The Workbook of Sirus

[Sirus]

Reality Checks: - Vocalize the question, "am I dreaming?" - Re-read text - Closely observe my surroundings Dream Signs: - Interacting with old friends from highschool - My inability to harm someone physically - Firearms, driving, leaping/flying, feelings of anxiety Short-Term Goals: - Have a lucid dream this month - Read "Lucid Dreaming" by Robert Waggoner - Continue to compile entries in my journal and increase my ability to recall dreams Long-Term Goals: - Discover, reasearch, develop and contribute some monumental discovery in lucid dreaming and share it with all oneironauts - Write a book about my adventures and lessons learned from while lucid dreaming - Be able to induce lucid dreams at will Lucid/Dream Recall History: - Lucid dreams are far and few between/I can often build up to a "5 dream a night" recall but often grow frustrated and get distracted with life and lose all gains. This time I am here to stay. Current Technique: - This is my problem......there is no technique. I do dozens of reality checks throughout the day, I keep a decent journal, I have a strong internal desire to achieve lucidity. Any recommendations?

[CanisLucidus]

Welcome, Sirus! Great workbook, goals, and base. If you've had some experience in the "5 dream a night" recall range, then you're already starting from a good place. Building back up to something like that will be all that you need. You were wondering about techniques. My primary piece of advice here would be to plan out some sort of Wake-Back-to-Bed for yourself. To summarize, this involves waking up after 5-6 hours of sleep and staying up for some period of time (perhaps 30 minutes.) During this time you'd quietly study your dream journal, read that brand new Robert Waggoner book, or some other quiet, LD-related activity. Then you go back to bed while performing your chosen technique. WBTB requires some sacrifice, but I just can't overstate its importance to achieving LD. I resisted it for a long time but ultimately it has delivered for me over and over again. As for specific techniques beyond that, it'd be interesting to learn how you achieved lucidity in the past. MILD is a classic technique and simply a great place for anyone to start in training themselves to LD and getting into the right mindset. If I had one generic recommendation, this would be it. Pretty much all of my LDs have come by way of MILD or the more-controversial SSILD technique. Discover, reasearch, develop and contribute some monumental discovery in lucid dreaming and share it with all oneironauts Right on! I like you already!

[Sirus]

Canis Lucidus, MILD an WBTB seem like a logical and proven place to start. There is a great chapter on MILD in "Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming" by Stephen LaBerge. I will definitely review it tonight. As for the WBTB technique. It will have to be tonight as well, one major obstacle I face is my hectic schedule. During the work week I typically wake up at 4:30am and usually do not get to bed until 10:30 pm. This does not leave too much time for a WBTB schedule. I may have to focus on this technique on weekends and use MILD during the week. Do you think a 10-15 minute WBTB period is sufficient? Remaining awake for any longer and I risk not being able to fall back to sleep. Thank you for taking the time to assist. Here is my gift to you: There is something majestic about this scene, There appears to be some emotion to it that is hard to place. It's almost dreamlike in a sense. Well, I hope you like it. (add a "www" in front of the link below, Dream Views will not allow me to post a link since I am still new to the forum) youtube.com/watch?v=gRoLgBE9AOs&playnext=1&list=PL803DCF4E3968 5DFE&feature=results_video

[CanisLucidus]

