Visits from the dead in our dreams

[Shine]

Shine Girl has dreamed of our dead kitty for the past two nights in a row. As many of you know, our sweet cat, Spark, was tragically hit and killed by a car last month. She was Shine Girl's very first pet and we were all devastated, but especially her.

Today at lunch she told me she'd dreamt about Spark for the first time since she died. In the first dream, Spark was just staring at her and her eyes were completely filled with darkness, there was no color in them. In the second dream, (last night) Spark showed up in the house and we were all surprised she'd come back from the dead, including Spark herself, who could talk in the dream. Shine Girl told her she hoped Spark could stay longer than one day and Spark said she hoped she could, too. Spark was purring and seemed very content.

What's particularly interesting about these dreams is that Spark has been gone EXACTLY one month, as Friday, 2/9. Shine Girl had her very first dream of Spark exactly one month, to the day, that she was killed, on 1/9. Coincidence, or not? :shrug: I think not.

There's a part of me that feels comforted by it, somehow. The mysteries of Life and Death are fascinating to me. Tonight as I was getting Shine Girl down for bed she said maybe Spark would come to visit her again, in her dreams. I told her I hoped she would, too, and to try to remember to ask how she's doing and let her know how much we still love her.

Have any of you ever experienced anything like this before?

[JVS]

1. Sometimes my father is alive and talks to me in my dreams

It's a lot like real everyday life most of the time. Sometimes I ask "Hey, didn't you die?"

[Shine]

3. What does he say when you ask him that?

does he view himself as having "died", too? Just curious...

[JVS]

5. he ignores it and continues going about his business

[Shine]

9. Hmmm.....maybe he doesn't even experience himself as "dead"

I've always wondered what it would be like to die in one's sleep. Imagine it: you're in the middle of a really intense dream and then you realize you're dead and no longer have a body. How would you even know for sure you were dead? What's real? What isn't? Trippy....what about those dreams we have where we're "killed" in them? Weird, huh?

[youthere]

92. I have the same dream...

I'm always on the end of a dock fishing, and I turn around and he's walking towards me and I say "You're supposed to be dead!"

[BlueStorm]

2. Animal spirits do visit us in our dreams...

I do believe that animals have a consciousness, perhaps not par with our own but a consciousness nevertheless. I also think that perhaps her spirit guide(s) are trying to tell her that the cat is ok as well, they may or may not have taken the form of the cat itself.

I have dreamt that my mom's dad has been "resurrected" and came and lived with my grandma again. Sometimes I have the feeling that he has to go back to the Other Side at other times he is alive again for good. There are alot of spirtual connections with this and it is very interesting.

Blue

[Shine]

12. I myself dreamt of Spark a few days after she was killed.

In my dream I was looking at her through a small window. She was outside and I was in the house, looking out. She passed in front of my vision and I managed to reach out through the window and pull her tubby body through to me, inside, and hold her, like I always did, as if she were a baby. She immediately began purring and looking up contentedly into my eyes. I was filled with Love and Happiness, in my dream and it felt incredibly real.

I felt comforted by that one, too. I felt she was telling me she was OK, wherever she was. :loveya:

[haf216]

4. A friend of mine in 2001,

I still dream about him to this day. in some of the dreams i know he is dead, and should not be there, but in others it can be very "real" like. I have even woken up and have been able to smell him.

[Shine]

14. Wow, that's interesting about the lingering smell.

there's so much more going on than we can even begin to grasp, don't you think?

[haf216]

22. Sometimes the dreams kinda freak me out, but other

times ( when the dream is more of a memory) it's like visiting with him.

[Whoa_Nelly]

6. For years, my dog, Flip, would come visit

and I would be so happy to see him. We would go for car rides, have fun, laugh..in the only way that old dog could laugh...and then he would say good-bye for a while.

I always woke up feeling so good, sp happy, after seeing him in the visit dreams.

:hug: to ShineGirl and all of you! :loveya:

Flippy

[idgiehkt]

7. wow

that really touched my heart. I've dreamed about pets as well. Thanks for sharing that Whoa Nelly. :loveya:

[Whoa_Nelly]

8. Hi idgie!

:loveya: :hug:

[Shine]

16. Awww, how sweet!!

I've dreamt of Spark, too, and it really did feel like a visitation and her way of telling me she was OK.

It's comforting, isn't it? :hug:

[SPKrazy]

10. My Grandfather Visited Me In A Dream Once

shortly after I sobered up several years ago

He told me I was doing the right thing.

It was very real seeming, he'd been dead for about 10 years at that time

it was comforting and seemed to be very convincing to me at the time that I was doing the right thing

:shrug:

[SPKrazy]

13. On The Other Hand I Dream About A Dead Friend Of Mine

every now and then, and it always leaves me feeling as if my friend isn't really dead. That he's been hidden in some kind of witness protection or something.

I always dream something of that sort with him. I also think I see him a lot of different places. He's been dead now over 10 years.

:shrug:

[Shine]

18. It makes sense that our dreams would be the way for them to contact us

we're more "open", so to speak, to their messages. How wonderful the story about your grandfather visiting you and encouraging you on your path. :hug: Family support and love, beyond the grave.

