Dream 518

'Sex, Drugs & Town Halls'

Dream date: 1 December 2015 (Day 1 of Lucid December)

This is Day 1 of Lucid December, where I attempt to induce as many lucid dreams as possible using various induction techniques, described below.

Scene 1: A Town Hall (Sheringham?) - Daytime
I was in a town hall - not one from real-life, but it still looked familiar. It was large and square, with a polished floor, white walls and no furniture in central part; only tables and chairs against the walls. I suspected it was in Sheringham, because my family were there, as well as some locals - including a male dream character who reminded me of LM, a boy who was in my year at school. However, I do not think it was actually him, just someone who looked like him. He had 2 brothers, who both looked exactly like him, but were slightly younger. All the males were medium height and build, with straight, dark brown hair which fell below eye level, but no other distinguishing features.

It seemed as if there was some kind of party or celebration happened, but it was fairly boring. There was no music; people were just standing around chatting. I saw there was a bunch of balloons and some buffet food (I saw it on plates, but did not see where it came from). 

RBA was at the town hall. He was sitting on a chair in the middle of the room, surrounded by other dream characters, both based on 'real' people and some unrecognised. I straddled him and began to have sex with him in this position, although I did not recall us removing any items of clothing. I was kissing his face and saying: 'See, I'm not a cold person...' thinking that this would convince him. The people gathered around - which included my family members - were not shocked by the sexual act, and I did not feel any shame or embarrassment, only sexual pleasure. I was then somehow forced to stop and dismount - I think because someone was calling my name from behind me. I was then standing and talking to my mum's friend, CC, who was holding a reporter's-style notebook. She said that RBA was going to have to leave now (he had somewhere to go) and I would need to find another sexual partner. 

I then approached the dark haired male I had seen earlier (the one who looked like LM). He was with both his brothers, and his mum and dad, sitting at tables (although 'LM' was standing) against the wall (on which the entrance door was). I thought: 'It can't be LM, because LM's mum is dead'. I propositioned him, and somehow it was communicated to me that I would not be able to have sex with him unless his brothers could also join in. I had no reluctance whatsoever, and immediately agreed that we could have 4-way sex - in the town hall in front of everyone. We started to have sex, on the floor. I was aware that the people in the town hall weren't really paying us any special attention, and again, I felt no shame at my public sex act. I didn't feel as much physical or mental pleasure as the sex act with RBA - the feeling was less intense and erotic. This felt more like our bodies were all tangling on the floor and melting into one; everything was slimy and writhing and I could feel the 'sex act' more as a 'wrestling' sensation than the earlier one, which was centred around my clitoris, like a usual sex/wet dream. 

When the sex act ended (again, I experienced no removal of clothes), the 3 brothers returned to their parents. I spoke to my nan who said RBA had decided not to leave after all and we were to go somewhere together in order to complete some kind of task (I cannot recall what this was). I now felt annoyed that I had sex with the brothers, as I could have continued this with RBA instead and had a more intense sexual experience. I wondered what he thought about me having sex with 3 brothers and whether he would judge me.

Scene 2: A House/My Nan's Kitchen - Daytime
RBA and I were then in a house which I do not recognise. Somehow we were apprehended by a male police officer (young, white and in full uniform) who had entered the building at some point after we had. We had been sitting in a lounge, although I cannot recall anything about it. Something made me get up and leave the room, and I walked into the adjoining room, which happened to be the kitchen in my nan's house in Sheringham. I went over to where there is usually some cupboards, but in the dream, there was less surface/cupboards and more space. I bent down and got something from a shelf? a box? It was cannabis. I thought that I had better hide the cannabis from the police officer, as that was probably the reason he was here to investigate RBA and I. I put the cannabis - which was at least half an ounce - into a mobile phone case (one of those which open like a book, with the phone in the middle) - even though there is no way this could have fit. I brought the mobile phone case through to the lounge with me. It was at this point I realised that I thought I knew the police office (who was talking to RBA). I was not sure how I knew him, but I got the impression that he was a friend of someone I knew (from real-life as well, possibly). 

The police officer said: 'Let me search the iniquity' - by this he meant the phone case. I said: 'He hasn't done anything' (meaning RBA - with the intention of me taking full responsibility for any potential possession charge for the cannabis which the police officer was likely to find. The police officer said: 'Who is this?' (meaning RBA) and I replied: 'My brother' (I have no reason why). 

I then 'remembered' that there were bodies buried in the garden - I don't know how or why or whether we were in any way to blame, but I saw a funeral pyre (although one which had hundreds of bodies, already burnt) and realised that there had been a pile of naked bodies (skinny people of both genders, all ages) which had been set alight to dispose of them (not sure who by) and then buried under the grass (the image being of my Nan's garden). I saw the image of the dead bodies on the mass funeral pyre as if I was looking at an old photograph. I was worried in case we would be deemed liable for this (crime?) mass death/concealment of corpses. I handed the phone case to the police officer. I noticed that it was pink suede. He opened it while I stood there (he and RBA were seated throughout). There was a silver mobile phone in the middle of the case, but no cannabis. The police officer was content that no crime had been committed and handed the mobile phone case back to me. I 'remembered' that I had hidden the cannabis in a rubbish bin in the kitchen, and was confident the police officer would not search in there and find it.

