Sibyline's workbook

[Sibyline]

My new friend bemistaken is taking this class and led me here. I have been lucid dreaming at irregular intervals all my life, but I would like to be able to induce LDs more often, and also to improve my control of them. The first LD I remember was a WILD, and I was about 5 years old at the time. I was afraid of the sensations then, but now that I understand what they are, I'm quite comfortable with this way of entering LD. But of course it would be nice to get to where it is second nature and DILDs just happen spontaneously - and of course excellent recall is a must. I have dabbled a bit in summoning and using vocal commands. Both with some success. I need to get better at remembering what i intended to use the lucidity for, once I'm there. Reality Checks: Hands - appearance and texture Reading text twice Digital watch or clock Dream Signs: Exaggerated architecture Trains, boats, planes - and almost being late for them Only being able to focus on one face Grogginess Impaired vision My old car Abandoned places Deja vu Danger Celebrities Golden sunshine Walking in the middle of the road (no traffic) Crowds of people Malfunctioning electronics Short-Term Goals: Lie still in bed in order to recall and journal 2 dreams per night 2 LDs per week (I know it's high, but I'm doing quite well as it is, and it didn't feel right to write 1) Keep an LD going for more than 5 minutes (better stabilization, don't get sidetracked by DCs or unimportant things) Complete more TOTM tasks Long-Term Goals: Work on some of the issues that trouble me IWL Improve various skills by practicing them in LD Explore the possibility of accessing lost memories Lucid/Dream Recall History: I recall dreams reasonably well when I'm not under stress. I like to tell my kids about them, and that helps me remember the dreams and identify dream signs. Since starting a DJ here, recall has improved with plenty of detail. I have found several new dream signs. Lucid dreams tend to be memorable. Current Technique: WBTB/WILD. I am also using SSILD now, and using subliminal audio files. Reality checks are sporadic, but I do think about them, especially when something unusual happens, or if I notice a dream sign. Sleep schedule: MON-FRI SAT-SUN Sleep 23:00 00:00 Wake (spontaneous WBTB) 04:00 05:00 End of sleep (alarm) 06:30 09:00

[OpheliaBlue]

Hey Sibyline! Wow, I love your workbook, especially the sleep chart at the end. I was afraid of the WILD sensations as a kid too, so I never learned to develop them into anything. I had no idea that they were just a normal part of the dreaming process. I just thought they were really intense nightmares and I wanted to wake up! Anyway, when you want to remember your lucid goals once you're IN the lucid dream already, it helps to have a list of goals (like you already have). Then commit 1-3 of them to memory, for starters. remind yourself what they are every time you go to sleep, and every time you wake up, including WBTB. You''ll be surprised at how quickly these goals pop into your mind once you just make this small effort a routine.

[bemistaken]

Welcome Sibyline! Your gonna like it here and you are already making so much progress... I have enjoyed reading about your adventures so far and plan on using the one about the 'apple' and 'butternut squash' tonight! Again, welcome aboard!

[Sibyline]

Thank you for the advice, O. I had already sussed that we probably started out the same way. I think it's interesting how some people have a natural ability for LD, and some have no idea it even exists. My dad calls it humbug. Today was useless, dream-wise. The kids woke me up twice during the night with various complaints, and I couldn't remember a thing this morning. So, as you have already noticed, I have updated my workbook profile, and then I also thought of something to aid me in remembering dream goals. Let me know what you think of this: I took a small notebook, and on every other page, I drew a simple picture. There's an egg, of course. Then there's a flying carpet, a house, a cartoon figure, a heart, a shooting star etc. Each represents a dream goal. My plan is to leaf through it every night before going to bed, and again in the early morning for WBTB. I'm hoping that I will remember to find the book while in LD, and then see if I can remember any. Of course, I think you were the one who wrote a note for yourself, which then turned into leaping cows or something, right? Who knows? I thought it might be worth a try. I'm very visually oriented, anyway, which is why I always try to find pictures to match my dream journal.

