In the following, I would love to share with LDE readers a tool I once developed for self-growth. Having an overall improvement of my skills on my mind, I first tried to determine the most important areas for increasing proficiency as a lucid dreamer which resulted in the subsequent ‘levels of lucidity’:
Mindfulness
Carry out a general evaluation concerning your state of awareness in your waking life - how aware are you of your language, body and mind (mental processes) in physical reality? Do you realize when you are on autopilot?
Reality Testing
How often and conscientiously do you perform your reality tests in the waking state? Mechanically or in a concentrated, reflecting manner? Have you examined the effects of various reality checks on your dream world?
Control
Are you trying to ‘control’ your dream environment or do you practice lucid surrender? Have you discovered your boundaries as to influencing the dream?
Attitude
Are you often impatient and frustrated or rather open and confident while inducing a lucid dream?
Action
How much of your time do you spend on reading, speaking or writing about lucid dreams? Do you keep a dream journal? Have you observed the impact of these activities on your dream world?
Motivation
How persistently do you carry out your lucid dreaming techniques? Are you resolute or rather calm before falling asleep (i.e. attaining lucidity in your dreams)?
Spirituality
How important is personal development to you? Would you like to try out a certain spiritual practice?
Focus
Do you pursue specific goals in your lucid dreams or do you spend your dream time in a rather haphazard, relaxed atmosphere?
Meditation
Have you ever tried meditation? Do you meditate regularly? Have you tried incorporating meditation in your WBTB practice? Have you ever practiced yin yoga as a meditational technique? Have you meditated at alternating times of the day?
Revision
Are you in touch with your goals? Do you repeat them regularly, especially in the evenings to foster your memory skills? If you are about to apply a new lucid dreaming technique, do you remember the corresponding steps correctly without straining your mind? If you spontaneously wake up at night, do you know what to do instantly to perform a dream re-entry? Can you identify your strengths or weaknesses as a lucid dreamer?
Then, I transferred the categories above to a wheel, divided into ten equal parts. Each part comprises ten subdivisions, equivalent to 10 percent. Thus, while evaluating your achievements/status in a specific area, you can reach up to 100% by fully coloring the corresponding part.
I recommend this technique, requiring discipline and honesty towards your state of development especially to beginners or intermediate lucid dreamers either aiming to overcome a lucidity draught, to analyze their skills on the whole or to make progress in certain areas they might lack consistency, motivation or playfulness.
Try to implement this tool into your regular practice every 1-3 months for about a year and draw comparisons regarding your advancement! I recommend you complement your chosen ‘level of lucidity’ with goals you would like to achieve and to make a firm decision to improve in this area.
Upon estimating your results, try to answer these questions:
Do you notice any changes in your lucid dreaming practice?
Do you feel more motivated than before?
It might be reasonable to confine yourself to only three categories maximum to avoid frustration or mental/physical overload. In my opinion, lucid dreaming should be a replenishing and not an exhausting pursuit!
References
Enns, A. (2018). Motiviert zum Klartraum: Ein Arbeitsbuch für Traumbewusste.
This article was released in issue from
December 2019
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