Monday 30 November 2015

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:

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

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Email me at: tallulahlaghash@hotmail.co.uk

Sunday 29 November 2015

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.

Sunday 22 November 2015

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 paralysisI 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.

Sunday 15 November 2015

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.