Spiritual dreams

[DeusExMachina]

I’m not sure if I’m posting this in the right place, but the truth is, Ive seen both Jesus and the devil in visions several times over the past few years. The first time was almost 3 years ago. Jesus told me I was his 13th disciple in a dream. Later over the next few days I saw a couple times an angelic figure with torn black wings and a broken horn on his head, beckoning me, calling to me. Then again just a few months ago I had a dream where I was on the cross with Jesus, watching him suffer. It’s an unsettling experience, and I was wondering if anyone’s been through anything similar or has any advice on how I should interpret these dreams

 

[lilpoppie]

Yes. Don’t think about it. If it’s from God and he wants you to use the dream he would help you understand it. You can pray about the message and think about it but don’t stress too much. It will become clear if it’s supposed to be known

 

[guanophore]

I’m not sure if I’m posting this in the right place, but the truth is, Ive seen both Jesus and the devil in visions several times over the past few years. The first time was almost 3 years ago. Jesus told me I was his 13th disciple in a dream. Later over the next few days I saw a couple times an angelic figure with torn black wings and a broken horn on his head, beckoning me, calling to me. Then again just a few months ago I had a dream where I was on the cross with Jesus, watching him suffer. It’s an unsettling experience, and I was wondering if anyone’s been through anything similar or has any advice on how I should interpret these dreams

All dreams are spiritual in the sense that they are intended to show us parts of our soul that are unknown to our waking minds. Some dreams with powerful religious symbols seem more “spiritual” but it is always safe to start with the perspective that all the characters in the dream represent a part of yourself.

 

[Confiteor_Deo]

They are just dreams, Our Lord is not speaking to you through them. I almost never have dreams about God, but I recently had a dream about going to Confession and the priest didn’t absolve me.

 

[guanophore]

They are just dreams, Our Lord is not speaking to you through them. I almost never have dreams about God, but I recently had a dream about going to Confession and the priest didn’t absolve me.

Given how much Scripture there is to support that God speaks to us in dreams, how can you assume He is not?

  14*For God speaks in one way, 
  and in two, though man does not perceive it. 
  15*In a dream, in a vision of the night, 
  when deep sleep falls upon men, 
  while they slumber on their beds, 
  16*then he opens the ears of men, 
  and terrifies them with warnings, 
  17*that he may turn man aside from his deed, 
  and cut off pride from man; 
  18*he keeps back his soul from the Pit, 
  his life from perishing by the sword. Job 33:14

 

[Confiteor_Deo]

Given how much Scripture there is to support that God speaks to us in dreams, how can you assume He is not?

  14*For God speaks in one way, 
  and in two, though man does not perceive it. 
  15*In a dream, in a vision of the night, 
  when deep sleep falls upon men, 
  while they slumber on their beds, 
  16*then he opens the ears of men, 
  and terrifies them with warnings, 
  17*that he may turn man aside from his deed, 
  and cut off pride from man; 
  18*he keeps back his soul from the Pit, 
  his life from perishing by the sword. Job 33:14

From what he described, and from the Scripture you provided, it doesn’t seem that Our Lord is speaking to him since it seems like normal dreams. If God were speaking to him, he would be able to tell and wouldn’t be left confused and unsettled.

 

[Dorothy]

It can help to speak to a priest who has a charism for spiritual direction.

 

[guanophore]

From what he described, and from the Scripture you provided, it doesn’t seem that Our Lord is speaking to him since it seems like normal dreams. If God were speaking to him, he would be able to tell and wouldn’t be left confused and unsettled.

God speaks to us in many different ways, some more clear than others. Joseph was clear that he needed to get up and take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt, but not all dreams are so clear.

When Joseph shared his dreams with his family, they were all confused and unsettled (and angry).

When Job refers to being “terrified with warnings” it does not sound very pleasant or peaceful. Just because one is confused and unsettled, does not mean God is not speaking.

 

[Confiteor_Deo]

God speaks to us in many different ways, some more clear than others. Joseph was clear that he needed to get up and take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt, but not all dreams are so clear.

When Joseph shared his dreams with his family, they were all confused and unsettled (and angry).

When Job refers to being “terrified with warnings” it does not sound very pleasant or peaceful. Just because one is confused and unsettled, does not mean God is not speaking.

