Dream or Spiritual Experience?

[TheNeutral]

Initially, I wasn’t going to write anything here at all, however, unlike most other dreams I’ve had, the memory of this one hasn’t faded in the slightest, which is rather peculiar. Admittedly, I’m not super experienced in the technicalities of the faith, and I’m no master of psychology, therefore, I’ve decided to take this matter before those more experienced than I to determine whether this was a true experience or merely an illusion.

For a quick premise, I do not indulge in mystical/satanic arts, however I did say a prayer regarding talking to Jesus whilst asleep.

I will divide this into two parts, one, which I’m certain is a dream, the other, being the uncertain one

Dream

• Me and my best friend (or so the narrative determines) are walking into a purifying flame. This man either hates purity as a concept or God himself (if, indeed, the two can be separated). I was holy and pure and my friend was corrupt. If I walked into the flame, I would be completely unaffected, however he would surely be destroyed. He was convinced that even if he could pass the flame, there was no purpose in doing so. After pleading with him, he “agreed” to pass (or, more accurately, it seemed, didn’t resist). The verdict was that, by holding his hand, that could allow us both to pass the flame, however, consequently, both of our wrists would be scarred (signifying a median between his wickedness and my holiness).
• (My memory of this one isn’t as clear) After crossing this flame, we appeared in a valley (it definitely was not Heaven) and, as far as I can remember, the narrative dictated we’d be hungry(?), somehow, we encountered some “forces” and he got eliminated; I only survived because I ran out of there.

Reached character limit; will upload Part 2 in comments.

 

[TheNeutral]

Part 2
Possible Experience (Disclaimer: My memory is foggy in some areas; The main points are clear, however)
(This all takes place at my old house, not my current one)

• Almost instantly after retreating, I “appear” in my mother’s old room (back when I lived with my parents) with a sickening, near-consuming darkness (save for a few beams emanating from an unknown source) before getting “tormented” by demonic entities (from what I could describe, I was either envisioning (in the dream) a burning portrayal of heaven, or was spiritually inside this burning portrayal). After (somehow) escaping this scene, I opened something which allowed me to browse images or videos and, in the dream–saw others who captured this same experience.
• After this, I “appeared” in my old bedroom, either standing or existing facing the door. I had a bathroom which was right next to my room. Both my door and the bathroom door were slightly opened, with keys sticking outside the bathroom door.
• I remember having thoughts (in the dream) along the lines of my faith not being strong enough and being powerless since I was being tormented by Satan, so I decided to starting singing songs of praise and worship to God the Father whilst looking at those eerily-placed keys in the bathroom door. What I saw next was something unseen by me before; from the bathroom came walking (or floating) a dark, semi-transparent shadowy figure with disproportionately-sized forearms; I don’t believe I was able to see the bottom of it’s body, though I believe it also had a number of horns on it’s head. Oddly, though it was inside the bathroom, I could see it through the walls. I believe I was looking at a form of the Devil himself.
• Upon seeing this, I retreated to my mother’s old room located on the other side of the house; There lights were on (however dimly so) and she was there.
• I tried describing to her what had happened in detail but “she”, with the voice of a soft-spoken man continuously dismissed my comments in an ominously-calm, nigh-hushing tone
  “No, that didn’t happen”
  “You didn’t see that”
  “That’s not right”
  “We’ll get you checked out”
  “She” went to go look at herself in a mirror she had, and then the realization came to me
  “You’re Satan!”
  I then tried the classic rebuke, in hopes to instantly eliminate him from the situation and restore order to my dream state and spiritual life
  “Satan, I rebuke you in the name of Jesus Christ!”
  His response?
  “No you didn’t.”
  …
  I can’t make this stuff up; every time I tried rebuking him, he simply dismissed it in the same composed fashion that he used to dismiss my previous statements; It had no effect on him.

After attempting this a few more times, the experience finally “ended”.

Reached character limit; will upload Part 3 next.

 

[TheNeutral]

Part 3
My awakening, perhaps, is the final nudge that pushed me to share this story.
Awakening
When I had awakened, it wasn’t a natural process like it was for ordinary dreams, it was instantaneous, almost like pressing play on a paused movie; suddenly, all of these thoughts simultaneously rushing to my head, almost like a loaded container finally getting it’s contents released.

I can’t remember all of the thoughts perfectly, however, most of them were along the lines of “am I possessed?”, “is this sphere real or an illusion?”, “am I in hell?”, “Let me see if my Bible’s still here”, “Why couldn’t I rebuke him?”, etc.

One thing to note is that when I woke up, I had no feeling of rejuvenation often associated with sleep, and instead had this internal feeling of sickness (not one with physical symptoms, however).

Just to reiterate: Some may think this is a story due to my dynamic wording structure, but this truly happened this me this night.

Having read all of that, I once again, call of those more experienced than I; was this a mere dream, or was it something more, and if so, what could this mean?

Thank you.

 

[IfeanyiChukwu]

Good evening brother, peace be with you.

Based on your description, I would say that what you experienced was a form of spiritual attack from the evil one, and not just a dream. It probably seems strange to you, since it was your first, but as someone who has been through several such instances, in scenarios just as vivid as your own, I advice you not to be disturbed or fearful of whatever may have happened.

I echo the advice of (name removed by moderator) - regular confession, partake in Mass, communion, and stay in
grace. I also recommend that you start praying consistently for the Lord to find you a spiritual director to explain the situation. You could discuss your personal live in the faith with him, as well as your overall journey, and by the Grace of the Holy Spirit, the director would be able to give you a proper explanation. It would be hard for us online to do so without detailed information about your current spiritual life.

If you don’t already, I recommend praying the Rosary daily. Also, you may want to sing Psalm 91 before going to bed, meditating particularly on the phrase “You will not fear the terror of the night.”

Once again, I am not certain of your situation or current prayer life, but as a man who has literally fought with the devil in “dreams”, I can tell you that regardless of why it occurred, I would get into deep prayer, asking for the Lord to guide you according to His will. Don’t think you are strange if you see it as more than a dream, but at the same time, only through living the common, faithful life, will you be able to endure such experiences and not even bat an eye. With more information, I may be able to give a better interpretation, but I myself would first pray over it.

The scene with the devil not accepting your rebuke is interesting through, and that is why I advise that you pray for the Lord guide you to a good spiritual director. Next time though (if there is one), you should try saying the Ave Maria. That scene could signify that the devil sees that you could potentially be a threat to him later on in your life, and so he has been permitted to launch an early strike in order to disturb you.

May the Most Precious Blood of Jesus Christ cover you, and may He fill you with His peace.