I was kind of afraid, but I knew I was dreaming so that's what my prick-DC's get.

Congrats on the lucid

I'm glad we were of help! I also found the poking the DC in the face bit pretty funny. I really want to poke a DC in the face just for the fun of it now.

Awesome, man, glad that we helped out in some way! In the end, it's your intention that does it, just like you said. All we can do is fire it up with all of our excited LD jibber-jabber. The rest is down to you.

And don't worry about some parts of TotM being too difficult. Just getting in there and trying is the thing. Answering the bell. I failed utterly in September and October, but I kept going for it every night. The "failures" were all great LDs that forced me to confront the areas where my skills needed improvement. And that's all good stuff!

As cheesy as it sounds, t's not really about the wings. It's about having something that you work toward with a bunch of other people and challenging yourself as part of a community. Getting winged is awesome, don't get me wrong, but having some particular challenge to focus on and discuss with others is the part that really excites me.

LOL, sorry about the link. I really jacked that one up. Try this: 宇宙の铁: Senses Initiated Lucid Dream (SSILD) Official Tutorial

Thanks Canis! I'm really happy about it too. I joined on Jan. 31 of 2011, so this is the beginning of my fiscal year. What a great way to start!

here to live vicariously through yours.

Lol! Sorry your WBTB didn't work out Canis.

It's cool that you had Task of the Month on your mind. February's should be coming soon, so that'll give you something else to practice your SSILD on.

Talking to you and Xanous has gotten me on board for the ToTM. The problem is that I'm not good at any type of manipulation. My only dream powers are flight and phasing through objects. I'm also able to interact with DC's. I have had minor, minor luck with telekinesis, but no luck with fireballs, and I failed at the lake, as expected. I know that expectation killed it before I had a chance, but I need a technique in my dream...badly!

As for the SSILD, I definitely will keep practicing, but I had other stimuli that likely kicked me lucid. Between talking to you, seeing your wings, making it my intention to get wings like you, giving it my attention (I haven't been putting enough attention to LDing, so attention is actually a possible "new" stimulus,) making friends with Xanous, seeing his wings, redoubling my decision to get wings, learning about SSILD, and trying it, then setting an alarm on my phone with my voice to give me a subliminal message--these are all little messages to kick me lucid.

I keep a log of dreams that have been "infiltrated" by my alarm. This was not one of those times, but I'm keen on what kicks me lucid. In this case, I can't say it was SSILD; I will keep trying the technique however.

CosmicIron posted a somewhat updated version in mid-January with his latest guidelines. They seem pretty good: http://He told me to leave him alone...g a shitty DC.

Will you repost that link? I can't follow it.

Ha! Congratulations on the lucid, Sandman! I saw this entry during my WBTB but needed to get back to sleep. I didn't wind up having an LD, so I'm here to live vicariously through yours.

I have to say, your DCs are kind of a pain in the ass. Seems like the guy earned this:

He told me to leave him alone. I started poking him in the face for being a shitty DC.

It's cool that you had Task of the Month on your mind. February's should be coming soon, so that'll give you something else to practice your SSILD on.

I'm glad that SSILD worked for you so well the first time. It delivered for me right away, too. Still wish that I could explain why it works. BTW, in case you missed it in the other thread, CosmicIron posted a somewhat updated version in mid-January with his latest guidelines. They seem pretty good: 宇宙の铁: Senses Initiated Lucid Dream (SSILD) Official Tutorial

As for my boy, I don't doubt at all that he has had at least one LD, and will continue, as you said, now that he knows about LD's...and as you say, a dream life can be reanimated. I think both have to do with "attention." It is a concept I have spoken of many times. The funny thing about "attention" and LDing is that most people don't give them any attention because they don't even know about them.

I agree. Kids sort of naturally have that sense of attention and awareness of the present moment. We have to work hard to teach them to spend their time obsessing about the past, fretting about the future, and worrying about stuff they can't change.

I once heard someone say that kids have "lantern vision" while adults have "tunnel vision". I think that sums up the difference in awareness/attention nicely.

Agreed--my dreams were much richer when I was a kid. I created dreamscapes without effort. Today they are much more basic dreamscapes and story lines.

As for my boy, I don't doubt at all that he has had at least one LD, and will continue, as you said, now that he knows about LD's...and as you say, a dream life can be reanimated. I think both have to do with "attention." It is a concept I have spoken of many times. The funny thing about "attention" and LDing is that most people don't give them any attention because they don't even know about them.

In my first full year with DV, I had 17 LD's. In my second year, I have so far had 26 or 27. I hope with people like you and me around, the next generation of lucid dreamer's finds unparalleled success. Cognoscence of LDing is obviously vital, but this knowledge at such an early age when dreaming is easy is a real gift. Our kids are some of the lucky few.

Amazing! My oldest is 3, but I love hearing him talk about his occasional dreams.

It wouldn't surprise me in the least if your son is experiencing lucid dreams now that you've told him that such a thing exists and he knows what to look for. Kids tend to have much richer dream lives than adults. My dream life was far more vibrant naturally when I was a kid, and went almost dormant once I "grew up". It didn't liven up again until I started dream journaling last year.

