The Duffle Bag

Photo by Erol Ahmed.

Dream of the Week: The Duffle Bag

⚡️I’m having trouble going back to sleep so I am lying awake thinking about how it's a good opportunity to practice WILD techniques with this sense of wakefulness. I think to myself that I want to remember my intent to ask for help with my website and repeat it a few times.

At some point my consciousness drifts away and I am aware in a dream scene. Things are still hazy and forming as I stand in a house or an apartment hallway. Knowing I was just seeing nothing and now I am seeing something, I say — "this is a dream" and become lucid. I’m with Sam and an older woman in this hallway. At first I ignore them and see three mirrors leaned up against the wall. "Oooh! Mirrors!" I recall stories from forums on mirror as doors into other places and I try to crawl into the mirror… but it's solid. I try again, and it's solid it again. I try a third time and for a moment it seems malleable but soon is hard yet again, and this time I crack it. I'm amazed that it actually kind of hurts this time!

I turn back to the hallway and somehow gain possession of a small, black duffle bag. Inside the bag is a yellow winter coat and a blue winter coat. Astounded, I think to myself, "Wow! These are the exact jackets I lost on my trip!" I am amazed that I’ve found them here.

Even though I know it's a dream I think that I can put them in a specific place in a specific time in the past, that will allow me to find them in the real world. I spend the next part of the dream in a "lame lucid" state continuing to look for the jackets (the same ones I just found) and looking for the right place to put the coats so that I change time and reality so that I will be able to find the bag in my apartment when I wake up. I recruit Sam and the old woman to help me with my task, so excited to make it happen. The dream fades.

Quick Reflection:

• These jackets don’t exist in real life!

• I am amazed at how absolutely true I thought these jackets were and how convinced I was that I could actually bring them back through the dream somehow, even though they never were real in the first place! Hilarious.

Note: Not all lucid dream have the same level of quality. Some are super-charged with vividness and influence, while others are weak in fleeting.

Weekly Stats: 21 Dreams (2 Lucid)

• 💭 1,071 - Visiting Artie
• 💭 1,072 - The Red Gown
• 💭 1,073 - IUD
• 💭 1,074 - Street Party
• 🤣 1,075 - The Log Flume
• 🤣 1,076 - Crass Template
• 💭 1,077 - Secret Baby Gift
• ⚡️ 1,078 - We Don't Want You Here
• 💭 1,079 - 8x10 - False Keywords
• 💭 1,080 - Hanging Waterfalls
• ⚡️ 1,081 - The Duffle Bag
• 💭 1,082 - Face Worm
• 💭 1,083 - Evening Snow, Afternoon Party
• 💭 1,084 - BBQ and Baby Shower
• ⏱ 1,085 - Sad in the Bathroom
• 💭 1,086 - Obstacle Playground
• 💭 1,087 - Pool Baby
• 💭 1,088 - Nude Protest
• ⏱ 1,089 - Creative Agency Meeting
• 💭 1,090 - Insider Trading
• 💭 1,091 - The 6:07 Train

⚡️Lucid, ⏱Recurring, 🤣Silly

Little Ito

Photo by Dimitri Iakymuk.

Dream of the Trip: Little Ito

I am at a more formal train station waiting to board an incoming train. The way to get on the train is to jump from the platform to the moving car, but this seems to be my first time. I watch as another man successfully leaps from the platform and I cautiously go for it myself.

The scene shifts and I seem to have wandered into a huge opulent mansion from the train station. An old, very wealthy woman is sitting in the middle of a grand room - almost on a throne - with her two very regal pet llamas. She is very stylish (think Iris Apfel) and looking over at me with a stern but curious look as to why I am there.

A butler kind of man stands next to her and they discuss (whispering) what to do with me. I seem to shift from participant to witness at this point and being to watch the same scene. The person now speaking to the old woman (my previous POV) is a young Asian girl, maybe 8 or so. I watch as they have a conversation that I don't remember. Eventually the woman asks her name. She replies with, "Ito." The woman warmly welcomes “Little Ito” into her home and says, "I shall have such fun with you, Ito." I understand that Ito will be staying with the woman indefinitely. She dismisses her butler and I wake up.

