Am I Doing It Right?

[LucidMaximus]

Hi gunna keep this rather brief.. just a few question to what I've identified & learnt in my last dream Once lucid I looked at my hands and focused on their wrinkles and started to imagine myself sleeping and thinking about the room I was sleeping in; trying to assure my self I was dreaming, is this the correct thing to do? I then tried to take the advice and wanted to change the environment. I went over to a bin and imagined I would see the ocean in it. I looked inside and saw lots of water but can floating around too, does this mean I was fully lucid because I wanted to se crystal waters, not dark water and trash. I remembered instead of wanted to changing the environment in front of me I should walk through a door instead which is what I did but hoped to find a closet with jacket, but instead found an empty closet with a room underneath it... like a hidden passage. I tried spawning some clothe behind me but I always goy something random like fire crackers? what would be a substitution to get an item, or to find a specific person? Should I find a door and say "There WILL be whatever behind this door" am I right in saying I need to really think through what exactly is going to be behind the door before I enter instead of saying it while I do it? Thanks

[Zoth]

Once lucid I looked at my hands and focused on their wrinkles and started to imagine myself sleeping and thinking about the room I was sleeping in; trying to assure my self I was dreaming, is this the correct thing to do? Did it work? Did you experience a clearer mind after doing it? Everyone has their own way to increase lucidity, stabilizing dream, or increasing vividness. Don't be afraid of trying something by yourself. Even if it fails, maybe it work after a 2nd time. Many people say that looking at your hands is not a very reliable reality check, but it always worked for me, and I use it for several purposes. The thing you want is to keep a balance between attachment and de-attachment with the dream: that way you'll be involved enough to not wake up, and not involved enough that you risk loosing lucidity. I looked inside and saw lots of water but can floating around too, does this mean I was fully lucid because I wanted to se crystal waters, not dark water and trash. Even though you are lucid, the dream never follows our wishes at exact 100%. Sometimes one detail or other might be different or just random. Specificity seems to help, but sometimes you gotta work with what you have. Maybe you associated some characteristics of the bin when you tried to see the ocean, and that seemingly unconscious thought was represented in the water. Practice practice and practice and you'll see your dream control becoming more keen. what would be a substitution to get an item, or to find a specific person? Should I find a door and say "There WILL be whatever behind this door" am I right in saying I need to really think through what exactly is going to be behind the door before I enter instead of saying it while I do it? Once again, expectation is everything. For an object, you can check your pockets, open a drawer, look at the ground, etc etc. You just have to find a way that convinces you that the object will be there. For some people, they come up with some machine that prints any object. Others find it just behind them. Others make it appear with a set of magic words. Doors and boxes are great ways for summoning objects and people because they are easier to relate to a unknown location/content, but they are just one of the many ways to change locations or create stuff. Good luck!