Sometimes I think Death is the greatest illusion of all.

[SPKrazy]

26. I Would Hope To Agree

I want to believe that is true.

I fall back on the idea that energy can neither be created nor destroyed and that there is enough energy in our bodies to light up a city if it were tapped into.

I've seen the "light" leave the eyes of someone dying and that struck me as the same as spirit.

I wan't to believe that we exist in some form beyond this realm, I doubt that we are in a form that is recognizable to us now.


That said, the possibility of that energy being able to manifest itself into a form that the living could recognize is not beyond my imagination either.

:hug:

thanks for your comments.

[Shine]

38. Like I've said before:

I think we are called in our lives to embrace the Mystery of it All....:hug:

[SeattleGirl]

11. I've had many dreams about my father since his death in 1977.

They usually occur around the date of his death, 3/27/77.

Sometimes, I wake up, feeling sad, because I wish he were here, and I wish he could have lived long enough to really enjoy his sobriety.

Other times, I wake up feeling good, because he has let me know he's okay.

I also have dreams about my friend Genie, who died about 5 years ago. I miss her like crazy; she was one of the finest people ever to grace my life.

[SPKrazy]

15. Hey Sis...

:hug:

:hi:

dreams are both odd, and important for our sanity in some not understood way.

[SeattleGirl]

19. Hey bro!

You know, even though I sometimes have disturbing dreams, what really bothers me is NOT dreaming. I wake up feeling like, "Hey, I was robbed!" when I don't dream.

:loveya: :hug:

[SPKrazy]

24. We All Dream

not all dreams are remembered. You have to be awakened enough by a dream to form a memory around it. Otherwise it just becomes lost brain chemicals that tried to form a memory and were reabsorbed instead.

:shrug:

sweet dreams sis

:hug:

[SeattleGirl]

25. Thank you, bro.

It's difficult to NOT remember my dreams. Mine are in super techocolor, wide screen, best-TV-you-can-buy quality. I swear, my dreams are so real sometimes, that I've thought some of them were actally real life happenings.

:hug:

[Shine]

21. How interesting with the timing of your dreams about your father

Your relationship with him hasn't necessarily "ended", it's just changed form. :hug: :loveya: Love NEVER dies....

[SeattleGirl]

30. Let me tell you about a very interesting experience I had once.

I have often "felt" my father around me, but once, when a friend's father died, not so long after my father passed, it touched my feelings of loss over my father. I was standing in the kitchen after Nancy got off the phone with her mother letting her know her dad had passed, and I felt my father standing next to me, with his arm around me. It was one of the sweetest moments of my life.

My dad and I had a love/hate relationship, primarily brought on by two things: his alcoholism, and our mutual stubbornness. But I loved him, and nearly 30 years later, I still miss him.

I am sorry that he got ill right after he found sobriety.

I miss being around some of the funny things he did and said.

And I wish so much that he did not live long enough to see his first grandchild born.

But I know he is still with me, not in a way that suggests he hasn't moved on. I feel he has, but I also feel he checks in with me now and then.

I miss him.

[Shine]

34. I'm sorry for your loss, my friend.

I'm sure it's comforting to know he still checks in on you. :hug:

[SeattleGirl]

37. Thank you. It is comforting.

And I'm greatful that we were able to heal most of our wounds and leave our acrimony behind before he died. Not everyone has that chance, I know, so I'm quite glad that my dad and I were able to do that.

:loveya:

[Shine]

40. You're right, not everyone has that chance. I'm so glad you did, too.

However, I do know of people who have managed to heal their relationships with dead parents through a lot of personal work and with the help of therapy. It can be done, it's just different.

In my hospice volunteering work, I have witnessed the greatest source of pain comes from unhealed relationship wounds. It's sad to see how much heart-suffering that can create.

It's a blessing you were able to reach a point of healing before he died. :hug: :loveya:

[SeattleGirl]

41. I know people who have been able to heal relationships after

one of the people involved has died, and it is so good for them (and for the person who passed).

My mom worked at a hospital for many many years (and both my sisters still work at the same hospital), so I grew up knowing the importance of trying to heal relationships, even if that healing takes place after the death of someone.

The greatest gift my dad gave to me was the long talk we had one night, a few months before he died.

[libnnc]

105. My dad died in '77 too. Jan. 26

I dream about him sometimes. Usually, I'm trying to talk to him and either I can't get his attention or I'm trying to talk to him through a closed window (car window).

[ghostsofgiants]

17. They're just dreams..

I love how dreams are described at the beginning of The Science Of Sleep. (Great film, by the way.)

"A delicate combination of complex ingredients is the key. First, we put in some random thoughts. Then, we add a little bit of reminiscences of the day, mixed with some memories from the past...Love, friendships, relationships, and all those ships. Together with songs you heard during the day, things you saw."

It always bothers me somewhat when people try to find deeper meaning to dreams, as though they're some kind of external phenomena that occur independent of our thought process. (Or maybe I'm just a skeptical bringdown, aha.) Dreams are beautiful on their own, I just don't feel the need to add any external meaning to them.

