@OmSigDAVID,
It isnt really difficult , i found that by remembering what I was dreaming previously, I could pretty much control the ouitcomes of my next dreams. As a kid I often tried to "reenter" a dream that was interesting , and I could pretty much do that without much trouble.
The only problem I have is if I go to sleep with the TV on or if Id eaten a pizza just before bedtime, I usually incorporate the TV shows into my dreams and its less controlable, and PIZZA NIGHTMARES are a well studied phenom in neuromedical reerach,(I cant imagine writing a grant proposal to study pizza nightmares).
I remember few people on A2K talking about this recently in my thread about dreaming in color.
IM not sure about your "master of the Universe" phrase. MAny people use lucid dreams as a "hobby" in parapsych so Im not sure that they are anything special. Its really not that difficult to achieve once you are aware that it can be done.
However, Ive still never hit the lottery or found the "mountain of gold"