MILD an WBTB seem like a logical and proven place to start. There is a great chapter on MILD in "Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming" by Stephen LaBerge. I will definitely review it tonight. Perfect! Nothing like going to the words of the inventor himself. That whole book is good and LaBerge is the man on all things lucid dreaming. There are some good additional resources on this site (linked in the resources section of the Intro Class subforum) that can provide some additional ideas, but the approach outlined in "Exploring" is the backbone to what I do. As for the WBTB technique. It will have to be tonight as well, one major obstacle I face is my hectic schedule. That is actually perfect. WBTB doesn't have to be a standalone technique. It works best acting as an enhancer for other techniques such as MILD or WILD. MILD is way more effective off of a WBTB (amazingly so), and with a WILD it is almost essential to use WBTB. During the work week I typically wake up at 4:30am and usually do not get to bed until 10:30 pm. This does not leave too much time for a WBTB schedule. I may have to focus on this technique on weekends and use MILD during the week. Do you think a 10-15 minute WBTB period is sufficient? Remaining awake for any longer and I risk not being able to fall back to sleep. I completely understand. A WBTB of any length will be a great help. Even 10 minutes makes a big difference in success rate. Just fit in whatever you can and do what's right for you, your schedule, and your life. Everyone has different circumstances and part of the challenge of LD practice is working around all the quirks and kinks that real life throws your way. 30 minutes has been proven to be substantially more effective than 10 minutes but that has to be weighed against how much it cuts into your sleep. OpheliaBlue ran across a wonderful study by the Lucidity Institute on optimal WBTB period: Wakefulness Makes Lucidity More Likely Since you already get very little sleep (6 hours a night), you'll have to be really careful here. You may want to save WBTB for nights when you can go to bed early or days where you can sleep in. (Until to at least, like, 6 am.) Just take your time, make things fit as best you can, and don't cause yourself any additional stress. A good rule of thumb is to do the level of LD practice that refreshes and recharges you rather than drains you. Try to get as much sleep as you possibly can, but ultimately just make your practice fit the shape of your life. And try not to be like me and envy the members that get 12 hours of sleep in a night! Thank you for taking the time to assist. Here is my gift to you: There is something majestic about this scene, There appears to be some emotion to it that is hard to place. It's almost dreamlike in a sense. Well, I hope you like it. (add a "www" in front of the link below, Dream Views will not allow me to post a link since I am still new to the forum) You're welcome -- I'm happy to help in any way that I can! Great scene. I'd not heard of it or this movie before. What strikes me about it is this fox (clearly an animal) looking with wonder at this wolf (clearly an animal), only vaguely recognizing himself as a fellow "beast of the Earth". But when was the last time I was at the zoo and thought of myself as just another wild animal? That wild part of us is still there, coauthoring our dreams. It will amaze you constantly.

[Sirus]

Dream Views Academy - Assignment 1 Lesson 1 “Why I want to succeed at Lucid Dreaming.” By Sirus November 17, 2012 There are four main reasons why I would like to enhance my dreaming ability and attain lucidity in my personal dream world. They are, in order of importance: 1. To explore a new found freedom 2. To conduct introspection of the mind 3. To discover new ideas 4. Entertainment The first is freedom – my entire life I have felt contained. Locked in a shell yearning to break free. You see, my words and actions are rarely voiced or displayed from day to day. Most would say that I am an introvert by nature and some would even consider me to be calm and at times even shy. I don’t disagree, this is my demeanor but it is not my personality. I have inadvertently formed the habit of holding things back, a great many things back, in fact. The reasons for my reserved nature vary. Sometimes it is out of fear of rejection but many times it’s simply out of indifference. Everyday, I witness people who refuse to listen, they sit in silence, not listening but simply waiting impatiently for their turn to talk. I am confident that this yearning I have to truly be heard or do things I enjoy, often deemed odd or strange in the waking world, will be accepted and even treasured in the dream world. This is why I must succeed, to gain acceptance. Introspection - The ability to see your mind at work and become enlightened in ways not possible in the waking world is absolutely priceless. Most people in our world live for distractions. Professional sports, video games and “reality” television rule their life. These past times simply distract you from living. For the few people that do not fall prey to this cultural trap, they spend countless dollars travelling the world or spend countless years of their life attempting to master the art of meditation, simply trying to “find themselves” or desperately seeking to learn something about their identity when ironically, their mind has been speaking to them the entire time, every night, in their dreams. I want to tap into this resource and reap its benefits. Discovery – I strongly believe that the dream world is a medium in which discoveries can be made and creativity can flourish. This is essentially uncharted territory and as all of you will agree, anything is possible. Countless discoveries of monumental proportions are just waiting to be made. I cannot even fathom what awaits me in the land of my dreams and I look forward to finding out each and every night. I am a modern day explorer searching for answers. Entertainment – to be anyone, anything, anywhere at anytime. You can keep your Xbox 360 and Hollywood blockbusters. I have my dreams.

