A Vivid Dream_My Memorial Shrine.

[Huathe]

All,

About six months ago. I had a very vivid dream. It went something like this...

I was walking down a narrow stone walkway with a blonde-headed blue eyed gentleman beside me. Looking around I saw a beautiful landscape with various trees ( Cedars, Oaks, Maples, Lombardy Poplars, etc ) dotting the rolling hills. Among these hills and trees were elongated semi-open stuctures. As we approached one of these stuctures I asked the person beside me who he was and where we were and what the structures were for? He told me that he was an angel of God and he had something to show me. He said " The structure in front of you is yours. A shrine dedicated to your life on Earth. I asked " Am I dead, Am I in heaven "? He just said " Come inside and see ".

First off, I have to describe the stucture. It is in the shape of a long rectangle, I can only guess it's dimensions but it would have had to have been at least 150 feet long by 30 feet wide. The entrance had a roofless vestibule with the stone wall reaching no more than 3 1/2 feet high. Within that vestibule was a stone statue, I can't remember exactly what of, but I think it was of me! Along the walls were stone benches. The vestibule was narrower than the rest of the structure.

The structure itself has a stone wall to perhaps 3 1/2 feet above the ground floor and above that is open, with the roof supported by wood poles, or maybe concrete pillars. I can't remember this clearly enough. Below the roof there is a wooden " upper wall " extending down maybe three feet. The roof itself looked like the roof on those temples you see in Japan. As I have said before, the sides of the shrine was mostly open, with the wall extending only a short distance up from the ground and down from the roof. The vestibule has no roof. The angel told me that dispite the open nature of the shrine that no rain or other objects ever got in from the outside. A row of Eastern White Pine, about 70-80 feet tall was on the right of the structure but no fallen cones or needles were ever seen inside the stucture. The distance ( gap ) between the lower wall and upper wall is about 6 feet. I remember a tree, across from the structure's entrance, across the walkway. It was an evergreen. I feel it might have been a Yew or maybe a Holly. As to the height of the roof I could only guess. It was quite tall.

Entering the vestibule I removed my sandals and then followed my guide through a set of small swinging doors into the main structure. I entered the door on the left. The right one was an exit door. It had a smooth stone floor, I cannot remember whether it was granite or marble, nor can a really remember it's color, but it was not white. It closely matched the color of the outside wall stone. Maybe grey? The long interior was bisected lengthwise by a wall except at the very end where you could walk to the right around the wall to go back down toward the exit.

Anyway, upon entering I noticed familiar things on shelves, stands, walls and tables. The angel explained that they were things that represented events, people or valuables in my life. The first things were baby things. Pictures, blankets, rattles, baby bottles, pictures of my youthful parents. Every thing was in chronological order, from birth on. As I went onward into the shrine I saw my childhood. Things I loved, things representing people I loved. Places. Stuff from my youthful days on Briggs rd. I found the Walking Cane that my Great Grandfather Baxter Warren had given me and I had lost when I was two, yes, I can remember that! The angel told me I could not remove anything from the shrine. I did not ask why. I took for granted that the object would turn to dust or just simply vanish if I did.

Going onward deeper into the shrine I found stuff from my preteen and teen years. My rock collection, My chemistry sets,, telecopes/micoscopes, fishing poles, representing fishing trips with Dad, My jars of protozoan cultures and caterpillars. Model airplanes and Penthouse magazines. Pictures of life at that time. Reaching into my twenties I found more things representing my life, including my new friend, Clay. Also pain. My parents divorce. Approaching the back wall I found baby stuff. Stuff representing my daughter, Sarah. I was certainly crying by now. Followed by stuff from my Oleta Rd days. Books, Celtic Studies, The Bible. And my Hawthorn Hiking Staff.

On the back wall were four beautiful very lifelike statues. Basically life sized clothed porcelain dolls. I recognized them immediately. They are the four women I loved most in life, not counting my mom. Joy, my beloved wife. Cheri, my ex-wife, Holly, a friend I have always adored, and Iva, my first real girl friend. Now I was really in sobs as a touched each one. Looking past the statues I could see the back of the shrine was higher off the ground than the entrance. A small creek could be seen down the hill and the sky was a bright blue with a few small puffy clouds. A wonderful breeze wafted in.

