Hello! (and a query to help me get started)

[LuceYourself]

Greetings, wonderful people of dreamviews I am a newcomer to world of lucid dreaming (part of the new generation of LD enthusiasts created by the awesomeness that is Inception.. but I recalled the term "lucid dream" from Vanilla Sky and that's how I ended up here.. even though it seems like that film got the concept of LD wrong) or any occult field for that matter (LD'ing is considered occult right? correct me if I'm wrong).. I'm 17 and I hail from London I've had a few DILD's in my life, but they were those extremely short abruptly-ended-by-excitement one's.. I also have average to poor dream recall (in part due to my frequent weed smoking habits.. which I'm willing to partially sacrifice to improve my dreaming escapades, or at least find a way to make both compatible) so yeah I'm pretty much a noob, but I'm hoping that even just by being here and talking to you guys I can improve drastically and start LD'ing to my hearts content.. of course I'm also taking up serious measures... been reality testing for a few days, starting a dream journal (hopefully tonight gives me something substantial to write in it) anyways, I have a query... the reason I'm even awake and writing this now is because I seem to be slightly afraid of going to sleep after reading and thinking about LD all day.. I understand that LD is harmless and amazing and all that and I can't wait to be properly immersed in the world of it, but I'm just having a little trouble overcome this "fear of the unknown".. as I said, I've had a few mini-DILD's before.. but now that I'm actually aware of this whole universe where people actively seek out these dreams, I'm getting a little stage fright is this common? and if so, does anyone have any suggestions to help me move past it asap so I can actually get to some dreaming (or at least some sleep)? Thanks

[Puffin]

to Dreamviews! I wouldn't say lucid dreaming is an occult, it's simply awareness while you're dreaming, having nothing to do with witchcraft or supernatural stuff. I understand where you're coming from, with your comfort level regarding lucid dreams. Remember that nothing can ever happen to you while you're in one; it's just like a normal dream. You die in a dream, you wake up in real life. You can control dream characters, transport yourself, and pretty much be the boss of your own dream world, so there's nothing to be afraid of. I've seen quite a few people who are uncomfortable becoming lucid at first, because they don't know what to do, or because they're afraid they might freak out or something. It's not as bad as you think. :3 Normally when you become lucid, it's almost an enthralling feeling, so you won't be thinking about what could go wrong within the dream.

[LuceYourself]

thanks man! yeah I had a feeling "occult" was the wrong label, but still.. you could argue it's not far off yeah I fully understand all that, just sucks that my brain can't seem to fully accept the idea yet.. oh well, I shall soldier on! nice guide btw good read

[OldNutter]

I'm a noob to LD'ing too, but for dream recall, I'm fairly good. Try and keep a dream journal. Every time you wake up lay really still, don't move, open your eyes or anything. Just lay and think about what you were dreaming about and then when you think you remembered it all, write it down. Another thing, I have a drinking habit, which oddly enough helps me dream, but I try to avoid drinking on weekdays for obvious reasons(last night was an exception ), and drink on weekends. I never try to LD on weekends, mainly cause my sleep pattern in messed up, and cause I take a small break from trying. So you might be able to do the same with your smoking habits.

[LuceYourself]

that's certainly something I should consider (in relation to the weed habits).. probably help me do better in my bloody a-levels too! but alas.. my love for herb will be hard to suppress (not looking for someone to give me advice on how to stop smoking weed, please)