[paigeyemps]

Hi!

[CanisLucidus]

Outstanding post. You've set an excellent direction for yourself. These are big goals, but if you put in the work, enjoy the process, and stay with it, I know you'll meet them all.

[Sirus]

I continue to see references to written dream journals at our bedside. Why? We now live in the age of technology and this is my recommendation. I use a smart phone with the sound recorder application that typically comes with the phone. I keep it next to my pillow at night so when I wake up all I have to do is simply hit the record button and whisper away all the details of my dream. There is no fumbling around for pens or a pencil, no need to turn on a light to see what you are writing and I’m certain that I can whisper more details about a dream in one minute than I can write about in one minute. Most voice recorder applications have a date/time stamp, which automatically appears when you record something. No need to look at a clock and write the time. All of these conveniences makes lying completely still after waking up extremely easy, a necessity for decent dream recall. Having the recordings will also force me to listen to them later in the day in order to transcribe them to a written journal. This second exposure to my dreams also affords me an opportunity to review dream signs and work at my recall ability when I am wide awake and energized.

[Sirus]

No lucid dreams, but I have definitely noticed a few things on my recent quest for lucidity. My dream recall has improved substantially over the last few weeks. I can typically remember 4-5 dreams per night and write about a type written page on each, which is great but makes keeping a comprehensive dream journal especially challenging and time consuming. I currently have a substantial backlog of audio recordings that need to be transcribed in my dream journal. The most exciting advancement relates to my dream signs. I know that I’m right on the edge of a major breakthrough. I can just feel it. I have had multiple dreams where I was just on the edge of awareness but did not make the connection. I have had dream characters repeatedly saying, “this is a dream, this is a dream…” but I continually ignore them. Other times, I distinctly remember thinking in my dream….”this is not possible” but I ignore any further examination. This is both exhilarating and frustrating at the same time. I am making progress but cannot seem to reach my goal. Today I will spend more time practicing MILD and positive re-enforcement, something I think will probably help me overcome this obstacle.

[paigeyemps]

Congrats on the recall progress! That is very great to hear. And well done on the awareness. Juuuust a little more to get you lucid, but at this rate you're going, I'm pretty sure that will be real soon. Keep digging further when you notice strange things in real life. Basically whenever you question something irl, such as "where did I put this and that?" or "what am I doing right now?". When you give yourself an answer, double — no, triple check! That can help you do the same in dreams when you brush off the weird things you're supposed to catch on to. ;D Good luck, and that avatar is adorable.

[CanisLucidus]

Sounds like you're right where you need to be, passing through the "almost lucid" phase that I think just about all of us go through at some point. I certainly did. This bit's totally normal. When I was first getting my LD practices started, I used to have so many dreams about LD that it would drive me nuts. I spent a whole dream sitting in "The Lucid Sports Bar" watching lucid dreamers play lucid dreaming sports on all of these TVs, wishing I could be like them. I mean, come on. Trust me, it's a good thing. This is a symptom of your expanding awareness and progress. Just replay these scenes in your mind, reminding yourself that you should have become lucid, and thinking specifically of what should have made you lucid. Make it something you will remember later when it comes up again. Plant these seeds for yourself later. They are sure to pay off. You are very close! Your recall is actually excellent, bordering on amazing. I suppose that there's always a "next level" to reach with any skill, but 5 detailed dreams is just great. In fact, please teach me how to recall this much on so little sleep! A typical night for me is 4 dreams recalled, 2 detailed, 2 usually abstract/weird/conversational. You really have this dialed in. Impressive! Anyway, I'm being serious. Consider me signed up for your class on how to recall 5 typewritten pages worth of dreams!