Rounding the corner I now became aware of that this would progress to my death. I continued onward.

Heading down the other side I saw my painful divorce from Cheri and ongoing things representing events. I saw my pinecone collection representing my love for trees. Then I saw pictures of Lake Julian representing my move to Arden. And something of mother, representing her ongoing battle with cancer. Then looking up I suddenly awoke!

Sitting up in bed, my heart was racing and I was wet eyed. I could not go back to sleep right away. Joy asked me " What's wrong " I told her that I had an unusually vivid dream, that I would tell her about in the morning. I made a point to remember as much of it possible. It also occurred to me that I woke up at exactly the point of life I am at now. At 45! Did I wake up because my mind had no more memories to incorporate into the dream because those events had not occurred yet, or was it that the dream was of divine nature and God did not want me to see my future and death? What would his purpose for showing me the dream be?

I have never had a dream so clear and vivid as this one. Before or since. Only water images so well for me in dreams, but not a whole landscape as this! Was it just a dream or one divinely inspired? God has communicated to people before in dreams. The Bible has several examples.

I never did really find out where the shrine was. Personally, I don't think it was in heaven, but in a prepatory place. Maybe what the Catholics call " Purgatory "

Fortunately, I did not have to pull all this from memory. I typed much of the details down on the computer the next morning.

Comments are welcome.

[edfrank]

James,

I think that dreams tend to reflect what is going on in your mind both consciously and subconsciously. If you are worried about something non-specific, you may have nightmares. If you are worried for someone, you think of them in your dreams. Events and objects in the dreams represent things that are unresolved in your mind. There are books about dream interpretation, but I doubt their validity because beyond some generalities what is happening in them needs to be interpreted from within the context of your own background and what is happening in your life at the present time. That personal evaluation and background can't be found in a book. The best these books can do is to help guide you on a self exploration of their meaning.

Are some of them divinely inspired or are they all construct of your own mine? That is something I can't say. Perhaps some answers can be suggested by near-death experiences. Those people who have nearly died in an accident often find themselves reviewing all of the things they have left undone - their life, as in the old cliché, flashes before their eyes. Those of a religious background may see a white light or angels or other manifestation of their religious beliefs. Whether they are sent by the divine is a question that can only be answered by the person having the experience. Those without a religious background tend to not see these things. If the person nearly dies from a suicide attempt, those people with a Christian religious backgroud may see a manifestation of hell, even if their current level of fatih has waned or changed. Those without the a religious background or strong beliefs do not see these visions of hell. So in my opinion people in these cases are having something akin to a dream and they tend see what they expect to see. They interpret what is happening in these experieinced based upon their own back ground and beliefs. This is not a judgment on the validity of what they experience or even a rejection of the idea that these experiences are divinely inspired. It is simply an observation about the internal context of the experiences.

You have always been a religious person. You have strong feeling for your friends and family. You have this personal connection with nature. The theme of the dream you shared has converted these core aspects of your conscious and unconscious mind into a sort of retrospective of your life up until this point. Are you currently trying to change the direction of your life? Are you experiencing a personal crisis or events in your life that is causing you to reevaluate your existence or purpose in life? Perhaps it a dream entirely created within your mind, or perhaps the dream has been directed by the divine to show you what you need to see. the dream is a highly personal experience. The interpretation of that dream can only be done by you, because you are the only one who has experienced your life. Ask yourself what is happening in your life that this dream may be addressing? I wish you well in this self evaluation.

Ed Frank

[wyeuro]

this dream resembles certain experiences i've had with a tall blond blue-eyed man who talks to me while i am awake. i've always heard voices and instead of trying to rationalise them (there's just not enough data) i take them at face value. this man talked to me all through the 1980s, and often showed me things he said he had taken from me when there was a danger of them being lost. he said he had my insect collection from when i was twelve, my teen-age poems and portraits, a favourite pair of boots and much more. i even saw him take from my bedside table a pile of national geographics, though they weren't important to me. he had a laughing manner, slightly mocking, even, but there was no doubting the very intense affection. he wore modern clothing - a suit. he didn't call himself an angel, just an ethereal man. but i've met ethereal people who call themselves angels. i was brought up in an atheist household.
wyverne

[Serenity]

Hawthorn Ent
Things you've had and held, people you have loved and cherished but lost or moved on from, those that remain important - it sounds like a life review (spurred by your bardic studies?). The vividness and the detail are striking. I've had such vivid dreams - they seem more like out-of-body experiences than normal dreams, they are so tangible.

