TL;DR: It’s an invaluable tool for fun, fantasy-fulfillment, self-expression, self-improvement, and learning. It can also help you draw inspiration and instill hope (if you have a tough waking life). Don’t knock it till you try it.

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I have always been fascinated by dreams. To me, lucid dreaming is all about being more present while it serves as an outlet for self-expression and self-improvement. As a creative, it would be typical of me to manipulate my dreams every chance I get, but I don't. Once you get to a point where you become confident in your ability to have lucid dreams, you'll grow wise and patient. This is true for any discipline. It becomes less about getting things done before you wake up and more about taking in the experience and getting the most out of it.

Lucid dreaming is also an incredible medium for us to draw inspiration and instill hope in a waking life that is otherwise full of dread. The following point might be biased because of my personal experiences, but It can help you reconnect with deceased loved ones and pets in a more profound way than regular dreams. You’ll yearn for a means to reconnect with loved ones when you lose a loved one whether it’s for companionship or to seek closure.

As people who have followed my journey here would know, I have lost my significant other Kana (i.e. gf, partner, lover, soulmate, twin flame etc.) to the game called life. Lucid dreaming is the only way I can consciously make new fulfilling and meaningful memories with her. Sure, I have non-lucids of her all the time, but in those, I am usually unaware she is no longer with me. We always tend to take our loved ones for granted when we don't realize one day they won't be around.

Let me give you an example, just last week I was glum in a non-lucid dream because my dear Kana didn't share the last mini-donut I was saving for dessert. I gave her the silent treatment the whole of the dream. It was so trivial! She was sweetly encouraging me to cheer up, but I wouldn't let it go in the dream. I was taking her presence and love for granted. Sure, it seems like a cute young couple's fight of sorts, but I cried lots after I woke up. I could have enjoyed my time with her instead of being glum over something so trivial. So, being lucid and spending time with her whether it's just watching a movie, playing games, shopping, eating at a restaurant etc. It's fulfilling and helps me survive in this intertwined life that I am trying to salvage the best I can without her present physically.

So, for me lucid dreaming is a matter of life and death. It's no longer just a medium for fun, self-expression, fantasy fulfillment, or learning as I thought before I lost Kana. I can say with total certainty without it I would have gone crazy and went to the suicide route. It can be an invaluable tool for the bereaved to draw strength to live on. The same applies to those with disabilities. For a while, I have been paralyzed with the possibility of never being able to walk again. I was told I would have to prepare for a life of limited mobility. Spoiler, I suffered a lot of damage from the seizure triggered by Kana’s passing. I had absolutely no non-lucids where I could walk for the whole year. It was as if subconsciously I was preparing for a life of disability. It was exhilarating to be able to walk freely in dreams assuring myself that at least I can walk even if I can’t in waking. Thankfully, I recovered and can walk again now. I can't run, but I can walk without support. However, there are those less fortunate than me who don't recover or born with disabilities. I could only imagine their delight if they get to walk again consciously after years of being bedridden or stuck on a wheelchair.

Is it wrong to influence and guide dreams? It depends on you and your views. If we go by that logic dreams should be left untouched, the same should apply for our waking imagination. Personally, I respect entities in my dreams as I would in waking even when I am fully lucid. That's who I am. Only times I would go on a killing spree would be on a VR-esque game lucid dreams where everyone involved are "players" behind a sort of "avatar" creating a detachment from their "body". Sure, it can be a fragment of my own psyche and my imagination, but I just don't want to hurt anyone. That's just me.

A lot of times what people think of as manipulation is just influence. You don't have 100% control of the dream space no matter the level of lucidity. You are a co-creator of your dreamscape. It's easy for people to develop a god-complex in lucid dreams, especially when you get good at it. But I feel it's always best for us to be humble and appreciate our level of conscious advancement. Since thoughts translate to manifestation at a really fast pace, it's easy to let ego take over if you are not a humble person. It can be a struggle for even the humblest to keep themselves in check. I should know, I have ruled over a self-made civilization of gods (celestials) as their goddess (celestial queen). I was a kind and merciful celestial queen, but a goddess nonetheless and I am one of those high in the humble spectrum. We were at odds with another faction of celestials and their queen. I’ll probably write it in my journal if anyone is interested. Personally, if it will help me express and improve myself without the limitations of waking life, I don't mind influencing dreams. I just don't like abusing my power of influence. I came pretty close to abusing my powers in that celestial lucid dream. I had to handicap myself to make it fair and more rewarding experience.

Nowadays, I usually just set the tone of my lucid dreams if I am in the mood for more than settling where I ended up in and let the dream unfold. I rarely micromanage. This is an extension of how I am in my waking life.