[Sirus]

"The Lucid Sports Bar!" I can't even imagine how frustrating that must have been. To both of you, Canis Lucidus and Paigeyemps. I appreciate the guidance and words of encouragement. Your words motivate me more and more and make me work harder towards my goal. I promised myself that I would not give up this time. I have known about Lucid Dreaming for many years. As a teenager, I read Carlos Casteneda's "The Art of Dreaming" in 1993. This was my first exposure to the LD concept. I tried for a week or two to look at my hands in a dream and was not successful. I wrote it off as probably being either fake or too difficult to achieve. Interesting side note, I still have my dream journal from that time. Every five years or so I would see another book or hear about another lucid dreaming induction technique and would try again, without success. I now know that my attempts were only half hearted and in order to be successful I would need to invest a lot more time and energy into my induction techniques. This is where I am right now, almost 20 years later, a few random accidental DILDs, and a new burning desire to see this through until the end. I now know, based on resources and the forums on this site, that LD is achievable with the right mindset and mental tools. I will succeed at gain lucidity, I will succeed at gaining lucidity, I will succeed.

[Xanous]

Hey Sirius! I just wanted to say that I have been away from lucid dream several times since I joined in 2006 for various reasons. I totally agree that this class and using the workbook is very motivating. We are like a big support group for lucid dreaming. Its great! The first is freedom – my entire life I have felt contained. Locked in a shell yearning to break free. You see, my words and actions are rarely voiced or displayed from day to day. Most would say that I am an introvert by nature and some would even consider me to be calm and at times even shy. I don’t disagree, this is my demeanor but it is not my personality. I have inadvertently formed the habit of holding things back, a great many things back, in fact. The reasons for my reserved nature vary. Sometimes it is out of fear of rejection but many times it’s simply out of indifference. Everyday, I witness people who refuse to listen, they sit in silence, not listening but simply waiting impatiently for their turn to talk. I am confident that this yearning I have to truly be heard or do things I enjoy, often deemed odd or strange in the waking world, will be accepted and even treasured in the dream world. This is why I must succeed, to gain acceptance. I can relate to this a little. I feel much the same way. I often get tired of people asking why I am so quiet. I just tell them that when I have something to say I will say it. The old I get the better I am with it. I continue to see references to written dream journals at our bedside. Why? We now live in the age of technology and this is my recommendation. I use a smart phone with the sound recorder application that typically comes with the phone. I keep it next to my pillow at night so when I wake up all I have to do is simply hit the record button and whisper away all the details of my dream. There is no fumbling around for pens or a pencil, no need to turn on a light to see what you are writing and I’m certain that I can whisper more details about a dream in one minute than I can write about in one minute. Most voice recorder applications have a date/time stamp, which automatically appears when you record something. No need to look at a clock and write the time. All of these conveniences makes lying completely still after waking up extremely easy, a necessity for decent dream recall. Having the recordings will also force me to listen to them later in the day in order to transcribe them to a written journal. This second exposure to my dreams also affords me an opportunity to review dream signs and work at my recall ability when I am wide awake and energized. I think a lot of people do this and I think its great. I would if but it would disturb my wife. So I have to resort using an to an app on my phone. Still easier than fumbling with a pen, paper and light. Usually I just enter some key words or notes and write the full dream out with details later in the day.

[CanisLucidus]

"The Lucid Sports Bar!" I can't even imagine how frustrating that must have been. LOL, yes. I felt like a bit of a dimwit. But things like this began happening more and more frequently before I really broke through. To both of you, Canis Lucidus and Paigeyemps. I appreciate the guidance and words of encouragement. Your words motivate me more and more and make me work harder towards my goal. You are most welcome. You've got great willpower, work ethic, and dream recall (good gravy, that dream recall...) Now that you know that the final piece will simply be putting in the work, nothing will stop you for long. It will be a pleasure to help you in any way we can to unlock your (very obvious) potential.