TIME: 03:00 - 11:00 hours (then awake until 11:15 hours) & 11:15 - 13:00 hours (WB2B Method) - this dream took place during second section of sleep (therefore following WB2B)

LUCIDITY: NO - although pre-lucidity in that I realised LM's mother is dead in real-life which shows use of waking logic to dispute the content of the dream narrative

SPECIAL NOTES: 

• Cognitive induction techniques, adapted from the MILD Technique & Tholey's Combined Technique to induce a DILD (Dream-Initiate/Induced Lucid Dream) - critical reflection (in conjunction with reality checking - see below); intention; auto-suggestion; affirmations before sleep and during WB2B - 10 minutes prior to sleep; 10 minutes during WB2B 
• Reality checks (target: 15 - 20 a day); actual: 5 (poor)
• Wake Back to Bed Method (WB2B) - sleep for approximately 5 - 6 hours (to attain all necessary deep sleep; or where sleep deprived, wake naturally without an alarm), wake for 10 - 15 minutes; perform cognitive techniques; sleep for a further 45 - 90 minutes, during which I will hopefully be in the 'best' REM stage of the sleep cycle for lucid dreaming - slept for 8 hours; woke naturally without an alarm; performed cognitive techniques for 10 minutes; went to sleep for 1 hour 45 minutes

Dream Information:
None of note

Dreamsigns:

• Almost the entire dream was a dreamsign - it was all bizarre and could only take place within the context of a dream

Recurrent Dream Themes:

• RBA as a dream character
• My family as dream characters
• My Nan's house as a dream scene location
• Cannabis

Potential Day/Dream Residue:

• The day of this dream I had watched an episode of the new series of Peep Show called 'Threeism'
• A couple of days before this dream I had told my housemate that because I am not a very tactile person and don't have much physical contact with my partners outside of sex (where I am very liberated and open), I am often perceived as both 'sexual' and 'cold' which has caused confusion and problems in previous relationships - I had also told her that I very rarely, if ever, initiate kissing and don't see it as necessary in a sexual relationship
• I remember seeing a photograph of LM (which he posted on his profile) on my Facebook feed a few days before this dream
• I had been discussing cannabis on the day of this dream
• I had been thinking about mobile phone cases 2 days before this dream, while I was sitting on the bus; I remember thinking about mobile phone cases as we went around the roundabout at the city end of St Stephens Street - my thoughts were that I had had an option whether I wanted one which opens like a book, with the phone inside, or the simple, clear plastic one I did in fact choose - I was wondering if the one I had was as protective as the 'book' one might be
• I had mentioned the holocaust to my housemate a couple of days before the dream
• The day before this dream, I had been playing a mobile phone game called 'Plague' in which you have to create and evolve a disease to create a pandemic which wipes out all human life before a cure can be found - there is a 'newsfeed' to help you see the effect your disease is having on the world, and I remember seeing the headline: 'Italy digs mass graves'
• I had been playing online poker (and intending to play with RBA, although we were having problems getting a cash transfer to work) - my profile is 'La Zombie' and the avatar is a photograph of my 'favourite' serial killer, Fred West, who infamously buried his victims in fields; inside the structure of houses, and of course, under his patio

Waking Thoughts & Emotions:
This was obviously an enjoyable dream because of all the sex, but it was also quite disturbing on a number of levels: firstly, the openness of my sexuality and the public display of it (a sign I am too open in real-life and need to be less of an exhibitonist at times?), coupled with the fact I am not in any way interested in having sex with more than one person at one time; and secondly, the 'memory' of the mass grave in the garden. I was not in any negative frame of mind when I woke, and the dream did not trouble me especially, but I did feel that I should have experienced a more 'shocked' or 'self-aware' reaction in the dream itself; basically, I wondered why the dream 'me' was so content to be involved in so much immoral or scandalous behaviour, both publicly (the sex) and privately (concealment of the dead bodies in the garden).

Lucid December Links & Videos

On this page you will find all the videos and links (all links will open in a separate window) relating to my Lucid December Challenge - one month of easy lucid dream induction! Please watch the videos, and follow the links to my Dream Journal entries and social media platforms, and make sure you let me know if you are taking part in my #LucidDecember Challenge!

Easy Lucid Dreaming Challenge - Lucid December 

Sex Dreams

Lucid December Day 1 - Sexy Dream

Dream 518 - 'Sex, Drugs & Town Halls' (Lucid December Day 1)

Lucid December Day 2 - Strangulation

Dream 519 - 'Annoying Female Teacher' (Lucid December Day 2)

Dream 520 - 'Scary Horror House' (Lucid December Day 3)

Dream 521 - 'My University Nightmare' (Lucid December Day 4)

Dream 522 - 'My First Ever Boyfriend' (Lucid December Day 5)

Dream 523 - 'Weird Youtube Video' (Lucid December Day 5 - Second Dream During Afternoon Nap)

Dream 524 - 'Playing with Guns': LUCID DREAM SUCCESS! (Lucid December Day 6)

Adding 'Dream Supplement' Vitamin B6 to Lucid December 

Lucid December Days 3 - 6 & Lucid Dream Success!

Dream 525 - 'Disgusting Hot Chocolate' (Lucid December Day 7)

Dream 526 - 'P Diddy Goes on a Masked Rampage!' (Lucid December Day 7 - Second Dream During an Afternoon Nap)

Dream 527 - 'My Cousin Wants to Kill Me!' (Lucid December Day 8)

Lucid December Day 9 - No Sleep/No Dreams

Dream 528 - 'My Perfect Derelict Flat!' (Lucid December Day 10)

Dream 529 - 'Ishmail' (Lucid December Day 11)

Dream 530 - 'Masturbating in the Bath' (Lucid December Day 12)

Dream 531 - 'Wasted Meat & Wild Lions' (Lucid December Day 13)

Lucid December Day 14 - No Sleep/No Dreams

Dream 532 - 'You Fucked Me Over!' (Lucid December Day 15)

Dream 533 - 'French Sailors & Wild Gorillas' (Lucid December Day 16)

Lucid December Day 17 - No Sleep/No Dreams

Lucid December Day 18 - No Sleep/No Dreams

Dream 534 - 'Bus Prostitution' (Lucid December Day 19)

Dream 535 - 'Genetic Defects' (Lucid December Day 20)

Dream 536 - 'Snake Man' (Lucid December Day 21)

Lucid December Day 22 - No Sleep/No Dreams

Dream 537 - 'My Bad Calculator' (Lucid December Day 23)

Lucid December Day 24 - No Sleep/No Dreams

Lucid December Day 25 - No Sleep/No Dreams

Dream 538 - 'Planets' (Lucid December Day 26)

Dream 539 - 'A Photograph of My Grandfather' (Lucid December Day 27)

Dream 540 - 'I Think it's a Dream Within a Dream' (Lucid December Day 28)

Dream 541 - 'My Perfect Lipliner Pencil' (Lucid December Day 29)

Lucid December Day 30 - No Sleep/No Dreams

Dream 542 - 'Herding Cyborgs' (Lucid December Day 31)

Lucid December Summary Video

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New Lucid Dreaming Videos

I took a longer than anticipated hiatus from posting videos on my Youtube channel, but thankfully, my amazingly loyal subscribers kicked my butt into gear and motivated me to upload a new video. To oblige, I made not ONE, but TWO new videos!

