How many of you keep a journal?

[jilola]

I do. Although I don't necessarily write down every single dream or experience. Only the ones that I find the most interesting or that seem to have some significance. Sometimes I just draw a picture with only a few key words to explain the features.
As for using the diary later I don't think I'll be doing that. I can recall the stuff afterI've jotted some down. It's more like a bait for my subconsc.

I've found that writing stuff down help with the recall processs as my subconscious get used to the idea that I'm supposed to jot something down afterwards.

2cents

jouni

[Shadow]

Hi

I personally like you have never felt the need to keep a diary, as for a journal I only remember the really visual dreams, which stick in my consious and never leave. At the moment I don't feel the need or the inclanation to keep a dream journal, maybe as I progress I might start keeping one.

But then again I'm Lazy http://www.astralpulse.com/forums/images/icon_Smile.gif" border=0>

Shadow

[Pearlybear]

I simply keep forgetting to write in one.
When I do remember that I want to write in one I've already forgotten what the experience was to write.  LOL
Guess I'm in trouble huh?

I will try to give it more of an effort though I can see where charting your progress could be of some help:-)

[Patty]

I'll write stuff here and there - to reinforce it in my memory. I don't have a specific notebook though,  just scraps by the bed and I have a few things on the computer.  I want to start compiling them. I feel like I would be able to see some real trends if I did that, and also I am afraid that I am going to start forgetting the details of the early ones.

I think writing is a good thing to do, but often I am lazy. I did write down a couple dreams this morning and yesterday - just snatches of memory from them.

Patty

[Tom]

For over a year I kept a written record of my dreams in the hope of using it to have more lucid dreams. The result was that my lucid dreaming completely stopped and the dream recall eventually did also. I resented having to pick it up first thing and spend so much time writing. That was what the problem was. It seemed like such a good idea because writing reinforces the idea of a continuous effort.

[jilola]

Ok, now I'm the worst diary keeper (diarist?) ever. I hate writing letters, postcard, diaries, specification document, comments etc. Hate it.
So my solution to this dream diary is not to pick it up first thing but pick it up when I've mulled the dream/experience over a bbit and it still seems worthwile(sp?) to write down. Like today I wrote bits about various experiences over a 3 day period, posted some of the as well.

This way I've learned to paay ettention to the memories right after waking up without any pressure to do something active with it. It's an option, not an obligation.

2cents

jouni

[Jeff_Mash]

Not only do I keep a journal of all my experiences, but I have written a computer program which records them all.  Not only that, but I made this program analyze certain variables (like body position, time of day, moon phase, etc) and graphically draw out which conditions have been best for my experiences.

If any of you are interested in checking it out, you can always email me and I could get you a shareware copy when I'm finished designing it.

Anyway, this is my first post here, so it'll probably take me a few days to get to know everyone (and read all the posts).  My name is Jeff, and I have had probably 100+ OBE's.  I used to post in alt.out-of-body a few years ago, but I stopped after all the messages became burdened with flamer wars.  It wasn't a place to talk about OBE's anymore, but instead, it became a place to defend your views to beligerent mongrels.

If you have any questions for me, just ask.  I will try to read this board as much as possible, but it's difficult because I have my own website to monitor.



Keep smiling,

Jeff Mash, Founder and Editor
MyJokeMail.com - Jokes and Humor
http://myjokemail.com

[Patty]

Jeff -

I'd be interested in the shareware. When do you anticipate it being ready?

Patty

[Mobius]

Hi all

Alpha, I keep a journal & have done since the 26th of Feb, 1998. I first started out with an actual diary with dates allready plotted in, but I would have big gaps sometimes of a few days or a week, leaving useless space. So I ended up just buying a plain old cheap arse/ butt exercise book of about 80 pages. That way I could plot the experiences in the book straight after each other, leaving no huge gaps of lost days or blank pages because of dates.

At first it WAS a pain & many experiences I would just not write down, as I didn't really have a set way of writing them down, I would just blurt it out, without any constructivity to it. But ever since I got AD, I have writing them down the way RB says in his book, which has been so much more effective for me.

I really thought I would remember everyone of my OBE's too, but when you start getting into the hundreds, it becomes a stretch to remember them all. The way RB sets it out also allows for times when you have 3 to 5 OBE's, dreams or lucids in one sitting. Normally, I would have tried to write down every detail of the first one, but as I was trying to do that, I would forget the details of the other ones. So now I just write down a couple of key words to trigger my memory of that experience.

