It has been on my mind for a while, and now mars posted his RC theory thing and it rushed me to post it.
Well, like the title presents, I’m going to write about how we can modify RCs and use them to our own benefits.
The main characteristic of dreams, is that expectations rule that realm.
Take for example, the common myth, that you can’t use electronics at dreams, so for people who heard about it, it became a restriction in their dreams, because they expect it not to work - because they heard so.
Obviously, that myth isn’t true, (well, that’s why it’s called a myth ) it has been broken so many times,
and besides, how can it be that flying is possible and turning on the lights is not?
Anyway, we can use this kind of rules for our sake of lucidity, dream control or dream incubation.
Think about it,
You can create this rule -
In dreams, people are lucid.
That doesn’t matter if you didn’t thought it’s true until now,
Create this expectation and use it, because that is how dreams are built!
Now that you have created your rule, use that as your reality check,
“Am I lucid? – no? that means I’m not dreaming!”
By saying that, you set your expectation that in dreams - you must be lucid.
Here is another example,
If your latest dream goal is to head to Antarctica, create this rule -
In dreams, people are at Antarctica.
Now ask yourself,
“Am I at Antarctica? – no? Oh, I’m not dreaming, then.”
Hope you got that.
Not a bad theory. Unfortunately I would have a hard time with it as I’ve always had trouble with setting rules or expectations. I can do it from time to time, but never on a scale in which it alters the way I percieve dreams. Call it a lack of confidence if you want, but I would not be able to convince myself that “In dreams, people are lucid,” therefor “Am I lucid? – no? that means I’m not dreaming!” would be invalid. In my dreams, I don’t usually contemplate whether I’m lucid or not, and if I do think of it, I would think that I wasn’t dreaming (or lucid), and so then, by your theory, must not be dreaming… That’s why I stick to RCILD and do RC’s religiously.
Moreover, I could also see how this might impede someone else. Even for a confident person, setting an expectation like that might be troublesome. For example, let’s say a person is able to tell themself “If I’m not in Antartica, I’m not dreaming.” If they havea dream outside Antartica, they could prevent themself from doing an RC in a situation where they normally would because they can now rationalize their doubts away.
Of course, this is a very basic example and different expectations will yield different results. It’s not a bad theory at all; however, I do believe it could only work for a small group of people.
That is sure an interesting idea, and I must admit I attempted a variation of it some months ago, to find to my displeasure that this doesn’t work nearly as well as we think it should.
Dreams are the realm of fantasy and originality, and as such, they are prone to escape the schemas imposed by the rational mind in more way that I could honestly think up at the time there was pretty much no way of describing a common property, every time a dream would refute my theories the very night after I had formulated them.
I found out a reason for why my SC would slap it in my face that badly, though, and it’s because it’s the same for life: life is very original in its workings sometimes, and if we ever think of applying a schema for everything that comes to us, there will inevitably happen something that our schema couldn’t cover, and we would fail miserably.
Instead, by just keeping an eye on things and basing ourselves on semi-improvisation, we can easily find the required solution to any hurdle we might find in our way.
So, the answer to this is awareness, nothing more and nothing less. Awareness of what’s happening around us, because if we do it well enough, there’s the very distinct possibility of getting the feeling it’s a dream, like you can feel the temperature of any ambience with your skin.
EDIT - I posted it before I saw Tosxy’s post, so this reffers only to Rhewin’s.
Thankyou for commenting.
So let’s think together,
Why do you no problem with expecting the lights not turning on, but have a problem expecting to be lucid?
Maybe because it sounds too good to be true?
About that, that doesn’t have to be true.
I had a couple of ND, that in them I couldn’t turn on the lights,
I didn’t actually wondered consciously if I could turn the lights or not,
But I guess subconsciously we all know we are dreaming, then that expectation becomes true. (because our SC knows, dreams = no lights)
You can conclude the same thing about lucidity,
If you build that expectation,
Your SC will automatically follow it, because it knows you’re dreaming.
That means – Oh! you’re dreaming? you have to be lucid, then! makes SC magic
Actually, I don’t have that problem with lights (ND or LD) because I expect them to work. The problem with expecting lucidity is that it is an expectation i have to set before I’m even dreaming. That’s where my disconnect is. Once I’m dreaming and lucid, I can expect whatever I want. Sadly not everyone has an easy time with setting the expectation as they’re dreaming. For instance, the MILD technique should theoretically be perfect for me because I take a while to fall asleep and have high motivation. Unfortunately I have a difficult time with it, though I have had more success with it than WILD.
Ah, if only my SC was that willing to cooperate. Sadly, it has done more in-dream to impede me than to help me. For instance, I was once going to do an RC when a DC tapped me on the shoulder and said “excuse me, but can I just distract you for a moment?” Perhaps with time I could control this problem, but as it is this is a tech that would do more harm than good with a SC I have little control over.
Now, I am experimenting with CALD, and perhaps that will help me with the SC issue. Until I can get over (whether it’s confidence or any other factor), my points from before still remain.
But again, keep developing this theory. There are some people it could very well help.
I always thought of RCILD as doing RC’s RANDOMLY until you do one RANDOMLY in your dreams. (or is it exactly that? I never really got into RCILD) so for that I guess you wouldn’t need to contemplate much? Anyway, the above is an important thing, which could be solved, as Tosxychor said, with awareness (although that might take time and effort to develop well. But imagine being able to sense it’s a dream as easily as sensing cold/hot!!)
But I know what Leeh means with “SC magic” But maybe that would “need” some deeper connection with the SC? Like really getting in touch with it and being 100% sure it got the message and agrees: “I will make you lucid in every dream”
But maybe that would “need” some deeper connection with the SC? Like really getting in touch with it and being 100% sure it got the message and agrees: “I will make you lucid in every dream”