[Sirus]

Thought I'd provide a brief update, as I have not been on the DreamViews forum for a while. I have been away from home for the last month which made my lucid dream induction training very difficult, if not impossible. I was traveling constantly over the last few weeks and throughout my trip found myself sleeping in some very uncomfortable environments, my schedule was severely altered along with my diet and my daily routine. Overall, my dream recall plummeted to close to nothing and I ceased my constant daily reality checks. Surprisingly though, at about 2 weeks into my trip. I managed to have a semi-lucid dream, where I identified I was in a dream and willed something to occur and had witnessed it actually occurring. I woke up shortly after but did not feel the exhilaration common to waking immediately following a lucid dream. I actually felt somewhat underwhelmed with the vividness and my impression on what it would be like. I attribute this sense of being underwhelmed to the fact that I actually had not attained full lucidity. I had no awareness of my waking memories or of my intend tasks once I was to become lucid. Other notable events included: Semi-success of dream induction. I repeated multiple times one night that I would fly in my dreams and I ended up in a metal toy plane replica, perched on top of a roof top. I broke free and glided to a crash landing on the front lawn. Not quite what I was hoping for but I suppose I was flying in the end. I also did manage to accomplish one of my short term goals which was to finish reading "Lucid Dreaming" by Robert Waggoner. Overall it was a decent read but I have found my most recent reading endeavor, "Creative Dreaming" by Patricia Garfield to be much more informative and interesting. I highly recommend it. I have started to record my dreams again since my return last week and my dream recall is back to about 50-75% of where it was prior to my trip. I'll be in touch.

[OpheliaBlue]

Glad to have you back, Sirus I totally feel for you, I know how traveling and being busy can wreck havoc on your sleep schedule and dreams over all. I commend you for reading those books though. Your recall should be as good as new in no time, since you're at your DJ again. "Creative Dreaming" by Patricia Garfield to be much more informative and interesting. I highly recommend it. Thanks for reading and recommending, I'll have to check it out!

[Sirus]

"When the dream state has dawned, Do not lie in ignorance like a corpse, Enter the natural sphere of unwavering attentiveness, Recognize your dreams and transform illusion into luminosity, Do not sleep like an animal, Do the practice which mixes sleep and reality." -Tibetan Buddhist Prayer

[Sirus]

I have just started reading "The Lucid Dreamer" by Malcolm Goodwin and words cannot describe how wonderful this book is. It is exactly what I have been searching for. It is by far the best book on lucid dreaming I have ever seen. I am absolutely thrilled to have it and highly recommend it to you all. To summarize, it is basically a comprehensive college text book style-book that covers the ancient history, modern biology, artwork, and current practices regarding the art of lucid dreaming. Thank you Mr. Goodwin for your hard work and dedication to teaching us all this mystical art form.

[paigeyemps]

Wow I'm gonna go find that book right now!

[paigeyemps]

Well fu, i thought i might find an ebook or something, but i can't

[Sirus]

I bought a hard cover copy off of Amazon for around $5-10 dollars. Get the hard cover version if you are offered a choice, better quality and durability. Ironically, it is also usually cheaper on Amazon.

[Sirus]

The recently published and impressive-looking Red Book (2009) is the most INCREDIBLE dream journal I have ever seen! It documents the dreams of psychiatrist C.G. Jung and his insidious descent into what many believe to have been madness, and his eventual triumphant return to the world as a transformed man. This is the holy grail of dream journals and his heirs quickly realized this, this is why they have kept it locked in a safety deposit box for the last 50 years, only to be opened once for copying and I have had the privilege to see it. You can too. It has motivated me to keep a handwritten journal rather than my uninspired Microsoft Word document, which currently serves as my dream journal. If any of you want to be inspired, the entire book with an English translation can be downloaded (PDF) here for free: Carl Jung: The Red Book

[Sirus]

Here is something fun.... This guy animates people's dreams which are submitted to his email. He then posts them to his youtube channel. So far, they are pretty entertaining. I have dozens that he may be interested in animating and I'm sure you do too. Dream Real - YouTube