Hi all, first post, first lucid dream, and can I add this is a beautiful forum you have running here.

Just a little background before I describe my lucid expereince, I have been avidly interested in the art of dreaming after reading carlos castenda's book of the same name.

but anyways, here is how I achieved my first ever (of my knowledge) lucid or positive cognitive infliction on my dreamstate:

I have been having for years a repetitve nightmare where I awke from one layer of a dream into another where I dream I have awoken, only to find the lights do not turn on when I flick the switch.

I believe this nightmare is a blessing in disguise because last night I dreamed a light would not turn on and awoke myself to conscious volition by first identifying it was a dream - which was a precursor to my next movement which was to scratch myself as a reality check to see whether I was still dreaming or awake. The scratch occured in my dream through my cognition and decived me into thinking I was awake (though I was still dreaming) which is kind of ironic I think. But this is the first time I have been able to achieve lucidity. I hope this one brief moment of control is a window to future atempts of achieving lucid states of awareness. Also of what Jung would call synchronicity the fuse actually blew in my room light a night ago, which may have given me the scope to dream of similar subject matter.

I love dreaming I look forward to exploring the physe and beyond every night when I lay down to sleep. LB