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    CanisLucidus

    Choke

    17 Comments
    by
    CanisLucidus
    , 06-06-2013 at 02:40 PM (1019 Views)
    Color legend: Non-dream Dream Lucid

    Lucid #101: Choke

    I'm sitting in a car with Dad at a place that's a cross between Sonic and a Chinese take-out restaurant. We're pulled up next to one of those mic/speaker combos where you place your order and I'm debating whether to order sweet & sour chicken or just get a giant bucket of tater tots. (I don't actually eat like this. )

    A guy who looks like Mako Iwamatsu sticks his head out of the main restaurant building and shouts something about "three orders of sweet & sour chicken". I get out of the car and approach to hear him better. Then Mako makes some remark about our order and something about dreaming. It's semi-amusing, so I chuckle politely and look up at the night sky. The stars look artificially bright and the moon has been replaced by a flying saucer! "This is a dream," I say, and immediately start walking.



    I leave the restaurant parking lot, moving through an alley that dead-ends at an open door into a house. I go inside, exploring the house for a bit. It's nicely decorated and very realistic. I'm pleased with how vivid it looks -- classy carpeting, great lighting, really tasteful decor. I wonder why I suck so bad at decorating IWL if I can imagine scenes like this. It occurs to me that no matter how many LDs I have, part of me always thinks They can't really look that good, right? But they can and they do.

    I'm a bit lost in the house and as I turn down one hallway, I suddenly find myself in a noisy European street scene. It feels like Germany. The fast transition surprises me and before I can think to speak gibberish to these DCs for Task of the Month, I round another corner and wind up back in the house again. Well that was weird.

    For some reason this reminds me of my intent to get to the Alamo and meet up with Art. I decide getting outside will be the best way open up the map and get where I want. The closest internal wall of the house is brick (oddly enough), and without hesitating, I phase through it. There's nothing on the other side of the wall, though, and I wind up in the void.

    Rubbing my hands together, I continue walking through the void. I imagine that I'm walking along a street outside. I can feel the roadway underneath my feet (which feel like they're in nothing but socks.) I keep walking forward, waiting for the new scene to form. After a while, I see a pattern of squareish lights that coalesces into the window of my darkened childhood bedroom. I leave immediately, phasing through the window into the street.

    It's late at night and I'm outside on the street where I grew up. I try to figure out which way San Antonio (and the Alamo) would be from here... and totally get it wrong. When I look out at the horizon, I see a huge observation tower surrounded by some scaffolding, like it's under construction. Was there some kind of tower in San Antonio?     (Yes, it turns out -- the Tower of the Americas.)



    I start to zoom-teleport to the tower but the moment I begin to move, I swallow my gum. Swallow my what?? Did I go to bed chewing gum? I try to remember, worrying that it's now lodged in my throat IWL and that I'm about to be in big trouble. I freak out and the scene goes black. I manage to calm myself at the last minute but the dream is too far gone and quickly ends.
    Xanous, NewArtemis, LadyLoki and 5 others like this.

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    Comments

    1. Ctharlhie's Avatar
      Good to see you haven't got into a 'post 100th LD slump', keep 'em rolling

      Such a shame about the end there, how can is it we can get lucid and then get such crazy ideas in our heads? :s

      You seem to get lucid mainly from dreamsigns, whereas I tend to get lucid from a general awareness of the dream, what induction technique(s) are you practising atm?
      CanisLucidus likes this.
    2. CanisLucidus's Avatar
      Ha ha, thanks! Yeah, I don't know where these weird ideas come from. I find that I am very susceptible to paranoia in dreams, even in lucid dreams. I also seem to suffer from moderate to severe gullibility. It was terribly easy for me to get frightened that something awful was happening to my sleeping body.

      You know, you're right, I do hit a lot of dream signs. I find that I use awareness of the "feel" of a dream more as a reality check once something else has tipped me off rather than a direct path to lucidity. Your way seems a lot more efficient/effective but probably requires pretty strong awareness practices!

      As for induction techs, I'd been using MILD/WILD for a few months but I was feeling kinda... LD-hungry last night. So I flew back into SSILD's embrace. LOL. I've just been talking about it so much lately and got to missing it!
      Ctharlhie likes this.
    3. Iokheira's Avatar
      I wonder why I suck so bad at decorating IWL if I can imagine scenes like this.
      Now the question here is really was it good, or did you have dream judgement about it being good?

      Tower of the Americas was pretty cool, you ever been? I went as a kid. Had to walk twice as fast as I wanted so I could catch up to the bathroom Anyways. Grats on another lucid and I'm glad you didn't choke to death
      Ctharlhie, CanisLucidus and NyxCC like this.
    4. Ctharlhie's Avatar
      Mindfulness meditation is very powerful for self-awareness, 20 minutes a day and I can be pretty confident of some form of lucidity in the night. When I can muster the motivation, concentration and wakefulness, WBTB coupled with meditation is almost a guaranteed LD. So that's self awareness covered, so for memory there's the memory RCs and incubation/MILD for intention/expectation (and to cue up micro-awakenings) and finally SSILD/ WILD to drive the whole thing home. It seems like a lot on paper but in practice it feels very streamlined and not that taxing, really.
      CanisLucidus and NyxCC like this.
    5. CanisLucidus's Avatar
      Quote Originally Posted by NewArtemis
      Now the question here is really was it good, or did you have dream judgement about it being good?
      LOL. Very, very good point. Beauty is in the eye (and dull, dreaming brain) of the beholder.

