A Dream Sign is any indicator that you are in the dream world. This can be anything from a dream character behaving strangely to the laws of physics being ignored. The dream world constantly drops tiny breadcrumbs throughout your dream that subtly (or often not subtly at all) hint at the fact that you are dreaming. If you record your dreams consistently, you will begin to notice your own personal dream signs, or dream signs that occur often in your dreams. We are going to discuss the different types of dream signs and how you can use this information to induce lucid dreams!
Dream Signs were first defined by lucid dream researcher Dr. Stephen Laberge in his lucid dreaming guidebook “Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming”. Dr. Laberge breaks down dream signs into four distinct categories, each with subclasses of their own. For now, let’s investigate the four main types of dream signs and examples of each so you can identify them in your own dreams!
Action Dream Signs
Action dream signs are any action performed by yourself, a dream character, or even an object, that is strange or inconsistent with reality. For example, if your beloved pet cat starts singing and dancing, this is an action dream sign (unless they do this in waking life….). If you find yourself making an impassioned speech in front of your peers when in reality you are terrified of public speaking, this would be an action dream sign (performed by you). If your car suddenly takes flight into the sky, this would be an object action dream sign. People or things acting strangely are all action dream signs.
Form Dream Signs
In dreams, people, objects, or even yourself may take strange forms. These are known as form dream signs. If you find yourself at work and see that your boss has two heads, pinch yourself because you are dreaming! Or upon looking in the mirror, you find that you have green skin. This is a form dream sign (unless you are a martian). Common objects can take unusual forms, such as your car suddenly having giant bat wings!
Context Dream Signs
If the events or circumstances of the dream are inconsistent with waking reality, that would be a context dream sign. For example, if you realize you are back in your high school days, or you are speaking to a deceased friend, these are context dream signs. If you are living in a different country or have a different job then you do in waking life, that is a context dream sign. I find context dream signs to be some of the most common.
Inner Awareness Dream Signs
Inner Awareness dream signs are cues that come from within our own minds, such as strange thoughts, unusual sensations, or heightened emotions. Dreams are usually very emotion-driven experiences. If you experience intense fear or sexual cravings, this could be a sign that you are dreaming. Experiencing strange sensory phenomena, like exceptionally clear or blurry vision, could be a dream sign. Having strange thoughts that don’t make sense upon examination could be an inner awareness dream sign.
Using Dream Signs to Induce Lucid Dreams
So how can knowledge of dream signs help you induce lucid dreams? If you pay enough attention to your dreams over any length of time, you will notice certain dream signs occurring again and again. You can refer to these as personal dream signs. In waking life, whenever you encounter anything resembling one of your personal dream signs, perform a reality check! Over time, you will notice your personal dream signs occuring DURING a dream, perform a reality check, and become lucid!
Lucid Dreaming is a Learnable Skill
Does this sound amazing to you? The good news is, you too can learn to lucid dream! Lucid dreaming is a learnable skill that is accessible to everybody…and it is relatively easy. Enroll in our Lucid Dreaming Mastery Course to learn more amazing techniques like this and build a lucid dreaming practice that leads to mastery!
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