[Sibyline]

Thank you for leading me here, bemistaken. The apple and butternut squash were strange. I've never noticed recognizable figures in the HI before, but I had read here on DV that you could try to see familiar shapes in them, and suddenly the flashes began to take shape as halved veggies/fruits, and it seemed that within a couple of seconds, that sent me right into a WILD. I just wanted to mention that those two images weren't important, they were just what I happened to imagine at that time. Although it does seem relevant that the dream started in the kitchen. Go ahead and try it. I'm curious to hear what they'll turn into for you. I'll keep reading your DJ too. I can't wait for my next LD!

[Sibyline]

This is the second day in a row that I have had zero recall. It's definitely more difficult during the week, and I still need to get used to lying perfectly still whenever I wake up. For some reason I forget it every time! I did have some proper RCs today, though. I don't do them at random intervals, or very much at all, but I caught three dream signs today, and immediately did a couple of RCs after each one. The first one was during a bathroom break at work. As I exited the stall and went to wash my hands, I saw that the tap was already running. That struck me as so odd (especially that I hadn't noticed it going in) that the first thing I thought was RC! And then I had two occasions of talking to men that I only rarely see, but who never fail to give me a pleasant feeling (as it were), and since that is of course also a dream sign those two prompted RCs too.

[bemistaken]

Hi friend, Well, for the first time, I think I can actually give you some helpful advise instead of the other way around! When it comes to dream recall, I have not had many problems with it, mainly because I literally sleep on top of my dream journal at night. As soon as my eyes open, I see my dream journal...I literally sleep with it under my pillow! Before I can get out of the bed, my hand is already touching my journal (with pen inside), so immediately I know I should be writing down any little fragment of a memory I may still be holding on to from a dream. Now, some people can not sleep with anything under their pillow like a journal, but I also have a suggestion for this too. You know those little writing pads that you can put in front of a shirt pocket? I have used something this small to put under my pillow, just to take notes, and then when I get up in the morning, I can transfer these notes, to the real big dream journal I have on my night stand. This is just a small suggestion that may help you with your dream recall. Good luck to you! Oh yeah! Great information regarding the dream sign you had in the bathroom with the water already running...I have seen this so many times before and never thought nothing about it but maybe the last person that washed their hands was a germaphobe (like me) and didn't want to turn the water off by touching the faucet! I will definitely be using this in the future!

[Sibyline]

Looking forward to the weekend. Weekends are good for dreaming. Still doing RC when I notice something odd (for instance a toy windmill that suddenly began to turn as I walked by it) or a dream sign. Today I saw a car of the exact make, model and colour of my old car, and I immediately knew what to do.

[Sibyline]

I am so happy! I had a monster of a DEILD chain this morning. Go have a look: 1 CANWILD, 4 DEILDs including a FA - Dream Journals - Lucid Dreaming - Dream Views I even completed the two basic TOTM! Mood for today:

[paigeyemps]

HOLY COW *i am jelly* Congrats!

[Sibyline]

I haven't really been away, just mainly lurking due to a bad cold that killed my dreams. But they have been coming back for the past two nights. I had a fun one last night, not lucid though. I recall having had an accidental almost-WILD while I was ill. I got to where the dream began to fade in, but then I woke up. I still do reality checks whenever I notice a dream sign or something odd. Examples: I saw a red sheep the other day (still don't know what that was about), I saw identical twins, heard sudden static on the car radio, the light changed dramatically because a rain cloud passed in front of the sun.

[Sibyline]

I love weekends! I had a DILD this morning. I've been waiting for those to come. I mean, with my laziness and all, just happening to notice that I am dreaming is ideal! And having suffered through a bad cold paid off, because I'm still congested, and that caused me to snore, which I noticed while I was dreaming. My dream control is still pretty bad, and I have to work on keeping my emotions in check, but it was a nice LD nonetheless. DILD - cyclops in mirror, pushy dad - Dream Journals - Lucid Dreaming - Dream Views

[Sibyline]

I'm ditching the MILD. That is so not me, LOL! I'm going to work on SSILD for a couple of weeks now, and of course continue with WBTB. I'm really pleased with the DILD I had this weekend although the lucidity trigger was a bit unsexy and probably not reproducible now that I'm on the mend. I have always had more WILDs and DEILDs than DILDs, so if this is a developing skill, I'm more than happy. My goal for this week is to get into the habit of RC'ing when I wake up.

