All DJ Entries

I am with Julia and maybe some others. We’re walking along a rocky creek bed. The rocks are dark gray, smooth, and large enough to create a few feet of space between us and the water below. I end up climbing down to the water. Julia reacts as if I shouldn’t be doing this, but I think it’s fine. I continue further, eventually submerging and then surfacing in a large, circular pool. The walls seem to be stone, though possibly with windows around towards the top, like a cross between a natural space and an aquarium. There are several sea animals swimming in here with me. Jon is here also and I think I jump into the water once or twice.



I am walking outside when I pass by someone’s yard. The path seems to go right next to the chain link fence. The yard is fairly large and at a slight incline. There’s a large rock right by the fence; I climb up onto it. There are two dogs here and I am impressed as one climbs onto the steep side of the rock. I’m not sure if the dogs are coming over to be protective, but I end up playing with them. A younger middle aged lesbian couple come out of the house through its back door and start to apologize for the dogs, but I don’t mind at all. I throw a ball for the dogs. I also sense the couple is tired and trying to go to bed.

I’m in either a pool or hot tub with Melissa. According to its circular shape and small size, it’s a hot tub - I just can’t tell if the water’s hot or not. There are also no jets running. It seems like this hot tub is in a slight alcove and partially covered by a ceiling. We’re facing the rest of the patio; it’s empty save for one younger, blond woman. A teenaged looking girl comes over and asks if we’ll need towels. She seems behind schedule and like she’s doing the bare minimum. Melissa and I glance at each other and tell her no. She comes back in a moment with a roll of paper towels and sets them on the water. I hesitate and then grab them out. Melissa is now sitting close to me in the water and I’m touching her between her legs, under the bathing suit. She is fine with it until I start to go inside, after which she says ‘please stop.’



I’m outside somewhere with Julia and Jessica. The area looks maybe like an empty parking lot beside a park. The trees are flourishing and casting solid shadows to contrast with the golden sunlight. They’ve set up some games, I think as an event for Grassroots. The only one who shows up is a very genial black man and his son (around 7 years old?). One of these games involves a tiny ‘hoop’. I’ve taken it in my hand and inverted it. It feels more like a paper cup and now I worry about getting it back on right. Another looks like a tank on four wheels that can be towed. It’s filled with what looks like different colored cotton balls. I think the ‘hoop’ goes on top and then the object is to drop a marble/jelly bean? and follow it down. The little boy is now playing with multiple soccer balls.

I’m at what looks like Basecamp with someone else - Makayla? This space seems a little more open and the floors look harder than the usual padding. I’m in my street shoes but I still step up to try a problem. The holds are blue, the small one after the starting hold quite a ways away. I attempt it not expecting to get far at all and end up sticking the first move. I do lose my grip and swing off after holding it for a few seconds.

I’m at some club (I don’t ever see its name, but I think it’s One Up). I’m with some others, but I’m not sure who. At the entrance I give the bouncer my ID, though it seems like he wasn’t going to ask for it. We are the only ones in here. The space is small and each wall is an overwhelming LCD display of moving neon, psychedelic patterns. There is talk of going to get high and I think I’ll join, imagining how the walls will look. Outside now, it looks like a bland strip mall and I see someone familiar. He is moving some doors. I go over to help him, screwing two doors together and screwing the bottom of the door? After I finish, I realize I’ve done it backwards, so I tell him I’ll have to start over. It seems like he is waiting on me.

I’m outside somewhere, maybe an apartment complex. I have Stella with me and notice a couple with a dog approaching. It looks like a black border collie and I recognize it as a dog Stella has seen several times but hasn’t been able to meet. Stella notices the dog, but the couple keeps approaching. The man, shirtless and fit, wearing sunglasses and a stoic expression, asks if he can ask me something. I say yes and then ask if our dogs can meet because they’re so close right now and haven’t gotten to meet. He amicably says yes and I explain that she gets frustrated when she’s on leash and can’t meet other dogs. Their dog, what now looks like a retriever, sits by me and playfully chews on my fingers. I clearly feel its sharp little teeth. Stella is very close but is largely ignoring the dog. Now one of them jumps to his back and he catches it with his hands behind his back. He never asks me what he was going to.



I’m walking into a building, a restaurant or something similar. I’m also a woman or dressed as one. I have on a light blonde wig that is not very convincing. I think I also have women’s clothes on. There is attention on me as I walk through to the restroom; I’m aware that I don’t fully look like a woman and stand out to judgmental people but don’t really care. I walk with confidence. There’s a small 90 degree hallway into the restroom, the floor of which is very cluttered with what looks like green foam blocks. They’re hard to get around and I think of what a hazard/liability they are. In the restroom now, the urinals are taken and 2-3 people are waiting. (I went into the men’s, slightly unsure, because I think I still have a penis). I notice two stereotypical straight white men who I know are going to throw a fit about me being in here.