Jeff, welcome to the forums & a big YES for me on the computer program you are doing. I was thinking of doing something like that myself, but now it looks like I wont have to. It will be interesting for me to see what sort of pattern emerges, I do know that for me personally, the full moon or thereabouts is the best & most vivid times for me to have an OBE.

When it is no moon phase, I tend to have just dreams or lucid dreams. So it really would be good if there was a program for this type of thing, I'm sure there is programs like this that scientists over the years have used for their studies of OBE's, but I doubt whether it is available to the public, so well done Jeff.

Good journeys all

Mobius

[Robin]

I do. I only remember bits and pieces so I write what I can. It helps my recall. Here is a few from my PC file.. warning might put you to sleep zzzzzz
You wont know the names in my journal but it gives you a ideal of someones dreams..

Robin

06/03/02-

I was mowing and pulled up a thin strip of grass.

06/04/02-

I was walking around halls and stairs at a college. There were Halloween balloons everywhere.

06/04/02-

I was at a hospital. I found out that I was pregnant even though I had my tubes tided. I wanted to keep the baby so much!


06/05/02-

In a huge basement and said we should rent it out when could get a thousand a month for it. Then I took a nap on a couch and dreamed in my dream. I saw a butterfly come to me. Then I woke up but it was hard in my dream and then I woke myself up in reality.


06/05/02-

Holly T. was buying an old home we lived in and having it painted. I was shopping at a food market at night and a man was giving me a gold pin. I dropped it & it broke. It was gold with a crucifix on it. I was buying flowers to pin on your shirt. Then I asked a woman to follow me to my car and I would drive and watch her walk to her car.


06/06/02-

At a mall/work place and it stated to rain really poor down and thunder. I ran out the door and started to fly and skim along the road surface and I felt the rain...and had no fear. It was so fun!  I flew high through the heavy rain with so much joy .I felt no aches or pain just pure comfort and thought and movement. I saw people running in fear to there cars from the storm. The astral dimension is so close to the earth's reality. It hugs it in a away. I though the people might see me so I flew high over them and trees. Then I could not find Frank and was looking for him. Then I saw him and Bill (his boss) getting out of a car Frank looked so young like when I meet him. Bill asked me to get a wet vacuum to help clean up and then I saw smoke a woman sounded an alarm. I did not think she needed to because the smoke was white and looked like it was from a chimney. The flying part was TOTALLY COOL and LUCID! I felt all the rain--It went through me!!


06/08/02-

I was watching people pulling a woman out of the ocean. There were two shark teeth in her that I was looking at. Two girls were coming out of a shark cage and were saying it was to close. Then I saw St. Bosco sitting at a desk lighting a candle and burning incense. Then I saw someone I knew and my knee was killing me. I asked why they were not afraid and they said they had a tool to let them know if anyone came near them. I gave him a pen that was my moms and said that is all I have of hers. I told a lady that these are the times with my children when they grow up I will be lonely with out them and church will not be good with out them.


6/16/02-

 I was walking in a park field. It was a very sunny day I was following a trail. I flew past a group of kids from my development but don't remember who they were. I was in a rush. The group called me and gave me my shoes that I dropped one was a furry light blue house slipper one was a clear glass shoe with sparkles in it Then I found where I was going there was a long line in this building. The next thing you know I see Hurdy she was sitting at a table with some friends. I was standing up talking and kept hear Hurdy saying (very calmly) Robin.. Robin..  Robin. I sat down and her back was to me but she kept saying Robin so I tickled her every time she said it until she stopped. She was laying back on me laughing! We were being silly & didn't care what anyone thought. Trouble makers! ;o) Then she showed me a ticket that she had. It had to do with options not the meal. The ticket had about eight statements on it and they were written in dark sliver on light silver.


06/19/02-

I was asking Ralph if he and the girls wanted me to give them a ride home from the library. Then Frank's music teacher was looking at our breakers. Then I saw a family giving a man a gift so I was holding it and helping them. When I opened it I said how beautiful. It was a statue of The Blessed Mother she was in all green. He said she was from 1941. I passed kids on skate boards that said they had a statue too but Mary had a pearl on her crown. Then I read a white note that said our water pipe needs work. The man said someone in a white car left it for us.



