Two strange dreams

[Crown_of_Stars]

I strongly believe in dreams, if I’ve had certain ones in particular, and I see nothing sinful in believing in them. Take the dreams in the Bible…Jacob’s Ladder, etc.

But in the past week, I’ve had two dreams which have disturbed me a little. Not enough for me to talk to a priest, but I’m surprised at how morbid I must truly be. I’ve had two very creepy dreams about a friend of mine who died four months ago. She was an elderly lady, and I was very close to her. In the first dream, I was at her funeral again. In reality, she had a closed casket, and in the dream, she was in a closed casket also. But I was alone with the casket, in a separate room partitioned off by a curtain. I slowly lifted the lid of the casket because I wanted to see her, more for comfort rather than anything else. I saw her lying there, her eyes shut, her hands folded, and that was about it for that. In the second dream, I was at her grave. In reality, I’ve visited there a few times, left flowers, and in the dream, as in reality, the patch of grass hasn’t yet fully grown and closed and blended with the rest of the earth. In this dream, through the crack in the earth where it hadn’t yet filled in, I could see a small part of her casket under the earth. I know in reality this wouldn’t be possible, but it was a dream, and I was there at night. I was just sitting or kneeling in the grass, talking to her for a very long time, and it was as if she was really there somehow, listening to me, and may even have been talking to me also.

Were these dreams morbid? Tell me honestly. And what do you think of them? I’m just very interested in talking about dreams, and will welcome any opinion.

 

[brad90956]

I don’t think they are morbid at all. You have obviously been thinking about your friend, consciously or subconsciously, and that is why I think you had those dreams. It just sounds like you miss your friend.

I have had some very strange dreams in the past and when I thought about them later I realized it was almost always something that I was thinking about right before I went to bed but sometimes the actual dream itself did not make any sense to me.

 

[Crown_of_Stars]

I don’t think they are morbid at all. You have obviously been thinking about your friend, consciously or subconsciously, and that is why I think you had those dreams. It just sounds like you miss your friend.

I have had some very strange dreams in the past and when I thought about them later I realized it was almost always something that I was thinking about right before I went to bed but sometimes the actual dream itself did not make any sense to me.

Thanks for the thought! I was a little hesitant if I should even write about what I dreamed. Yes, you’re right, I do miss her, and it took a while for me to heal, but I’m at peace over the loss of her now. Thank you for your kind thoughts.

 

[GKChesternut]

Dear Crown of Stars,

I don’t necessarily believe in dreams, but I have known similar people who’ve had dreams of the sort. You should pray for her soul. Maybe she’s in purgatory and wants you to pray for her. I’ll pray for her too.

God bless and Ave Maria!

 

[amsjj]

I’d add her to my list of people I pray for (the Holy Souls) and have some Masses said for her repose.

 

[James214]

My condolences…eternal rest grant unto Your servant, o Lord, and may thy perpetual light shine upon her.

I’ve heard from a number of people who have recently lost someone close to them that they have dreams about them. And I’m sure the memories from her funeral are still pretty fresh. The last funeral I attended was two months ago for an acquaintance’s daughter and things are still very clear. There’s a surreal finality to being confronted with mortality, and that becomes stronger when it’s someone close who is abruptly gone. By what you described (getting a last look in her coffin, getting a peek of it in the ground) I think maybe your mind is still processing your memories of burying her, they might be the strongest ones you have of her at the moment. In time I would think they would regress and not stick out so much against all your memories of her.

I would think that a dream with an external source would be distinguishable from a normal one. First of all it would likely have information in it that we didn’t know before or couldn’t have thought up on our own.

[SIGN]Viva Jesus![/SIGN]

 

[Antegin]

Dreams in the Old Testament were literary devices used to communicate prophecy. The authors of the Old Testament used dreams to distinguish between prophecy and Revelation which was announced by angels or God Himself. Ancient peoples attributed magical properties to dreams because they had no scientific understanding of them.

