trail and error to increase the quality of lucid dreams

[Xanth]

Kind of, you need Awareness first to be able to even attempt to gain control!  

Is it your experience that you've always been able to gain control of the environment after gaining an appropriate level of awareness?

[Lionheart]

 Every single time from a LD. First I will become aware of my surroundings, who's there, where I am, what I am doing. Then I will start to play/experiment with what's possible. Starting first with simple things like maybe creating a door, where there isn't one. Then going through it and seeing where it leads. If I don't like the new area, I create an door and repeat the process. I find that I don't always like to create a intended destination, I ask to be shown what I need to see, where I need to go, then I go there. This is why I call it a learning experience. It helps fill in the missing pieces per say. During the our waking physical experience we have many questions or obstacles. If you allow and watch, you will see that during the nighttime in the NPR you are finding solutions! 

[Szaxx]

Hi,
Mindflood,
Subjectivity is ones own experience. We have our own way of interpretation and this differs from person to person. With this everyones report is different.
In maths,
1+5=6
Also 2+4=6
And 3+3=6
See whats apparent? Each sum is different but the answer is the same.
Theres a validation thread on this site and a read of it will show that the subjective experience label typically fixed to dreams actually becomes a reality or objective experience.
The experience itself is subjective but analyse thousands and groups start to appear. These labels attempt to categorise each group experience but are not neccessary knowledge.
In simple terms, we need fuel in the tank to drive the car. We dont need an in depth understanding of the combustion process complete with its methodology.
Perhaps a little clearer?

[mindflood]

"the groups of dreams appear".. which are along the same lines as archetypes and elementary ideas.

[Szaxx]

Hi,
Keeping things simple, yes. There's the dreams where the event actually takes place sometime later. Another group where you are going somewhere and remember dreaming of it exactly as you now see it, the dreams  from decades ago.
There's meeting people who you know were in a dream. These are many and can't be shoved under a subjective title.
There's many more like this showing connections with physical reality.
If all the dreams we have were subjective then none of the above would be heard of. As it is heard of then the dreams we have can be objective. This is where the validations come to fruition.

[mindflood]

this morning i found myself in a strange building. I was walking around when i said to myself. What am I doing? I should be taking advantage of this. The dream wasn't vivid and the vision around my periphery was blurry. I tried affirming "clarity now!".. nothing.. I tried sitting down to meditate. Bad idea, as for when i sat down and began to relax everything went black and i lost the dream. Still in that state, I imagined my house and ended up there, I figured I might as well go out with a bang, for I dont know how long this will last. I basically ran outside my house naked, my cat followed, and i threw rocks at windows. Eventually i ran into characters from a dream prior to the one i was in, and I lost my awareness.

Does anyone have an affirmation thats worked for them in lucid dreams?

[Lionheart]

Does anyone have an affirmation thats worked for them in lucid dreams?

Just this one "I am Consciously Aware in my dreams". This being said many times during the day and night, especially before you go to bed will prompt that once you are in a dream, you will hear these words and react to them accordingly.

[Contenteo]

I usually have the brain chatter 'What is this?' as something otherworldly occurs.

Then I'll feel the classic 'pulled away' feeling, and I'll be like 'Hey! this is a dream.' Then a LD starts.

Cheers,
Contenteo