Quick Reflection:
I was traveling through Norway for two weeks during which I was intentionally focusing on my adventures and not on dream practice. For many people, jet lag and temporary lack of sleep can be an asset in lucid dream induction, however I found that for me, it didn’t really change much of my practice. I recalled fewer dreams by week then I normally do and I had fewer lucid dreams over that two week period.

It’s super interesting to think about the balance between my normal dedicated practice and a relaxed vacation. Everything should be about finding the right balance and these moments where I can’t be 100% all in really do help find more of an in-between state. Once the practice is formalized and constant for you, you can still be casual about if from time to time and still be successful.

Two-Week Vacation Stats: 20 Dreams (2 Lucid)

• 🤣 1,051 - Paul Rudd Travel Group
• ⏱ 1,052 - Haven't Seen Him
• 💭 1,053 - Hand Test
• 💭 1,054 - H&M Shopping
• ⚡️ 1,055 - Blue Store Window
• 💭 1,056 - Swamp Search
• 🤣 1,057 - Underwater Friend Train
• 💭 1,058 - Same Mistakes
• 💭 1,059 - Little Ito
• 💭 1,060 - Safari Simulation
• 💭 1,061 - Strange Wedding
• ⚡️ 1,062 - Fire & Macaroons
• 💭 1,063 - Sketchy Babysitting
• 💭 1,064 - Shy Dog
• 💭 1,065 - Working Until the Last Second
• 💭 1,066 - Campsite Territories
• 💭 1,067 - Fleeting Snapshots - 06
• 💭 1,068 - Competitive Lap Swim
• 💭 1,069 - Creative All Hands
• 💭 1,070 - Dream Fishing

⚡️Lucid, ⏱Recurring, 🤣Silly

“I shall have such fun with you, Ito.”

Wormhole Simulation

Image by Patrick McManaman

Dream of the Week: Wormhole Simulation

⚡️ I'm lying in bed awake in the middle of the night practicing a meditation and observing hypnogogic imagery. Before long, I feel the sensation of being "pulled down" - a very common characteristic of many of my Waking Induced Lucid Dreams (WILDs). I can see my hands as dark shadows as the dream starts to envelop me. With lucid awareness, I am in a dream, falling with a some control within a black void. I'm both flying and falling trying to make sense of where I am.

A blue mesh-like grid begins to reveal itself in the darkness. It gets brighter and brighter in an hourglass shape all around me as I continue to fall-fly through it. I stop for a moment to look around and see the hovering metallic glow of the mesh that looks like some kind of material. In between the mesh is a faint copper-rainbow kind of look as if tiny cells in a computer simulation. I realize the shape around me is a wormhole and I am totally blown away by how amazing it is. I continue to fall-fly and can see a green in the very far distance. It looks like a turf field in a way. I continue flying down at rapid speeds unsure of what I will find once there, a little nervous by the mystery. My partner shuffles in the bed and I wake up.

Note: Last week, I was pretty lazy with my daytime mindfulness. This week, my results sky-rocketed with more meditation. It does make a difference!

Weekly Stats: 22 Dreams (8 Lucid)

• 💭 1,021 - Phone Call & Badge
• 🤣 1,022 - Tyrion Turns
• ⚡️ 1,023 - Taika's Playbook
• 💭 1,024 - Yellow Paper - False Keywords
• 💭 1,025 - Gross Water Escape
• 💭 1,026 - Dream Group Planning
• 💭 1,027 - Not Everyone Likes You 😢
• 💭 1,028 - Suspended Ship Canals
• ⚡️ 1,029 - Future Apartment Complex
• ⚡️ 1,030 - Wormhole Simulation
• ⚡️ 1,031 - Toast Cats and Healing
• ⚡️ 1,032 - Family Messages
• 💭 1,033 - GoPro Game of Thrones
• ⚡️ 1,034 - The Women
• ⏱ 1,035 - Manic Driving
• 🤣 1,036 - New Mario
• 💭 1,037 - White Dress Procession
• 💭 1,038 - Bridesmaid Photo
• ⏱ 1,039 - Sustained Break-up
• 🕷 1,040 - Neighborhood Attack
• ⚡️ 1,041 - Liberation Temple
• ⚡️ 1,042 - Driving Backwards

⚡️Lucid, ⏱Recurring, 🤣Silly, 🕷Nightmare

Dolphin Beach

Photo by Allison (hey, that’s me)

Dream of the Week: Dolphin Beach

I'm sitting outside on a side deck attached to an unknown building by the beach. There's a guy interviewing me and other woman I don't recognize. He's asking us setup questions and we're casually talking since they aren't filming yet.

