I think being lucid in life goes beyond just self-awareness and vivid states of consciousness. I think applying lucidity in life requires you to be aware of the possibility that you can do anything --that anything is possible-- and from that foundation, proceed to explore the reality to the fullest. Being lucid in life removes the illusionary limitations that are imposed on the mind through conditioning. Once those limitations are removed, what does a person do with his or her life? I guess that depends on the person.
In lucid dreaming, when one becomes aware they are dreaming, they make that decision. They realize, “This is a dream; I can do anything,” then they fly, travel to a place they’ve always wanted to go, connect with a dream character, or something that aims to make the best out of their expanded sense of what is possible.
To see one’s personal ability to live the life they truly yearn to live, I see as being lucid in life.
Personally I’m wary when it comes to applying the term ‘lucid’ to life, beyond the Lucid Living techniques I mean. The problem with doing so is that people tend to then brand Lucid Living as basically following their set of beliefs and convictions about reality. This isn’t to say those beliefs are invalid, they just have absolutely nothing to do with lucid dreaming or lucid living as a lucid dreaming technique. You don’t need to believe anything particularly to be able to lucid dream and I’d protest the idea that it helped even. I’d say the only way it helps is as a motivation factor to explore lucid dreaming, but motivation is in no way bound to any belief. Obviously notwithstanding a belief which directly labels Lucid Dreaming as wrong in some way.
As far as removing limitations on yourself, I’d agree that this is a good thing to do for your own well-being. Being unhindered mentally and flowing smoothly is an ideal I aspire to as well. It seems to be the best path to peace with oneself.
Agree with GreenDragon. Giving the term “lucid” a new definition in WL is not a good idea. It is simply too deep and spiritual and has little to do with dreaming. Life is not the same as a dream. You can’t fly IRL just by thinking about it. There are boundaries IRL that you cannot break like if you were dreaming. Some things will always be impossible.
In life to me, lucidity means fun. Plain and simple. I honestly don’t know what lucidity is doing to me or what entirely it entails. It’s just fun and that’s all I know.
And Paulius, not to be semantical, but didn’t people have to imagine and think about flying, then think of how to accomplish flight and use their ideas to build flying devices? Though people can’t just make their bodies fly by will, I do hear of thousands of people flying any way. This was accomplished ultimately by thought and will it seems. I mean the idea of an airplane had to come from somewhere.
I understand what you mean when you say life is not the same as dreaming, and of course this is true. But maybe life and dreaming are experienced the same way, expect each is governed by seperate, and drastically different rules so to say.
Just some ideas that I don’t necessarily follow or believe, but simply have considered.
It is very plainly interconnected with dreaming, Paulius. Unless you use a different brain for waking-reality and dreaming-reality…but you don’t; it’s the same brain. You too easily dismiss things as too spiritual, my friend. It hinders from a genuine discussion and simply leads to the same old ideas you have set up for anything that can be crammed into the category ‘spiritual’.
Of course there are difference between waking-life and dream-life, but there are also striking parallel and similarities. By seeing/testing these similarities you open up a whole range of creativity and novelty.
It’s not about proving you can fly IRL, Paulius. It’s about proving you can do and achieve things that you genuinely yearn to do, but your mind holds you back from. It’s about not feeling afraid to ask that cute girl on a date, or to travel to a place you only ‘dream’ you could go. It’s about believing you can be the person you want others to see you as, or have the kind of lifestyle that inspires you, rather than doubting it and dismissing it. It’s about seeing all these limitations for what they are: a nightmare!
There are boundaries IRL that you CAN break and obliterate because they are just illusions. To see thru the illusion IRL is like seeing thru it in dream reality and it requires lucidity…which is listed on an etymology site as:
lucidity 1650s, “brightness,” from Fr. lucidité, from L.L. luciditas, from lucidus (see lucid). Meaning “intellectual clarity” attested by 1851.
And is listed in the dictionary as:
lu·cid·i·ty
[loo-sid-i-tee] Show IPA
noun
1.
the quality of being easily understood, completely intelligible, or comprehensible: She makes her argument with pointed logic and exemplary lucidity.
-
the ability to see things clearly; rationality; sanity: In a rare moment of lucidity, the senator sided with his political enemies for the good of the country.