[Sibyline]

I messed up this morning. I remembered two dreams when I woke up, as well as one failed DEILD attempt. I tried to commit keywords to memory and thought my recall was good enough to wait a little while before writing them down (because I had so much to do before leaving for work), but once I tried to write them down, they were 100% gone. I have absolutely no idea!

[paigeyemps]

Awww that sucks! Many a time do I do the exact same thing. Biggest lie I tell myself: "You don't need to write that down, you'll remember it later." haha. Congrats on the lucid btw! Sorry I haven't replied for a bit, my internet died. Anywhoo it looks like you're doing okay despite the recall problem. I noticed you have plenty of established dream signs. One tip I can give you is that when you are trying to recall your dreams, sift through your known dream signs. Since you have a lot, you might have better chances. Just thik of your dream signs one by one and try to remember if it was in your dreams. Many times, the answer is yes since they manifest a lot in your dreams every night (being dream signs ofc). Once you remember if it was indeed present in a dream, you can start connecting the dots to remember other parts. Hope this helps, good luck!

[CanisLucidus]

I'm ditching the MILD. That is so not me, LOL! I'm going to work on SSILD for a couple of weeks now, and of course continue with WBTB. I'm really pleased with the DILD I had this weekend although the lucidity trigger was a bit unsexy and probably not reproducible now that I'm on the mend. I have always had more WILDs and DEILDs than DILDs, so if this is a developing skill, I'm more than happy. Ah yes, SSILD! That was actually the first tech that legitimately got me LDing with regularity. Even though I do more MILD than anything these days, SSILD's always the "first love". Now's an especially good time to find yourself a new technique now that your "Phlegm-Induced Lucid Dream" tech is slipping away from you. CosmicIron (the guy who invented SSILD) published an updated version of the tech here that is worth checking out. I think that this cycling strategy is an improvement over the original. Feels very natural and seems to be well-suited for settling me into the rhythm. Here it is: 宇宙の铁: Senses Initiated Lucid Dream (SSILD) Official Tutorial I messed up this morning. I remembered two dreams when I woke up, as well as one failed DEILD attempt. I tried to commit keywords to memory and thought my recall was good enough to wait a little while before writing them down (because I had so much to do before leaving for work), but once I tried to write them down, they were 100% gone. I have absolutely no idea! Ahh, sorry about that! We've all been there. If I can get at least a few tags/keywords written down I am normally okay for a while. But yeah if the day really gets rolling and the kids need things from me and life starts happening at warp-speed... gah! Yeah, you know how that is.

[Sibyline]

Thanks, Paigeyemps. That's a really good tip. I have tried it a bit, trying to remember if I had seen my old car recently, but it would actually make more sense to just run down the list properly. Ooh, also my tag cloud - I just thought of that because of what you said. Today was a day off, which usually results in a morning LD, but my youngest daughter decided to command the attention of the entire neighbourhood at the crack of dawn, and ruined the attempt. But I did recall a nonLD, and recorded it on my phone. Fool me once... I have definitely revealed another dream sign now. This is the third time since joining DV that I have dreamed about having invited guests and more showing up than I bargained for, which makes me feel very stressed.