      I've still got lots of visuals from the house and these still look good to me. But frankly, I'm afraid that doesn't count for much! =P

      Quote Originally Posted by NewArtemis
      Tower of the Americas was pretty cool, you ever been? I went as a kid. Had to walk twice as fast as I wanted so I could catch up to the bathroom Anyways. Grats on another lucid and I'm glad you didn't choke to death
      No, I've never been! I don't even recall getting a very good look at it, but surely I must have. That's really funny about you having to hustle so that you can catch up with the bathroom. I can imagine how distressing that would be when that extra large iced tea you had at dinner suddenly hits you and now OMG the bathroom is running away from me! Noooooo!

      And thank you very much! I'm happy to be alive.

      Oh, by the way! I had a fragment where we talked about random stuff (lucid dreaming, theater recommendations in Los Angeles) this morning. Not much to it, but I put it in the doc. =)
      Ctharlhie and NewArtemis like this.
    6. CanisLucidus's Avatar
      Quote Originally Posted by Ctharlhie
      Mindfulness meditation is very powerful for self-awareness, 20 minutes a day and I can be pretty confident of some form of lucidity in the night. When I can muster the motivation, concentration and wakefulness, WBTB coupled with meditation is almost a guaranteed LD. So that's self awareness covered, so for memory there's the memory RCs and incubation/MILD for intention/expectation (and to cue up micro-awakenings) and finally SSILD/ WILD to drive the whole thing home. It seems like a lot on paper but in practice it feels very streamlined and not that taxing, really.
      Thanks, Ctharlhie! Sounds like a really solid LD practice. I like it. I've had some success with WBTB meditation in the past but always felt like a bit of a n00b attempting it. (Often a very sleepy n00b.) I should give this another look because it seems like the perfect kind of thing to do before a round of MILD or SSILD.
      Ctharlhie likes this.
    7. Ctharlhie's Avatar
      You seem to fall asleep with a sharper mind, like after SSILD cycles, speaking of which I haven't combined WBTB meditation with SSILD yet...

      This How to Meditate | Aloha Dharma is the most no-bullshit guide to meditation I've come across. You can't do meditation wrong, it's not about emptying your mind (what use would that be?!), it's about becoming intensely and intimately aware of the present moment, here and now, basically what you're doing in meditation is lucidity.
      Xanous, NyxCC and CanisLucidus like this.
    8. Ctharlhie's Avatar
      Well, to clarify, emptying your mind may have a (auxiliary) role in WILD but people seem to think of meditation as emptying your mind which is not as useful as what it actually is, which is training concentration and awareness. It's ok to be distracted, getting distracted and returning to the object of awareness is the active element of meditation. You should expect to be distracted, if you could sit and focus on your breath flawlessly from the word go you wouldn't need to meditate (because you'd basically be a master at samadhi already).

      Sorry for the polemic, but I see a lot of weird attitudes (and propounded 'methods') towards meditation on the board.
      CanisLucidus likes this.
    9. CanisLucidus's Avatar
      Quote Originally Posted by Ctharlhie
      You seem to fall asleep with a sharper mind, like after SSILD cycles, speaking of which I haven't combined WBTB meditation with SSILD yet...

      This How to Meditate | Aloha Dharma is the most no-bullshit guide to meditation I've come across. You can't do meditation wrong, it's not about emptying your mind (what use would that be?!), it's about becoming intensely and intimately aware of the present moment, here and now, basically what you're doing in meditation is lucidity.
      Ah, that's great! Thank you for sending me this. It looks like just the guide I need. I've never been quite sure what the best way is to approach meditation and in spite of getting some nice results from it (in various ways), always had a vague sense of doing it wrong.

      Ahh, let me know if you ever do combine meditation and SSILD! I don't want to saddle that combo with unfairly high expectations, but it sounds promising.
      NyxCC and Ctharlhie like this.
    10. NyxCC's Avatar
      CL, congrats on ld! I love how fast your mind worked to figure out it is a dream. Look, flying saucer and immediately you know it is a dream! Cool!

      I am afraid I might be ordering some Chinese after reading this entry.

      Talking gibberish in Germany? Looks like your subcon was trying to have some fun on its own!

      @ both

      I have enjoyed the conversation that has been going on so far. It is really motivating to read this from someone so passionate about meditation. In the last months I have been losing zen steam, and Ctharlhie's comments come at the right time. And combining meditation and SSILD is a great idea to try out!
      CanisLucidus and Ctharlhie like this.
    11. CanisLucidus's Avatar
      Quote Originally Posted by NyxCC
      CL, congrats on ld! I love how fast your mind worked to figure out it is a dream. Look, flying saucer and immediately you know it is a dream! Cool!
      Thanks! =) I was fortunate that my brain felt kind of primed and suspicious. Plus, I think that wanting an LD really badly helps keep my mind actively on the hunt. Considering how many totally absurd dream signs I pass over without so much as a thought, a flying saucer seems downright tame.

