Thread: hello world

Greetings. As with many, I stumbled upon your site while researching LD's.

I have been LDing since about 2008. Interestingly-- to me-- I don't
remember having a LD until I knew what they were. I read about an
LD machine (a blinking light mast) conjured by a creative fellow named
Nate True. I never built the mask but began reading more about
LDs and soon after scored my first LD. WOW! All I can say to describe
knowing this was possible. Then I began researching and experimenting
in earnest.

I haven't kept an accurate count but I would estimate I have had
on the order of 10 successful full control LDs. During a period
when I'm actively trying I have managed about one per month.
Other times, busy with other things or forced to have late nights,
I forget to make the attempt. Usually a good dream lures me
back to the hunt! Interesting to see peoples goals: write music,
self improvement, have tea with their inner self. I'm more shallow.
I just want to fly again! I've taken a few incredible flights around my
neighborhood. As soon as one of you figures out shared LD's, count me in
for joining an LD air-racing club. I'm a BA wingless pilot.

All of my LD's take place in and around my house. Perhaps because
lucidity has always occurred in what I think is considered
false awakening and WILD. In the former I dream I awaken in my bed
and something triggers the knowledge I am dreaming. So I do what
seems natural: hop out of bed, run downstairs, open the front door
and get airborne! In the latter I wake 5-6 hours into sleep-- I've
done this naturally as long as I can remember, independent of LDing.
Then I slip back into sleep, lucid from the start. Some nights I wake
and I can *feel* I'm in the midst of a REM cycle. Then I know I have a
good chance at LDing. Often, as with last night, the conditions are
perfect, but alas, I fall into a regular dream.

I have never kept a DJ, but my dream recall is pretty good.
I find its true that lying still after a dream lets me recall the details
and those post-dream thoughts remain the next morning and beyond.
My RC's are pretty poor and need work. Sometimes I'll look at my
hands and they're wild. The coolest was each finger tip replaced
by another wiggling hand. (I tried to capture this in my avatar pic,
though it doesn't do the vision justice.) Other times its just
a plain old hand. My best RC appears to be trying to levitate
over my bed. I once had a good laugh recalling that I was only able
to levitate my lower body off the bed and my dream-state mind
was then convinced that I must not be dreaming!

My trick for transitioning from waking to sleeping in WILD attempts
is something I call 'second sight'. When I'm in this pre-REM state
I close my eyes and can see the room around me as it should appear.
Hazy at first, but then as I fall asleep things pops into clarity.
Once I fall asleep the room is dimly lit and everything is much
more visible than it should be with ambient room light-- moonlight
through unshaded windows. I'm trying to teach myself that this
clarity *should* be the key to knowing I've entered LDs. Sometimes
I've gotten out of bed, walking around failing at RC's, until
I actually wake and realize I was all but LDing save for believing
I was.

This second sight trick is something I learned to do long before
knowing about LDing. This intro is too long already, but perhaps
I'll share a RL trick that I think helped me learn second sight in
another post.

Finally, what encouraged me to write is I've found all of you very
friendly and interesting. So thank you for that, and good luck
on your LD travels!