First Dream Awareness (Lucid) in nearly 20 years
I had my first serious dream awareness in nearly 20 years last night! I have been actively working toward it.
PROLOGUE
In my late teens and early twenties (late 80's, early 90's), I was actively recording my dreams in a journal, and I was regularly having lucid dreams. It was a conscious effort on my part. I even had one very incredible out of body experience in those years (see richardpowell.com poetry section for details).
However, over the years, I have lost my connection with my dreams (literal dreams that is). I have put way too much focus on my waking life, and not nearly enough time on my spiritual side. I am currently in the process of finalizing my divorce after being separated for more than a year. I have also admitted to having a drinking problem. My last drink was on January 6th 2009.
Why am I telling you these intimate details? Because I believe that health and lifestyle have great importance and bearing on the ability to achieve lucid dreaming and out of body experiences. It has always been my thought/feeling that because I was overweight and generally unhealthy, I was less able to achieve a lucid state, or have an out of body experience. I honestly have no proof either way, but have found my abilities to always be improved when I feel healthy.
Since quitting drinking in January, and improving my diet on January 20th, I have lost 20 pounds, and have started keeping a dream journal again. Perhaps my abilities are enhanced not because of being more healthy, but simply because I'm putting more effort into the endeavor, and perhaps it just coincides with the healthy attitude. Just wanted to put that out there for others to consider if they are having trouble achieving lucidity or an OBE.
Last night, was the first time since recording started back in January, that I had the realization that I was dreaming. Honestly, I was expecting to have to wait up to six months to achieve this milestone. I woke up thoroughly excited and invigorated today!
ABOUT THE DREAM
I was underwater, and swimming through the wreckage of the Titanic. I was switching between swimming underwater and popping my head up into air pockets in order to breath. After a while I became aware that I was breathing through SCUBA gear. I could hear the breathing in and out, sounding like Darth Vader. A few moments later I decided to surface into an air pocket. As I surfaced I was thinking that the SCUBA breathing sound should stop because I could breath from the air pocket. It took only a split second to realize that the breathing was not the SCUBA gear, but it was my 3 and 1/2 year old Son sleeping next to me. He has had some congestion in the past few days so he was breathing really loud.
The funny thing about this is that over the past month I was somewhat feeling that he was making it difficult or less appealing for me to write in my journal in the mornings because he would be making so much noise. It's cool that he ended up being the reason I had my first dream awareness experience since working on it. Having a child is awesome! :)
It was such a surreal experience to be dreaming and totally aware of that breathing sound in the physical real world. I just kind of floated there in the water for a few moments and enjoyed the realization. It was probably the most relaxing, serene feeling I've had in years, including the 12 days I had recently spent on vacation in Hawaii.
After a few moments, I started to worry a little bit about waking up. I decided that I should try and do something with my dream power before it became too late. At the same time, I started to focus on keeping my eyes closed just in case I was to partially wake up. All this time I could still hear my son's breathing.
I started to focus my energy on levitating myself out of the water. During this time I became acutely aware of the duality of my situation. I simultaneously saw the deep darkness of having my eyes closed and in my bed, but I also started to feel like I was immersed in light while starting to levitate out of the water. The darkness of having my eyes shut in bed became even darker as the light around me grew more fantastic as I levitated out of the water. The darkness increase of the physical world was pretty much proportional to the light increase in the dream world.
In retrospect, I think I may have done more than just levitate myself out of the water. I think I may have focused in such a way that I was potentially starting to reach into a higher dream state/plane. In fact, because I was worried about waking up, my attempt to levitate also included some meditative effort to try and stay in the dream. I was really focusing my energy on staying in that dream, or immersing my soul further into the dream.
Just as the bright light entirely immersed my soul, and the darkness entirely immersed my physical self, I lost my connection to EVERYTHING. I don't remember anything after this. It's like the dream ended with me waking up, yet my physical body continued to sleep.
The next thing I remember was having a new, completely different dream. There were some hints of a boat, and that boat being on a beach/shore. But my awareness of knowing that I was in a dream was completely gone. I do recall having some amount of extra power in this dream though. I felt overly confident in my abilities in this dream. As an example, I was flirting with a woman that initially was showing interest in someone else. I was entirely confident in my abilities to charm her in my direction, and of course my charms worked. I also had contact with an x girlfriend of mine and felt really close to her in this dream. Perhaps I will give her a call to say hello and see if anything I recall in the dream is true about her today.
Thanks for reading.
Richard (aka techdruid.com)
Re: First Dream Awareness (Lucid) in nearly 20 years
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Originally Posted by techdruid
Since quitting drinking in January, and improving my diet on January 20th, I have lost 20 pounds
I just wanted to say, "Good for you!" :)
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Originally Posted by techdruid
As I surfaced I was thinking that the SCUBA breathing sound should stop because I could breath from the air pocket. It took only a split second to realize that the breathing was not the SCUBA gear, but it was my 3 and 1/2 year old Son sleeping next to me. He has had some congestion in the past few days so he was breathing really loud.
ROTFLMAO!!!! I love that. I dunno, maybe because I have a husband who sometimes snores or because I've had a bunch of kids, this just tickled me. :)
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Originally Posted by techdruid
I think I may have done more than just levitate myself out of the water.
Sounds that way to me, yes. That was my gut reaction when I was reading your description.
Quote:
Originally Posted by techdruid
Just as the bright light entirely immersed my soul, and the darkness entirely immersed my physical self, I lost my connection to EVERYTHING. I don't remember anything after this. It's like the dream ended with me waking up, yet my physical body continued to sleep.
I know that feeling very well, actually! You just lose consciousness. Blink, out like a light. Possibly the experience continued and has been stored in your subconscious and it will later reveal itself, though. That happens to a lot of people.
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Originally Posted by techdruid
The next thing I remember was having a new, completely different dream. There were some hints of a boat, and that boat being on a beach/shore.
Having previously dreamed of being inside one of the world's most famous shipwrecks, then rising up out of the darkness into light, I think finding yourself on a sandy beach is entirely appropriate. It may have ties to your previous state of physical health, the drinking problem, etc.
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Originally Posted by techdruid
I do recall having some amount of extra power in this dream though. I felt overly confident in my abilities in this dream. As an example, I was flirting with a woman that initially was showing interest in someone else. I was entirely confident in my abilities to charm her in my direction, and of course my charms worked.
That's a good sign, too, I would say. I think the dream is very encouraging in a lot of ways, not only the lucidity part.
Re: First Dream Awareness (Lucid) in nearly 20 years
A lovely post Richard. I don't know if good health is more conducive to lucid dreaming for everyone. It might be. I suspect the ability to relax and conserve emotional energy is more important. Perhaps that is what has changed along with your lifestyle choices. Focus is also key, as you've discovered.
Re: First Dream Awareness (Lucid) in nearly 20 years
Quote:
Originally Posted by Beekeeper
A lovely post Richard. I don't know if good health is more conducive to lucid dreaming for everyone. It might be. I suspect the ability to relax and conserve emotional energy is more important. Perhaps that is what has changed along with your lifestyle choices. Focus is also key, as you've discovered.
Yes, I think you make a good point about the relaxing and emotional energy.
This morning I recalled a vision my mother in law had. She's had health issues, but it certainly didn't stop her from having a dream that accurately predicted a future event involving her daughter.
It's likely because health is so important to *me* personally, and I feel really down and depressed when I'm unhealthy. It's this emotional baggage that was likely effecting/blocking me. Attitude and positive energy are probably playing the bigger role here.
Thank You