If this had been my dream I would choose to regard it as an acknowledgement and cherishing of all that I had done in my life, both the good and bad.

I like that everything is collected into the one place to deal with as a whole. But rather than keeping hold of it as a shrine, I think I would want to somehow gracefully let go of it. If I was able to act lucidly in the dream I might choose to have everything turn into beautiful light that would then dissipate into sunlight or starlight. But I'm someone who can feel heavy and weighed down by the weight of possessions, expectations and past mistakes so I spend a bit of time cutting ties and shedding - you might be different. The fact that you woke up at the right time of life is a good sign! You are alive and active to move into the next phase!

Thanks for sharing this.

[Huathe]

Ed & Serenity,

Both of you have given me much to think about. Ed, in the last paragraph you asked if I had had a personal crisis in my life. Six years ago my wife of 16 years left me for another man. Up to that time I was intensely involved in celtic studies and listened often to celtic music. I also hiked a lot and spent a lot of time practicing meditation techniques. After the night I caught her, much changed about me. I virtually stopped listening to celtic music and abandoned my studies and meditation would have been impossible. Then I started listening to country music, a genre of music I had little interest in before ( except for bluegrass ) However, my hiking was not affected, since I seeked to sit among the trees in sorrowful solitude. As time went on some of my former self gradually returned. But not all. Even after remarrying I sometimes caught myself thinking of all I had lost. Not so much of my ex-wife but personal possessions. I gave up my house and land willingly so my then 8 year old child, Sarah would have a home. I would have never done this if she would have wanted to live with me. But I missed my home and much of my old life. Sometimes I felt like a loser. Fortunately, my current wife, Joy has been quite understanding of my feelings. Maybe the dream was an outpouring of my pent up emotions. both past and present. And yes, a change in my life's direction is occurring. Inspired by becoming involved in druidry, which brings me to Serenity's reply. The dream occurred before I began my Bardic studies. About 3 months before. But beginning the bardic studies has brought back a lot of what I lost 6 years ago. I now listen to Celtic music again and study celtic history and folklore. It has also made me look closely at myself. One of the greatest things about druidry is it makes you analyze yourself. It has made me feel so much better in the last three months. It has enabled me to let go of the past and find that what was me is still there. I just had to re-release it. I've indeed had to cut ties and it is time to move forward onto the next phase. Another thing started happening shortly after the dream. My daughter, who I saw only occaisionally started spending much more time with me. I had missed her so. This alone has helped me so much!

Another trial I am currently having is my mother has cancer. It started as breast cancer but has since moved to her spine, hip and femur. It is not pleasant seeing your mom go through so much and wonder how long she has left. I worry so much about her.

http://www.druidry.org/board/dhp/viewto ... =5&t=36963

I have wondered if God was giving me a preview of heaven, or something like it but maybe he was trying to tell me to let go of some stuff. To clear my mind of some past baggage but to keep what is really valuable. Like family and friends. Two things are for sure. I never faltered in my faith in God through those trials and I never lost my love for nature. Church helped the first and joining ENTS, three years ago boosted the latter. Now druidry will help me on my way.

Wyverne,

It sounds like you may have a guardian angel or maybe a spirit guide. Have you seen him lately and do you see him often?

