In The MistJanuary 31, 2010
What do we want to be when we grow up?Mortal Mist is approaching its two year anniversary. Having made it to this point at all is quite an accomplishment in the world of online forums. Having made it with dignity, style, integrity and grace is downright amazing.
We have done exactly that, and the reason for our success is testimony to the dignity, style, integrity and grace of those who have chosen to make this place their own.
The world into which Mortal Mist was born hasn't changed much. Lucid Dreaming remains one of the most incredible and least understood of human capabilities, and an amazingly small portion of society even knows about it. Typical of anything with this much potential, businesses have moved into the realm of Lucid Dreaming to exploit it for profit. There is nothing wrong with that, so long as the exploitation does not end up defiling the original cause or preventing others from exploring and expanding the realm in their own way.
We here in The Mist have indeed done things our own way. Rather than exploiting the potential of lucid dreaming and the efforts and passions of lucid dreamers for financial gain, we have selected a different path. Our chosen route has been slow, though the result so far is a lucid dreaming community without peer. We may be small, but we are of amazing quality when measured by the skill and experience of dreamers making up this community, the atmosphere of the forum, and our depth of commitment, focus and passion for lucid dreaming. Make no mistake, we know why we're here - and it isn't merely to leverage lucid dreaming for some ulterior motive. We are here because we are passionate about lucid dreaming.
Motive is what we really need to be focusing on at this point in our young existence, and motive translates to Mission. The for-profit behemoths dominating the lucid dreaming world are quite clear about their mission - it is to make a profit, garner more market share and increase the value of their domains.
Do you know what our mission is here at Mortal Mist? So far, this has served us:
Mortal Mist is dedicated to exploring and promoting the art and discipline of Lucid Dreaming. Two years into this mission, it is time to re-examine our focus and the use of our limited resources. Our successes have been remarkable, but what about our failures and shortcomings? How can we refine our mission to most effectively secure our survival in a form we all desire while serving the higher goals of continuing to promote and explore lucid dreaming?
Mortal Mist lives in a world dominated by successful business giants very clear on their purpose. Unfortunately, our survival, success and indeed our very existence is contrary to many of their missions. If we are going to survive and thrive, it is about time we decide what we want to be when we grow up.
Lucid Dreamers are pioneers, exploring and settling a new frontier. There is plenty of room for all of us - but we need to be very aware of our place and purpose among all who are trying to claim as much of this new land as possible for their own. Our survival and success depend on it.
Please consider joining the
conversation going on in Town Hall, if you have access. (If you don't, it is simply because you've not yet made enough on-topic posts.)
Engaging With DreamsBurned Up's February workshop begins tomorrow!
"Through looking at our own dreams and the dreams of others, we'll share our observations, our emotional responses, our gut reactions and indeed anything that arises for us. In doing so we'll find our more about how we personally understand unconscious processes and how these are revealed in dreams. Dream work of any type is a highly inexact science so what each of us will take from the workshop will be different and personal, perhaps shaped by the kinds of people we have each grown up to be.
"Engaging with Dreams runs from 1 to 15 February, in seven simple stages (which I will post each Monday, Wednesday and Friday). No previous experience required. The more the merrier!"
Join us here:
http://mortalmist.com/forum/index.php/topic,2654.msg73633.html#msg73633
Community and System Notes:
- wolvendeer's new tutorial on the DEILD technique has been posted to our front end tutorial collection: http://mortalmist.com/deild.html
- Moonbeam's new tutorial on CAT, (Cycle Adjustment Technique,) is being reviewed for posting to our front end tutorial collection: http://mortalmist.com/forum/index.php/topic,2652.msg73614.html#msg73614
- Raklet and mu have completed extensive modifications improving our backup system, necessary because of our growing size and the number of posts in the forums. Your dream journals and everything else here is automatically backed up several times each day. Up to date copies are maintained on separate computers on location as well as by Aegis guild members.
- mu continues to make progress on a completely new system to permit non Aegis Guild members to create and modify our front pages.
The
Monthly Meeting Place for February is
the Sun. Watch the
Monthly Meeting Place forum for an upcoming announcement.
The
Featured Monthly Challenges for February have not yet been announced. Watch
here for some new lucid challenges coming up soon!
Lucidity Bloghttp://lucidityblog.com has now been open for two weeks. LucidityBlog is home to a growing collection of articles, essays, news items and personal stories written to an audience unfamiliar with the concept of lucid dreaming, by three (so far) authors. Authorship will be granted to anybody interested, is open to all lucid dreaming communities, and back-linking is permitted. For more information, please refer to the "About" and "For Authors" tabs on the blog site. All items are published under a Creative Commons license.
Here is a sampling of articles posted so far:
Please visit the site and consider joining in the fun - for the purpose of working toward enlightening an awaiting public to Lucid Dreaming!
Final WordThis hasn't been one of the easiest newsletters to write. They usually flow quite on their own, as the source material here in The Mist is abundant and apparent. This one comes in the midst of recognizing hard truths and trying to make difficult decisions, and it isn't always easy to look at or address these matters so critical to our direction and survival. It would be much easier to just let somebody else take care of making these kinds of decisions. Doing so, however, would be contrary to the whole spirit of member ownership.
Ownership carries responsibility, and responsibility sometimes means facing uncomfortable truths and making difficult decisions. It is my hope, however, that in being truly honest with ourselves and moving forward with the same integrity that has brought us this far, we will somehow find a way to not only co-exist with the for-profit lucid dreaming sites, but to join together in a common effort that will ultimately benefit us all.
We each have our roles and destinies to fulfill, and we each have different strengths, qualities and weaknesses. None of us are going away, and there is a potential "market" out there for lucid dreaming that hasn't even begun to be tapped. Once that floodgate is finally opened, it is unlikely that any of us will be adequately prepared for what is sure to follow.
The world is hungry to learn about the magic of Lucid Dreaming. They just don't know it yet. Together, perhaps we can find a way to tell them. Hopefully, by the time that happens, we will have a clear idea of the true place and purpose of Mortal Mist.
Until next time. . .
pj