The scene shifts to us walking along the beach where the edge of the water line is chest high. It's as though there's an invisible barrier keeping the water "in" at that height. A pod of dolphins comes swimming up the shoreline, jumping and playing near us. I'm so excited! I put my hand in the water and they swim to me. One stays with me for a while, letting me affectionately pet it. A crowd gathers, all surprised by the behavior of the dolphin and its connection with me. I have a pang of worry that I'm "too close" to the wildlife as is commonly understood, but this seems different and special. I pull my hand away and continue walking.

A new pod approaches and everyone is curious to see if any of the dolphins behave the same way. I put my hands in the water again and another dolphin comes up to me for affection. My dad seems to be there, really blown away by the whole thing. The scene shifts back up to the deck where we are about to start the interview again.

Note: Don’t be Lazy with mindfulness like me this week. I was stressed, busy, and only doing the absolute minimum. The impact on my dream quality and content was noticeable.

Weekly Stats: 19 Dreams (1 Lucid)

• ⏱ 1,002 - NYC Boarding Stay
• 💭 1,003 - $100 POs
• 💭 1,004 - Line Up For Gas
• 🤣 1,005 - Bill, Jimmy, Elijah
• 💭 1,006 - Game of Thrones Game
• 💭 1,007 - Drama Class
• 💭 1,008 - Home Stay Travel
• 💭 1,009 - Vergecast Colleague
• 💭 1,010 - Dream Group Hang
• 💭 1,011 - Caught in a Car Chase
• 💭 1,012 - Ski Dream Story
• 💭 1,013 - Board Meeting Birthday
• 💭 1,014 - Best Friend and Girlfriend
• 💭 1,015 - Getting Back to the Hotel
• 💭 1,016 - Discipline Traps
• 🤣 1,017 - Be Our Guest
• 🕷 1,018 - Scary Apartment Renovation
• 💭 1,019 - All Company Meeting
• 💭 1,020 - Dolphin Beach

⚡️Lucid, ⏱Recurring, 🤣Silly, 🕷Nightmare

Movie Teamwork

Dream of the Week: Movie Teamwork

I’m in a movie theatre with others and a few kids about 10ish sitting behind me. The movie has just ended. People are leaving and I’m looking for my other pair of shoes. I have a pair of yellow flip-flops on, but my outside shoes - black pointy ballet flats - that were under the seat in front of me are lost. I crawl under the seats and see several other shoes, none of them my own. A few people try and help me finding shoes that fit my description, but none of them are right. I’m frustrated on the ground not finding them. I stand up and someone says that there’s a fire. The theatre goes dark and everyone needs to leave. I look, see nothing and say, “there is no fire” and everyone agrees that yes, there is no fire and there never was one.

I go back to looking for my shoes and finally give up, angry. The kids behind me see that I’m mad and I feel bad. I change my tone, talking to them happily, suppressing my frustration. Their parents don’t really buy it, but I continue on. We then walk of the theatre. Directly outside the theatre (room not building) is a large “hill” of a stair/seats combo leading to the ground to exit the overall building. Everyone decides to walk down except for me and a kid. We ride down in a cardboard box over the seats, with light sparkling by as we gain speed. We land with a prat fall crash and laugh as we get up.

I’m looking up at a wall filled with picture frames of all sizes. I don’t notice what’s in the frames, but become aroused by them. I’m confused as to why I would feel that right now and remember that this often happens in dreams. I think, “Oh, this is a dream!” and become lucid.

