Awareness of self?

This might sound strange but it's been bugging me for a while.. Often times when I practice self awareness, in addition to the usual being aware of "where am I, what's going on, does this make sense, etc", I also feel a strong presence of self, kind of like my awareness being aware that it is being aware of itself.. It's weird, not sure if this is the right way to explain it, but it's something like that.. Now, I was wondering, does this "awareness watching itself" feeling help in any way with achieving lucidity, or is it just something strange that happens to me because I'm a weirdo or something?

Any sort of awareness training or trying to become a more aware person helps with lucid dreaming. If this self-presence and self-awareness that you're feeling helps with that, then yes, it helps. Also, you're not a weirdo for being aware of yourself, that's just called being conscious ;)

In meditation circles, people are advised not to worry, cultivate, attach to strange, weird, pleasant things that happen. Easier said than done ! The ultimate point of meditation is to sit back and relax with the fireworks of our mind without getting too hypnotized by them. Why is that beneficial ?
When you discover that your mind can´t be harmed by any thoughts or emotions if we can utterly allow them, then you surely can imagine the outcomes. And lucidity is just a natural result

When i started to become aware of my awareness i start ed having more lucid dream. Since you are aware where you atention is going all the time it will make you more consciouss what you are doing.
When this happened to me practising ada and self awareness became effortless for me since i always know where my mind is wandering and what im doing. I dont know how to quit ada anymore :D.

In Buddhism, what you are experiencing would be part of the concept of atman or self. But atman does not mean "self" in the common sense like "my self." It means "the Self" in a more abstract, contemplative way. When you recognize atman, it's not like "I am 'me'" but rather "the sense of 'me'-ness is part of consciousness."

The concept of atman is a building block toward anatman or anatta, which is "no-self." To grasp "no-self" one must first become familiar with what "self" is.

Anyway, that doesn't have much at all to do with lucid dreaming, but it might interest you. Mostly I want to assure you that this is concept has been explored in great depth in Buddhism tradition, so you are certainly not a weirdo.

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Originally Posted by sisyphus

In Buddhism, what you are experiencing would be part of the concept of atman or self. But atman does not mean "self" in the common sense like "my self." It means "the Self" in a more abstract, contemplative way. When you recognize atman, it's not like "I am 'me'" but rather "the sense of 'me'-ness is part of consciousness."

The concept of atman is a building block toward anatman or anatta, which is "no-self." To grasp "no-self" one must first become familiar with what "self" is.

Anyway, that doesn't have much at all to do with lucid dreaming, but it might interest you. Mostly I want to assure you that this is concept has been explored in great depth in Buddhism tradition, so you are certainly not a weirdo.

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Fascinating, thanks for sharing, very interesting. The other answers are appreciated as well.

Pretty cool indeed!

I don't know why, but I am actually comparing this feeling to the feeling of becoming lucid.

That's how I imagine it as you describe.

I think I know what you're talking about.

I think what you're describing is mindfulness; mindfulness is a "pure" thing that doesn't discriminate and mindfulness can be mindful of itself.

Sort of like you're the watcher watching yourself but the watcher is also watching the watcher. =]