I need a few explanations.

1. Dream guides.
2. Crossroads.
4. Sleep paralysis.

I've heard these terms, but I don't really understand them. Sleep paralysis, I understand, is tricking your body into thinking you're asleep, therefore putting you into a stage of paralysis. But other than that, I don't get it. How do you do this? Why? What's the positive outcome?

Thanks for any help you can give me!

1. Dream guides are dream characters with "special powers".

2. No idea, but it sounds weird.

3. Wait, theres no 3.

4. Sleep paralysis occurs when you are going into REM sleep. When WILDing,
you usually need to go through sleep paralysis before the start of a dream.

Let me see if I can help fill in a few of the blanks that Levels was having troubles with. (First, though, welcome to DreamViews!)

1) Dream Guides are, by commonly accepted definition dream characters that are there to guide you along, especially in terms of lucid dreaming but also in other areas of your life should you need it. You may not necessarily have only one DG, but any DG you have will be a representation of your subconscious mind that is trying to help you along.

Spirit Guides are, by contrast, a spirit that helps you along that may appear to you in your dreams. This by common belief isn't your SC, but something external to yourself. Overall, the two may not be too different from the common observer's point of view, but definitely a reason to be respectful to all your DC!

2) "Crossroads" most likely refers to the Lucid Crossroads, which is a place for people to try to reach other dreamers through the process of shared dreaming.

4) Yeah, Levels pretty much hit the nail on the head with this one. I'll only add that while under SP you are awake but will still be dreaming (ie hallucinating), and you will likely feel odd sensations or emotions, such as a strong presence of fear. It is commonly used as a gateway to a successful WILD or astral projection.

I don't see much of a point in the crossroads, really. If you have enough control to get there, you can have enough control to do everything it offers by yourself, right?

How could I find my dream guide? And would that be a way of reaching deep into my subconscious to learn more about myself?

Thanks for the info!

You can sometimes (all the time for me, personally) wake up in sleep paralysis.

My sleep paralysis is usually accompanied with tactile, audio, and visual hallucinations, along with feelings of "presence" or electricity. Its different for everyone though.