The Levels of Lucidity
Here is a fun little list I came up with to separate the quality of my lucid experiences. You can use these as a reference to your experiences, both lucid and non-lucid. What you will find is that the majoirty of your dreams are level 0-2 experiences. The highest level is the ultimate lucid dreamer's goal. I find myself often having level 4 experiences when I induce lucid dreams, so even for a more experienced lucid dreamer, extreme lucidity is no easy task.
Level 0: There is no lucidity present at this level. The dreamer has a regular dream, completely unaware that he or she is dreaming. It is described as being in auto-pilot mode, where most actions occur without even a first thought.
Level 1: There is little to no lucidity present at this level. It is best described by the following phrase, "I know I am dreaming but I'm not". Basically, at some points in the dream you may tell a dream character that you are dreaming, but never actually realize yourself that you are dreaming. It is pretty contradictory, but it does occur. The reason for this occurance is unknown at this time.
Level 2: There is a small amount of lucidity present at this level. The dreamer will perform actions in their dream, on the basis of knowing it is a dream. The dreamer will think to him or herself, "I know this is a dream, so I will make this event happen", but this is usually an unconscious "auto piloted" thought because the dreamer never takes the time to just stop, think, and realize that he or she is inside of a dream. However, if the dreamer does take the time to stop and think, very brief periods of level 3-4 lucidity will occur.
Level 3: There is a moderate amount of lucidity present at this level. The dreamer will know that he or she is dreaming. This is the first level that a real lucid dream may actually be termed. The dreamer is close to a full waking conscious state within the dream, but not quite there completely. This results in lucidity being lost pretty easily. If something occurs in the dream world that distracts the dreamer, the dreamer may quickly forget about lucidity and fall in a level 0/1 state. Being lucid but never being able to really deviate away from the dream's main plot is a good description of this level. Lucid dreams goals are generally difficult to accomplish in this state, because lucidity usually does not last enough for one to be completed.
Level 4: There is a high amount of lucidity present at this level. The dreamer will clearly know that he or she is dreaming. Many people have this type of lucidity on a very rare basis, but for these many unfortunately, these experiences only lasts a few seconds. People often remember their lucid goals at this level. Dream control does not relate to your level of lucidity. You may have a level 4 lucid dream with no control or complete control of your dream. The initial dream plot becomes pretty irrelevant in this level, as the dreamer often creates his or her own plot, whether they realize it or not. Once a novice/intermediate lucid dreamer reaches this level, he or she should focus on improving their dream control.
Level 5: This level is really something on its own. You may have heard of the term "hyper awareness" and that is essentially what occurs at this level of lucidity. Not only is the dreamer completely aware of the dream, but he or she also seems to be very in touch with everything that is occurring around them in their dream - sort of like having an extra sense. The dream world becomes much more three dimensional at this level. You have the sense of being inside of a 3D spatial environment, which in turn also ends up being extremely vivid and detailed. Some people may term this as "hyper reality", where they feel their experience were more real than waking reality. You are accompanied with eagle eyed vision, complete hearing, and a sense of touch. Smell however often still seems to be left out. But if the dreamer focuses on it, it too will be present. Dream plot ceases to exist at this level - it is as if you are really awake.