[Serenity]

Hello Hawthorn_Ent

Thankyou for your lovely response.
Blessings
Serenity

[wyeuro]

Wyverne,

It sounds like you may have a guardian angel or maybe a spirit guide. Have you seen him lately and do you see him often?

yes, i think it's fairly common. i was tutoring bards and ovates for a few years and they were describing pretty much the same 'inner plane' with that kind of vision featuring in a fair percentage of bardic and ovate reports on their experience. guardian angels, anamcharas, whatever, i'm experiencing gradual improvement in communication although not constant as all sorts of conditions can enhance and eclipse it, from magnetic weather conditions to you state of physical health. my aim is to hear what they call themselves and call them that.

in the pacific spiritual marriages are common, so the magical infrastructures are there for easy contact, and yes, i married mine. here's the story if you're interested. http://wyldwyverne.wordpress.com/2010/0 ... l-husband/

he came into my caravan once, manifesting as a sort of ghost and i said to him, 'hallo, incorporeal being.' he replied, 'i'm corporeal, but that's immaterial.'
wyverne /|\

[Huathe]

Wyverne,

Your story is sure a unique one. While my dream was quite spiritual for me, it does not hold a candle against Hans and Your spiritual relationship. Have you ever actually figured out what kind of spirit Hans actually is? He does not sound like what I picture as an angel. Could he be a ghost of one long passed or a nature spirit in human form? Forgive me, I am quite ignorant on such spiritual matters.

[wyeuro]

Have you ever actually figured out what kind of spirit Hans actually is? He does not sound like what I picture as an angel. Could he be a ghost of one long passed or a nature spirit in human form?

well, yes, he has explained, but there are gaps in my understanding that have not yet been filled. i've had to let go of all my beliefs and become very non-committal, and scrupulously critical, so any info from him gets sort of quarantined until i can verify it with reference to the mundane world. for instance, i see him in space ships sometimes, and sometimes i know he isn't on earth, but off on a voyage. this tallies with what some abductees describe, and many of our meetings have been semi-formal, with space people (the greys) around him. with my consent, they used their techniques to enhance my telepathy, which is always much better in their company than at other times. they are on the astral plane, and can lean into ours, as mexican sorcerers can, becoming more material, while drawing my into their astral plane, so they operate across a sort of compromise interface which permits them to make real changes to our brains. to me they are entirely benevolent, as in the hitch hiker's guide to the galaxy - lounge lizards on their best behaviour, affectionate, humorous, making first re-contact with earthlings after a long absence. i used to call them andromedan, but never verified that, knowing nothing about astronomy.

yet hans is an earth soul, for whom time is as travelable as space and he says that he is coming to me from a position transcendental to our sense of time and space, which concepts like 'the sacred grove'. he is highly evolved, and often assumes the role of a druid, ancient or plain old everyday obodry, which he encouraged me to do. he also told me that my ancestry and infancy were so steeped in fairies that i had to bring my whole fairy experience to consciousness or either go insane or get sick by repressing it, as most seers these days do - as my grandmother (mercifully briefly) did, and as my cousin very nearly did after seeing the little people in a row on her back fence laughing at her. as it is i'm a relatively happy, healthy person, but i've had to learn to deal with the double-bind: the fairy experience is a privilege, and it takes work from all sides, so i'm expected to share, to plead with people for kindlier treatment for fairies etc, and to fight with the nasty ones till peace-process can happen, and that means people both sides of the veil, nasty human skeptics and nasty fairies can get in your head and do you harm without proper psychic protection. at the same time i know i can't expect very many people to believe a word i say. so i say it and then deal with the backlash.

but he seems to regard this as my duty, my work on the earth, and helps me in my struggle to get credibility, not just for myself but for seers generally, especially the ones wrongly diagnosed as 'insane' and treated by brain-damage. he helps this because he is a world-healer and world-healing magic is what he brings. he seems to be part of a worldwide process and our marriage fits into that, in an almost organic way - we create conduits between our world and the many by being in love.

While my dream was quite spiritual for me, it does not hold a candle against Hans and Your spiritual relationship.

it took 30 years for me to get this much out of it - your first meeting resembles mine with hans, so it's too soon to compare. not every friendship with them will be a romance or marriage, although they are quite common, but it's quite likely that your relationship with your dream figure may develop just as favorably if you want it to, and you will have the options i've had of bringing to consciousness as much of it as you need to or simply enjoying it as part of your subliminal experience. for me, it is definitely life enhancing.

[Huathe]

Wyverne,

The only person in the dream besides myself was the blue eyed blonde haired man. He had the appearance of a thirtyish human. He did identify himself as an angel. As for his name, if he even gave it to me I do not remember.