First Step: Dream Recall

Now that I've been able to get some zzzzz's (it's going on two weeks now of uninterrupted sleep - yay!!) , I'm starting my quest to find out what my sub-conscious, true 'self' wants to tell me about my purpose in life. One of the ways I'm attempting to get in touch with this true 'self' is to have a "lucid dream". Well, I’ve had a little success with lucid dreaming last week…actually thought I controlled my dream a little. But then I forgot what I dreamt about when I woke up…..very important to write it down. So I figure there’s promise in lucid dreaming but gotta start from the beginning rather than skipping to the end result. See Wikipedia excerpt below.

With conscious effort, I have been able to recall only one dream this week. Prior to this 'conscious effort' I didn't think I even had dreams for the last year or so. Must've been the lack of sleep.... :)

The following is from Wikipedia on Lucid Dreaming, but deals specifically with Dream Recall and some tips for success.

"Dream recall is simply the ability to remember dreams. Good dream recall is often described as the first step towards lucid dreaming. Better recall increases awareness of dreams in general; with limited dream recall, any lucid dreams one has can be forgotten entirely. To improve dream recall, some people keep a dream journal, writing down any dreams remembered the moment one awakes. An audio recorder can also be very helpful. It is important to record the dreams as quickly as possible as there is a strong tendency to forget what one has dreamt. It is suggested that for best recall, the waking dreamer should keep eyes closed while trying to remember the dream, and that one's dream journal be recorded in the present tense. Describing an experience as if still in it can help the writer to recall more accurately the events of their dream. Dream recall can also be improved by staying still after waking up."

So, what is a lucid dream? "It is a conscious dream.....when the person is aware that they are dreaming while the dream is in progress. When a dream is lucid, the dreamer can actively participate in and often manipulates the experiences in the dream environment. Lucid dreams can be extremely real and vivid depending on a person's level of self-awareness during the lucid dream. The first step to lucid dreaming is recognizing that one is dreaming. Once the recognition of dreaming occurs, the dreamer must be cautious to let the dream delusions continue but be conscious enough to recognize them. This process might be seen as the balance between reason and emotion."

Doesn't this sound exciting?! How wonderful to be in my own story and control what happens. I can see a lot of healing coming out of this....well, here is my first dream recalled...guess its a small step but one step closer to my lucid dream....

FISHING DREAM 2/18/09: I am carrying a fishing pole. I am walking alone along a small river, (only 10' wide across and calm) but there are people around me, walking, fishing, etc. I see a floating raft with 6 or so people, some whom are kids, and there are my two daughters sitting calmly on the raft, too. I do not know who any of the people are except my daughters. They are going in the opposite direction that I am walking. I am not alarmed by this (although in real life I would be quite hysterical) and continue walking on my way. I feel that I am looking for a good fishing spot. I am carrying a half a skinned fish that I think is my bait. I look at my pole - it is made out of a pipe metal kind of pole that has springy coils attached to the end. There is no hook or anything to catch fish with. Then I wake up.....

That's all I remember...doesn't mean anything to me right now. Hmmmm....