Today we know that dream images are produced by discharges in the brain during REM sleep. The first couple of REM cycles reflect what you were seeing or thinking about before you went to sleep. As you run through more cycles, older images that may not be connected are ‘played.’ The brain attempts to piece together a story and make sense of what is seen. As the brain goes through more REM cycles, the images become more macabre and by the time you wake up, the images can be mindblowing.

Attributing prophetic or magical attributes to dreams is actually superstition and a sin. (See CCC 2111)

 

[Pythagoras]

I strongly believe in dreams, if I’ve had certain ones in particular, and I see nothing sinful in believing in them. Take the dreams in the Bible…Jacob’s Ladder, etc.

But in the past week, I’ve had two dreams which have disturbed me a little. Not enough for me to talk to a priest, but I’m surprised at how morbid I must truly be. I’ve had two very creepy dreams about a friend of mine who died four months ago. She was an elderly lady, and I was very close to her. In the first dream, I was at her funeral again. In reality, she had a closed casket, and in the dream, she was in a closed casket also. But I was alone with the casket, in a separate room partitioned off by a curtain. I slowly lifted the lid of the casket because I wanted to see her, more for comfort rather than anything else. I saw her lying there, her eyes shut, her hands folded, and that was about it for that. In the second dream, I was at her grave. In reality, I’ve visited there a few times, left flowers, and in the dream, as in reality, the patch of grass hasn’t yet fully grown and closed and blended with the rest of the earth. In this dream, through the crack in the earth where it hadn’t yet filled in, I could see a small part of her casket under the earth. I know in reality this wouldn’t be possible, but it was a dream, and I was there at night. I was just sitting or kneeling in the grass, talking to her for a very long time, and it was as if she was really there somehow, listening to me, and may even have been talking to me also.

Were these dreams morbid? Tell me honestly. And what do you think of them? I’m just very interested in talking about dreams, and will welcome any opinion.

I believe in what the other poster said, you should be continuously praying for her soul and stop fantasizing about your dreams. The fires of Purgatory really hurt a lot. If you truly love your friend, you shouldn’t just offer a one day of Mass but plenty of Masses.

 

[Aunt_Raven]

Dreams in the Old Testament were literary devices used to communicate prophecy. The authors of the Old Testament used dreams to distinguish between prophecy and Revelation which was announced by angels or God Himself. Ancient peoples attributed magical properties to dreams because they had no scientific understanding of them.

Today we know that dream images are produced by discharges in the brain during REM sleep. The first couple of REM cycles reflect what you were seeing or thinking about before you went to sleep. As you run through more cycles, older images that may not be connected are ‘played.’ The brain attempts to piece together a story and make sense of what is seen. As the brain goes through more REM cycles, the images become more macabre and by the time you wake up, the images can be mindblowing.

Attributing prophetic or magical attributes to dreams is actually superstition and a sin. (See CCC 2111)

 

[pianistclare]

You’re still mourning. Dreams are a reflection of what is on our minds. You’re not sleeping deeply, so the thoughts continue.
Pray for the repose of her soul, and mostly, remember ***she is not in the casket anymore. ***Her soul is gone.
Pray for her soul and stop thinking about the casket.

 

[Aunt_Raven]

Dreams in the Old Testament were literary devices used to communicate prophecy.
[ar replies: --No, they were real dreams-- Joseph didn’t interpret false or “literary” dreams of the king of Egypt.]
The authors of the Old Testament used dreams to distinguish between prophecy and Revelation which was announced by angels or God Himself.
[ar replies: There is no difference between “prophecy” and “revelation” when both are authentic: as St Paul says, you must “test the spirits” --meaning prayerfully discern with the help of a spiritual director-- and keep what is good, and disregard what isn’t] Ancient peoples attributed magical properties to dreams because they had no scientific understanding of them.
[ar replies: True, but irrelevant.]

Today we know that dream images are produced by discharges in the brain during REM sleep. The first couple of REM cycles reflect what you were seeing or thinking about before you went to sleep. As you run through more cycles, older images that may not be connected are ‘played.’ The brain attempts to piece together a story and make sense of what is seen. As the brain goes through more REM cycles, the images become more macabre and by the time you wake up, the images can be mindblowing.