WILD stands for "Wake Initiated Lucid Dreaming" and is a well known technique for going to sleep consciously. Using WILD, you can directly enter a lucid dream from the waking state. This can be a transformative experience, like stepping into another dimension—though the experience varies by the person and moment!


Summary of Steps for WILD
You can try WILD with this quick summary, but I recommend reading the whole guide for more thorough understanding of each step.

Step 0. Do WBTB or skip this step if you're not doing WBTB—WBTB is not required for WILD..
- If you are doing WBTB with an alarm, set your alarm for 4-6 hours into sleep.
- If you are doing WBTB without an alarm (natural WBTB), set your intention to wake up or drink water before bed.
Once you're awake, go back to sleep doing WILD with the following steps.
Step 1. Get comfy and go to sleep like you normally would. Pretend this is a normal night to wind yourself down.
Step 2. Anchor your consciousness.. Put gentle awareness on an "anchor" as you go to sleep. It can be something in your environment like the noise of a fan or an imagined sense like a thought. This sill keep you conscious as you start falling asleep.
Step 3. Actively enter a dream. Imagine the dream you want to have or let the dream form on its own. Any sensations you feel can be used as a portal into the dream (tingling can be energy carrying you, static imagery can be a doorway, etc). Enter the dream.

Now let's get into the meat of each part of this process!


Step 0. WBTB (skip this if you're not doing WBTB)
To do WILD with WBTB with an alarm, set an alarm 4-6 into sleep sleep. For example, if you go to bed at 10, set your alarm for 3AM. When the alarm wakes you up, go back to sleep doing WILD.

Note: 4-6 hours is a recommendation, but not a requirement. You can successfully perform WILD any hour of the night.

Natural WBTB can also be fruitful. When you naturally wake up in the middle of the night, you can take advantage of the opportunity to do WILD.
You can also trigger natural WBTBs in different ways. Here's some options for natural WBTB:
- Set intention to wake up. For example, pretend it's Christmas and you want to wake up extra early to open presents.
- Drink water before bed so that you will wake up to go to the bathroom.
- Increase present-moment awareness such as through meditation. We naturally wake up multiple times a night, but lack of awareness can cause you to feel like you slept through it all. Heightened awareness allows you to take advantage of your natural WBTBs.

If you forget to do WILD/are too tired, wake yourself up for a bit after you get up. Some people find success from staying awake for a few minutes, or even an hour, while others prefer to go immediately back to sleep with WILD. Test this out and see what timeframe works best for you, adjusting the length of time as needed until you find the right fit.

Note: WILD can also be done at the beginning of the night and during daytime naps. Any time you go to sleep is an opportunity for WILD.


Step 1. Get Comfy and Go to Sleep
Make yourself comfortable in whatever position you normally fall asleep in. Prepare to go to sleep like you would any other night and wind down. Whatever sleeping position is most comfortable for you is fine for WILD. The goal here is to go to sleep like you normally would.


Step 2. Anchor Your Consciousness
Now here's where the magic happens! As you're going to sleep, be aware of something: a thought, a sound, a visual, anything to "anchor" your mind so that you don't drift off into unconscious sleep. An anchor can be anything such as a visual, tactile sensation, sound, etc. (see more about anchors at the end of this guide).

The goal of an anchor is to maintain a low level of consciousness with little to no effort. Do not focus heavily or you will just stay awake.

The WILD Balance
Awareness on an anchor should be gentle, light, and low energy—rather than intense focus. Remember, your goal is falling asleep. The best anchor is something you can zone out to pretty effortlessly while not losing consciousness.
- If you find yourself staying awake for too long, you may be over-focusing on your anchor. Reduce your focus level to resolve this.
- If you fall asleep unconsciously too easily, this is resolved by increasing awareness level.
The correct balance for WILD is about 95-99% going to sleep, and 1-5% awareness. It's not necessarily a 50-50 split like the word "balance" implies, instead being more heavily skewed towards the sleep end. You are physically going to sleep, but your mind is staying awake. To do this, you have to use “as little brain power as possible” so your conscious thoughts can squeak by uninterrupted by physical sleep. Think of it as a tiny mouse hole you have to fit through as a wall of sleep approaches. The more you can lower your energy while remaining conscious, the better.