[Shine]

27. I definitely think some dreams are more significant than others

and some are simply random processing of the day's events, like you mentioned.

Personally, I've received a lot of comfort and self-knowledge from examining my own dreams, throughout my life. I am fascinated by symbolism and metaphor, which is the language of our subconscious and dream world. LOL, I'm the type of person that finds a "deeper meaning" in just about anything.

Was Shine Girl actually visited by our dead cat, in her dream? Who knows? But the coincidence of the timing cannot escape unnoticed and that's what I find so fascinating.

:hi:

[ghostsofgiants]

36. There's no denying that some dremas will be pulled from deeper parts of the subconscious than others

And some will help you understand something about yourself more than others, I just think it's unnecessary to attach external meaning to dreams. The coincidence is hardly unexplainable. It's much more likely I think for something like that to be retrieved from memory when there's a distinct anniversary (like the one month, in this case) or something that would act as a reminder.

Not trying to detract from it or anything, like I said, I think dreams are beautiful things. I'm just coming from the perspective of a very skeptical person. (I took a folklore class about the paranormal and was the only person in the class who didn't believe in ANY paranormal phenomena, haha.) I just believe they happen to be manifestations of thoughts and feelings, rather than having some kind of external meaning such as the communication of a dead spirit.

[Shine]

43. I appreciate your perspective.

however I think there are many things in this life that cannot be explained and furthermore, are not meant to be.

I don't know all the answers and I'm OK with that. :D

You're also talking to someone who had her own Tarot deck at the age of 12 yrs old! heheh. Seriously, I was raised on astrology, my dad's been reading charts for years. What can I say? My perspective is hardly that of a "skeptic". LOL. I'm into all that stuff...

:D

[NashVegas]

58. My View of Dreams Is That It's My Own Subconscious Talking to Me

And occasionally, handing over some very important messages about situations in which my waking conscious is too hung up on logic to perceive some necessary truths.

[Shine]

61. Yes, I agree with that, Crisco.

our subconscious speaks to us through the language of symbolism and metaphor, which is why dream interpretation can be so fascinating, imo.

However, I can also consider the possibility of our beloved dead contacting us through our dreams b/c we are more "open", so to speak.

and what about pre-cognitive dreams? Those are pretty trippy to think about, too....

[redqueen]

76. careful though...

It is one of the commonest of mistakes to consider that the limit of our power of perception is also the limit of all there is to perceive. -C.W. Leadbeater

[GoddessOfGuinness]

20. A friend of mine just mentioned dreaming of her father to me yesterday...

It has been several months since he passed away; but she's been having a tough time with the dreams. It's depressing for her to awaken and remember that he has died.

When I was a young teenager, my dog was hit by a car, and I was devastated. For the next few years I'd have a recurring dream, where the dog came out of her grave, shook the dirt off, and was fine. And once, when I was lying awake, I could swear that I felt her jump up on my bed.

You are so good to help your daughter take comfort from her dreams, and not simply dismiss them as the brain's coping mechanism for this trauma. You're right...There IS so much mystery with regard to Life and Death. Who's to say that dear Spark isn't trying to communicate with you?

I'm so sorry for your family's loss...

:hug::hug::hug:

[Shine]

29. Thanks, friend.

:hug: :loveya:
I think we are all called to embrace the Mystery...

[Richard Steele]

23. Interesting. The only "departed friend" whom I am CERTAIN visited me in a dream....

...was also a cat.

[Shine]

31. Hmmm...that's cool.

cats are magical creatures, you know.
:D

[judaspriestess]

28. My beloved kitty boy comes to me in dreams all the time

he always look so beautiful and healthy (he had tummy cancer and became super skinny)

A couple of months after he died, he came to me in a particular dream and insisted I go to the shelter and get two lil kittens. I argued with him and told him no way, but he said it would help ease my pain and it was ok for me to do it. I respected his wishes and we now have two more babies in the family. That was a year and half ago. I miss my babycat everyday.

[Shine]

33. Wow, that's amazing.

Shine Girl wants to get another kitten, too...and we probably will, as a companion for Spark's sister, Flame, who is also missing her best friend, cuddle-mate. We need a bit more time, though. Maybe in the spring...

I'm glad you got two more for your family, but I'm sorry for your loss of your precious boy. :hug:

[judaspriestess]

35. Yeah I know, the reason I resisted in my dream

was because I felt it was too soon, but kittyboy promised me he was ok with it and that is what he wanted. Isn't that sweet?

You'll know when the time is right for another baby. I remember you posting the story of your cat being hit by a car. So tragic and heartbreaking.

[Shine]

39. I love how kittyboy encouraged you. What a great story.

thanks for your kind words, judaspriestess. :hug:

[jus_the_facts]

32. I've had dreams of all my departed family members...and one friend repeatedly....

...a friend o'mine from childhood who got killed in a car wreck in high school I've dreamt of many many times. I have nightmares about my kitties gettin' loose outside and I'm frantic tryin' to find them...those totally suck. Sorry for the loss of your kitty. :hi:

[Spirochete]

42. I've had the same dream twice

I'm lying in bed, and my parents open the door, look in on me for a minute, smile, and walk away. Strange dream.