The two lucid dreams referred to in the second video can be accessed via these links:

Dream 515 (FALSE AWAKENING & LUCID DREAM) - 'Useless Weapons'

Dream 517 (LUCID DREAM) - 'Confronting Racism'

Please 'like' my videos by giving them a 'thumbs up', subscribe to my Youtube channel (Tallulah La Ghash) and leave me a comment!

Add me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TallulahLaGhash

Follow me on Twitter: @TallulahLaGhash

Email me at: tallulahlaghash@hotmail.co.uk

Dream 517 (LUCID DREAM)

'Confronting Racism'

Dream date: 24 November 2015

Scene 1: My Nan's House, Sheringham - Time Unknown
I think I was in my nan's house, as later, I was with the same dream characters and it was very clear that this was the location. However, at the start of this dream, I could only really see the dream characters and a sofa, so it was not possible to ascertain the exact location. 

I was with my mum, nan, cousin HM and other members of my family. I was accusing my cousin of letting her husband post Islamophobic content on their shared Facebook profile. I was screaming angrily, stating that this was having an indirect effect on me, as the paternal side of my family are Middle Eastern Muslims and my cousin should have been more sensitive to this fact. I was appealing to my nan to resolve the problem, but she was saying that there was nothing she could do. HM slumped down on the sofa (which was to my left side) and started crying. Her face was very red. She was not saying anything. I had the impression that she looked like her younger, childhood self. I continued to scream at my cousin, telling her that she should be more sensitive to her family. I had an image in my head of a pile of dead bodies, which I 'knew' had been posted by her husband and this sickened me.

I then stepped away and found myself standing beside the armchair which is next to the kitchen door in my nan's living-room. Suddenly, I became spontaneously lucid, without a reality check. The feeling was overwhelming. I was aware that my family members were still nearby, but I did not look in their direction for fear of becoming distracted. I started rubbing my hands together, to stablise the lucid dream. Everything was very bright and very clear. 

I decided to bring my friend RBA into the dream and visualised this. I saw that there was a larger than usual gap between the armchair and the wall and RBA was crouched down in this space. I said his name and he said something (I cannot recall what). I noticed that he did not have a Scottish accent and when he looked at me, he looked different - I cannot say what, as his skin/hair colour was same as usual, but there was just something different about his face. He was wearing a white tracksuit. As soon as I noticed he looked and sounded different, he changed - and began to look exactly as he does in real-life. I said: 'Get up' and he said: 'I can't' (in a Scottish accent - his real-life voice). I said: 'You can, because this is my lucid dream and I control it' to which he replied: 'It's out of control now'. I lost lucidity instantly as he said this.

Scene 2: A Random Bedroom - Time Unknown
I was in a random bedroom which I do not recognise from real-life. EB was there, with two other adult male dream characters - his friends in the dream, who I did not recognise or know. They were sitting cross-legged on a bed, looking at A4-sized photographs of a pregnant woman. They were discussing abortion. I cannot recall exactly what they were saying, but I was repulsed by their insensitive comments and I wanted to get away from them as quickly as possible. I cannot recall what else happened in this scene, although I am aware that there was more interaction with EB. He had a smiling, creepy look on his face and was turning his neck to face me, which indicated I was standing to his side or behind him.

Scene 3: My Bedroom in Norwich - Time Unknown
I was looking at my laptop and was aware that the right hinge which connects the screen to the keyboard had broken and the screen was partly hanging off. I was annoyed as this meant that I had to pay to get my laptop fixed and I did not want to.

TIME: 03:00 - 10:00 hours (I am not sure when this dream took place)

LUCIDITY: YES 

LUCIDITY: Fully Lucid via DILD (Dream Initiated/Induced Lucid Dream)

• Spontaneous DILD, no induction technique/method used
• No dreamsign to trigger
• No reality check performed
• Moderate to strong lucidity/clarity
• Good stability at the start as a result of dream stabilisation techniques (hand rubbing)
• Good control at the start (bringing specific dream character into the dream; recognising that there were discrepancies between dream character and real-life person and altering the dream version to match my real-life knowledge/expectations)
• Lucidity lasted approximately 1 - 2 minutes

SPECIAL NOTES: NONE OF NOTE

Dream Information:

• HM's husband is in the British Army and I know that he posts about disliking Islam as a result of the current terror threat and his service in Afghanistan. I do not like calling out my family members for behaviour which I would term racist or discriminatory, but (1) There is extremely little possibility either HM or her husband are reading this Blog as they are not particularly interested in my dream work; and (2) If he does not stand by his comments when confronted with opposition then he should not make them publicly. I am the only mixed-race person in my family and I find it highly offensive that various members have expressed views which are hostile to Muslims/persons of colour, given I am their relative, the paternal side of my family are Muslims living in the Middle East and my own father was an immigrant. I have expressed my upset about these issues to my mum and my nan, who are sympathetic, but cannot (and should not) try to censor other family members. This is not a political rant, but I need to set the context for this dream
• EB is my former best friend, but I no longer speak to him as a result of a personal grievance I have with him

Dreamsigns:

• My cousin appeared to be her childhood self, despite the fact that she was married in the dream

Recurrent Dream Themes:

• My family as dream characters
• Broken laptop

Potential Day/Dream Residue:

• There is a lot of Islamophobia on social media as a result of ISIS and the current terror threat/immigration issue/war in the Middle East
• I randomly saw EB in the city about a week prior to this dream and purposefully avoided him so as not to have to engage in an awkward conversation
• The day before this dream I saw a Facebook friend posting a status asking where they could get a replacement screen for their broken laptop

Waking Thoughts & Emotions:
This dream was so frustrating to me, like my last lucid dream (Dream 515), but actually more so, as on this occasion not only did I properly stabilise the dream, but I was also able to control it, which was very encouraging. I was so annoyed that the lucidity faded as soon as I began to communicate with RBA, as it had been so easy to bring him into the dream that I had hopes that this would have led to an exciting dream experience. I feel that this dream was so political in nature as a result of being exposed to various debates and hot topics posted in both the traditional media and social media i.e. immigration/terrorism/attitudes towards Islam; and also the pro-life v pro-choice issue. Therefore, this dream seemed quite significant to me upon waking.