I look outside the front door of the theatre and see a flock of birds flying. I launch up to fly out the door and join them. Once outside, I’m just on the ground again, in a different setting then the birds. I’m standing in the middle of a street of and a group of runner guys are running toward me. I make loud claps at them to get their attention as they run by me. A few keep running ignoring me completely while others are freaked out that I have made this loud clapping sound at them. One of them slows down and stops before me, kind of running in place. I ask him, “why are you here?” to which he responds, “Oh you’re cute! I’m on the team.” I laugh at how this guy reacted, totally unexpected. I then ask him, “well what do you represent?” and he says, “I’m teamwork! I represent collaboration.” I wake up. 🤝

Quick Reflection:

I was in New York for work this week, my first extended period of time with jet lag, reduced sleep, and very little time for downtime and recovery. Most nights, I went to sleep late and got up early (though Melatonin helped), getting less than 6 hours, 5 days straight. As you’d expect, this tax on my sleep had an impact on dream time resulting in only 14 dreams recalled (when I normally hit 20-25+).

On the amazing upside, I reached a HUGE milestone this week, hitting my 1000th dream recorded in detail. That breaks down to 808 non-lucid dreams and 193 lucid dreams (19%) with many other stats and data slices too. I’m a huge data nerd, so these big numbers are really fun for me! So excited to continue along this path.🎉

Weekly Stats: 14 Dreams (2 Lucid)

• 💭 0989 - Neighbor’s Dark Cult
• 🕷 0990 - Teen Murders
• 💭 0991 - Survival Sleep
• 💭 0992 - Work Meeting
• 💭 0993 - Modern Home Apocalypse
• 💭 0994 - Chaotic Team Call
• ⏱ 0995 - Breakup or Dead
• ⚡️ 0996 - Movie Teamwork
• 💭 0997 - Production Call Miami
• ⚡️ 0998 - In the Neighborhood
• 💭 0999 - Night Storefront
• 💭 1,000 - Rihanna
• 💭 1,001 - Rearrange the Dorm

⚡️Lucid, ⏱Recurring, 🕷Nightmare

““I’m teamwork! I represent collaboration.””

— Dream #0096

Sending Hot Air Balloons

Dream of the Week: Sending Hot Air Balloons

⚡️I grab hold of a yellow and white lemon that seems to thrust me into a Waking Induced Lucid Dream (WILD) with the lemon as an anchor. I'm now in a bright living room that's hazy and still forming. I focus on the lemon and ask the dream to stabilize. I fly forward above two white couches toward a TV. The scene changes into a sort of high school hallway, but not quite. I recall my intent to send hot air balloons to my dream class in real life.

I pick up my hand to my face as if to blow a kiss and say, "send a hot air balloon to Kristen!" A small, gossamer, smokey, particle-like, hologramy hot air balloon appears in my palm! I am delighted and blow it away imagining it heading to Kristen. A few people come into the scene and I get distracted from my task and start talking to them. With another student, I walk up a set a stairs that lead to nowhere. At the top of the stairs, I remember my task again and say, "send a hot air balloon to Jason!" The smoke balloon appears again in my palm, and I blow it away to him.

I seem to go through the ceiling at the top of the stairs and now I'm the high school cafeteria. I am again distracted by the dream and approach a woman I seem to know sitting on a round cafeteria table. She calls me "Laird" and is excited to see me, it seems as though it's been a long time since we've seen each other. I seem to know that I'm not Laird but also accept it.

I leave her to talk to the "pizza guy" who is sitting crouched on the floor. On my way over to him I remember my task and say, "send a hot air balloon to Maureen!" The smoke balloon and appears and I blow it to her. I quickly follow-up with "send a hot air balloon to Mayra!" And the same balloon appears and I blow it away to Mayra. I crouch down next to the "pizza guy" who seems to be called that because he works at the pizza station in the cafeteria. He is upset for some reason and I am trying to comfort him.

We talk for a moment, and then he transforms into a man literally made of pizza, still sitting on the floor. I’m not sure what to make of him now, so I get up and leave him be. I continue walking around the cafeteria. I know I have one more hot air balloon to send, but I get distracted when Will Farrell comes up to me.

He's looking kind of wacky and asks me to come with him. We are then floating in the air horizontally (as if lying on the ground) having a casual conversation. He's trying to help me focus on avoiding getting distracted in a comical, yet teacher-like way. He seems to know that I don't want to be distracted right now, yet I continue to get distracted, even by him.

I wake up, excited that I was able to send the balloons.