Transitionary State—From Waking to Sleep
As you follow this process, you may or may not experience hypnagogia/dream-like sensations (not to be confused with sleep paralysis).
- You may experience tingling, buzzing, lights, floating sensations, or other things.
- Your external senses may also seem to shut off, causing feelings like deafness or weightlessness as your mind switches from external to internal input.
- The switch from external to internal may also feel gradual.
- If you imagine moving around in your mind, it will eventually feel like “real” movement.
These experiences are totally normal, harmless, and within your control.
There is an endless list of sensations you can have during WILD. Alternatively, you may not experience anything at all, going straight from waking to dreams with no apparent transition.

WILD transitionary state can be a fun playground for practicing dream control! You can initiate it at will, shut off, and influence all of these sensations if you want—or just let them unfold on their own and go with the flow!


Step 3. Enter a Dream
The final part of WILD is where many people get stuck and accidentally fall asleep. This can happen due to an assumption that WILD will be a passive process whereby you lay there and let the dream take you. This can certainly happen, but if you’re getting stuck on this part, it may be worth trying an active approach to dream entry instead.

When you fall asleep unconsciously, it’s a passive process—so let’s do the opposite. Think of WILD as a journey. You should expect active participation, like you’re stepping into a dream in your mind. Imagine yourself leave your body as you make an entrance into the dream in a literal way—instead of waiting for the dream to come to you.

Here's some things that can help you do that:
- Engage with the dream as if you are already done doing WILD. You are now in this new world. Take an interest in things and start interacting with them in your mind. For example, imagine yourself looking up at the sky or reaching out to touch something.
- Make "dream entry" a present tense perspective for yourself, rather than an upcoming event. You're not "trying to enter a dream" anymore. You are presently in it. This mindset makes a massive difference because you are technically already dreaming at this point—and unlike waking reality, dream reality manifests your chosen perspective.
- 100% of your attention should now be turned to the dream. Let go of your waking environment if you are still paying attention to that, as if you have left your body. Totally forget about it as if you have left the room, even.
- Imagine yourself going through a literal gateway.

You can turn any sensation into a gateway to dream. Here's some examples of both visual and non-visual entry:
- If you see a light, imagine it being the sunlight at the end of a tunnel that leads to a bright and sunny beach. Imagine yourself walking, flying, or swimming through the tunnel until the light engulfs you and you find yourself standing on that beach, no longer just imagining, but with the sensation and perspective that you are physically there.
- If you feel tingling sensations, you can imagine yourself being carried intro a dream by these sensations. Maybe they're fairies or electrical impulses leading you through a conduit—whatever it is, you're going into the dream.
- If you feel wind, you can imagine flying or swinging in a hammock into a dream.

The goal with all this is:
- To make the transition more than just a passive observation, but actively leaving behind the transitionary state and literally engaging with a dream as you start to feel as though you are physically in it.
- To shift your attention 100% into dreams.
- To have a present tense perspective.

Present VS Future Tense Perspective
Future tense mindset (i.e. the "I am about to dream") can cause a dangling carrot on a stick effect—you are trying to enter a dream and find yourself constantly in this looped waiting state, never fully reaching the carrot. This is fine for the transitionary state of WILD, but to enter a dream, you want to move past this. To do so, change your mindset from "I want to enter a dream soon" to "I am dreaming already."
Then combine this mindset with engagement with your dream. Instead of "I want to enter a dream", it becomes "I am already in a dream. Now I want to swim in the ocean."
This change of mindset will change your reality as your attention shifts your goal into the present tense, causing you to finalize WILD and be in a fully formed dream.

Revisit step 1: Get Comfy and Go to Sleep!.
Another big aspect of dream entry is the going to sleep part. That's right! We're going backwards in this guide in order to go forward with the process. If you find yourself stuck in transition, now is the time to go to sleep. Continue to maintain passive awareness as you lower your energy level, get comfy, and and sleep.

Do any of these things to get yourself there, see what works best for you, and have fun!

The rest of this guide consists of extra details, tips, and frequently asked questions!

---

Additional Tips

Choosing an Anchor
An anchor is simply something to help you be aware so you don't fall asleep unconsciously. There are many types of anchors for WILD.

Here are some main categories of anchors:
- External, such as fans, noise machines, or the feeling of a blanket. These consist of real things in your environment and real physical senses and are easy to keep track of in the beginning stage of WILD. However, it's possible to lose track of them as you enter the later stage, so you may want to switch to an internal anchor at that point in the WILD process.
- Internal, such as watching imagery form on the backs of your eyelids, imagined visuals, imagined movement, or any sort of thoughts or imagined senses. Internal anchors are things of the mind. They can stay with you as you transition into a dream, so they're easy to keep track of in the final stage of WILD. You can use them to finalize the process and enter a dream.

