[diseeKeythilt]

Hey, Ritch.

Have you ever considered going the other way?

There are several assumptions underlying your reasoning here which should be considered.

For example you automatically assume you need lucidity cues when you are in the RTZ. But that won't help you if you're having an experience on the astral plane or higher - your entirely elsewhere. Here is where the basic assumption of seeing anything that happens to you as symbolic comes in handy. If you do that in waking life it transfers over and might be helpful, and when switching to such a mode of analysis it might become easier to become lucid, as in my opinion it's a mode of higher functioning.

Then the next thing - lucidity is something you do alone. Really? Most of my significant dreams I wasn't alone, but in the company of a familiar presence, someone like a close family member or spiritual friend, often the identity only assumed. I've also seen a fair deal of dreams here on the site where another person seems to come along and maybe even sustains the experience.

I'll attach an example of one of those dreams below.

So, it might be a good experiment to just ask something like this: "Benevolent guiding presence, please aid me in getting lucid and discovering whatever purpose the experience I am going to have has." There's several ideas interwoven in that statement that might be helpful "provisionary beliefs." That's what Kurt calls any belief you try on for size to see if you want to keep it. See what changes in your experience while operating under such a belief. If you like the outcome, maybe you want to run with that belief.

Cheers,
Oliver

PS - the dream (from several months ago):

The morning before last I fell asleep again to find myself somewhere with my mother with me. I'm starting to suspect it's really a guide. It's a female presence.

My uncle arrived in his car (he loved his Audi cars) with his family - I guess wife and kids - even though the "kids" are now near-40 or over it. They looked like kids, but also like shady reflections, maybe for his comfort. I got only his attention.

He got out and was glad to see me. I couldn't remember he was dead, only recovering from something. Given his age I thought heart attack. I kind of suspect knowing he was dead was suppressed so I'd play my role better. He looked old, grey and smaller, and his voice was different, almost a whisper, but it was him and he was glad to see me.

When I asked him about his recovery he said "The first weeks are the hardest." He's been dead for about two months now. I gave him half a hug not to hurt him while he's in recovery.

My "mother" said something to him, and I thought it somehow tactless, or she asked if what she just said was tactless. We turned to the right and there was a vast green expanse full of sunlight, maybe with trees around. It had a well-cared look, I think of it as a park when trying to describe it. BTW, it was a really sunny day, like vacation season, when he arrived. It was even brighter than on a sunny day but not uncomfortable at all.

I think the "motherly presence" helped sustain my state of consciousness the whole dream. Just the right amount of presence for this little welcome/farewell.