6/20/02-

I was in Gilford's den with Frankie. Talking about how his Dad was. We were being quite as not to wake him. Then we went into the garage and looked around. It was so clean and organized. Even the floor had no grease on it from cars. Then the mail was dropped in the mail slot and I asked if anyone parked there car in here and he said no.


6/20/02-

As I was waking up but my eyes were still closed I saw three rosaries two dark wood and one light wood all with sliver decade beads on them. Then I saw a spice rack with yellow orange and red spices on it with red thin bows around them. I saw the red bows and red spice were the same color and thought it was amazing that I could see anything and especially in color when I was aware of my body and awake but my eyes were still closed.

[Clarine]

Hi !

I write a diary of all my Obe-like experiences or lucid dreams.  For me, it is important to note my experiences and my thoughts about that, because I want to analyse it and maybe it will help someone to understand this phenomena later.

My diary is online and french, so be free to visit it.

Clarine

http://www.chez.com/clarine/darkside/dark.html

[alpha]

thanks alot for your input!
I guess if im not wanting to do it.I shouldnt force myself too.Alot of ya are just like me on this.http://www.astralpulse.com/forums/images/icon_Smile.gif" border=0>Lazy,lazy I dont think its really laziness though.I like to do things I enjoy.Dont we all?

One of my  biggest obe motivation is fun.And there are too many things I rather be doing than writing.But on here its diff. its not just me and my journal and this is quite enjoyable for me.Yes I do stuff I dont like.But those are nessasary.Like cleaning.http://www.astralpulse.com/forums/images/icon_Smile_big.gif" border=0>Keeping a written journal on my obes'Would be more of a chore than anything to me.


I can see that some of you actually like too.And thats great.Im planning on getting a notebook.But I wonder if Ill be too tired in the middle of the night to jot things down.Im often too tired to go through the obe mentallly.Before falling asleep again http://www.astralpulse.com/forums/images/icon_Smile_big.gif" border=0>

                                                              Have a great day!



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"WAKE UP!WAKEUP!WAKE UP AND LOOK AROUND YOU!WERE LOST IN SPACE AND THE TIME IS OUR HOME"
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[Cylentpanthur]

I think I'm the odd one out in this conversation. I've kept a fairly regular journal for about two and a half years now. I just use plain old lined paper notebooks, and I write just about everything in them but my dreams. I just can't get in the habit of writing my dreams down. But I write everything else. Events of the day, hopes, poetry, bits and pieces of my book, everything I can imagine, but my dreams. I'm trying to get going on it though, I don't really remember them if I don't write them down, and I start remembering dreams easier if I'm writing them down every morning.

MEOW http://www.astralpulse.com/forums/images/icon_Smile_sleepy.gif" border=0>

[Jeff_Mash]

Hey all,

Thanks for the warm astral welcome!  The program is something that I have worked hard on, usually in my spare time.  I would say its 75% finished.  Once I get things working the way I want them, I will pick someone to BETA test the full registered version.  After we iron out any bugs, then I will release the shareware to you all.  Hopefully, it will help you graphically monitor your experiences.  If anything, it makes for a good journal to simply record your experiences for future reference.



Keep smiling,

Jeff Mash, Founder and Editor
MyJokeMail.com - Jokes and Humor
http://myjokemail.com

[k2sixx]

In fact, the beginning of last Monday was the day that I began to document my dreams in my Dream Journal.  Problem with me is, I write too much... pointing out every detail.  It is already 8 computer pages in length (font 10!).  Maybe I'll cut back on the detail...

For now, dreams are all I have to work with, so I value them greatly.  Every night is another dream, or more (4 in one night is the most I've had), and documenting them each morning on the computer has already helped my recall.  But that's just me.

Jeff - Even though I have not yet had an OBE, I would love to have a copy of your program!

Seeya around people!

[cainam_nazier]

I actually maintain 3, or you could say 4, seperate journals.  One contains personal thoughts and emotions about the day to day that is my life, another for my "abnormal" experiences which mostly deals with all things paranormal, and yet another that I try to keep a strictly science based log of my experiences.  I say science based because I try to keep it like a test log, keeping in mind times, dates, specific information as to what I was doing prior to, during, and after experiences.  