* I have forgotten various elements of this dream - in particular from Scene 2 onwards. If I recall them, I will record them below.

Dream 516

'Weird Gym Gathering'

Dream date: 21 November 2015

Scene 1: My High School Gym - Day
I could feel discomfort in my inner ear as I was walking around my former high school gym. I realised there was something stuck in my ear and I needed a medical procedure to extract it. I pictured it as being the size of a golf ball and grey/rocky.

I was then aware that the gym was full of people for some kind of event. Members of my own family were there. Against the back wall there were some benches arranged, filled with dream characters. In the front row was RBA, his parents and a younger brother (around 10 - 12 years old - I am not sure if RBA has a brother in real-life, as he has only ever mentioned a sister). I wanted to go and talk to him, but something was making me resistent - I wondered if it was because his family was there with him. I was frustrated not to be able to approach them and the fact RBA was not approaching me. 

I was then approached by LD, who looked more like a 'Hollywood version' of himself. He was saying to me that I would have to end up with him and I was not happy by this idea - he repulsed me, but there was a sense of inevitability about this as well. 

I then leaned against a wall and realised I had a letter in my hand. It was written on lined A4 paper in handwriting (blue biro). It was from RBA. He said he was not able to ever speak to me again, let alone see me in person. This made me feel disappointed and saddened. LD was standing beside me and I just wanted him to leave me alone. I kept looking over at RBA and the other people sitting on the benches. RBA's younger brother was playing with a basketball. 

I was then shown to a table where there were two boxes - they were made of brown leather. Both boxes contained makeup and cosmetics - they were a new product designed by Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the Labour Party. I was surprised that such a serious, socialist politician was involved in the makeup business. A dream character (unrecalled) started to unpack both of the boxes - one was the standard package, with basic makeup; while the other was the luxury version, with a greater range of items. I prefered the luxury one.

TIME: 03:00 - 11:00 hours (I am not sure when this dream took place)

LUCIDITY: NO
SPECIAL NOTES: NONE OF NOTE

Dream Information:

• None of note

Dreamsigns:

• A golf ball sized object could not fit in my ear
• LD looked like a Hollywood version of himself
• Jeremy Corbyn was designing makeup

Recurrent Dream Themes:

• RBA as a dream character

Potential Day/Dream Residue:

• I had recently read an online article about the dangers of cleaning your ears with cotton buds/Q-tips (something I love doing) and had watched a gross video of someone getting an enormous amount of wax and other dirt extracted from their ear
• The day before this dream my stepdad had posted the picture of a weird, lumpy piece of rock which had got stuck in the tyres of his lorry - he mentioned it looked like a piece of 'space/moon rock' (we are not sure exactly what the object is) which he had found on a building site years ago, which is currently being investigated and analysed by a local museum/academic
• RBA had discussed going to the gym with me at various times prior to this dream
• Jeremy Corbyn has been in the media

Waking Thoughts & Emotions:
There are no specific waking thoughts or emotions linked to this dream.

* Note that while writing up this dream, I checked with RBA whether he has a younger brother and he does not.

Dream 515 (FALSE AWAKENING & LUCID DREAM)

'Useless Weapons'

Dream date: 20 November 2015

Scene 1: My Bedroom in my Nan's House - Night
I had a false awakening, without sleep paralysis. I was in my bedroom at my nan's house in Sheringham, waking up in the dark in my bed. I did not at any point realise this was a false awakening, so I accepted the situation as waking reality. The room looked at it does in real-life. I felt like I was being choked. I reached up to my neck and found I was wearing a pearl necklace. I reached under my pillow and pulled out a fork - I thought this was a possible weapon. I then drifted back to sleep. I woke up again, in my own room and realised I must have experienced a non-lucid false awakening. I ascertained that I was actually awake for real this time and I was, but I quickly fell back asleep.

Scene 2: My Bedroom in Norwich - Night
I was in my bedroom in Norwich. I was aware that the wind (through my open window) had caused the large picture of Marilyn Monroe (which is on my desk in real-life) had fallen down onto my bed and the glass had smashed. I thought about having to replace the broken glass and was annoyed that I had to clear broken glass from my bed. I then realised that I had many pieces of broken glass stuck in my bare foot. This was excruciatingly painful. I started to remove the glass using a pair of tweezers - there was no blood.

Scene 3: A Familiar Room - Night
I found myself in a familiar room, although I cannot recall where it was, just that I potentially had been there before in real-life. It was very brightly lit. It might have been a room in a school/university, as there was a green carpet and a desk. I cannot recall what other furniture there was. I was seated at the desk with RR - we were doing some colouring in. Suddenly, RR's female cousins, DS and LW (sisters) entered and the climate in the room turned hostile. I was aware that DS and LW were going to fight me, so I pre-empted their attack by deciding to attack them first. We started brawling, but I was getting physically exhausted. I could feel pain and exertion during the fight which had lasted several minutes. At one point DS had punched me in the face. I stood back (DS and LW were on the floor, me having put them there) and leaned against the wall. I became lucid, suddenly. I decided to try and control the dream and get myself a weapon to use in self-defence, but I no matter how much I concentrated on visualising a weapon, I could not make one appear. I held my fingers into a 'gun' shape and said: 'I've got a .22' (this was the worst choice as this is a relatively weak gun - associated with female use in self-defence rather than an assault weapon). I started 'firing' the gun at DS and LW and although I could hear gun shots, the 'bullets' (I did not see them, only hear them) did not seem to have much effect - the reaction of DS and LW was as if I was shooting them with a pea shooter - so something was hitting them, but causing no pain/harm. I lost lucidity because I was so frustrated and confused that I did not attempt to stabilise the lucidity. 