Static VS Changing Anchors
Achors can be either static or changing. It's natural for our minds to wander as we fall asleep, and an anchor can do the same.
For example, your anchor could be the visual of an apple sitting on a table. Then it could wander to you eating the apple, then going to the market to buy a pair of pants, looking up to see a bird turning into a sunflower, a sunny beach, etc.
A fluid, changing narrative can be your gateway into dreams, rather than a hinderance. In this case, the narrative is your anchor.

As your mind wanders away from your original anchor, this is a sign that you're about to fall asleep (a good sign that WILD is working) and here are two ways of proceeding with it:
- When you mind wanders, gently bring it back to your anchor (if you prefer a static anchor).
- Allow your mind to wander, but follow it. Stay passively aware as you go with the flow. You can either influence it or let it unfold naturally.

Wandering thoughts are also common in dreams and can be embraced by the WILDer. What makes anchors work is the ability to keep your mind from losing consciousness completely. It doesn't mean you have to stick with the same thing throughout the whole process. It's perfectly fine to let your mind wander, as long as you're keeping track of it.

Visualization Anchors
Visualization anchors with WILD (also known as V-WILD) are one of the most popular. There are multiple ways you can use a visual anchor:
- Use an external visual like a light or something else in the room.
- Create an internal anchor from a visual in your mind.
- Gaze at the backs of your eyelids, you might or might not notice imagery forming.
- Use imagined imagery that forms while you're falling asleep (like hypnagogia).
- Use a changing narrative with visuals (such as imagining a dream that you would like to have).

Visuals tend to become more vivid the more asleep you are. It might stay the same or morph, and you can control it or go with the flow—either way is fine, as long as you maintain awareness while falling asleep.

Imagined Movement & Sensation Anchors
You can use any sense for anchors, such as:
- Imagining yourself walking, flying, or swimming.
- Imagining a calm energy flowing through your body.

These can also arise either from hypnagogia or just simply imagining them. They work similarly to visual anchors in that the sensation can become more vivid the closer you get to being fully asleep.
There are endless anchors you can use for WILD.

What does awareness mean, though?
Awareness is your consciousness and can include your perceptions. For example, you are currently aware of this guide and the shape of the letters written in it. You are probably thinking actively about the contents of the guide, but the shape of the letters is a more passive type of awareness.

You are aware of things all the time, except when you're unconscious, which is why WILD works with awareness.

MILD & WILD
WILD can be combined with MILD (another technique for lucid dreaming) for stacked effects. Here's two ways to combine these methods:
1. Do MILD first, then WILD.
2. Use MILD as your anchor for WILD with the changing anchor approach (influencing a narrative to flow the way you want).
Here's a MILD guide that I recommend: https://skyfalldreams.net/guides/skyfalls-mild-guide/
You can also do MILD during the day (any time) separately from your WILD practice.

Waking VS Dream Body
It's worth knowing that, during WILD (and lucid dreams), we have two bodies: the waking physical body that's laying in bed, and the dream body that may or may not be doing something else. This is a unique experience to WILD/lucid dreaming that's worth acknowledging so that you can learn how to navigate your dreams more proficiently. Like learning to crawl for the first time as an infant, it can take some practice to learn how to control them separately and deliberately.
Note: You can move your waking body without waking up. These are separate mechanisms. If you're beginner, though, I recommend switching entirely to your dream body as you practice WILD and lucid dreaming.

Mindset
Sometimes you can do WILD by emulating the mindset you have in dreams, escpecially if you've lucid dreamed before. You can even walk yourself through a dream that you want to have, and fall asleep doing this as your anchor until you are literally in the dream.

Falling Asleep Signs
If you're unsure whether your WILD practice is working, these are the signs that it is:
- Your mind may start to wander more than usual.
- Your breathing and/or heartrate may slow down.
- You may feel a jerking motion in your hand or other part of your body (hypnic jerk).
- You might make a small sound, like a mumble.
- Your might suddenly feel cold and need to pull up a blanket (body temperature decrease).
- Sounds, visuals, touch, or other sensations in your environment may become dull or vanish completely.
- You may start to hear sounds, see visuals, or feel sensations that aren't really there (hypnagogia).

If you experience any of these signs, it means you're about to fall asleep. This is a great time to do WILD.
Noticing these signs also means you are being aware of the falling asleep process! Even if you didn't enter a dream in the later stage, look at what you're doing correctly to get these signs and do more of that.