The 4th one may be considered a journal but it is more takeing the shape of a book.  It contains all the questions that I have had about various things like god, life, pain, emotion, logic, ect.  It also contains the way I see these things and what I have discovered about them.


David Rogalski
cainam_nazier@hotmail.com
I am he who walks in the light but is masked by the shadows.

[Grendel]

I do for my dreams, but mostly in case I have a psychic/precognitive dreams.  Not only to serve as proof, but to remind myself that I dreamt it.  (Before I kept the journal, I'd always think "I KNOW I've seen/dreamt this before.  Did I have a psychic dream?"  And now that I keep it, I know for a FACT that I haven't had any yet.  http://www.astralpulse.com/forums/images/icon_Smile.gif" border=0>)  That, and it's just fun to look back on.

[alpha]

believe it or not,im actually changing my mind on this

 this thread,something that happened the other day, and coming across a possible guide this afternoon.I jotted some things down in my notebook.All I got to say is it wasnt as bad as I thought it would be.lol I made it short and to the point.

Your program sounds really interesting Jeff,And it sounds like something that would work for me and others alike..Make it a lil easier.I have very messy handwriting.http://www.astralpulse.com/forums/images/icon_Smile.gif" border=0>

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"WAKE UP!WAKEUP!WAKE UP AND LOOK AROUND YOU!WERE LOST IN SPACE AND THE TIME IS OUR HOME"
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[Patty]

Yes, I didn't mention that I also keep other journals.

One is my angry journal, a place to externalize the anger that I have ongoing issues with. It really works! I write down, uncensored, all the anger I have - and then it feels released and I can approach life fresh again. It also gives me a laugh to see certain entries - how many times I use a word that rhymes with duck.

A second journal is a collection of letters that I am writing to my kids.  it's a way to keep track of their growth in a format that they can appreciate when they're older.

The third is all the scraps that i mentioned - putting dreams, ld's, and other nighttime adventures on paper to help remember them.

AND TODAY! I finally started working on an outline to chronicle my OBE stuff. I have to hunt around for where I have left all those scraps- but I have the outline written and I'm making headway. I don't know what form it will ulitimately take.  maybe similar to a book - somewhat chronological with organization by topic.  What was wonderful to see was all the progress. You lose sight of your progress until you look back at the early days, and then you realize that even if you haven't had the ultimate experience that you may want, that you ARE making progress. So validating!  I have to thank this forum and thread for helping me direct my energies this way.

Patty

[alpha]

thats great patty,the anger journal!

Right now I dont get angry.If I do its just a twinge.And I imediately stop myself from going any further.But im not in the real world much so its easier for me.When people get angry around me.Whether they say it or not.I will start to feel that.

I kind of do something simular.,If I had a rough day when I go to bed.Ill replay it in my mind.And try to find any bad emotions.And let go of them If I come across any.

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"WAKE UP!WAKEUP!WAKE UP AND LOOK AROUND YOU!WERE LOST IN SPACE AND THE TIME IS OUR HOME"
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[Tisha]

I used to keep an extensive dream journal, but I became too wound up in the details, I think.  

Now, I just write down the dates of my OBE and lucid dream experiences and a few key words or themes.  Usually the key words jog my memory if I feel I need to go back to something.

An important part of your development process is to "let go."  That means letting go of your dreams, too.  Acknowlege them, learn from them, but then you need to let them slip.

Self absorption is a big, deep pit that is hard to get out of!

much love to all,
tisha

[alpha]

to tell you the truth,I dont.The best experiences Ive had I shared them here with you.And I dont think I will ever forget them.If I do they will always stay with me either way.I know they have changed me for good.

Ive never really liked to keep any kind of diarys.Or stuff of that nature.Mostly because I never had the motivation.And I really still havnt got it. http://www.astralpulse.com/forums/images/icon_Smile.gif" border=0>Do you think its important?I feel if I had one I prob. would not look back on it.

I guess maybe a bedside notebook would be as far as I will go.Just for those times.When i go to sleep right after an obe,or dream.I usually will forget most of it,when this happens.

                                                                                         



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"WAKE UP!WAKEUP!WAKE UP AND LOOK AROUND YOU!WERE LOST IN SPACE AND THE TIME IS OUR HOME"
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