[Sibyline]

Ah yes, SSILD! That was actually the first tech that legitimately got me LDing with regularity. Even though I do more MILD than anything these days, SSILD's always the "first love". Now's an especially good time to find yourself a new technique now that your "Phlegm-Induced Lucid Dream" tech is slipping away from you. CosmicIron (the guy who invented SSILD) published an updated version of the tech here that is worth checking out. I think that this cycling strategy is an improvement over the original. Feels very natural and seems to be well-suited for settling me into the rhythm. Here it is: 宇宙の铁: Senses Initiated Lucid Dream (SSILD) Official Tutorial Thanks! I found that a couple of days ago, and I'm trying to settle into the routine of doing it now. Turns out I have a wee bit of tinnitus that I never noticed before. Normally I'm a bit wary of "... and nobody knows why" claims, but there are so many people reporting above-average results with this tech that I'm going to give it a really serious try.

[CanisLucidus]

Thanks! I found that a couple of days ago, and I'm trying to settle into the routine of doing it now. Turns out I have a wee bit of tinnitus that I never noticed before. Normally I'm a bit wary of "... and nobody knows why" claims, but there are so many people reporting above-average results with this tech that I'm going to give it a really serious try. Heh, I've got a little bit of tinnitus going on as well and SSILD made it really obvious. Funny you noticed the same thing. And yeah, I totally get you on the "and nobody knows why!!" thing. That is the single thing that bothered me most about the tech, and still does. The serious downside is that when things aren't going as well, it's more difficult to debug because it's harder to have that intuitive understanding of what might need adjusting. I tended to just fiddle with WBTB duration and intent/awareness work rather than worrying too much about the "rituals" themselves. I basically view it as SSILD priming the brain in a way enhances your already-existing intent and awareness. Kind of like a Super-WBTB. I have some theories on what might be going on but they're a bit half-baked and premature. Good luck!

[Sibyline]

Yesterday I had a short DILD during an afternoon nap. I hadn't done any SSILD or any other preparations for it, it just happened. Note that I became lucid after dreaming that I could be lucid. Here is the link to the dream: Very short DILD - painter's loft - Dream Journals - Lucid Dreaming - Dream Views During that very short LD I tried to stabilize by touching something I couldn't yet see, and by touching it, I made it appear. Unfortunately I woke up, probably because there was light and sound around me IWL. I'm liking the DILDs that are happening now. I haven't had too many of those in my life (WILD was always my thing), but there is something very cool about becoming lucid within a nonLD. This one did a strange reboot, like a FA but different. Please read and let me know what you think.

[CanisLucidus]

Yesterday I had a short DILD during an afternoon nap. I hadn't done any SSILD or any other preparations for it, it just happened. Note that I became lucid after dreaming that I could be lucid. Here is the link to the dream: Very short DILD - painter's loft - Dream Journals - Lucid Dreaming - Dream Views During that very short LD I tried to stabilize by touching something I couldn't yet see, and by touching it, I made it appear. Unfortunately I woke up, probably because there was light and sound around me IWL. I'm liking the DILDs that are happening now. I haven't had too many of those in my life (WILD was always my thing), but there is something very cool about becoming lucid within a nonLD. This one did a strange reboot, like a FA but different. Please read and let me know what you think. Sweet, congratulations on the lucid! I agree with you about DILDs. Having that moment of realization inside of an already-constructed dream reality is a great moment. Likewise, WILDs let you experience the journey from wakefulness all the way through the construction of a dream to lucidity. They're both amazing in their own right and I'd never want to go without either one. I'm not sure how much summoning you've done (you mention that you've dabbled in it) but the way you did it is great. No need to look at what you're summoning -- just know it's there, then reach out and grab it! I'll check out that DJ entry too...

[Sibyline]

Thank you again! I'm not at the top level of lucidity in my LDs, but I do remember certain dream goals and intentions, even without the use of mnemonics. Touching something "invisible" was a definite intention, and although I didn't think of it as summoning (because I had no plans for what exactly it would be), of course you are correct that it is the exact same mechanism. It is always interesting to see what my dreaming mind comes up with when I don't give it specific instructions. In my first DJ entry here on DV, I think I used something similar to Waggoner's things to ask yourself, "Show me something interesting!" - in that case simply because I couldn't think of anything, and I had recently read that list. I think that if you're lost for ideas, it's better to just let the dream come up with something for you, rather than struggling to think of something specific. I would be interested to hear about your experiences in this area? Do you ever let the dream take over because you run out of ideas? And can you keep your lucidity if you just observe (I suppose that means even less involvement than the above-mentioned "open" summoning), or do you have to interact in some way?