[Shine]

44. Not so strange.

they're just checking in on you, with love in their hearts. How very sweet. :hug:

[Evoman]

45. I had a dream that I was being tortured last night.

Like in that damn movie hostel...and some lady who had flunked out of dentistry school wanted to practice on me. Then after I passed out, I woke up in a room where they let the torture victims recover for a couple of days until their next session. I was in the room with some blond, terrified girl and Horatio (David Caruso). Caruso kept trying to use his forensic smarts to find a way out...I was banging away at the windows (shatter proof) trying to find a way out. The blond girl kept telling me to stop, or they would come get me.

Then the door opened, and two guards with huge swords told me to stop making noise, and to come with them for my next session. For some reason, I had a sword as well, and I managed to slit the throats of both guards with the short sword (but I also took a stab wound to my shoulder). I then escaped...the blond girl was too terrified to come with me, but Horatio came with me. Then I woke up.

Dreams are dreams. That is all they are. Sometimes they tell you a little about the dreamer...for example, I'm homicidal in my dreams,lol. You have to remember that although a month may seem a stunning coincedence...it really isn't. The concept of a month is completely arbitrary (why are some months longer than others?). Likely she had a dream by coincidence the first time, and then her active thinking about her dreams, and the cat, precipitated another dream.

There is nothing to dreams, but our own minds. Moreover, cats don't talk....especially dead cats.

[Ariana Celeste]

46. 3 people.

My older brother. My father. And I'd rather not talk about the other. The first two are almost always good now. The third.... sometimes good, sometimes bad, but always leaves me feeling sick and horribly depressed when I wake up.

[RFKHumphreyObama]

47. I've had several experiences

I never really knew my paternal grandfather –he died before I had the chance to know him as well as I would have liked and my memories of him are quite vague. Nevertheless in the month before his death I had a dream about visiting him and I had this strong feeling that he was not long for this world (this may have been influenced by the fact that he was in declining health). On the night that he died, I found myself thinking about him before we heard the news

The next year I had one or two dreams in which my grandfather featured. I remember that I seemed to be visiting him in a place which seemed to have a lot of positive feelings surrounding it, which I took to be Heaven. If my memory serves me accurately, he used one or two phrases which dad later told me were common phrases that he used but I could be wrong about that

My next experience involving a dream involving the death of a loved one was after I attended a one-year anniversary memorial service for a relative whom I had been quite close to when I was young. I was sleeping in my auntie’s bedroom at the time and I had a dream that this relative and her husband (who had predeceased his wife) were standing by the bed in the room. I do realize that they were both on my mind due to the memorial service but I’m still not uncertain whether there was more to it than that

My maternal grandfather has visited me on quite a frequent basis in my dreams since his death over a decade ago. The first time I met him was in a place which I took to be Paradise but ever since then he has always appeared to me in the house that he and my grandmother used to share. There’s always some very common theme to them –that my grandfather is not dead, that he was very ill for a while and that we may have interpreted this as meaning that he was dead. It is kind of weird to explain but it makes sense in the dream

About two years ago I had a dream that my sister and I were walking with my grandfather in the house that he and my grandmother shared. The house has an indoor garden and my grandfather started taking steps into the indoor garden. Knowing that my grandfather was very frail during his final years, my sister and I reached out to grab him because we feared he would fall over. And my grandfather turned to us and gently asked us why we were so worried about whether he would fall, that he was fine now and free from pain and physical infirmity.

I woke up just then and, while reflecting on the dream, I realized that it had been the anniversary of my grandfather’s death.

A few years ago, I was undergoing surgery at a hospital about two hours away from our home. The night before surgery, my mother had a dream in which my late grandfather was reminding her to wake up in time for the long drive from my home to the hospital to be there in time for when I was wheeled into the operating theatre.

My maternal grandmother died approximately one and a half years ago. Since then, she has appeared in a few of my dreams. And I’ve had one or two dreams involving pets who have moved on to the next world

The difference between these dreams and the normal dreams I have is the feeling I get when I wake up. It is hard to describe but it seems to be a feeling that the dream was meant to be much more than a dream and was perhaps something more significant. It is hard to explain

[Shine]

49. Thanks for your post and sharing your dreams.

I totally agree with you about the difference between dreams and the feelings we have, afterwards. You're right, it IS hard to explain in words.

:hi:

[BlueIris]

48. When my kitty, Mr. Cheeps, disappeared last summer, he came to visit me the week after.

In a dream, that is. Then, I never saw him again.

Come to think of it, Mr. Cheeps is the only deceased loved one I have ever seen in a dream.

[Left Is Write]

50. Frank Sinatra, alive and well and about 60, was in my dream the other night.

[InvisibleTouch]

51. Lots of times.

One that stands out in my mind is a friend who died in '99, ostensibly from suicide, though that never really made sense to me. We'd known each other since the first grade, and though we moved half a world away from each other, we'd meet up every two or three years during vacations, and would always pick up our conversations and interactions right where we'd left off, as though there had been no intervening time.