Scene 4: A Kitchen/Dining Room - Night
DS, LW and I called a truce and walked through to a kitchen area which was next door. My mum and RR were present. My mum was sitting at a large dining table opposite the door, which was laid out with various dishes, and RR was standing at a stove, next to the door, cooking something - it was a dish consisting of pickled onions, carrots and ginger. 

I sat down at the table, as did DS and LW and RR placed the dish she had prepared down. We served ourselves and started eating. I was surprised to find that the dish tasted good. The atmosphere was much better now - with no sense of threat or violence. My mum said that one of us had to go out shopping for her as she needed some more ingredients for a dish she would be making for the dinner party we would be holding later that evening. She said: 'I need cocktail sausages and ginger'. I wondered if my mum was going to use these ingredients in the same dish and thought that it sounded disgusting. I also wondered if she had got the recipe from Nigella Lawson, but then I decided that my mum must have invented the dish herself.

TIME: 02:00 - 11:00 hours (I am not sure when this dream took place)

LUCIDITY: YES 

LUCIDITY: Fully Lucid via DILD (Dream Initiated/Induced Lucid Dream)

• Spontaneous DILD, no induction technique/method used
• No dreamsign to trigger
• No reality check performed
• Weak/moderate lucidity/clarity
• Extremely weak stability (dream did not last long enough for me to use any stabilising methods in good time)
• Lucidity lasted approximately 1 - 2 minutes

SPECIAL NOTES: NONE OF NOTE

Dream Information:

• There was very violent wind storms the night of this dream and I was aware of the wind blowing strongly through my open window
• I did not like RR's cousins, DS and LW while I was at school, as they were vicious, ignorant girls who were excessively violent and lacking in basic morals. My mum does not like these females either

Dreamsigns:

• I woke up in my bedroom in my nan's house in Sheringham, even though I should have been in my own house in Norwich
• There is no way the  Marilyn Monroe picture could have fallen on my bed as my desk is across the other side of the room
• There was no blood on my slashed foot
• My mum (nor I) would never socialise with RR or her family

Recurrent Dream Themes:

• None of note

Potential Day/Dream Residue:

• Before I went to sleep I was aware of strong wind blowing in through my open bedroom window and wondered if it was likely to blow my Marilyn Monroe picture over - note that I have had to replace the glass in this picture once already when it was smashed while I was moving house
• On 15 November 2015, female UFC champion Ronda Rousey was sensationally knocked out by challenger Holly Holm, an event which received extensive international media coverage - RBA and I had discussed this
• I had been watching a documentary about serial killer Aileen Wuornos (1956 - 2002), who shot her victims using a .22 (which indicated to investigating police that they were likely to be searching for a female suspect)
• I had been watching the new Nigella Lawson series on TV shortly before this dream

Waking Thoughts & Emotions:
This dream was frustrating as (1) I was unaware that I experienced a false awakening; and (2) the lucid part of this dream was short, uncontrollable and unstable. I also disliked the fact I experienced such realistic pain in this dream.

Dream 514

'Rap Battles Gone Wrong'

Dream date: 19 November 2015

Scene 1: A Chemist/Drugstore - Time Unknown
I was in a chemist/drugstore in the makeup aisle. I was with a female (I cannot recall who this was) and she was showing me some very beautiful sparkly gold eyeshadows which were extremely large (double the standard size)

Scene 2: A University Cafe - Day
I was in a location which seemed like it was on a university campus - in a large cafe area. There was a rap battle taking place between RBA and his former rap battle partner, SOTD. I was standing watching and there were other dream characters present. SOTD said (during his round) to RBA: 'You bought your jacket for £5'. RBA had no comeback to this line and just walked off and sat down at a table nearby, abandoning the rap battle. I joined him and we started to discuss tactics, but RBA was basically ready to surrender as he said he could not retaliate to this 'diss'. I was frustrated with him. I looked outside, through a large window to our left. I could see some kind of covered stand set up, with a red-haired female dream character standing there. The stand/stall was for raising awareness of some charity and I was aware that the red-haired female was in need to charity/help of some sort - I think this was related to a health issue. 

Scene 3: A Bedroom - Time Unknown
RBA and I were sitting next to one another on a bed. RBA was communicating with me by drawing pictures on a piece of paper in green pencil. The drawings were grafitti style and I was impressed by his artistic skill (note that on recollection, the drawings I saw bore no relevance to what I perceived them to mean in the dream). RBA drew something which represented this sentence: 'I'm going to drop you an i-Phone on the QT' (i.e. 'on the quiet'/secretively). I said: 'Why on the QT?' and RBA shushed me - he was impatient and I was aware that time was short and something was about to happen, although I wasn't sure what exactly. I assumed the i-Phone might be a 'line' for selling drugs, but this was not communicated specifically to me. I was confused. 

Scene 4: A University Cafe - Day
I was back in the university cafe area. There was a runway set up and a brown-haired female was present. She had shoulder-length hair which was layered. Someone (I am not sure who) told me that I would need to have my hair layered to 'take the weight out of the sides' and I was not keen on this happening as I did not like the hairstyle of the brown-haired dream character and assumed that the person instructing me to cut my hair was using her as an example of what my own hair should look like. 

Scene 5: Outside - Day
I was outside and it was sunny. I could see trees/bushes nearby. Someone (I cannot recall who) told me that Necro was going to put on a gig in the local area soon and I might want to get tickets. I was surprised that Necro was touring, but set my mind on getting a ticket.

TIME: 23:00 - 09:00 hours (I am not sure when this dream took place)

LUCIDITY: NO

SPECIAL NOTES: NONE OF NOTE

Dream Information:

• RBA is a well-established and talented battle rapper - he is generally a very competitive person so it is unlikely he would back down from a challenge such as that in the dream

Dreamsigns:

• RBA's actions in the dream

Recurrent Dream Themes:

• RBA as a dream character

Potential Day/Dream Residue:

• I had been discussing battle rapping shortly before this dream
• I had mentioned Necro to RBA when we were hanging out - sitting on a bed

Waking Thoughts & Emotions:
At first I had forgotten about the final scene of this dream, but had a 'waking memory' of someone telling me Necro was touring. It was only when I concentrated on this memory that I realised that it had happened at the end of this dream. This was quite an enjoyable dream and I woke up from it feeling quite happy.

