Aware - the Mortal Mist NewsletterApril 24, 2009
From the EditorGreetings, fellow dreamers!
As we go into our second year, I've been fascinated by looking back on how this community has grown, solidified and matured. One year isn't long at all - don't get me wrong. . . but precious few efforts at establishing forums on the internet survive at all beyond the first few weeks. We have some amazing successes under our belts here in The Mist. We've demonstrated the viability of building a community for Lucid Dreamers with a pretty tight focus. As I type this, we await the arrival of our 300th member. We have cracked the top 100 on the top search engines, with front-page status for several term combinations and near top billing on a major human-edited index.
With this newsletter, we are introducing a couple new sections which will hopefully be ongoing.
One Year Ago In The Mist is a look back at where we were last year on approximately this date.
How Do They Do It? features one of those lucid dreamers in our community who seems to be doing things right.
We've had quite a few new members come onboard the past couple weeks. Please accept our warmest welcome and expression of appreciation for your decision to join our community! We look forward to sharing your lucid journey.
How Do They Do It?Moonbeam has graciously agreed to be our first featured dreamer. She continues to share administrative responsibility here in The Mist and remains one of our most prolific posters and dreamers. Her dream journal,
Last Night I Had The Strangest Dream, has been the most active thread in our forum since its inception.
We asked Moonbeam what her secret is. She replied:
"I think the secret to consistent lucid dreaming for me has been to frequently change induction methods and to have goals within my dreams.
"I have tried every single method I have ever heard of (that sounded safe), and it seems that I can have success with almost any method--up to a point. My mind seems to become accommodated easily, both to mental and supplemental inducers, and they lose their effect. By changing the focus, and changing my methods, I can usually break a dry-spell and have a renewed burst of lucidity.
"My mind also seems to be interested in performing new tasks. If I think about one task too long, even if consciously I would still like to do it, my dreaming mind seems to become bored with it. So new tasks help a lot too. Just as we don't live our waking life with no goals or plans, we should not live our dream life that way either, in my opinion. We need goals, no matter how simple, to have a sense of accomplishment and to inspire us to do more. I like to have several small goals in addition to one big goal that I try to keep in mind so that when the opportunity arises I will be ready.
"My dreams have definitely changed over these last three years of lucid dreaming. My skills have developed (slowly), and my
DC's have become more and more interesting. One thing that never changes is the amazement and wonder, so that always inspires me to keep trying.
"I would really like to learn to
WILD, and am continuing to work on staying constantly aware as
Naiya and
Luminous taught us in their Dream Yoga Workshop. I think these two techniques will be the key to having as many lucids as I possibly can.
"The best advice I have is this: Never give up! If something's not working, try something else. This did not come easily to me, and I think that if I can do it, anybody can. It just takes persistence. I have a long ways to go, but I think it will happen, if I keep thoughts of dreaming always in the back of my mind. We get another chance every night."
One Year Ago In The Mist- Aquanina had just launched a line of Mortal Mist Merchandise, still available through Cafe Press
- Registered more than 100 members in our first month
- Started our Lucid Challenges forum
- Were on page 50 on Google for a search of "Lucid Dreaming"
- Had just replaced the "yawning baby" favicon with the rainbow tree. (It seems more people saw the old icon as a person screaming in agony than recognized the yawning baby.)
Creative problem solving in lucid dreams - participants wanted!A
study is being carried out by researchers from
Liverpool John Moores University to explore possibilities of creative problem solving in lucid dreams with the help of dream characters. Over the period of 10 consecutive days, each night before going to sleep the participants would be given a creative task/problem to solve in their dreams. A control group of non-lucid dreamers will be used for comparison.
If you are an experienced lucid dreamer and would be interested to join the study, please check the information about the project on the Mortal Mist discussion board:
http://mortalmist.com/forum/index.php/topic,1918.0.htmlThe study is starting on Thursday 30th April, so please do not hesitate too long!
(Thank you,
skolax, for making this opportunity available!)
DreamSketcher progress and Contestdodobird continues to refine and improve the
DreamSketcher. This new Java applet allows you to create little sketches "on the fly", easily adding them to dream journals or any other posts anywhere in the board. Recent refinements include more brush options and a "coffee cup" smudger that allows shading without obliterating existing line work.
A
contest will begin on May 1 to help promote use of the DreamSketcher. Entries will be drawings of scenes and/or things
other people's dreams. Each contestant may enter up to five drawings. Entries must be drawn using the DreamSketcher applet and be posted to the contest thread which will be started in the
General Lucidity Discussion and Experiences forum. At the close of the entry period, we will run a poll to pick the top three entries, followed by a run-off to pick the top winner. Entries may be withdrawn at any time before the polling begins.
As summer draws near and nights get warmer and shorter, it may seem as though there will be less opportunity for lucid dreaming. This need not be the case! Every night is an opportunity for lucidity, and every day an opportunity to practice the kind of continuous awareness that can help lead us to lucid dreams.
Take some time to gaze into the majestic spring night sky. As you ponder the infinity stretching out before you, consider that all this and more is accessible through our dreams. Far beyond mere fantasy, our dreams contain the seeds of everything that will ever be accomplished.
Dream lucid, my friends. Dream with wild abandon and without inhibition.
Our futures may depend on it.
pj. . .