Well, the first time I dreamed about him after he died, it was the same way: we just picked up the conversation again, totally familiar and comfortable. I took the opportunity to ask him what was up about the circumstances of his death. I told him, "They said you killed yourself," and he laughed incredulously and answered, "Is that what they thought? No, I just wanted to get away for a while." Taking a break from physical existence, is how I understood that. He didn't seem to see it as having "died."

The second time he dropped by, I said just before he left, "Don't be such a stranger, come visit again." He's only come one more time since, so far. I've thought about sharing these "visits" with his mother, but have decided against it.

Now, this could all be totally self-generated by my own mind, as could all the other dreams of deceased friends and pets. But these were more direct, not just being in a scenario where I saw and was interacting with the deceased, but where we were actually discussing life and death. I won't put any other interpretation on it, other than to say they've been interesting and memorable experiences, whatever they might mean.

[Shine]

53. That's interesting. Thanks for posting.

It's interesting to consider whether one knows one is "dead", after one dies. What's real? It's all just about perception, anyway...


Hmmm...

:hi:

[InvisibleTouch]

63. Well, he knew he was no longer physical...

...that is, he knew he had made a transition, but he didn't regard it as being "dead." And given that he was sitting in my living room chatting with me, I could kinda see his point. :)

And that reminds me of a rather strange dream in which I was in a car with several people, some of whom were known to be dead/non-physical, and some were alive/physical, including my best friend who is very much alive. But a girl in the car asked him what he had died of, and he answered matter-of-factly with some infectious disease that had killed people a long time ago, and I was completely shocked - to realize he had been dead/non-physical the whole time, and I never knew it. He'd never bothered to tell me this??! But my next thought was to be relieved - because if he was already dead/non-physical, and yet had been with me all this time, I could never lose him.

How's that for messing with your head? ;)

[Shine]

67. Maybe he died of that in one of his past lives

Hmmm...interesting.

It's very easy for me to consider the possibility of more than one life.

[Midlodemocrat]

52. I dream about my mom and dad all the time.

I love it because I get to talk to them and I miss them so very much.

[Shine]

54. That's great. Do you get the feeling they are checking in on you?

:hi:

[Midlodemocrat]

56. Yes. And telling me that they are okay.

Right after my mom died, I was picking up my 4 year early from school so that we could go to CT for the services and she was chattering on and on about things and I thought to myself "Mom, how am I going to do this without you". I swear to you, I heard her voice as clear as day "I'm right here".

And, when we were staying at her house during the services, I was sleeping in her bed with my little one who kept telling me to move over so that there was room for Nana.

[Shine]

57. Oh, how sweet!

Yes, I believe the death is not the absolute end of existence. I think our energy, our souls, simply change form after leaving the body. The body dies, but Love NEVER dies. :hug:

[LibertyLover]

55. Yes, my mom comes to visit occassionally as do my dogs

who have died. I'm betting that my mom is pissed off because she didn't believe in life after death :) I've had several dreams with my dogs in them, usually just after loosing one. In the dreams the recently deceased dog is joined by the other dogs I've had and lost and they let me know that the newly dead dog is with them and they will see that he is taken care of. I firmly believe, although I have no evidence whatsoever, that I will be reunited with ALL the beings I have loved when I die - not just people. I just home that the Summerland has plenty of space for my greyhounds and whippets to run.

[Rising Phoenix]

59. you probably won't believe this

about a week after my father died, I was sleeping in bed with my mom, to comfort her. I heard crying and assuming it was her, woke up to talk to her. I saw a dark haired figure sitting on the bed and in my sleepy state assumed it was her. I went to put my arms around her and fell right through the figure, only to see her laying there peacefully sleeping. I looked up and saw my dad and he told me I was doing a great job taking care on my mom and that he would be there to help me every step of the way. He then just stood there and I layed back and got my first good nights sleep since his death.

[Shine]

62. I believe you.

death is the ultimate Mystery, isn't it? I don't think it's the ultimate "end", though.

:hug:

[Connonym]

60. This gives me goosebumps

A few years ago my sister was doing an internship in Ireland. While she was there our uncle died unexpectedly. Very shortly after his time of death (which was day here and night in Ireland) she awoke from a dream where he had come to visit and told her that he was checking in on everyone one last time to tell them that he was ok. This was before she found out he had died.

I don't know what to make of stuff like this because I'm not sure I believe in an afterlife. Not in dreams but several times I swear out of the corner of my eye I've seen my dead cat cross the room or sometimes I think I see her sitting in the shadows. Probably this is nothing more than a manifestation of my missing her (she's been gone for 10 years) but it still always makes me gasp.

[Shine]

65. Wow, that's a great story. I've heard ones like that, before.

they really make you wonder, don't they?

I don't think we're meant to know all the answers, but instead, be at peace with the unknown. Therein lies the rub...:D

[tigereye]

64. hey Shine!