There seems to be nothing extraordinary in these dreams of his that would point to a divine source. Any message that I could derive from them is nothing that we don’t learn in catechism or something that his mind would have made up on its own. However, if he is bothered by these dreams and truly thinks that they are from God, he should speak to a priest.

 

[thistle]

I’m not sure if I’m posting this in the right place, but the truth is, Ive seen both Jesus and the devil in visions several times over the past few years. The first time was almost 3 years ago.** Jesus told me I was his 13th disciple in a dream.** Later over the next few days I saw a couple times an angelic figure with torn black wings and a broken horn on his head, beckoning me, calling to me. Then again just a few months ago I had a dream where I was on the cross with Jesus, watching him suffer. It’s an unsettling experience, and I was wondering if anyone’s been through anything similar or has any advice on how I should interpret these dreams

So what number was St Paul. There were the 12 Apostles plus Paul the Apostle so how could you be number 13?

 

[Dorothy]

A friend of mine had a dream that the evil one and our Blessed Mother were having a tug of war with her.

This led her to a greater devotion to our Blessed Mother and her faith, hope and love increased.
Due to this, spiritual and emotional healing began in her and her family.

It can be just as simple as that!

---

Of course, when something is troubling to the dreamer, then certainly speak to a priest known for his wisdom.

 

[DeusExMachina]

So what number was St Paul. There were the 12 Apostles plus Paul the Apostle so how could you be number 13?

Correct me if I’m wrong but I believe there were many apostles (20 specifically named as such in scripture) but only 12 disciples, as an apostle is simply a “witness” or “messenger” of god’s word, and there whereas disciples in this context were Jesus’ personal followers

 

[thistle]

Correct me if I’m wrong but I believe there were many apostles but only 12 disciples

There were many disciples but there were only 12 Apostles plus Paul.

By the way dreams normally have no meaning. People simply think they must have some meaning. Dreams are just dreams.

 

[LaughingBoy1503]

I’m not sure if I’m posting this in the right place, but the truth is, Ive seen both Jesus and the devil in visions several times over the past few years. The first time was almost 3 years ago. Jesus told me I was his 13th disciple in a dream. Later over the next few days I saw a couple times an angelic figure with torn black wings and a broken horn on his head, beckoning me, calling to me. Then again just a few months ago I had a dream where I was on the cross with Jesus, watching him suffer. It’s an unsettling experience, and I was wondering if anyone’s been through anything similar or has any advice on how I should interpret these dreams

Any advice you get on interpreting dreams would just be superstition. Also, how could you be Gods 13th Diciple when there have been numerous Disciples for the past 2000 years? You obviously were not born in the first century when it was possible to be the 13th Disciple. That kind of tells me that it was just a regular dream. Not a vision of some kind. Our mind makes up all kind of nonsense in dreams (Like being or doing something that is not possible to be or do) Just because a dream has a spiritual element to it does not mean that the dream comes from God. If we think about supernatural things regularly, it makes sense such things would be in our dreams once in a while.

Talk to a priest if you want but do not be surprised if he tells you that they are just dreams. Do not attribute a supernatural reason to something that can be explained with a natural reason. Not even The Church does this.

 

[esmac]

I’m not sure if I’m posting this in the right place, but the truth is, Ive seen both Jesus and the devil in visions several times over the past few years. The first time was almost 3 years ago. Jesus told me I was his 13th disciple in a dream. Later over the next few days I saw a couple times an angelic figure with torn black wings and a broken horn on his head, beckoning me, calling to me. Then again just a few months ago I had a dream where I was on the cross with Jesus, watching him suffer. It’s an unsettling experience, and I was wondering if anyone’s been through anything similar or has any advice on how I should interpret these dreams

If you have a smart phone there is a free app called DreamMoods. It will give you an accurate psychological analysis from a Freudian point of view of an interpretation of your dream. They also have their own website:

dreammoods.com/

At one time I had a spiritual director who was a wise old Benedictine monk and he told me not to put a lot of weight on dreams. I had another priest tell me - who was a former psychologist - also not to put any weight on your dreams, it’s just a way your brain recharges its battery, so to speak.

 

[mikekle]

If God were speaking to him, he would be able to tell and wouldn’t be left confused and unsettled.

OH YES, I agree with that, Ive had some strange dreams in the past, but one was unique and I still believe that was God, it was a regular dream but God came ‘blazing’ into the dream, and right then, I knew…he cupped my face in his hands and told me to stop playing games…Ive yet to figure out what he meant by that but I definitely agree on being able to tell the difference between a normal dream and something else…you just know…it feels MUCH different.

