Communicating With The Deceased - Part Two Dreams
Can the deceased communicate with us while we dream?
Many cultures both primitive and sophisticated do believe that this in fact does occur, and reports of this type of phenomena are not as rare as one may expect. Through my own experiences, which follow, and research into the subject, I have found that these dreams usually contain a message.
Anthropologists have suggested that our very belief in life after death stems from our dreams of deceased relatives and friends, and I would concur that this certainly is a factor. However, the research of Dr. Carla Willis Brandon, a colleague, is indicative of survival of consciousness. Please see her interview by clicking here.
I will share the following personal experiences with you. Please bear in mind that I do not claim that these are in fact actual communications, however I do believe they are suggestive of such - you be the judge .....
It was the night before Mother's Day 1999, and I had gone to bed rather late (which is too typical for me). I do not remember dozing off, or falling into sleep. Usually I daydream before actually nodding off. The dream seemed to begin the moment I closed my eyes.
I was on my Aunt Helen's old property. It was dark, and gloomy. I stared at her empty garden, and began to weep. My aunt (my favourite) had passed away 6 years previous of stomach cancer. She had been an avid gardener in life, and her gardens were always brimming with flowers. I noticed my Uncle's new wife playing with the dogs, but I was to melancholy to wave a hello. I just kept thinking how I wanted to leave. I walked around to the side of the house, and this is the point I believe what may have been an ordinary dream became something more
.
As I rounded the corner a beam of sunshine hit me. Warm and golden like the real thing. There it was, a beautiful garden that was so breathtaking I have to struggle to find the words to describe it. The beauty, and tranquillity I saw, and felt could not even be matched by a master artist. I was in total awe.
Behind me I could sense the presence of another soul. I turned to see my Aunt Helen. She was radiant, appearing almost ageless...again I am struggling for the right words. She smiled at me, and all I could think to say was "your dead, how can you be here?" To this she did not answer, she simply held her smile. I then started to weep again, and asked her if I could touch her. To this she laughed and said "yes". I will add here, that I heard her voice in my head, not externally. It was almost like she was communicating through telepathy. I touched her hand, and immediately fell into her embrace. She felt warm, and I could smell her perfume.
When we let go she looked at me and said " I am here now" and pointed towards the garden. We began to walk towards it, but I felt a barrier. It was not something I could see, but I knew I couldn't go any farther. As my aunt walked farther into the garden, she stopped and turned. She then spoke these final words to me, " I know it's Mother's Day tomorrow, and my children will miss me, please tell them I love them."
That's when I came out of it. I was sitting straight up in bed, tears running down my cheeks...yet oddly feeling both at peace, and totally refreshed...exhilirated! It was so real, I felt as if I had experienced it all. I could hear her sweet voice ringing in my head. It was 3 am and I wanted to fly down the stairs, and call my mother (Aunt Helen was her beloved older sister). Instead I forced myself back to sleep, and called my Mom at a more decent 7:30 am.
At first to be honest, I thought my tired brain had made this up in order to make me feel better. However I discounted that because it happened 6 years after my Aunt's death. I miss her, but have long since moved forward. I fondly remember her, but was not thinking of her, or my cousins in the previous days leading up to this experience.
I also pondered the why me. Her message seemed solely for her children. A friend who has also had encounters of a paranormal nature, felt that it was because I am open to these experiences, and my cousins may not be. I did eventually contact all four of my Aunt's children, and gave them her message. Each one privately thanked me, and I think believed in what I was telling them.
I did eventually reconcile the why me question. Four weeks to the day that I had the dream experience with my Aunt, I learned my own father was dying. He lived alone, so it was a struggle to get him out of hospital, and home, which is where he and I both wanted him to die. This time was one of the most painful, and difficult time periods of my life. As any who has cared for the dying knows. Perhaps for those of us without religion it is a little tougher?
I believe my Aunt Helen may have contacted me that day not only to pass on a message for her own children, but also to show me that the human spirit does transcend death. That we do go on...........
My father's decline was extremely rapid, and at the time of the dream he seemed in excellent health. This is why I did not make the initial connection.
My Father
My father passed away on July 6th, 1999. His death was sudden in that he lived only a few short weeks after a diagnosis of terminal cancer. The last weeks of his life were extremely stressful. He deteriorated rapidly, and soon needed constant care. We were determined to keep him out of hospital. My father hated hospitals, and wanted no life saving procedures performed on him, considering his illness was terminal. My fondest wish at that time was that my dad could spend his final days within in his own bed, and pass on in peace. As a very determined person I made sure that this wish would be fulfilled. However, as anyone who has cared for the dying knows, this was not easy. I look back at that time, and wonder how I coped......
Before my father became ill, we had planned our family vacation for July. We're were going to spend a week up at the cottage in the Canadian wilderness. When my father became ill I told my former husband to take the kids and go. I did not want to leave him. However, a few days prior to their departure I sat alone with my dad. He questioned why I would not go. He said I looked so worn, and the tired. In fact he insisted I go! " Catch a big fish for me honey", he said. I didn't want to argue with him, but I can be stubborn! So after much consultation with his doctor (who felt my dad had a few months left) and arranging 24hr. nursing care....I reluctantly went....
