non-lucid

Dreamed about diving and swimming. There was a giant oyster that I had picked up and was carrying around trying to open it. I was looking for a pearl, though I wasn't expecting to find it. Also while I was doing this there was an eel, with a deformed sideways jaw that was menacingly looking at/ following me. The whole place was set in Madagascar for some reason and it was in this pool/lagoon. Other DC's were there though none I particularly recognized. I think someone helped lure away the Eel. Eventually I got what I knew to be an egg out of the oyster, but it wasn't a pearl. Another female DC said something like, "that's what they usually have". Then the dream ended.

Clearly the drinking water before bed is working, as my bladder was moderately full. Unfortunately I did not have the awareness to perform any RC's. Also my dog was sleeping with me in bed and I don't think that helped things at all.

I finally decided yesterday that I would actively pursue Lucid Dreaming as an interesting hobby. And depending on my success, that is to say how often I'm able to conjure them, it could lead to other 'things'. The first thing I did was investigate the physical aids to Lucidity. What I discovered was that those aids were no magic pill. They were and are designed to create dream signs. To me, a dream sign is an aspect of your current dream that is directly and immediately being influenced by something in the wakeing world...such as flashing lights of a mask or your need to go to the bathroom.

I went to bed last night without expecting anything to happen, though before I fell asleep I realized I would need to go to the bathroom during the night but I was too lazy to get up. As it turns out this was the exact perfect thing, because during my dreaming (and I only recognized this after the fact) there was a lot going on with jugs of orange juice or soda. It was the dream sign of water or liquid and it was filling my dream because of my need to go to the bahroom.

The key is to keep the stimulus (whatever it is) low profile enough so that you don't immediately wake up when it begins, but also constant enough that your mind creates dream signs around it.

Moving forward I plan on performing a Reality Check any time I come into contact with a liquid, that would be either drinking water/coffee or carrying a container of water.

Reflecting back, the "full bladder" dream signs have always involved liquid in some way.

And I choose this way as the cheapest and easiest means.

This should get interesting...