---

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What do I do if I have to scratch an itch, move, or swallow during WILD?
A: Do so! Act just like you normally would going to bed. You can move around, scratch itches, and swallow all you like. Laying perfectly still is not required. Any sleeping position is fine. You don't even have to close your eyes.

Q: Are the lucid dreams you get from WILD more/less vivid than lucid dreams from other methods?
A: No, the technique you use doesn't determine vividness. All methods have the same potential for ultimate vividness (feeling just as real as waking reality).

Q: How long does it take to do WILD?
A: WILD can be done in the same amount of time that it takes you to fall asleep. This can vary by the person, but can be done in minutes or even seconds, but it's okay if it takes longer, too.

Q: How long does it take to LEARN how to do WILD?
A: The time it takes to learn and start having successful WILDs varies. It can happen on the first night, or it could take days, weeks, or more to train. Keep in mind that training doesn't mean mindless repetition—if you don't succeed right away, adjust your practice until you figure out the balance. This will be a learning process. Once you figure out what works, repeat that!

Q: I can't remember my dreams...
A: It's possible to forget having done a successful WILD, especially if you have poor dream recall. If you can't remember your dreams regularly, you should work on developing good dream recall such as through dream journaling.

Q: I can't relax and go to sleep! What do I do?
A: Let go of racing thoughts, worries, or focusing on things that can keep you awake. Meditation like slowing your breathing and other relaxation techniques can help.

Q: What do I do if it's not working?
A: If you're falling asleep unconsciously, raise the awareness level. If you're staying awake, lower it. Make other adjustments as needed rather than just repeating the same thing (if it's not working).

Q: How do I stabilize the dream?
A: Stabilization isn't needed. You can stay in the dream simply by going off and doing dream things!

Q: Does WILD cause sleep paralysis/do I need sleep paralysis?
A: WILD doesn't involve sleep paralysis (hypnagogia is often mistaken for sleep paralysis because hypnagogia can be controlled through intention to match whatever experience you expect from it).

Q: Is WILD the most difficult technique?
A: WILD isn't a difficult technique. It's very easy once you learn to do it!

Q: Can I do WBTB multiple times in one night?
A: We naturally WBTB multiple times per night and you can do so for WILD, too (within reason of course).

Q: Does WBTB interfere with sleep?
A: Not as long as you do it within reason and get the same amount of sleeping hours you normally do. We naturally WBTB multiple times per night and can do so intentionally without disruption, but if WBTB is cutting out your sleep hours, you'll need to adjust your schedule to add them back in so you don't lose sleep.

Q: What about REM cycles?
A: REM isn't required for dreaming, so I've left this out of the guide. Targeting REM cycles can be helpful as long as you don't restrict yourself (since whether you have dreams in NREM can boil down to intention, you don't want to cheat yourself out of lucid dreaming opportunities by assuming that it has to be during REM).

Q: How do I control transition experiences/hypnagogia?
You can use dream control for this, but it goes beyond the purpose of this guide.
Here's a guide on dream control: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1...it?usp=sharing

Q: What if I get too excited?
A: It's a common misconception that excitement wakes you up. The mechanism for waking up is its own thing, though. It's not controlled by excitement.

Q: Can I do WILD without an anchor?
A: You can use pure awareness as your anchor, essentially having an "anchorless" WILD experience. Anchors are just an easier thing to teach.

Some fragment about eating Thai chili peppers but they taste sweet even when dipped in salsa.

I am with my son at a football game. There is some younger woman annoyingly close to me on the other side. It's awkward but I remain polite and try to ignore it.
There is somehow a commercial playing on the field and we get bored. We can see the night sky. There is a meteor shower happening at an incredible rate. I point it out to my son. Then the sky lights up like daytime. I say something about how it was dark just a moment ago. The sun must have been blocked somehow. Then I see the sun moving way to fast and it's dark again within seconds. I say wait a minute something is very wrong. I ask if this is a dream. I think about doing a RC but no I say out loud. THIS IS A DREAM (very old dream sign).

I float up in the air. I see the woman below and think about doing something to her but I decide to leave it alone. I am now in a version of a bedroom from our previous house. I float to the next room. I see baby Clara in a high chair. Not knowing what else to do I play along. Hey Clara do you want out. She speaks very well and "says yes I do". I laugh at bit... she's only one year old in waking life. I ask her to say her name. It come out as Twara. I laugh some more. I ask her if she wants some breakfast and what she wants but she's becomes less and less responsive. I wonder into the kitchen but I get to wrapped up in finding food that I lose the dream and wake up.