It's cool that the dream life can be reanimated after being ignored for so long. But it's even cooler that your son might not let his go ignored.

Who's "we" in this case? Is it you and the VCR or do you have someone in your family/inner circle that practices lucid dreaming as well?

It's my 7 year old boy. We throw the football all the time. We used to throw a rubber spike ball and call it Lucidity Ball. We would pretend that we were throwing a fireball. I never can throw fireballs in my lucids.

I've talked to him about lucid dreaming and he has had one or two. I believe him. He talks to me about them in a way you would if you really had the dream. He does RC's in his lucids. He tells me he's not sure if he was lucid for one of them, but I'm convinced he knows what they are. I wish I had someone to tell me about LD's when I was 7.

Lol! It's funny you suspect a pre-bedtime ritual. I especially like the possibility of screaming. It seems very reasonable to me. On this night, I only closed my eyes and hoped to lucid. That works best when I fall asleep right away while I'm thinking about it--I guess.

Yeah, I read a post some time ago on DV where this guy said he would perform some old occult ritual before bed. He would apparently work himself into a frenzy and shout and scream that he was going to become lucid. LOL. Not such a great approach for a family man, I'd think, but I found it very amusing.

I would bet our discussion had something to do with it. As I mentioned, I often talk to DV friends about LD'ing and very soon after have some success. I think it helps that the person I communicate with has something in common with me.

Yeah, DV buddies are such a help. Sharing ideas and experiences is huge (and if you're me, stealing from other people's ideas and experiences, heh heh...)

Typically, no. I have played games with VCR lights (or some other lights) that blink. I timed closing and opening my eyes so that the light would be on when I opened them, and I pretended as though I was throwing a fireball, which was the light. We play a game called "Lucidity Ball" to put attention to lucidity. Your ideas of rituals are the same thing. In fact, anything to be different so that the game doesn't become expected allows the stimulus to be new and have more of an impact. I don't do enough of these exercises.

Huh, that's a cool idea! Anything that would engage visualization and imagination to that degree seems great.

Who's "we" in this case? Is it you and the VCR or do you have someone in your family/inner circle that practices lucid dreaming as well?

Thanks for your comments CanisLucidus. I've enjoyed our discussions.

Same here! Congratulations again on the LD!

Congratulations on the LD, Sandman! I'm glad to hear that our LD talk helped in some small way to make you lucid here.

Thanks Canis. This was the best lucid I've had in a long time. I went on a spurt of 10 second lucids and it was pissing me off. This was the longest I've had in a long time. I didn't get what I wanted, but being lucid is reward enough.

What's particularly striking is that the way you became lucid wasn't just because you noticed weird stuff going on.

This was the first time I've ever had a DC trigger a lucid like this. It was in large part luck.

Your dream content itself was filled with references to lucid dreaming, presumably from some kind of prep work / studying / reading / pre-bedtime screaming ritual?

Lol! It's funny you suspect a pre-bedtime ritual. I especially like the possibility of screaming. It seems very reasonable to me. On this night, I only closed my eyes and hoped to lucid. That works best when I fall asleep right away while I'm thinking about it--I guess.

I would bet our discussion had something to do with it. As I mentioned, I often talk to DV friends about LD'ing and very soon after have some success. I think it helps that the person I communicate with has something in common with me.

Did you do anything at bedtime or WBTB that you think pushed the dream in that direction? Because whatever this thing is, I'll need to try it.

Typically, no. I have played games with VCR lights (or some other lights) that blink. I timed closing and opening my eyes so that the light would be on when I opened them, and I pretended as though I was throwing a fireball, which was the light. We play a game called "Lucidity Ball" to put attention to lucidity. Your ideas of rituals are the same thing. In fact, anything to be different so that the game doesn't become expected allows the stimulus to be new and have more of an impact. I don't do enough of these exercises.

Also kind of interesting that this one started off with another football scene. Had you been tossing the football again that day or was it just on your mind?

My boy and I play football every day unless something stops us.

I didn't want to get in trouble, so I was going to kick their ass.
LOL. I do love that dream logic.

Thanks for your comments CanisLucidus. I've enjoyed our discussions.

Congratulations on the LD, Sandman! I'm glad to hear that our LD talk helped in some small way to make you lucid here.

What's particularly striking is that the way you became lucid wasn't just because you noticed weird stuff going on. Your dream content itself was filled with references to lucid dreaming, presumably from some kind of prep work / studying / reading / pre-bedtime screaming ritual? Did you do anything at bedtime or WBTB that you think pushed the dream in that direction? Because whatever this thing is, I'll need to try it.

Also kind of interesting that this one started off with another football scene. Had you been tossing the football again that day or was it just on your mind?

I didn't want to get in trouble, so I was going to kick their ass.

LOL. I do love that dream logic.

Any time, man! I'm looking forward to hearing how it goes.

Good luck fostering this fledgling dream incubation super power!