I know a few people that start LDing and instantly have control for whatever reason. Others, like myself, are not so lucky. I had to work at it step by step and still haven’t mastered it.
On my 5th LD I flew for the first time. On the 6th or 7th I established a sense of reality in my dreams, which has only been increasing since. I did not intend to establish a more real environment, it just happened. Finally, after focusing nearly all my dreams on establishing control, I started creating things in my 12th LD. All I did was create weapons, because I am generally well-informed about them, so with my knowledge I figured it would be one of the easier things to create.
The other night I had an LD which started as a false awakening. It was snowing. Then it occurred to me that not only does the place not look like my bedroom, but I live in Oklahoma. The snow was thick, not quite a whiteout, but it was quite intense. I looked out the window and found that I was in an amazing village with a snow covered ground and lit street lamps. The houses were decorated (some even resembled gingerbread houses I have seen) for Christmas and were built very close together, where there are no gaps between each building. I resided on the curve of a street and got a fair view down that street. It was quite invigorating to say the least. That incredible, warm, comfortable feeling of Christmas entered me. I actually felt content.
I felt myself fading and decided that I should try to continue with my task for that dream. Of course, my task was aimed to be progressive to my control. For the first time, I created an actual place behind me. Blue light shined in from this complex zone. I was about to step in, then I had a false awakening in which I did not realize I was dreaming.
Anyway, the point of this post is to help those that have some trouble with control. This is what worked for me:
First, I remind myself that it is all a dream. I try to drive that point in because it helps me separate myself from my environment, which is something I believe I need to change things. Second, I tell myself that none of the stuff around me is actually there. I simply made it up with my mind. I try to imagine the things that I see as being empty, as though they are there but not actually there. Then, I imagine the area behind me as being void of anything. I picture it as a white abyss, thus driving in even further that it is a dream and none of this stuff is real. Finally, I fill it in with what I want, trying my best to clearly picture it.
At first, I would bring the room back to “existence” but maybe replace an item or create one. Now I am trying to create my own complex locations. As one can tell, I am not proficient in this, but it did help to actually tell myself that nothing is there and think of it as an abyss in which I am the master over. I am going to try to evolve this line of thinking so I can change things right in front of me. I haven't tried, but I am sure I can now do the door technique where you open it to what you want.
