A white elephant and a marble eye.

[Rebelution]

The past few days have been filled with dreams -- not for a lack of trying, though they do not come when I strive for them. Lucid dreaming has been a goal of mine for a few years now and my successes can be counted on one hand. The past year or so, I dropped out of the dream game and only picked it back up when I had a dream and a fortune cookie to match it. So recently I have been trying to become lucid again, using WILD methods and a few others I have picked up. It never happens, because the pain in my legs and body during the "roll-over" signal becomes too unbearable and I give up. These nights, though, I have dreams! Like the time I was on a beach, building a tower fortress, and I plucked a marble out of my right eye. It was clear and in the very center, suspended were a few drops of mysterious white liquid. Around this time, out in the middle of the lake a white elephant rose and approached the beach where I lay my fortress. When I saw the white elephant in the middle of the lake, I should have become lucid: that is a big dream signal! But I did not become lucid, nor have I made any lucid progress. What level of lucidity am I at, and how do I advance? What makes the excruciating pain during the "roll-over" signal go away, and advance my body into a hypnagogic state? And for any dream-interpreters, can you surmise anything from my strange dream?

[Amethyst Star]

#1 - You're picking up where you left off, so I can't say what "level" you're at. As far as dreaming goes, it's very subjective how well you're doing when it comes to LDing. I learned about lucid dreaming over 5 years ago and have only been able to count my experiences on two hands, and all of them have been very short. Where does that put me? I don't know However, I've learned a lot and I enjoy sharing my knowledge and experience (both with lucid and non-lucid dreams) with others who are trying to become lucid. #2 - Why did you not become lucid? You didn't question what was going on. Last night I stopped a villain from destroying the city with his innumerable tentacles with my own rays of light. Did I question whether or not I was dreaming? Nope! You're not thinking logically when you dream, so it's easy to let things like that slip by. However, you can train yourself to question the world around you. Check out Reality Checking around the forum, and especially the Tutorial and start practicing looking at the world around you with an inquisitive mind. #3 - I haven't had any experience with WILD, so I couldn't tell you. There are others, though, who could help you with this problem, so check around the site at the WILD posts, and see if you can find some answers. There's a [b]lot[/i] of information on this site. If you've only been at this for a few days again, give yourself some time. True, some people hear about LDing and have a lucid dream that very night, but then there are others who take longer. It took me 3 weeks before my first LD, but it was well worth the wait Relax and don't stress out if you don't see progress right away. Chances are you're making progress, but it's difficult to see from your limited perspective. You're recalling dreams! That's progress! You're taking note of strange things that happened in your dreams. That's progress, too! Continue to do so. Work on reality checking (Are you dreaming right now? Why or why not?) and make sure you get a good night's sleep. Above all, enjoy the journey! Enjoy your dreams and I hope you enjoy your time here as well. We welcome you and invite you to be a part of this community. Explore, make friends, and let us know if we can help further. -Amé