Buzzfeed Article on Lucid Dreaming

So, I decided to write an article on Lucid Dreaming for Buzzfeed Community in order to share some of my tips, techniques and advice with those who want to begin their own lucid dreaming adventure. 

I would be so very grateful if my readers would visit the Buzzfeed article, and if possible, share it on their social media, like it and leave a comment on Buzzfeed.

I hope you enjoy it!

Click on this link: Dream Hacking: Lucid Dream 101

Dream 513

'My Nan Prefers my Cousin'

Dream date: 15 November 2015

Scene 1: My Nan's House in Sheringham - Evening
I was in my nan's house in Sheringham, sitting at the dining table in the living-room. There were other members of my family there, including my cousin, JC1, who was sitting next to me. I was aware that it was 2016, at the start of the year and that my cousin, HM's birthday (8 March) was approaching. My nan was making a homemade birthday card for HM - she was gluing scraps of paper and glitter to the front of the card and using coloured crayons to draw a multicoloured butterfly. It was quite messy and scribbly, like a child had drawn/coloured it. She said: 'HM's getting the best card because she's my favourite'. My nan seemed smug about this and I was angry because my nan hadn't made me a card, she had bought one from a shop. 

There were other scenes in this dream, which I cannot recall. It involved me doing something without the rest of my family.

TIME: 04:30 - 10:30 hours (I do not know when this dream took place)

LUCIDITY: NONE

SPECIAL NOTES: NONE OF NOTE

Dream Information:

• None of note

Dreamsigns:

• My nan would not make a homemade birthday card
• My nan would not tell me HM was her favourite - she does always say she is especially close to HM and I, as we were the grandchildren who were brought up in her house when we were children and we both had single parent mothers until they remarried later in our childhoods

Recurrent Dream Themes:

• None of note

Potential Day/Dream Residue:

• A couple of days before this dream, I had gone to Nandos with DL and we had to wait for a table to become free. The server added our names to a list and he was using multicoloured crayons to cross names off the list as the waiting customers were seated. I had made the comment: 'Ooh, that looks very LGBT-friendly' as the list looked like it was a rainbow theme
• I sent a card to my nan last month, just to wish her to get well soon from a back complaint

Waking Thoughts & Emotions:
There were no specific waking thoughts and emotions linked to this dream.

* I have forgotten large parts of this dream. If I recall them at a later stage, I will record them below. I remember experiencing a longer dream, but I went back to sleep when I woke up from it - and then on the second waking, received a message from RBA which I responded to, which caused me to forget or lose details about the dream. This demonstrates the importance of good dream recall practice, which I don't always follow!

Dream 512

'Attacked by Zombie Students in Laundrette'

Dream date: 11 November 2015

Scene 1: The Laundrette at University - Time Unknown
I was in the laundrette at university and was aware that I had not adequately responded to a call from a group of students I am responsible for in my real-life job in student support/welfare. I was aware that the group of students were angry with me and wanted to find and attack me. I was with a colleague (unseen, but someone I work with in real-life) and we were trying to work out how best to deal with the situation. I was looking at either a mobile phone or a laptop screen - I think I was reading emails from the group of students - trying to decide if it was too late to hold a flat meeting to resolve any issues. 

Suddenly, the laundrette was attacked by the students - a mix of male and female, home and international students, all screaming and acting violently. I noticed that they were all zombies and although I felt scared by the sheer number of them, the noise and the flailing limbs, the fact they were zombies did not add any extra fear to the situation - I accepted this and thought that my lack of positive action or assistance had contributed to them being zombies. I was trying to push them out of the door of the laundrette and barricade it with my body weight, but the situation was useless as there were far too many zombie students to hold off. 

Scene 2: Outside Environment - Day
I was outside and it was sunny. I think I was still on my university campus, but I am not sure. There was someone with me - a male dream character - but I cannot remember who it was or how I knew him. I was reading a newspaper, which someone had given to me and ordered me to read. I turned immediately to one of the inside pages. Halfway down the page I saw that there was a short article about RBA, with no pictures. In the text his name, RBA, was scribbled out and 'Ol' Dirty' was written in over top, amending it (I think in pencil, but the font looked like Helvetica, which I noticed specifically in the dream, as this was a different font to the rest of the text). The editorial said words to the effect of: 'RBA Ol' Dirty is considered the best Scotch rapper in England' and then it provided a complaints hotline phone number for anyone wanting to make a complaint about him. I was laughing.

TIME: 02:30 - 09:30 hours (I am not sure when this dream took place)

LUCIDITY: NONE

SPECIAL NOTES: NONE OF NOTE

Dream Information:

• RBA is a friend of mine, who is Scottish and involved in hip hop music. I had recently seen him when I was visiting Glasgow for a legal conference

Dreamsigns:

• All the students were zombies

Recurrent Dream Themes:

• None of note

Potential Day/Dream Residue:

• Earlier that day I had been talking about zombies - I am fascinated by zombies
• In the preceding days I had a number of conversations with work colleagues about the challenges or working in student support/welfare
• I was aware of a lot of laundry which I had to do - and my friend/colleague FV had mentioned he was going to the laundrette earlier on the day of this dream
• RBA and I had been chatting online and exchanging insults - I had referred to him as 'Scotch' to wind him up
• RBA and I had a conversation about my love of fonts/typefaces
• I had been thinking about Ol' Dirty Bastard (1968 - 2004), a former (now deceased) member of Wu Tang Clan just before this dream

Waking Thoughts & Emotions:
This was not a nightmare, even though I was being attacked by zombies wanting to hurt me. I found it interesting how my conversation with RBA continued into my subconscious mind/dream - showing a desire to 'win' in a battle of mental strength and insults. I think my subconscious went easy on him, however. 

* I may have forgotten some aspects of this dream. If I remember anything else, I will record it below.

