Lucid Dreaming and Regular Dreaming

POSTED 7/13/16

I have become intrigued by lucid dreaming. I've looked up some stuff online about it, and have since purchased a book on it. 

"Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming" by Stephen LaBerge and Howard Rheindgold.
I have had trouble lucid dreaming since reading some of this book. What I've noticed is, as soon as I wake up from a dream I realize "I was just dreaming" and if I go back to sleep I try to think of the dream as I am going back to sleep and I still am unaware of the dream state.

Now, I have not been dream journaling and doing certain things that the book tells me to do, so I am not getting any results. But in one phrase, lucid dreaming is basically (a state of AWARENESS.)
We are not aware of our breath until we focus on it, or are told to focus on it, or it is brought to our attention by reading something like this.

What I have become aware of is that I am not aware. I seem to have a fog in my head that diturrs my thoughts from the task at hand and I have trouble completely concentrating on one thing. I am trying to be more aware of my surroundings, and the five senses (touch, taste, sight, smell, sound) and many other areas of life that are secondary to most of us.

This is something I am working on and will continue to work on. Because we spend a third of our lives asleep, and being able to control your dreams is a form of controlling your own mind. Which is a life long goal for me. And you can explore your subconscious to find answers to life you would not be able to in the waking world. It is difficult, I am trying to be more aware of things in my life, and I encourage you all to do the same. Being able to live out fantasies and explore your fears without any consequence, is an amazingly cool thing. And an enlightening way to live life.

I wrote the post above almost a year ago. I am noticing my language choices. I don't use words like 'try' or 'very' anymore, and am hyper aware of when other people say these words. I have learned the nuances behind these words through acting classes. 

There is no 'trying' you can 'try' to pick up a pencil. But if you pick the pencil up you're picking it up and not 'trying' to. And 'very' creates a barrier between what you're saying to a person like "You're very messy" Versus "You're messy." If you notice when people say these two words you'll be able to see the barriers they put up.

As far as DREAMS go... I am studying Creative Writing in Prague! We are studying Franz Kafka and dream theory. I don't know what I want to expand upon with dreams. We all pull our own meaning from our dreams. But it is basically your subconscious exploring your fears and desires. And your imagination is playing out these scenarios. 

The three major categories are uncanny, absurd, and surreal. When we are able to notice any of these three we can distinguish a dream from normal life. Dreaming is cool, I don't always remember mine and have taken a few days off from my dream journaling. I met an amazing Spanish girl in Berlin this past weekend. And I am mostly thinking about her, I don't know why I'm writing about dreaming... Well because I'm back in Prague and have class tomorrow.