My husband is very interesting in dreams and journaling, and he recommends books by Robert Moss. Very interesting stuff.

http://www.mossdreams.com/welcome.htm

I think dreaming about the dead is really good for our pysches and helps us cope and process change.

He says this book is excellent.... http://www.mossdreams.com/nonfiction.htm

Dreaming Book of the Dead

[Shine]

66. Hey, thanks for the link, tigereye.

I haven't heard of him, but he looks fascinating.

I think if we didn't have our dream life we would go insane. They're a great way to process change, like you said.

:hi: :pals:

[tigereye]

68. I suspec t that you might enjoy discussing this with my husband

he's done a lot of dream work/ shamanic drumming stuff, what have you. In fact, he was thinking about starting a dream website of some sort. So if you are interested, I'll send you info when he gets it going at some point.

How are ya! :pals:

[Shine]

72. Yeah, I'm totally interested. Keep me posted.

I did a shamanic vision quest almost 8 yrs ago and it completely transformed my life. I am very much interested in all that sort of stuff. I've also done a lot of African drumming and was in a drum circle for years.

Life's been interesting lately. I'll leave it at that. :D

:hug: :pals: How's life on your end? Hope all's well...

[tigereye]

85. drum circle!

cool. I have a conga and have played drum set for years. (weird punk band, but in a funky/alt style) I've done a little bit of that. I think women playing drums are way cool!

I hope we can meet next time I get out that way.

I don't know how long it will take the husband to get the website thing going, but he ran an astrology newsgroup for years, and he's good at that sort of thing. He's enjoying a consulting phase of life for a while, so he has a little more time for fun and spiritual development, etc. I've having fun too. It's nice to be able to have adult lunches in the middle of the day and time to chat with him about music, art, politics during the day (I do most of my work at home) instead of waiting til he comes home. :)


We are waiting on the snow storm that's building, for the last week or two it was frigid cold, like -5 for a while. That's pretty cold for here. After the big storm (see everyone run out for extra milk and tp!), it's supposed to get cold again.

take care, my dear.

[Shine]

86. That's cool that you play, too!

Yeah, we're women with rhythm!! :pals: Definitely let me know whenever you're out here on the central coast. I'd love to hook up with you.

Your hubby sounds cool, too. My dad's been doing astrology for years, so I was raised with it. It must be great to have your man around during the day. I wish I had mine around more. He's an executive with a tech startup in Sunnyvale, so you get the picture. Normally he doesn't get home til almost 7:30pm. :( Sigh...

Good luck with the weather. We've got some rain comin' in, but nothing major. We need it, actually.

:hug: :hi:

[InvisibleTouch]

69. We literally would go insane if we didn't dream.

If you're prevented from having REM sleep, even if you're allowed to sleep otherwise, dreams/hallucinations start to show up in your waking life. Whatever they ultimately mean, dreams are necessary to the proper functioning of the mind. All non-human animals dream as well, at least the ones who have been studied - and I suspect it's true of the ones who haven't, too.

[Shine]

73. Yup, it's true.

It's always amusing to watch my cat dream.

As somebody else posted, upthread, dreams are a great way our minds process change. I love that. It's so true.

[redqueen]

77. Hi tigereye!

Thanks for posting those links. :hi:

[skygazer]

70. I had a horse who was struck and killed by a car in 1976

I was 15 and he was my horse.

I've dreamed about him many times over the years and the dreams fall into two categories. There are the guilt dreams in which I'm just going about my day and then suddenly realize, with a horrible drop in my stomach, that I've forgotten to feed the horses. Mind you, in my dream, I'm the age I am now and I haven't had these horses for 30 years and in my dream, they haven't been fed in that long. And I hurry out to the pasture where they're miraculously still alive but very hungry and weak and I feel simply terrible and guilty. I had one of those dreams just last night.

Guilt is a strange thing - I feel guilt (that I know I shouldn't feel) because I wasn't home when the accident happened. It was the middle of the night - it's not like I could have changed things but guilt is not rational. Those dreams surface when I'm stressed out by other things.

The other type of dream is the best - in them, I discover that my horse never really died and I get on him and go for a wonderful ride. Those dreams are so great - I wake up feeling so darn good.

I have an open mind as to most things dealing with life and death - we don't know anything for sure and it seems silly to rule things out just because they seem fantastic to us.

What I think is that Shine Girl and Shine Boy are very fortunate to have such a great mom. :hug:

[Shine]

74. I'm sorry about your horse, skygazer.

that's unusual to hear of one getting hit by a car. How awful for you. :hug:

Yeah, feeling guilt in dreams sucks, but it happens. Hey, we're human. Dream analysts are always interested in what we are FEELING in our dreams, as way to help interpret the symbolism. I think our dreams are a way we process feelings and change. And I agree with you, it's good to keep an open mind about the things we don't completely understand.

Who knows for sure?