Dream 511 (LUCID DREAM)

'Killing Cowboys'

Dream date:  21 October 2015

I don't remember the previous scenes from this dream, so the report starts with the only part I do recall, which was the lucid part. Therefore, this isn't actually the first scene of the dream, only the short part I remembered, as I woke up from it.

Scene 1: Halfway inside a Bookshop (Day)
I was standing in the doorway of a bookshop. The bookshop was old-fashioned - the walls were lined with shelves from floor to ceiling and all the books looked dated and sepia brown. I could see that it was a sunny day outside. 

The shop was being attacked by beings, which looked like cowboys, although I knew they were monsters. They were human in appearance, but gave me a sense of fear and dread. I could not communicate with them in human language - they were silent and threatening, as well as being a lot larger than the average human male. All of these cowboys (there were between 5 - 10 of them in total) were dressed in brown clothing, typical of the dress worn by cowboys in Western films and had large heads, with facial hair. I cannot describe them in detail, as other than their size and the fact they did not speak when I was trying to communicate with them, they looked generic and typical (I have included an image, below, to illustrate). I was saying: 'Why are you here?' and 'Why are you coming to get me, when I haven't done anything to you?' - words to that effect. I felt that I was being unjustly targeted by the cowboys.

Looking back on the dream, I got the impression the shop was being 'attacked' by the cowboys and that they were after me for an unknown reason, but actually, they were pretty passive. They didn't move fast or do anything violent. In fact, I got the impression we were all standing still and static.

One of the cowboys pulled out a gun - a pistol or revolver. I punched him in the head and he fell to the floor (dusty blue tiles, I saw at this point) and lay prone. I wondered if he was dead and whether I would be in trouble for murder. I then spontaneously and suddenly became lucid. There was no need for me to perform a reality check and I felt exhilarated and excited, which prompted me to remind myself to calm down, as heightened emotion might lead me to prematurely end my lucid dream. I said: 'I'm lucid now, so I know you can't harm me - you're just dream characters!' 

Someone - unseen, but not a cowboy - a male dream character who was with me in the shop, said: 'You'll have to prove it to them!' I then turned around to the cowboy who was standing directly in the doorway behind me. I reached up and poked my finger (index) through his cheek. The cheek was soft and my finger impaled it easily, as if it was made of a liquefied jelly substance. I started laughing and said; 'Is this proof?' The cowboy whose face I had impaled did not move or react in any way. I withdrew my finger and pushed it through his brain, making him fall to the ground, dead. I then said to the other cowboys who were surrounding me in a wide circle within the bookshop: 'I could kill you all easily!' I felt powerful and superhuman. None of the live cowboys did anything - they were still just standing there, still and silent. I started walking towards all of them, poking my finger into their brains to kill them. I managed to kill about 2 or 3 more in this manner, but then felt the dream starting to 'black-out' and fade, signalling the fact I was waking up or losing lucidity. Before I had a chance to try and stabilise the dream, I woke up!

TIME: 00:30 - 09:00 hours (I woke up from this dream)

LUCIDITY: Fully Lucid via DILD (Dream Initiated/Induced Lucid Dream)

• Spontaneous DILD, no induction technique/method used
• Lucidity triggered by dreamsign (absurd action)
• No reality check performed
• Strong lucidity/clarity
• Relatively weak stability (dream did not last long enough for me to use any stabilising methods in good time)
• I am unaware of the approximate percentage of this dream was lucid as I have forgotten all of the non-lucid elements. Lucidity lasted approximately 2 - 3 minutes

SPECIAL NOTES: None of note

Dream Information:

• None of note

Dreamsigns:

• The lucid dream situation was a dreamsign, but I did not need to reality check

Recurrent Dream Themes:

• Bookshops 

Potential Day/Dream Residue:

• The day before this dream, I had watched a Nigella Lawson cookery show and seen her study which has floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, containing many old books, some of which Nigella was discussing with her viewers
• The day before this dream I was discussing movies with DL and mentioned 'Westerns' and how I think this is a genre that I most closely associate with Americana

Waking Thoughts & Emotions:
This was exciting as it was a 'natural' or spontaneous lucid dream. However, since I have forgotten a lot of the dream - most of it, except for the lucid parts, I am a little disappointed.

* I have forgotten large parts of this dream. If I recall anything further, I will record it below.

Dream 510

'Unwanted Baby'

Dream date: 12 October 2015

Scene 1: Interior of a House (Time Unknown)
I was in an interior of a house - not one which I can recognise from real-life, but it felt familiar in the dream, although I did not see enough details to describe it, other than to say it was well-lit and there was dark red velvet furniture in the room. There were various members of my family around, including my mum.

I was naked - at least my torso and midsection was. I did not feel ashamed or uncomfortable. I could see my body in the third-person - I may have been looking at my reflection in a mirror. Although my body had not changed (from what it looks like in real-life), I was aware that I was pregnant and that I did not want to be. It wasn't that I didn't want a baby at all - just that the timing was wrong and I was planning to go away on a holiday with (an unseen, unnamed male) and did not want to be pregnant at this time. I was asking if it was possible to stop being pregnant for a few weeks to adjust to the situation and then make a decision when I came back from the holiday. My family were telling me that this was not possible, but it might be possible to ask a doctor to 'freeze' the size of the baby so that it stopped growing for a while and I could forget about it until I was ready to continue. I felt a bit stressed and anxious about the situation and the decision I would have to make.

I went over to a table in the room and saw there were some packages on the table - which were meant for me. I opened one of them, which was wrapped in brown paper. It was from my nan and contained Japanese ingredients and sushi. I felt pleased.

Scene 2: A Residential Street (Day)
I was then standing on a normal residential street (not one I recognise from real-life). My nan was a few steps in front of me. She turned around and started screaming. She did not seem upset or angry and I could not make out what she was screaming. Her face was contorted into a grimace - but I did not sense negative emotions or a dangerous situation. I felt calm and viewed this as ordinary behaviour.

