Awareness & Intention

[JustASimpleGuy]

I've been slipping back into my remembered dreams from this past month. All NLDs. No memory whatsoever outside of that reality, however when I reflect on it my base awareness seems the same as in waking life. I have a strong memory from when I was 5 or 6 months old. That base awareness seems no different than that of today, yesterday, last month, last year, 10 years ago or in my dreams. The only real difference I can discern is accumulated experience at any given point in time, and in a given dream I can't say I have access to any direct experience outside that dream. So in the dream realm the missing ingredient seems to be not having anything experiential to juxtapose the awareness of the here & now against. Granted the vast majority of my work this first month has centered around recall, and it seems to be paying off. I just started my second 100 page composition notebook, and I'm noticing some dreams are becoming incredibly vivid and detailed with continuity of plot (sometimes multiple plots) and decent length. I practice mindfulness meditation daily and have been for the better part of 15 months and this last month I've been incorporating more mindfulness into my day as well as random RCs. The last week or so I've also incorporate PM RCs and the occasional RC when I do recognize anything unusual or a dream sign. The one thing I haven't yet been doing is setting my intention for lucidity, but that's mainly because I've been focusing my intentions like a laser on recall. So, here's the question. How large a role does intention have in lucidity? Will strong intention set the stage and allow me to have that initial inkling something experiential just doesn't jibe, giving me that first little nudge toward lucidity?

[Sivason]

Intention is a big factor, but needs mixed with solid skills and methods, such as mantras and RCs.

[JustASimpleGuy]

Yes, I view mantras/affirmations as the way to drill intention into the subconscious. For recall I use a steno pad and several times throughout the day I right each one down 10 times, and also read them back. I also do this just before going to bed and then keep one in my head while falling off to sleep. I read somewhere to smile when doing them, as it engenders and attaches emotion to them, and the subconscious is more receptive if it can make an emotional association. I admit it feels good. :-)

[sisyphus]

I think intention motivates action, and action leads to results. There's a difference between: "I will recall my dreams." and "When I wake, I will write down my previous dream." The first is a rather vague aspiration, while the second is a directed instruction to future action. And while there's something to be said for the power of positive thinking, I think the second form is a better approach. So you're on the right path, just always direct your intention to actions, habits, and events. A less-than-perfect intention would be "I will become lucid." A better one is "I will notice my dreamsign XYZ, and recognize that I am dreaming."

[JustASimpleGuy]

That makes sense sisyphus. I seem to be doing well with recall and it's probably time to begin to focus on becoming lucid. I'll review the list of affirmations I've compiled and keep your advice in mind when selecting which ones I'll use.