JOURNALS -- PART TWO (1986-present)
A Song in My Heart
In another recent lucid dream experience,
I recall first having a regular, non-lucid dream about being put on the
spot to stand up before a crowd of people and sing. Singing is not
my forte, although I have occasionally performed guitar and song for others,
and have had to "sing for my supper" at several banquet affairs in China
and Russia where singing is part of the cultural ways. As I began
to sing in my dream, I had a wonderful, strong singing voice (not my own).
I suddenly realized that this was not my real voice, and that I must be
dreaming; this induced the lucid/conscious state. In the lucid state,
I recall thinking, hey this isn't so bad, why not have fun with this?
And I began singing some difficult songs, then rock and roll songs, and
simply loved having a great vocal ability that I lack in my "other" conscious,
real life.
In a similar vein, in a few other lucid dreams
-- and some vivid but not lucid per se -- I play the piano, and play it
like a concert pianist. My "real" keyboard skills are all by ear,
self-taught, and at best rudimentary in technique and prowess. But
in the lucid dream state a few times, I've had fun with this ability and
spontaneously composed some wonderful classical pieces as in a concerto.
I do tinker with classical musical composition in real life, but I do not
now have access to a piano keyboard, and hadn't ever developed this kind
of amazing improvisational talent when I did.
A few times I awoke with the musical composition
still fresh in my mind. The pieces were complex, beautiful, moving,
and as far as I can tell, thoroughly original and spontaneous. If
I had had the time and access to a keyboard upon waking, I'm sure I could
have written them down into a full composition. Alas, now they are
largely gone -- I can recall only one of the basic motifs, which I have
indeed included in a small classical composition.
These lucid musical dream interludes (so to
speak) have shown me that we probably all have a tremendous capability
for innate, spontaneous creativity and composition. I do not doubt
that with time and practice I could replicate my keyboard and composition
skills experienced in my dreams (but, unfortunately, not my vocal abilities!).
I have tried throughout my life to not put
creative limitations on myself, whether learning physical skills or engaged
in artistic endeavors. It seems to me that these kinds of lucid,
directed dreams can have a wonderfully positive effect in encouraging creativity,
in abolishing limitations, and -- as self-elevating as this sounds -- in
inspiring oneself to be creative. I strongly suspect that such boundless
horizons and spontaneous creativity can be found in other walks of life
as well, not just music. Perhaps this is really what some new-age
authors mean when they write of perfecting one's psychic skills.
I'll have to devise some new "creative experiments" to try in my next musical
lucid dream.
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