Sometimes dreams are simply a mishmash of the day’s events stirred in a pot of subconscious stew—images from the past and present creating a bizarre concoction. Those dreams never seem to stick with me. They drift back into the depths of my psyche when I awaken. But what of the others—the dreams that linger in the mind throughout the day, their images coming up into conscious awareness again and again?
Usually dreams that remain long after awakening are the lucid ones, which leave almost tactile impressions. In a truly lucid dream, the dreamer is aware—one with the dream persona—and may be able to affect change within the dreamscape.
I’ve had many lucid dreams through the years. One of my recent ones was rather fun. After all, it’s exciting to be the heroine in your own saga, and this long dream, which lasted pretty much all night, proved to be quite an adventure. It was like something right out of Homer’s The Odyssey, and my role was rather like that of Odysseus or perhaps Jason, who with the Argonauts went in search of the Golden Fleece. I am on the “Golden Path of Mastery” as a Sacred Heart Soul Healing practitioner, after all!
In the dream, my band of compatriots and I traveled across a vast ocean on a great quest and faced many perils along the way. At one particularly dire moment, I suddenly realized that I was in a dream and knew that I could shape my circumstances if I chose; so I said to my friends, “This is nothing! Everything is calm NOW.” In an instant the great danger in the dream dissolved and evaporated into nothingness. We then continued over calm waters, and I knew that indeed the long journey ahead would be smooth sailing from that point forward.
This related to something that was going on in my own life, and I understood when I awakened that I was equally able to alter my waking reality by practicing the Law of Attraction with the same calm, centered certainty that I had in that lucid sleep adventure. I only needed to realize that, after all, life too is but a dream to be crafted by the person who chooses to walk with lucidity through its challenges. As a result, a major breakthrough happened, and I was able to let go of some things that had been blocking my path.
I love this type of dream, because it is generally a message from the higher self. Lucid dreams provide an opportunity to receive wisdom that can shift our waking lives when we decide to listen and act on the wisdom being conveyed.
Lucid dreams sometimes come with messages from beyond as well. Many times I’ve been visited in dream state by loved ones. I realize that some may say this is just the subconscious’ way of remembering a person who is deceased. While this could be the case, more often than not I believe these are actual visits from those who have transitioned into spirit.
I’ll give you an example from my life. Around 8-9 years ago, I had a dream about my Uncle Glenn, my father’s brother, who had died in 1983. I hadn’t been particularly close to Uncle Glenn and hadn’t thought of him in many years; so when he appeared during my sleep one night I was surprised to see him.
The dream felt exactly like a waking experience—as lucid dreams so often do. My uncle appeared tangible, very much himself and quite adamant. “You need to get someone to go look after your Aunt Hazel immediately! She needs help and I can’t be with her all the time,” he insisted.
I awakened right after the dream encounter with my uncle and felt certain that he was actually present and giving me a clear message. So I decided to call my mother as soon as possible and ask her to look in on my aunt. (I live two hours away and wasn’t able to get there easily myself.)
When I called my mother, she said that Aunt Hazel had been taken to the hospital. At that point, she was beyond the danger and had staff to look after her, but I asked my mother to spend time with her and be sure that she was being well cared for. Since my uncle had indicated a need for protection during his visit, I called on Archangel Michael and his angels to stand watch over her too.
I believe that my uncle came to me that night because of the health crisis my aunt was experiencing—about which I knew nothing until I heard the news from my mother the next day. I have had many visits from family members in spirit over my lifetime and have heard countless stories from clients and friends who have had similar experiences.
I personally believe that it’s wise to pay attention to our dreams, and, in the case of lucid dreams, to act on them when doing so seems prudent. My experience has been that lucid dreams always reveal something important. Whether this comes from the higher self, from loved ones beyond the veil, or from one’s own inner knowing, I choose to listen to and honor the wisdom of such dreams.