Thanks for your kind words, too. :hug: :loveya: You're a good friend. :pals:

[Cabcere]

71. Funny you should mention that

My friends and I were just talking at lunch today about dreams, especially involving the dead. One friend told us that his roommate had told him one morning about a really weird dream he had about Steve Irwin (the Crocodile Hunter). The next day, they found out that Irwin had been killed by a stingray's barb in his heart. :scared: Weird.

I've occasionally had dreams about the dead, too - once when I was younger, I dreamt of my first kitten, Topaz, a little stray who died after only ten days. In my dream he was on some kind of alien planet, but he was happy. I seem to remember him having a different form, and being purple and green, but he was clearly recognizable to me as my little Topaz. He seemed older in the dream, too, and not sick anymore. :)

Usually, though (and this is the really weird thing!), when the dead figure prominently in my dreams, it's the crew of the Challenger. I never knew any of them, of course - I was born six hours after they were killed - but often in my dreams I'm on the doomed shuttle with them, or communicating with them from the ground. I always know what the Challenger's fate is going to be, but usually that's not the focus of my dream...I'm just there doing my job or whatever, even though I know we/they are going to die. :shrug: Almost every time I've had the Challenger dream, though, something bad happens the next day. So far it hasn't been anything too terrible, but it's definitely noticeable and I usually end up having a bad day. I don't think it's directly because of the dream, though - I never even remember the dream until things start to go wrong, and then I'll remember, oh yeah, I dreamed of Challenger last night. :shrug: Weird, isn't it?

[Shine]

78. Hmmm...that's an interesting dream.

I'm not quite sure what to make of the Challenger connection or what it means...but it is interesting to note that whenever you've had a dream featuring the doomed crew, you've gone on to have a challenging day, literally.

Interesting that you were born six hours after the accident, too.

Life is full of mysteries, isn't it? I love it! :hi:

[redqueen]

75. If I have, I don't remember it...

I was discussing death last night... fascinating subject.

Many believe visits from the dead in our dreams are more than just the random firing of neurons.

[Shine]

79. Hi redqueen

yes, you're right. Death IS a fascinating subject. I am a hospice volunteer, so I have had a lot of experience being with people who are "close to the edge", so to speak. I am certain that the veil between the worlds of the living and dead is thinner than we know....

:hi:

[azmouse]

80. About 5 yrs after my father-in-law died

I had a dream about him visiting me and telling me everything was alright where he was. I remember waking up in tears. That dream stayed with me for many years.

[Shine]

81. Yeah, the dreams that have us waking up in tears stay with us longer, huh?

I can definitely relate. :hug: How sweet that he came to visit you.

Are you having fun watching 24 again? :hi: What will happen to poor Jack tonite? :D

[azmouse]

82. I think this may be the best season ever!

I'll be glued to the set tonight. I can't believe what a bastard Jack's dad is!

[Shine]

83. I know, that was a pretty shocking scene.

poor, poor Jack. If only he had time for therapy, to deal with his dysfunctional family backround. :D LOL.

[GenDem]

84. I've had lots of dreams that my dead loved ones are in

My grandfather, grandmother, and my favorite aunt visit me in my dreams. I always tell them how much I miss them, and how glad I am to see them. As, I recall they always interact in the dream with comfort and reassurance. I always wake up after these dreams feeling sad; missing them, but with a sense of contentment. :shrug:

Dreams are fascinating.

[Shine]

87. Yeah, those sorts of dreams are bittersweet, aren't they?

Sad, but comforting....

:hi:

[GenDem]

90. They really are

These dreams make me feel like I have a connection with the people that I love and miss. I hope that they mean something more than just my own subconscious memories playing tricks on me.

[Shine]

96. I like to think that those dreams really do mean something.

:hug:

[Danger Mouse]

88. When I dream...I am transported to a dark and terrible place...

where the demons in my subconcious, that I can keep at bay when I am awake, assail me nonstop.
If I take a nap in the afternoon, time seems distorted...I can nap for a half hour and have it literally feel like four hours...as it is packed with nonstop dreams, very few of them pleasant.

[Danger Mouse]

89. Incidentally, I dreamt about my dead dog once...

she was rotted and corpselike, and she killed my family in a horrible and gruesome fashion.
I woke up screaming.
I wish I were joking.

[Shine]

97. Wow....sounds like a nightmare to me.

:scared:

[Redstone]

91. My dreams have been full of people long gone for about six months now.

No idea what it means.

Redstone

[Shine]

99. Hmmmm...me neither.

but it's interesting to ponder, isn't it? :shrug:

:hi: :hug: Hey, how was that deep tissue massage you got the other week? Did it help? I remember seeing that thread. Hope your body is feeling good tonite.

[Redstone]

102. Half damn killed me, it did. And the second one was worse, because she nailed

the trigger points sooner and more frequently. YEEOUCH!

But it must be doing some good, because I slept ALL DAY after the second massage. I think that's because I had so much lactic acid released from the spasming muscles (which the same I seem to be full of).

Like I tell my sons: "If you hurt yourself bad enough when you're young, don't bother growing older, because it won't be worth it." Fortunately, neither of them has so much as broken a bone.

Thanks for asking.

