Practicing lucid tasks to help encourage more lucidity.
Hi Night Clubbers,
I’ve been reflecting more on the idea of lucid dreaming tasks (initially posted by @KhyungMar at this topic here - and seeded by many of our members) which I think is a good one that warrants some comments. There are pros and cons to setting out tasks. First the pros: it can spur the motivation to accomplish the task; heighten a sense of focus; create a sense of community around the enterprise; instill a feeling of accomplishment and success; and inspire more advanced tasks.
A few cons: it can set a bar that some may never reach, and backfire to trigger discouragement and a sense of failure (“expectation is pre-meditated disappointment”); it might generate a “too tight” approach and loss of the middle way attitude between not too tight and not too loose; it can create a negative competitive spirit. “Competition” comes from roots that mean “to seek together,” and when used in that spirit competition is wholesome. But competition also readily slips into winners and losers, and that is unwholesome.
It’s worth restating that in the world of dream yoga, failures can be viewed as success. “Failures” can show you where you’re stuck, and point out blind spots. With this view we can bring a more playful and pedagogical approach to a project like dream tasks, using whatever happens as a “teachable moment.” It is in this spirit that I think we can make something valuable out of this.
So it’s worth a try, as a group experiment. The group will probably self-select, meaning those who will make it a successful venture won’t be adversely affected by the cons. Part of what could facilitate success is to start with modest tasks, and gradually work with more ambitious ones.
This idea of dream tasks will evolve by “emergent design,” which means we tweak it as we go along, seeing what works, what doesn’t, and what we can learn from it all. So offer comments along these lines, ideas for improvement etc. Let me know how it goes!
I’ll be checking in every few weeks to offer comments, share feedback, and post the next lucid tasks.