Hi Bruce,
There is one question I always wanted to ask an experienced dreamer, and it is about gaining control in dreaming...
There is a technique in Toltec tradition called "Bridging" - basically it works in a way that you set your mind on the problem (let say you need a right plant for healing), you go into the dreaming, and you find particular plant in your dream. Because you are driven by the Spirit, that plant is undoubtely what you need, so you try to find it in a real life too.
That is how you build a metaphysical "bridge" between the worlds. In the same manner, the more you do it, your bridges become stronger, and of course, it is easier for you to cross from one side to another. Therefore, you gain more control in the both dreaming and awaken state.
Now it becomes very interesting: Bridging is possible to be done in the opposite way as well, by meditating on the object and trying ti find it in a dream. If the object is mineral or plant, shamans say it can reveal you inconcievable things and accelerate your progress.

Did you have any experience on that?

Thanks,
Germanikus