The Erratic Oneironaut - Issue #70
Date August 5, 2011
Before we get into this week's newsletter, I would like to take a moment to draw your eyes back from the future, back from attaining lucidity, to revisit a moment of our past. Most people here would agree that a lucid is the best type of dream out there, and indeed the sole purpose of this site is to help each other strive towards lucidity. In this common goal of ours, though, I've seen times when 'not a lucid' was a phrase that consigned a dream to one of 'those types of dreams' and, for the frustrated beginners, were seen as a sign of failure and brought frustration. Mention that a lucid is not the best type of dream out there, and you may even find a debate on your hands.
All this said, I would like for everyone to look over their next dream and try to see it for the amazing thing that it is. Look at the detail in the dream and at any flaws, even if the plot was a bit dull, and try to recapture the sense of awe you might have felt when you had your first dream. Ask yourself if there is anything you can learn from the dream, and meditate on any parts of the dream that never got to finish that you would like to see a resolution to. Forget 'was it a lucid' for a few moments, and just see the dream. Remember, if you haven't broken this phase already, that 'not a lucid' doesn't mean 'failure' and that normal dreams can be just as interesting as lucid dreams given the chance. Pursue lucidity if and how you want, but remember to appreciate all of your dreams no matter what they are.
August Lucid Challenges:Basic: Ask a DC where he lives, or complete one of your own goals.
Intermediate: Explore a pyramid, or complete two of your own goals.
Advanced: Transform into a building, or complete three of your own goals.
August Monthly Meeting Place - The Year 2525
Please record all of your visits to The Year 2525
here.Making it to The Year 2525 while lucid and talking to another person there will earn a Gold Award. Making it to The Year 2525 while lucid but not talking to another person there will earn a Silver Award. Making it to The Year 2525 in a non-lucid dream will earn a bronze award. Credit will be given for any year visited in the song: 2525, 3535, 4545, 5555, 6565, 7510, 8510, 9595, 10000.
The Cubic ChroniclesIn light of the recent slowdown in the minecraft server, we're dusting off the world and giving it an overhaul! New dimensions to explore and colonize, monsters to battle, and a working currency system are but a few of the new features to be included and implemented soon. What is to become of the current world? It shall remain, for the most part, unchanged. We'll still have creative build and infinite resources, but for new worlds, we'll be looking to start from scratch with hand-mined materials, turning it into a full-fledged survival world. The idea is to give minecraft an actual challenge, and to make that house constructed from diamonds and gold that much sweeter.
Have a cool idea for a project or mod, or have any feedback to offer? Please feel free to contact pj, mu, or mario, or post in
this thread. This is a community run forum and server, and everyone's opinions are welcome. Cooperation is what keeps us strong.
Highlights from around the forum.
GeneralUpgrading to 2.0 - Preparation for the upgrade to SMF 2.0 is almost complete. Read more in this thread.
Chapter one of the first MM D&D campaign is officially over. Read over the chat logs
here to find out what happened.
Dream CharactersAggressive DC'sIn dreams we're constantly in awe and surprised, at the way the environment the SC creates and the DC's we meet (well at least i am). You could possibly go to the extent, that a decent amount of time is spent confused with where/why/who/wow. In my last lucid i had an interesting incident with a DC that seems ready to explode in rage at me. I used my usual techniques of ignoring her/not mentioning anything about dreaming, but whenever i turned in her direction she had a face fuelled with rage, directed at me.
A Model For DC'sWe know that DC's can be extraordinarily real. They can at times be logical. They can provide info that we did not personally know, yet is later confirmed to be true. In many respects they are quite real. Almost like a simulation of the real thing. A very, very good simulation. Almost as if someone or something was computing how to replicate a sentient being based on past behavior and experience.
TechniquesMethod for using supplements without WBTB -- good for dreaming all night longI don't like to set alarms during the night, so often don't wake up at the ideal time to take supps. Also I've had trouble sometimes with getting back to sleep after getting up and taking them. Contrary to most advice I've read, I've found that it is possible to take supps before bed and have them be very effective. I've used this method quite a few times, and it's fairly reliable. I get a lot more hours of dreaming out of a given dose this way, and I get enough sleep.
Naiya's Simple MILDA lot of people who are new to LDing ask what the easiest induction method is. It's hard to answer that question because different methods work for different people. Having said that, I have always thought that MILD is the perfect method for beginners. It is much more forgiving than, say, WILD, because as long as you keep trying, there really is no wrong way to do it and you will eventually succeed.
Awake's Old-Style Straight-Shootin' Induction TechniqueI don't know about you, but I'm sure some of you have gotten frustrated that all these techniques seem to get in the way of your normal functioning. Reality checking whenever you see stimuli sure looks strange when you're in the supermarket checkout line. Waking up for a WBTB only ever caused me some sleep deprivation. Meditation and all those things held no real benefit for me personally, and I never bothered with galantamine and things because I really didn't care much for bothering with them. To me, a good 'technique' doesn't get in the way of the most important part of my life - my day life. So, my success came from a different method.
Carpe Noctem
