Life Is But a Lucid Dream, Part 1

In my personal experience, dreams seem to parallel our personal development in this physical realm. To have more awareness in this life also coincides with one's ability to be more aware within dream states. The concept of 'Lucid Dream' is not new; recorded evidence such as Dream Yoga practiced by Tibetan Buddhists in the 8th century supports this. In order for a dream to be lucid, the dreamer must simply be aware of the fact that he/she is dreaming. However, the level at which the dreamer is aware and under control of the dream state can vary greatly. For example, knowing you are dreaming is unrelated to whether you will take the opportunity to take conscious control of the dream and manipulate it. In my own experience, before I had true lucid dream states, I had many dreams in which I was aware that I was creating the the story unfolding around me; yet I never came to the full realization that "I'm dreaming". Once a dreamer is able to regularly have this conscious thought during dreams, it is then he/she will realize the opportunity to influence/change the situation. For me, this serves as a greater metaphor for the way we live our daily lives in this waking state. Knowing one's ability to influence and make an impact on this world and other people parallels one's lucidity in dream states. The person you are awake is the same person you are dreaming. The thoughts and intentions you have and the way you perceive this physical reality directly correlates to the way you manifest dreams. The main difference between one's impact on the physical reality and the dream realm is the limits upon the influence/manipulation. The possibilities within a lucid dream are literally endless and depends wholly on the dreamer. Knowing one's potential to create everything and anything, even beyond what is physically and mentally possible in our waking state, is a greater part of the lucid experience. The ability for dreams to incorporate these impossibilities, and our daily worries/concerns, can make them hard to remember once the dreamer is awake. I have found that keeping a dream journal can remedy this. Keep a notebook or journal in visible site of where you sleep and be aware of its existence and purpose as you fall asleep. Upon waking up, be completely focused on the dream state you just experienced and try to write down as much as you can. Include every detail: names, places, colors, emotions, feelings; even sketch the dream out if possible. Live and dream focused, and open wide to suck it all in.

Read more:
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Lucid_Dreaming
http://www.dreamviews.com/section/why-lucid-dream-8/