TIME: 23:00 - 08:00 hours (I am not sure when this dream took place)

LUCIDITY: NO

SPECIAL NOTES: NONE OF NOTE

Dream Information:

• None of note

Dreamsigns:

• Being pregnant

Recurrent Dream Themes:

• None of note

Potential Day/Dream Residue:

• I regularly see feminist articles about how childless women should not be questioned about their decisions or stance regarding reproduction or fertility - as well as many pro-life v pro-choice debates online - almost on a daily basis. The fact I am a female who is often asked questions about my plans to reproduce and take an interest in other women's views on the topic, this may have influenced this dream
• This dream took place shortly before my birthday - hence the packages - in real-life, my mum had sent me a brown envelope which contained all of my birthday cards, including one from my nan. This was on my kitchen table downstairs in real-life, at the time I had this dream
• My nan knows I love Japanese culture and cuisine and often buys me sushi 

Waking Thoughts & Emotions:
I didn't have any particular waking thoughts or emotions about this dream as I do not see the subject matter (fertility and motherhood) as particularly problematic in my waking life. It may also be that my birthday was approaching, which made this subject emerge in my dream.

Dream 509

'Snowy Monoliths'

Dream date: 3 October 2015

I haven't been able to update my Blog for a while because I haven't been able to concentrate on my dream practices. Basically, I had to do a number of extra work-related activities relating to the start of university term and the arrival of new students: including welcome events, kitchen meetings and 150 individual student meetings in residences. I also had to write a 12,000 word chapter of my thesis, prepare for two classes I am teaching this semester (in topics I have never taught before), and start a new Masters degree-level class which comes with a lot of homework!

So, I failed to record my dreams in a timely way and as a result began to fail to recall my dreams when I woke up. I only remember one dream clearly, so I will write off the other dreams which I can only remember tiny, disconnected, vague fragments of, and just concentrate on recording the one I did manage to recall. Instead of doing my usual analysis of the dream (as I still have lots of studying and lesson preparation to do tonight!) I will just write it up in a more visually-entertaining way, and hopefully resume my dreaming and blogging in the very near future!

I was in a strange house - it looked like a normal family home, but it is not one I recall from real-life, although it seemed familiar in the dream, as if this was my actual childhood home. I was with my cousin, HM. We were looking through some items (perhaps in suitcases or boxes?) and I found a photograph of us when we were children. I was standing up, in the right; HM was kneeling at my feet in the left. We were both wearing jeans and anoraks and it made me recall an actual childhood photograph of us (see below) which exists, although in this dream photograph, HM looked like a 1990s teenager and I looked like an old man with a black beard and a wrinkled face.

HM and I were then in a kitchen - it may have been the kitchen of the house that we had been in a moment before. It was a long room, with bright lights. A counter ran for the entire length of one side of the kitchen and the appliances were all on the other side. HM and I started looking through drawers - and found a number of family heirlooms - or at least things from the past which had been saved for nostalgic reasons. One of the items was a bridesmaid's headdress - a flower crown, which in the dream had been for the wedding of HM's mother, VF. There were some other items in the kitchen drawers - some things relating to HM's younger sisters, SAF1 and SAF2. 

My mum, HM and another person - perhaps my stepdad - all went outside. It was night and the sky was black. The entire landscape was covered in thick, white, undisturbed snow. We were all dressed in clothes suitable for a snowy winter - thick jackets and scarves, gloves, hats, boots etc. My mum was dressed in blue. We all approached a monolith which was standing - in isolation - in the middle of the snow. There was nothing else around. My mum wiped some of the snow off the monolith, which was rectangular and about 6 foot tall. I think it was made of stone. There were words on it - my mum was getting us to read what the monolith said. It seemed significant, but I have forgotten. I don't think I recalled what it said after waking, and I have no memory of ever knowing in the dream either. 

I was then reading something on a piece of torn, sepia paper. It said something like: 'Sienbenenview' or similar - I cannot recall what. Every time I looked away from the paper and read it again, it seemed to say something different, but instead of me recognising this as a dreamsign, I took it to mean that I had misread it or kept making mistakes. I think I re-read it 3 - 4 times and on each occasion just told myself that I wasn't able to read properly anymore and needed to re-check everything to make sure I was correct. 

I then realised I was dating someone - it was a celebrity, perhaps Noel Fielding? I can't quite remember, but I do remember thinking: 'He is a better boyfriend than I thought he would be when I saw him on TV'. I also had the sense that he was part of a double-act and that I was glad to have ended up with this one. The male celebrity boyfriend was definitely someone with dark hair and a weird sense of humour, which was what attracted me to him, but he was actually really nice with a charming personality, which was what surprised me. We were together in an interior scene (perhaps a house again) and I was feeling positive about our relationship. 

I was then back in my old workplace and in an office which was where the business (a criminal defence law firm) was operated from. JA - someone I am no longer friends with who used to also work alongside me in this firm - came over. She was wearing a grey business suit, with pinstripes. She was being civil, but also cold. She said there were 2 jobs and both she and I needed to do one of them each. One job was to go to a sentencing hearing at Norwich Crown Court. The other one was to go on a prison visit to HMP Peterborough. The Crown Court is walking distance; the prison over an hour by transport. I assumed JA would take the prison visit since she can drive and has a car; whereas I do not drive and have to rely on public transport. JA said I had to do the prison visit. I accepted this fact, as in the dream, she was my superior and I had no way of overruling her decision, even with clear logic. I then noticed - as JA walked away - that the 'boyfriend' was with me in the office, sitting to my right in an office chair, a short distance away. I said to him: 'You can come with me on the bus because it's 10 to 5 (i.e. 16:50 hours) and I finish work at 5 (17:00 hours)'. I meant - 'you can come on the bus to the prison with me, since by the time I leave it will be outside of my normal working hours'. My boyfriend agreed.

I saw a mutilated cat. It was white with some ginger fur on it's face and paws/tail. Someone picked it up and showed me. There was no blood, but there was a big hole in it's belly and the cat was quite flat. I cannot really remember the context of how this happened i.e. where I was and who I was with. I think there was some sand on the ground, which might have meant we were at the beach. 

TIME: 00:00 - 09:30 hours (I do not know when this dream took place)

LUCIDITY: NO

SPECIAL NOTES: NONE OF NOTE

My aunt (VF), my cousin (HM) and I - in my the garden at my nan's house in Sheringham, c.1986