Quick Reflection:

I’ve mentioned before that I like to focus deeper intent on a full moon, which happened last week on Friday the 19th. The bright light of a big, meaty moon often leads to people waking up more and recalling more dreams. I love it! To me, the full moon is an amazing anchor to bring focus into specific dream goals.

With my dream group under Kristen LaMarca, we all decided that we would set a shared “dreaming sending” intention on the 19th. In our experiment, I was to dream of hot air balloons and attempt to “send” classmates hot air balloons in their dreams. None of them knew the intended subject as the idea was to share their dream reports to see if anyone got a “hit” of a hot air balloon. The result? Nobody else dreamt of hot air balloons when we got together again, but it’s super fun to think about!

It’s worth noting that I also used Galantamine on both Friday and Saturday night in order to boost my chances of dreaming of a specific subject - which worked! Those dreams are marked with an asterisk.*

Weekly Stats: 23 Dreams (8 Lucid)

• 💭 0966 - Floral Desk Design
• 💭 0967 - Mountain Dream Retreat
• 💭 0968 - Live Stream
• ⚡️ 0969 - The Streets are Off
• 💭 0970 - Rolling Earthquake
• 💭 0971 - Wizard Shoot Out
• 💭 0972 - The Art Restorer
• 💭 0973 - Amusement Vacation
• 💭 0974 - Fleeting Snapshots
• 💭 0975 - Dream Stage Coach
• ⚡️ 0976 - Dream Dipping, Hot Air Balloon*
• ⚡️ 0977 - Lady Party*
• ⚡️ 0978 - Strange Guests at a Strange Bar*
• 💭 0979 - Red Morning Earthquake*
• 💭 0981 - New Twitter Platform*
• ⚡️ 0982 - Sending Hot Air Balloons*
• 💭 0983 - Sued by Google*
• ⚡️ 0984 - Dance Party, Space Dragons*
• 💭 0985 - Swarm Record*
• ⚡️ 0986 - Intelligent Life*
• ⚡️ 0987 - 99 Rooms*
• 💭 0988 - Jake Gyllenhaal - False Keywords*
• 💭 0989 - Spy Family in Morocco*

⚡️Lucid, ⏱Recurring

Citizens of Water City

Photo by Jong Marshes, thank you!

Dream of the Week: Citizens of Water City

⚡️ I experience the loud, whooshing sounds that I've come to recognize as conscious dream entry of a Waking Induced Lucid Dream (WILD). It takes a beat as the fast moving bands of color (hypnogogic imagery) slowly give way to a full-blown scene. Soon, the darkness is gone and I am lucidly aware, gently bobbing in quiet waves of blue green water.

I lift my hand from the water to the sky, recalling my goal to simply observe the dreamscape before doing anything. I pause. I look around. A metropolis starts to appear above the water, maintaining the quiet and gentle waves throughout the streets. I stand and command the dream to stabilize. The scene becomes clearer. I rub my hands together to continue building clarity.

I suddenly feel powerful as if I am the master of this realm. There are people walking around the city and I command them all in a big booming voice to "ground yourselves." They seem to sit or stop where they are and listen for my next direction. In the same booming voice, I instruct them all to hug each other and they do. I approach a man to hug, but he seems confused by me. I seem to move on to kiss a woman who also seems confused by me. I can feel my lucidity slipping so I go for a walk in the watery streets and run into Beck from SNL. I am confused by him and can clearly see that the dream is fading away. I wake up.

Quick Reflection:

Keeping the trend with last week, I had fewer silly dreams and many more regular mundane dreams through the week. Work was pretty normal, life was jus the same with nothing particularly special to report. Saturday Night Live showed up a lot this week! Some ridiculousness with many cast members in dreams like, Michael Che is Joke Pregnant which went down exactly how it sounds and Pete & Colin, where Pete Davidson tries to help Colin Joust with his cocaine addiction. 🤷‍♀️

Weekly Stats: 25 Dreams (2 Lucid)