      Quote Originally Posted by NyxCC
      I am afraid I might be ordering some Chinese after reading this entry.

      Talking gibberish in Germany? Looks like your subcon was trying to have some fun on its own!
      Ha! It made me crave tater tots. See how wonderful it is to have a place that serves both?

      Yeah speaking gibberish in Germany could have been good fun. I actually speak some German, so I could have punctuated my long stream of gibberish with exclamations of "Ja wohl!!" or "Achtung!!"

      Quote Originally Posted by NyxCC
      I have enjoyed the conversation that has been going on so far. It is really motivating to read this from someone so passionate about meditation. In the last months I have been losing zen steam, and Ctharlhie's comments come at the right time. And combining meditation and SSILD is a great idea to try out!
      I know that you've been trying to figure out the best way to carve out meditation time while still putting plenty of focus on your dream journaling and LD practices. It's encouraging to think that in many ways lucid dreaming and meditation are very closely related and are skills that really complement one another. (At least that's what I believe.) Building one is bound to help the other.
      NyxCC and Ctharlhie like this.
    12. NyxCC's Avatar
      Oh yeah, I know what you are talking about. We miss so many crazy dream signs. And these things in the sky are so classic. Good job there!

      Maybe the next TOTM should be talk in a foreign language to a DC?

      You know one of the reasons (apart for LDing being totally awesome) to start so aggressively inducing LDs this year was to continue my meditation practices there. Well, not much success so far. So I tried using LD to help with meditation and now I am back to using meditation to help with LDs.

      And one day when my dreams become more stable and long I should finally be able to merge the two. Hopefully not in twenty years' time.

      Well, this looks like the month of SSILD, there is so much talk about it, I might as well jump on the wagon.
      CanisLucidus and Ctharlhie like this.
    13. CanisLucidus's Avatar
      Quote Originally Posted by NyxCC
      You know one of the reasons (apart for LDing being totally awesome) to start so aggressively inducing LDs this year was to continue my meditation practices there. Well, not much success so far. So I tried using LD to help with meditation and now I am back to using meditation to help with LDs.

      And one day when my dreams become more stable and long I should finally be able to merge the two. Hopefully not in twenty years' time.

      Well, this looks like the month of SSILD, there is so much talk about it, I might as well jump on the wagon.
      Ooh, were you thinking of actually meditating inside of a lucid dream? I've heard that is pretty amazing. I did meditate inside of a non-lucid once. (I thought I was a schoolboy in a Soviet-era elementary school and found class too noisy.)

      I still think you're on exactly the right track tying these two disciplines together. They're both about building awareness of the (dream)world around and inside of you. It's hard to imagine a truly great lucid dreamer not being well-suited to meditation (and the other way around too.)

      Ha ha, I know, there was so much SSILD talk in the air that I couldn't restrain myself anymore. It seems like everyone's been experimenting with it. And to top it off, there was even some drama in the SSILD thread. After getting results right away, you can bet I'll be extending my run with it. Looking forward to hearing how it goes for you if you decide to try!
      NyxCC and Ctharlhie like this.
    14. NyxCC's Avatar
      Ooh, were you thinking of actually meditating inside of a lucid dream? I've heard that is pretty amazing
      Yes, meditating during an ld as long as it doesn't compromise stability would probably be a very intense experience. I wonder if it would be more like meditating in the void? I also want to try accessing memories from my past (like school/childhood stuff that pops up so often in dreams), take the place of the observer and possibly get some insights. That might take a lot of practice but hey, we have the whole night so why not try.

      I did meditate inside of a non-lucid once. (I thought I was a schoolboy in a Soviet-era elementary school and found class too noisy.)
      So you are full of surprises too! What a better way to deal with the noise than meditation?

      It is quite interesting how this SSILD fad takes over DV. And the drama in the thread may result in more people checking the technique out. Looking forward to experimenting! Sweet dreams and may I say happy SSILDing to all!
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    15. Ctharlhie's Avatar
      Once I meditated in a dream and the dream scene was flooded with white light.
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    16. PennyRoyal's Avatar
      Nice CL, rackin' those lucids up for June!

      Hey man, I really wouldn't suggest going to sleep while chewing gum
      CanisLucidus likes this.
    17. CanisLucidus's Avatar
      Quote Originally Posted by PennyRoyal
      Nice CL, rackin' those lucids up for June!

      Hey man, I really wouldn't suggest going to sleep while chewing gum
      Thanks, PennyRoyal, I'm doing what I can! And it's so funny that I was able to believe that I went to bed chewing gum. There is no way I'd ever do that, but dream-brain will believe anything I think. My mom even told me a story about going to bed chewing gum when she was little and waking up in the morning with it all in her hair. Cutting it out with scissors was the only option!

      And that's not even mentioning the possibility of choking on it right in the middle of a lucid dream. Now that's unacceptable!