 

[guanophore]

There seems to be nothing extraordinary in these dreams of his that would point to a divine source.

This is the main problem, really, when it comes to recieving God’s direction through our dreams. They dont’ NEED to be “extraordinary” for God to use them to communicate to us. God created the human psyche so that it dreams, and we are made in His image and likess. It is He that is at work within us to will and to do His good pleasure. Expecting them to be “extraordinary” denies the ability of the Holy Spirit to speak to us in and through the everyday, ordinary events.

Any message that I could derive from them is nothing that we don’t learn in catechism

Our Holy Father has stated that the Catechism is a “sure norm” for the faith, so any dream that is consistent with it would certainly be trustworthy.

God can communicate His will for us through a number of channels.

or something that his mind would have made up on its own.

This is certainly a statement worthy of further exploration. How does someone’s mind “make up on it’s own” something outside of willful control (while the person is asleep)?
And if it is against the conscious will of the recipeint, then who is the dreamer?

However, if he is bothered by these dreams and truly thinks that they are from God, he should speak to a priest.

Yes, of course, though most priests are not well versed in such things.

 

[guanophore]

So what number was St Paul. There were the 12 Apostles plus Paul the Apostle so how could you be number 13?

There is a difference between disciples and Apostles. There were more than 12 Apostles, as well.

We are all called to be disciples, no matter what order we fall…

To some extent, we all are called to be evangelists by virtue of our baptism, to spread the Gospel, through our daily witness to Him with our lives.

Morton Kelsey calls dreams the 'dark speech of the spirit", because they speak in a metaphorical language unlike that of the waking mind. It is covered with mystery and hidden.

In each of us resides those things that prevent us from becoming the disciples of Christ we are called to be, and dreams reveal those things within us that prevent us from becoming all that He desires.

 

[guanophore]

There were many disciples but there were only 12 Apostles plus Paul.

Yes, many disciples. At least 120 present at Pentecost.

Apostles were those chosen by Christ specifically to be sent out with the Gospel. There were 70 specifically sent, and “the twelve”, a special set of apostles.

6Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you. 7Greet Andronicus and Junias, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners, who are outstanding among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.Rom 16:7

14But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their robes and rushed out into the crowd, crying out 15and saying, "Men, why are you doing these things? Acts 14:14

By the way dreams normally have no meaning. People simply think they must have some meaning. Dreams are just dreams.

Fortunately for all of us, this is not the case. I think that most people prefer to believe they have “no meaning” because they do not want to face the the truth within themselves revealed through the dreams.

God does not create and work through that which has “no meaning”. It cannot be disputed by Scriptural evidence that God had, and does, speak to humanity through dreams.

 

[guanophore]

Any advice you get on interpreting dreams would just be superstition.

Are you suggesting that God speaking to people through dreams, as recorded in Scripture, was God using “superstition.”?

Also, how could you be Gods 13th Diciple when there have been numerous Disciples for the past 2000 years?

Dreams speak in symbolic language. It is a mistake to try to understand them too literally.

You obviously were not born in the first century when it was possible to be the 13th Disciple. That kind of tells me that it was just a regular dream.

Of course it is a “regular dream”. This does not mean it does not have spiritual meaning.

Not a vision of some kind. Our mind makes up all kind of nonsense in dreams (Like being or doing something that is not possible to be or do)

Ahh, this is a good point. How is it that “our mind makes up all kinds of nonsense in dreams”? It is curious that this is a natural human function, one throuhg which God has chosen to speak to persons, and change the course of history.

Just because a dream has a spiritual element to it does not mean that the dream comes from God.

This is an interesting statement also. It is God who has created mankind with a spiritual nature, and created mankind to have dreams. Why would we not assume that our dreams can help us to walk closer to the God who created us, and them in us?

If we think about supernatural things regularly, it makes sense such things would be in our dreams once in a while.

This is very true. The more we walk intimately with God, the more likely we are to hear His voice in many ways.

Talk to a priest if you want but do not be surprised if he tells you that they are just dreams.

I agree. Very few priest have had any training or experience in how to hear the voice of God through dreams.

Do not attribute a supernatural reason to something that can be explained with a natural reason. Not even The Church does this.

I agree. Since dreams are a natural function of the human psyche, God may use them to speak to us just like He uses our waking reason.