• 💭 0941 - Chastise, Cast Aside
• 💭 0942 - Rose Glasses
• 💭 0943 - Faceless Monster Twins
• 💭 0944 - Messy Room Confusion
• 💭 0945 - Suggestive Flower Quiz
• 🤣 0946 - Michael Che is Joke Pregnant
• 💭 0947 - Package Thief
• 💭 0948 - Work Mashup
• 💭 0949 - ATM Stabbing
• 💭 0950 - Tropical Water Park Drive
• 💭 0951 - Just Tell Me You're Mad
• 💭 0952 - Dream Retreat
• 💭 0953 - You Should Try Meditation
• 💭 0954 - Mall Commute
• ⚡️ 0955 - Mobster Escape
• 💭 0956 - Working from Home
• 🤣 0957 - Pete & Colin
• ⚡️ 0958 - Citizens of Water City
• 🤣 0959 - Billiards Skit
• 💭 0960 - Creative Hero House
• 💭 0961 - Cafe Seating
• 💭 0962 - Black Box Theatre
• 💭 0963 - Spreadsheet Sleep
• 💭 0964 - Plant and Pool

• 💭 0965 - Yosemite Airbnb

  ⚡️Lucid, 🤣Silly

In the Pink Dimension

Dream of the Week: In the Pink Dimension

The beginning of this dream is broken with few details. I'm at a large, futuristic resort and I think I've been walking around for a bit checking out the pool and other amenities. I come to a snack cafe that resembles a movie theatre concession stand and I'm waiting for popcorn while sitting on a couch. I think everything is a little unusual and wonder if it's a dream. I realize that it is and become lucid in that moment. ⚡️

I notice a quite tall man in his late 20s or 30s with brown hair sitting next to me. We start talking in a friendly, almost flirty way. I go into to hug him and say goodbye but he stops me and says, "when are we going to talk about the fact that you're not a real person." I am completely taken aback. He smiles at my astonishment and we both get up to go on a walk. He tells me that he is very familiar with the dreaming world and is a part of several dream groups that I should know about. We're walking up some stairs now and it gets very crowded with people walking really closely to us. I tell him that the dream seems very unstable and he needs to quickly tell me the names of the dream groups he's in. At that same moment, he falls to the ground, his body lifeless and his eyes closed.

I seem to understand that he has "fallen out" of his dream body and perhaps has woken up into another place. I am so surprised by all of this, I fall to his side and try to shake him back awake. Nothing seems to work and the people around me continue to walk on their way. I feel a sense of urgency that I need to wake this guy back up or look for identification. He is wearing a kind of dog-tag with the letters "I Z O" in red ink that look more like ragged shapes than actual letters.

All of the sudden, I seem to "fall out" of my dream body which falls to the ground but I am now in some sort of alternate or sub world dimension in which everything is a kind of pink hue and watery - but it's the exact same place I just was in. I see my body on the ground next to the man... who then stands up and is moving around the original dream world again. I am trying to communicate with him from my world, but it doesn't work. I wake up with everything crystal clear and a feeling of utter, perplexing astonishment.


Quick Reflection:
Lots of darkness, anger, and negativity this week. What’s up, mind? I don’t quite feel like there’s been anything new to warrant such vibes, but I guess there’s something going on inside. My usual creative silliness was noticeably absent and I missed those ridiculous celebrity encounters typical each week. Nonetheless, we see a Top Dream! A rare treat in which a dream feels BIG. I wake up feeling… different somehow

I also used Galantamine on Friday to help with dream recall, vividness, and lucidity. The dreams marked with an asterisk* are all on a night where I took an 8mg dose around 5:30am.

Weekly Stats: 25 Dreams (7 Lucid)

• 💭 0916 - Swimming with the Sharks
• 🕷 0917 - Good Guys Bad Guys
• 💭 0918 - Ultra VR Aquarium
• 💭 0919 - Separate Flight Drop-off
• 💭 0920 - Inaccurate Guidance
• 💭 0921 - Jumping Toddler
• ⚡️ 0922 - In the Pink Dimension 🔥
• 💭 0923 - Jock Dream on Moving Day
• 💭 0924 - Missing Scene Puzzle
• 💭 0925 - SNL Group House
• 💭 0926 - River Truck Repairs
• 💭 0927 - Toys Between Class
• 💭 0928 - Papaya Run
• ⚡️ 0929 - Naked Poolside*
• ⚡️ 0930 - Minaniemanyahu*
• ⚡️ 0931 - Unusual Room*
• 💭 0932 - Orange Flight*
• 💭 0933 - TV Commercial Honors*
• ⚡️ 0934 - Sam in the Bedroom*
• ⚡️ 0935 - Her Majesty*
• ⚡️ 0936 - Paris YMCA*
• ⏱ 0937 - Flying Too Low
• 💭 0938 - Morning Frustration
• 💭 0939 - Kid in Traffic
• 💭 0940 - Saving the Lab

⚡️Lucid, 🔥Top, ⏱Recurring, 🕷Nightmare

Galantamine taken on night with dreams marked*

““When are we going to talk about the fact that you’re not a real person?””

