Thread: intro: Experienced Lucid Dreamer with more to learn

I just found this site. Wish I knew about it earlier to say the least. Skimmed over one of the tutorials and liked what I saw. There is good info in there even for experienced lucid dreamers, because there must be very few who can do everything, and sometimes that refreshing lesson can really help. So I'll read them in more detail and probably approach them as a new study, and will have some questions, but wanted to go ahead and introduce myself.

One question I already have is on the subject of the mind's apparent creation of dreams: In the tutorial a lot of advice is along the lines that dreams are created wholly by the mind. I can see how it's useful to use common sense and assume it's all created by the mind, it is good to teach and practical mindset to approach dreams with especially when starting out. I just feel that dreams are not exclusively mind created and can be created by the same force/forces that created things.. the universe itself. I put that out there because I'm curious about the mindset here, but also because that is a very fundamental way that I approach dreaming - it's not ALL in/from/of my mind and it's good to understand that that is my perspective when reading my posts.

I am in my 20s and have been dream journalling off and on for 3 years or so. Easily 200 pages worth, most of them have been destroyed and thrown away - because some of those entries are embarrassing if someone were to come across them and no longer useful after a while. In highschool I slept in class a lot! And I think this has put me more in touch with that "in-between" state, because I didn't really fall asleep, I could usually hear what was going on. Sleeping in a car on a long trip would do the same sort of thing. I have recalled over a thousand regular dreams if you count the ones you have multiple times a day/night. I have gone lucid around 100 times, maybe more, and had 1 solid OOBE, and a few sketchy OOBE. The longest lucid dream I've had was what I think was 2 hours, but no way to be sure, and I thought to myself after a long session of recall, "People are not SUPPOSED to be able to do that."

In dreams I've flown around myself, flown in a UFO captained by a friend, fought in a medieval battle, woke up as I was about to marry a very "hard to get" princess in a fantastic world, gone on typical adventures with my friends, died, skydived w/o a parachute (lucidly), taken out the bad guys, made it out into space - the moon, jupiter, only once or twice etc. etc. But my favorite things to do in dreams: which I rarely get to do actually because usually I'm experimenting with whatever is in my way. It is to simply walk around holding hands with a pretty girl outside and look at the scenery, and to sing in dreams. I hope/believe the mind can change the "quality" and nature of sound in a dream, just like it can change other things so perhaps I will learn how to willfully sing, and mentally project sound itself - as if creating a melody without speakers to sing along with, and effect my voice as well. If there is anything in particular I am working on right now, that would be it.

In dreams I find telekinesis and flight comes to me easily, but I have no ability to teleport and conjure whatsoever, though I can certainly shape things that are already there - would that be abjuration, I don't know, usually I can't even travel quickly. So in these I have a lot to learn as well. I have started a fire with my bare hands before, but very weakly... There are actualy very very many things in a dream that I can't do, and I've gone lucid a lot.

Glad to have found this site, will be reading all the tutorials... hope to learn and be helpful, looks like a great site. I don't typically post such long posts but I wanted to get my first impressions out there before getting involved and reading all the tutorials, because my dreaming has for the most part been on my own, with only basic help from the outside, and it seems that is about to change.

Hey, Novise!

Sounds like you have some interesting experiences to share! I'm also new to the site and new to lucid dreaming, though certainly not new to the practice of recording and dissecting dreams.

I also believe some dreams come from outside our own psyche. In my case, I believe in a single deity that created all things, and that he communicates to us in dreams sometimes. Don't know where you stand as far as that goes, but it sounds like we're both open to the idea of something outside of ourselves.

Good to have you here. I look forward to your insights.

Welcome Novise! It sounds like you're pretty experienced! The tutorials should be able to help you with any other skills that you want to learn in dream. Ask someone if you can't find a specific skill you want to develop in the tutorials; someone here has probably done what you're asking about. As for the views of those here on Dream Views...we have a healthy mix. There are people here from both ends of the spectrum, from spiritualist dreamers to scientific dreamers, and then there are those of us who fall somewhere in the middle. Just look around, and you'll find people of all types. Most of us don't bite, so just ask around if you have any questions. It looks like you may want to visit the "Beyond Dreaming" section of the site. Discussions on OoBE's and other phenomena take place there. Again, Welcome!

Small Town Wizard - I was talking much along those lines in terms of creation of dreams yes, though not exclusively - as you seem to have guessed.

Kordan - thanks for the information. I fall somewhere in the middle of the spectrum myself.

I try to be practical, and I guess one of the major reasons I try to stay keen on the "spiritual" perspectives is because I have had a few experiences that seem to operate totally outside of the basic notions and ideas of the REM/sleep stages/scientific model of dreams. But they were still dreams.

I look forward to seeing both of you around.

Originally Posted by Novise

Kordan - thanks for the information. I fall somewhere in the middle of the spectrum myself.

I try to be practical, and I guess one of the major reasons I try to stay keen on the "spiritual" perspectives is because I have had a few experiences that seem to operate totally outside of the basic notions and ideas of the REM/sleep stages/scientific model of dreams. But they were still dreams.

Same here.

Originally Posted by Novise

I look forward to seeing both of you around.

Thanks, and the same to you as well!

Welcome to Dreamviews, Novise!

Normally I would direct you to the tutorial section, or ask you if you have any questions about dreaming, but it seems that you're way ahead of me there.

As far as seeing dreams in a more spiritual way, I can relate to you there quite a bit. Many people here feel the same, and others want to view it in a more scientific, black-and-white manner. Beyond Dreaming is more of a place for debate than discussion as it is, but if you stick around for a little while, I'll invite you into Deep Dreaming, which is more philosophical discussion with little debate, leaving more room for exploring different perspectives.

We're glad to have such an experienced dreamer here! You're more than welcome to post your dream journal entries in the dream journal forum where people can read and comment.

Wow, it sounds like you've had some amazing dreams. Don't be scared off by the vocal skeptics in the community. There are many people whose experiences have led them to feel the same way you do about dreams. If you ever want to debate more 'far out' topics, you can check out the Beyond Dreaming forum:
http://www.dreamviews.com/community/...splay.php?f=19

If you venture in there, be prepared for some heavy hitting skeptics to try their best to beat you down.

We also have a semi-private forum called the Deep Dreaming Team:
http://www.dreamviews.com/community/...splay.php?f=61
It is an area where people can discuss more sensitive subjects without having to deal with the same old skeptic arguments over and over again. If you would like, send any of us staff member a PM for access.

I can't wait to hear more about your dreams and your personal tricks for becoming lucid

Thanks Robot_Butler looking forward to it. Will be checking out your journal soon. I started a journal on here I probably will talk about my history in it from time to time. The more scientific/skeptical view is something I am new to, I'm still soaking it in right now and it's really changing my view some. Not that I'm a stranger to the "It's all in your mind" School of thought, but I have never come across such good explanations for that particular perspective. However, the spiritual side to dream creation has always been a running theme in my past journals, and this is certain to come out again in my entries. So instead of trying to go back and bring up things that "made a lot of sense at the time," I'll probably just treat this as turning over a new leaf in my dreams and journalling and take it from here. I am sure I will get involved in these more philosophical and metaphysical issues like you've mentioned. Looking forward to checking out your dream journal.

I would definitely love to read some of your dreams Novise.