Hey all! In this post I'd like to share how I have my LD DJ (lucid dream dream journal) set up. I listed by number each thing I'll write down before (sometimes during if I wake while in the middle of sleepy time) and once I wake.
For about 2 weeks or so, I was using a LD app to put my dreams in. To me those are okay, but as I learned more about Journaling, I wanted to get an actual DJ and have the ability to draw my dreams.
It just arrived in the post a few days ago and the blank pages are ready to be filled!
So how I'm setting mine up (and if anyone shares how they have theirs set up and there's some ideas I didn't think about, I'll use them in mine - and vice versa)
I've numbered the first page of my journal and won't stray from the set up.
1) time I go to sleep
2) how I'm feeling mentally /physically
3) if I wake during night, write any dream bits down.
3a) if I'm up a while, add steps one and two here.
4) upon waking in morning, write instantly all I recall, even if it's just "a guy was doing something. It was rainy". Every bit of recall helps over time.
5) draw/doodle as much art of dream if possible.
6) area to add more recall to #4 as during the day we can remember more of last night's dreams.
Ill keep it consistent in this current and all future dreams so I know exactly what number entry means what. Habits are good, after all.
If I'm missing any thing or if anyone wants to share their DJ set up (if they use one) please do so.
This is my awesome LD journal. Got it off etsy and it's hand made head to toe: hand tooled soft leather, (dream catcher on the front and a criss cross on the back), a cool designed lock, and the attention to detail DEFINITELY will help me have attention to my dream details.
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Oh, where to begin... I guess I should first note that in all my years, I"ve only stuck with digital LD journaling tools. Yeah, I know, that's frowned upon. But there's plenty of good reasons for me not to do otherwise (ie terrible handwriting, space concerns, spending concerns, the list goes on). When it comes to equipment, I stick with a cellphone and my laptop. The phone's used just for recording quick notes (and to set up alarms for WBTB, but that's another story). Come morning, I elaborate on things with my laptop via the Zim text editor. Zim's a self-described 'desktop wiki'. It sets itself apart from other text editing software in that it allows the user to cross-references files into a comprehensive virtual notebook in similar vein to a wiki. The user can, for instance, insert links to other files within the notebook similar to how one links to a webpage in HTML. coding, and sort these files in a tiered index. I can't stress enough how being able to cross-reference via links greatly reduces writing time and clutter. As for the journal entries themselves, I template them in this manner:
Many other details, in particular goals, recurring elements, recent trends, and LD games (such as from dreaming forums) are referenced and updated in their own pages and subpages.
Hope this helps.
Thanks Sarra! Your post inspired me to have a look at similar leather bound journals on Etsy and Amazon. I sent off for one yesterday (slightly different design). I have been writing my dreams up in "Lucidity", and Android app, but I thought I'd mix it up a bit to keep it interesting. One thing you seem to have missed was adding the date and day to each entry. I think that's quite important if you want to spot patterns in your dreams (frequency, interval, what day etc.)?