— Dream #0922

Lake House

Photo by Daniel Tseng

Dream of the Week: Lake House

I've just arrived at a family event at a lake house. I am with my cousin and we are wandering through the house looking for our rooms. It's unclear if the family owns the house or if we are renting in out. My cousin and I are on the top floor and we settle into a room with twin beds. She talks about how amazing the view is. At first, I don't believe her but when I look out the window I can see the ocean. I think to myself, wow, she's right - why would our family give us the room with the best view? It didn't seem right.

We leave the room and I can see now see out of another window. The view is of the lake we are there to visit. The water is perfectly, emerald, perfectly still and so beautifully rendered as if it's from long exposure photography. I stare for a bit and think, there's no way the water is that beautiful here! I think it must be a dream. I'm still not sure but then I see people walking on the water and I decide to check with a nose plug. Yes! I can breathe. This is a dream. ⚡️

Now lucid (though low level), the scene shifts and I standing in line with other people waiting for a pay phone in what is now a hotel. A woman in her lates 20s is in front of me wanting to call her boyfriend. She has that kind of spark in her eye so I think she'll be good to talk to. We chat about something for a moment and the person on phone now finishes. I ask her if I can use the phone before her. She's is willing to let me go as long as it's fast, she really wants to call her boyfriend. I get on the line hoping I can get a dream message from it. I pick up the phone and a male voice starts talking in gibberish and sounds far away. I don't seem to say anything to him and he seems to give me nothing useful.

Eventually I hang up. She and I start talking again as she can't seem to get on the phone for some reason. I wait with her and decide to ask her who she is. She shakes a bit, looks down and says in a friendly way, "oh what, what are you doing?" I ask her what she represents. Friendly still, she says, "what? Oh you're too sensitive right now." As if happy but trying to hold her agency and not get shaken out of who she is. She's getting distraught that she can't reach her boyfriend so I kiss her. I wake up.

Quick Reflection:
False Keywords! They strike again. Kind of like the dreaming version of April Fool’s - how fitting. Since I’ve collected two this week, I’ll go into what these are. I don’t have a traditional dream journal. I wake up throughout the night (by design) and each time I awake, I scribble down my dream as keywords on a notepad - in the dark - and go back to sleep. In the morning, I have a pile of papers that I later record in my digital dream journal. A “False Keyword” dream is when I wake up and write down those keywords… only it’s a dream! This is otherwise known as a “false awakening” and it happens all…the…time.

Weekly Stats: 21 Dreams (3 Lucid)

• 🕷 0895 - Horror House Game
• 💭 0896 - Seaside Eruption
• 🤣 0897 - Saving John Cusack
• 💭 0898 - Video Conference Party
• ⚡️ 0899 - Map of the Resort
• 💭 0900 - Luxe Shop Hostage
• 💭 0901 - Singing Contest
• 💭 0902 - Thanksgiving Invitation
• 💭 0903 - Mermaid On Set
• ⏱ 0904 - 9:30 - False Keywords
• 🤣 0905 - Sorry, Wrong Bloggers
• ⚡️ 0906 - Lake House
• 💭 0907 - Broken Planters
• ⏱ 0908 - Out of Paper - False Keywords
• ⚡️ 0909 - Participating Jennifer
• 💭 0910 - Hospitality College
• 💭 0911 - Almost 40
• 💭 0912 - New Business Vote
• 💭 0913 - Lost Wallet Grocer
• 💭 0914 - Orange Inner Tube
• 💭 0915 - Same Outfit Check-in

⚡️Lucid, ⏱Recurring, 🤣Silly, 🕷Nightmare