Redstone

[u4ic]

93. Yes

A couple stand out in my mind (though there are more):

I had a dream about a friend's mother a few months after she died. I only spent time with her once - we stayed with her on a trip we took together.

In the dream, she looked so happy and serene (she had bone cancer which had spread to her brain and died in her mid 40's), and was surrounded by the most beautiful music - I don't believe in 'heaven' per se, but it really was otherworldly. It was from the piccolo. She didn't say anything, but the music seemed to be important.

I told my friend about it, and she told me her mother had played the piccolo; it was her favourite instrument. She took that as a sign it was her mom, and was comforted that her mom was fine.


Another was with my grandmother. I didn't know her very well, had only met her about 5 or 6 times; sort of a 'dragon lady' in my book, very cold and intimidating.

About a year after she died, I had a dream in which she came to me, and apologized. She then transferred the sum of her life experiences to me - it was the most bizarre thing. Everything she had felt...I did.

I woke up with a new understanding of her - I still didn't particularly like her, but had so much compassion, something I never did before.

The dream stayed with me (I had it in 95), and in 2003, when my aunt was visiting, I mentioned it to her. She said I wasn't the first one who told her that my grandmother was making the rounds and apologizing; that others had told her something similar.

She then told me about my grandmother's early life, things I hadn't known - so much tragedy and heartbreak she had.


I'm with you, Shine - I think it's a fascinating topic, and one we truly won't know until we experience it firsthand. Yet I've had so many unusual experiences I can't discount - I've definitely accessed a higher part of myself through them on occasions. Lots of daily mishmash stuff, and some with fascinating storylines; but too many I can't explain, including some precognitive ones (one about a death in the exact place and way - and very unusual, I may add - I just didn't know who. I found out the night after my dream, it was my next door neighbour. I had told people that day someone was going to die, the feeling was so strong. They were pretty blown away by it).

There is much we don't know or understand.

I hope Spark visits Shine Girl a few more times. It must be very comforting to her.

[Shine]

100. Wow, thanks for your fascinating post, u4ic.

I love the story about your grandmother "making the rounds" to the family through dreams. That's amazing.

Yeah, precognitive dreams...what about those? I haven't had any myself, but I know of many who have and it doesn't seem unbelievable to me at all. I find it all so incredibly fascinating and strangely comforting.

I LOVE knowing there are things we can't explain in words or fully understand. It doesn't bother me one bit, but instead is strangely comforting, if that makes any sense. When mysterious things like that happen it reminds me of the Bigger Picture and the divinity we are all surrounded by. Separation is an illusion.

:hug: :loveya:

[mentalsolstice]

94. Yes, I've had these dreams!

My best friend died of pancreatic cancer. It was quick, he was diagnosed, and 2 weeks later he was gone! He was my husband's best friend for 30 years. However, he and I took off on our own little friendship (for about 5 years), very independent of theirs. It was extremely painful for both of us. Before he was diagnosed, we had just decided to get married, which Mike was so happy about. About 2 weeks after he died, I had a dream, he and I were in his hospital room, he got out of bed, got dressed, told me he was good and that "I'm going home now." Since then, he has passed through my dreams, from time to time, to give me a thumbs up.

My husband and I got married on Mike's birthday. The Christmas before he died, Mike gave my husband a pair of dress socks (guys?). My husband wanted to wear them at our wedding, but he had lost one. So at our wedding, he had mismatched socks!

[Shine]

101. How sweet about the socks. Great story.

I do hospice volunteering work, and I've had many clients who have had pancreatic cancer, over the years. You're right, it is very quick. 2 wks is pretty damn quick, though. I'm sorry for the loss of your friend. :hug:

How cool that Mike has checked in on you, in your dreams. It definitely sounds as if there is a powerful connection, surpassing the boundary of life and death. I love that you got married on his birthday, too.

:hi:

[mentalsolstice]

104. It was an easy decision

We decided to get married about a month before we learned that he was sick. Funny, he and I went to a seminar, and it was in July, and it was obvious that something was bothering him. We had told him about 2 weeks earlier about our marriage plans. He asked me about the date, and I teased him that we would wait (about 13 months later) and get married on his birthday and split the cost of the cake with him. The next time (and last time I saw him conscious), I saw him, he was coming out of his biopsy (he knew, it was under local anesthesia), I held his hand while we waited for a car to pick him up. I'll never forget the feel of his hand in mine. That was the last time I saw him conscious.

Two weeks later, I went to the funeral home and signed his death certificate, I became an adult that day. He was so special! Anyone who knew him, loved him!

[Nikia]

95. Both my dead grandparents visited me in dreams a few times

Unfortunetly, instead of feeling comforted, I have felt rather sad because I wake up and know that they are no longer alive.

[WritingIsMyReligion]

98. My mom dreams of her dead mother all the the time.

She swears it's something magical, but I tell her that it's more than likely her own subconscious reassuring her of the finality of death. :D

[Shine]

103. I'm with your mom.

I believe in magic. :D

I'm sure it's incredibly comforting to your mom to dream of her mom. It's bittersweet, actually.