The last words my father spoke to me were "give me a big smile sweetheart, I love you."
We left on a Friday night accompanied by my sister, her husband, my former husband's brother and my nephew. On the Tuesday night I stayed up late sitting around the bon fire with my sis, and my brother inlaw ( who is more like my brother). We were gazing up at the night sky, which was magnificent...and talking about the wonders of the universe. I think that is when in my heart I knew my father was gone.
That night when I fell asleep I saw him.
My father was sitting at a table, it had a white table cloth, and was laden with fine china, and crystal, the type I could never afford. Each dish was filled with my father's favourite foods...steak...pancakes...etc. During the final weeks of his life my father could not eat solid food. He looked up at me with a huge wicked grin. "Look at all this food, he said!" He started eating again, then paused, and looking directly at me he said, "you have a good life." He promptly went back to his banquet, and then I noticed the swish of a long gray skirt, behind him. It was a woman, but I could not see her face.
I woke up much the same way as I did with the other dream experience. I felt as though I had been conscious the entire time...I could smell the food!! Again as with the other possible communication it seemed to take place without lips moving, a sort of telepathy.
The following morning I already knew. I guess I wanted to prolong the inevitable, so I insisted we go hiking. When we returned the proprietor of the bait and tackle shop in a nearby town was waiting for us. We had no phones, so I had left instructions at home to contact us if need be this way. The kindly proprietor looked grave. He was sorry to inform us that my father had passed away the previous day. I already knew...my dad had said his good bye the night before..................
This good bye, as my Aunt's message, and the other dreams involving the deceased, had a profound impact on me and my views. I also have a theory on the afterlife now. In my humblest opinion I believe that it is possible for the soul, spirit, our conscious self, to survive physical death in some way...and that maybe heaven is what we make of it...........
Barb died in 1997 at the age of 38. She had battled with breast cancer for many years before she passed on. Barb was a courageous woman, who had dedicated her life to children. That old saying "about the good dying young" comes to mind.
The dream began much like the others...an ordinary dream that turned into something else...... I was at a cottage, one that I did not recognize. Barb was there talking on the phone. She noticed me and turned around to look directly at me with a big smile on her face. She too appeared lovely, and radiant. Tears formed in my eyes and I kept trying to say I'm so sorry you got sick, but she wouldn't hear any of it. Instead she said to me "Don't you know I checked out of the hospital early this morning. I'm feeling great, please tell everyone in the family not to worry I'm alright." Again the “communication” seemed telepathic. At this point it ended...same feeling of being conscious throughout the experience.
I told my former husband every aspect in minute details. And he was shocked! I had described the cottage exactly the way Barb's parents cottage had been laid out, yet I was never there, nor seen a photo..in fact I never knew they had a cottage! I can only assume that it was a place that had held fond memories for her in life.
Two more strange things occurred. First at Barb's funeral I learned that she had passed away in the early morning hours, just like she stated she checked out of hospital in the early morning. Secondly I had an overwhelming desire to bring an angel from my collection to her funeral. Later on at the her wake I learned that Barb too was an avid collector of angels. Something we had in common that I never knew before.
Frankie was one of the nicest people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. Everyone who knew him loved him. He was a generous kind hearted soul, with a heart melting smile. His sudden death at age 37 from an undetected heart condition was tragic beyond words. Again I remember thinking about that old saying "only the good die young" upon learning of his death in 1995.....
A few months after Frankie passed on I had a strange dream. It began as an ordinary dream....I was shopping around at a large mall...when the dream abruptly shifted. Everything went black. Out of the darkness a purple mist started to form, kinda looked like swamp gas..it was very eerie. I was really mesmerized by it, and I kept staring at it wondering if I should step forward. Out of this light walked Frankie looking in the pitch of health. He was dressed all in buckskin...right down to his moccasin boots... looking like a rock star. Frank was a drummer. He's holding a beer in his hand, and he walks right up to me. With a big hug he tells me what a party he's having..."it's great he says"..I guess meaning where he was coming from. This communication seemed telepathic. He looked so content and at peace. I remember telling him to give my regards to Jimmy Morrison. Yes he died in that Paris hotel room...sorry believers, but thats what I honestly believe. Frank did not relay any messages for his family, just wanted to assure me he was feeling "gooood" and was having a great time. At this point I became aware of being in my room, feeling like I had been awake through the entire dream. I have not dreamt of Frankie since that night..at least not that I'm aware of. In a way I wish that I could, so that I can relay a message to someone else that was very important to both of us. This man was killed in a car wreck at the age of 28 in 1998. I have had no dream/O.B.E where he is concerned. Frankie, if you bump into Roy you tell him how much we love and miss him....and that I think of him often....especially when certain songs come on the radio.
I have had other dream experiences that could potentially be classed as O.B.E. (out of body experiences) that go farther back into the past. However, I feel these four represent a more accurate description of what I personally have experienced. They are more recent and therefore more fresh in my memory.
These experiences that I have shared are of a highly personal nature, and while they are open to debate as to their true origin I ask that former be respected.
