Trying to take my Dreaming skills to the next level

[CoryTheAnswer]

Hi my name is Cory and I've used these forums for years but never actually made an account to post or anything. I'm the kind of guy who has always been sensitive to my dreams and enjoyed having them. But only here recently have I begun thinking of them as much more than that. Afterall, its something I have always done for most of my life, but I really must only recall... let alone be conscious for such a small fraction of it. I've done a ton of reading and I think I have a good idea of what I'm doing and what I want to accomplish.

I keep a dream journal, though I'm certainly not perfect I do have quite a bit of stuff written down. My only problem is that I go through spells. One week I remember my dreams nightly, or like this week, I'm lucky to remember some shred of a scene that I'm in. Me posting here finally is my way of trying to ingrain dreaming into my day a little better. Anyway if anyone has some cool stuff that they think I should try, I'm up for whatever might be cool to do in the dream world and beyond =D

[Xanth]

Hi Cory!  Goodstuff finally making an account!
It's always nice to hear from some of the many lurkers we get. 

From what I'm reading, you're definitely on the right path!
Keep going with the Dream Journal, that's probably your greatest asset.

If your goal is to have lucid dreams... with the possibility of turning those into full projections (like I do) then just read over all the stuff you can find here and then ask whatever questions you need. 

[radman32]

Is a dream journal all that necessary? I find that atleast when I remember my dreams that I'm doing something right. I mean I hash over my dreams and their relevance. I've also lately had dreams that have had quick turn-around upon relevance. So really what's the worth in keeping a journal?

[Xanth]

Is a dream journal all that necessary? I find that atleast when I remember my dreams that I'm doing something right. I mean I hash over my dreams and their relevance. I've also lately had dreams that have had quick turn-around upon relevance. So really what's the worth in keeping a journal?

It's not completely necessary, no.
But it is helpful.

Keeping a dream journal helps with dream recall by telling your subconscious mind that you want to start remembering these events.
A dream journal can also help with assisting you to have more Lucid Dreams... the more dreams you write down, the more "dream events" you're bringing into your conscious mind.  The more "dream events" you can do that with, the greater the chance that you'll recognize them when they're actually happening within a dream you're having... which then allows you to say "Oh hey, I read this in my journal once... I think I'm dreaming now!".

[CoryTheAnswer]

Absolutely I will!

But yes I'd say that's pretty much the first goal for me is to begin having lucid dreams. I had a few over the past year but like a dummy I wrote none of them down. Also if I could just get to a point where I dream every night instead of only remembering them every couple of days, even that would be a huge win.

As for the dream journal thing, I've tried doing both ways now. With one and without. Sure you can mull back over things in your mind. But writing makes you sit and think on each sentence that describes your dream. I totally get more details from my dreams by writing them. Plus, only thinking them over means you are only really using your mind. Adding your body into the mix by physically writing it has to help ingrain it better.