[CanisLucidus]

Thank you again! I'm not at the top level of lucidity in my LDs, but I do remember certain dream goals and intentions, even without the use of mnemonics. Touching something "invisible" was a definite intention, and although I didn't think of it as summoning (because I had no plans for what exactly it would be), of course you are correct that it is the exact same mechanism. It is always interesting to see what my dreaming mind comes up with when I don't give it specific instructions. In my first DJ entry here on DV, I think I used something similar to Waggoner's things to ask yourself, "Show me something interesting!" - in that case simply because I couldn't think of anything, and I had recently read that list. I think that if you're lost for ideas, it's better to just let the dream come up with something for you, rather than struggling to think of something specific. I would be interested to hear about your experiences in this area? Do you ever let the dream take over because you run out of ideas? And can you keep your lucidity if you just observe (I suppose that means even less involvement than the above-mentioned "open" summoning), or do you have to interact in some way? Yes, I completely agree! In fact, my all-time favorite Tasks of the Month are the ones that require your subconscious to come up with something. The ones that have that element of "...and see what happens" built in. One of my favorites was one that required you to visit the Aurora Borealis and report what was generating it. It's surprisingly easy to suspend your scientific reasoning about what's generating the aurora and let your mind just come up with something amazing. (For me, it was an enormous fleet of alien starships that spewed purple energy for exhaust, all coming off of a gigantic mother ship. I got to fly my son up there to see it! ) Allowing your subconscious to just paint whatever it likes on some blank canvas... that's where you get the best set of cool, memorable surprises, I think! I have had moments where I can't remember what I was supposed to be doing, and then I just fly, explore, etc. There's always tons to do, I've found. What I haven't really tried is seeing whether I can just passively observe a dream somehow while staying lucid. It's a little strange that I haven't because one of my good friends IWL lucid dreams, and he primarily does so passively. He mines his dreams for ideas and gets lucid mostly for the enhanced recall. I'm different though. I'm all playground all the time. Maybe I'll grow up... someday.

[Sibyline]

LOL, I hope not! If we ever grow up, we will forget about this childish nonsense and just do some serious sleeping. That aurora borealis dream sounds fantastic! And great that you thought of taking your son with your. My DD is fascinated by this phenomenon, and I have promised that one day we will go and see it. It is actually possible - under the best of conditions - to see it without leaving the country, so one day we will go to the northernmost tip during a sunstorm - or take a trip to Norway for even better odds. But before then, lucid northern lights will do fine as well. I'm interested in passively observing, but... the list of fun stuff I want to do is so long. I theorize that if you consistently forget to do something in LD, it's probably because you either don't really want to do it, or it is too far down on the list.

[OpheliaBlue]

I theorize that if you consistently forget to do something in LD, it's probably because you either don't really want to do it, or it is too far down on the list. This is not a bad statement. For years, I only ever did one thing in LDs. Because it was the only one thing I wanted to do at the time. But then I got tired of it, so then I was like, "Now what..." But it turns out that having lucid goals really turned things around for me. And not just because I needed new goals, which I did. But forcing myself to remember a set of goals, and more specifically, a new set of goals that's ever changing, has sharpened the relationship between waking Ophelia and lucid dreaming Ophelia. Even if the goal is silly like picking a flower, or finding a mirror, or smacking a DC in the face.. the point is, you can do ANYthing in a lucid dream. And this can be overwhelming on the onset of lucidity. So why not have a bag of lame tasks to reach into for starters, until you DO find the thing that you really want to do? Then, when you find that one thing you so desire to complete in a lucid dream, you'll already have that ability to remember it because you practiced it on the lamer goals. Anyway, that's my take on the whole thing