[ar replies: Yes, this is true so far as it goes; however you are shutting out the fact that God is all Powerful and can use this natural brain function as a conduit for His communications. You need to read or at least be aware of the prophetic dreams of the modern saint, St John Bosco. Specifically a book called “40 dreams of St John Bosco” which has both a “nihil obstat” {bishop’s statement that it contains no teaching against faith or morals) and an “imprimature” which is a bishop’s declaration that it should be printed as it can be useful in fostering the faith or inspiring prayer.

Attributing prophetic or magical attributes to dreams is actually superstition and a sin. (See CCC 2111)

ar replies: Attributing magical attributes to dreams is of course superstition, you are right. However God does use dreams sometimes even today to alert some people to some danger or to help them understand some problem. A good Catholic having a troubling dream --which can often be symbolic, which they may or may not understand-- consults his spiritual director for guidance, and follows this advice-- either to disregard it, or to wait for a repetition of it, or to pray for further discernment. Years ago I had some terrifying but “real” dreams (ones that don’t fade after a while) the symbolism of which I understood, some of which I didn’t. My spiritual director knew me well enough to know that I was mentally stable, and reassured me that I was not responsible to do anything about them as long as I didn’t understand if anything was demanded of me because of them-- but he did recommend that I pray for discernment for them, and that he would also pray for me. I was comforted, as he is a very holy priest.

After a while real life caught up with a pattern of the dreams, and I understood that I was required to do something very emotionally difficult, not just stand by thinking I shouldn’t get involved. These dreams were truly prophetic, because I could not have predicted some very unexpected events, nor known how to help a very troubled person in an emergency unless I had been spiritually prepared beforehand.

I have also had “very real” dreams of people I haven’t thought of in years, and because of my spiritual director, known that what is required of me is to pray for their souls and well-being-- because I usually find out much later that that was the time they died. If you dream of a person, it is not superstitious and never a mistake to pray for them.

Some people never have prophetic dreams, you seem to be one; and can be excused for thinking that the are in the Bible only as literary metaphor, though that is not the teaching of the church. Others even today have them (it doesn’t mean they are “holy” --it is a mystery why God does this for some and not others–) but one can only be safe in interpreting them if under the guidance of a good spiritual director.

I haven’t had a “prophetic” dream in years, and am glad because they aren’t “glamorous”, they are demanding and hard. However over the years Providence has put me in the circumstances where I can help a person who may be troubled by a very serious dream to either seek a psychiatrist or a priest in helping them deal with it.
[/quote]

 

[InNomineDomini]

Attributing prophetic or magical attributes to dreams is actually superstition and a sin. (See CCC 2111)

Yeah, but see: that’s not exactly what that particular paragraph says.

2111 Superstition is the deviation of religious feeling and of the practices this feeling imposes. It can even affect the worship we offer the true God, e.g., when one attributes an importance in some way magical to certain practices otherwise lawful or necessary. To attribute the efficacy of prayers or of sacramental signs to their mere external performance, apart from the interior dispositions that they demand, is to fall into superstition.41

I really see no mention of dreams there. Furthermore, even if I try really, really, really, really hard, I couldn’t apply this paragraph to dreams in the way you seem to insist it should be applied. But maybe you had another paragraph in mind?

Also, this notion that the ancients were simply too stupid to understand that dreams were never what they thought they were? That they used dreams as some sort of literary device, and that dreams can never have an inspiration from God in the same way that “Revelation” does? Well, that’s cool, but it’s not Church teaching. You’re free to believe that, in a certain sense, but you can’t really bind folks to that particular form of biblical and cultural interpretation. It’s merely your own opinion, which may or may not contradict revealed truths.

Moreover, it really doesn’t take into account that the Old Testament, in various places, forbids placing too much emphasis on dreams. A good example is from Sirach 34.

5 Divinations and omens and dreams are folly,
and like a woman in travail the mind has fancies.
6Unless they are sent from the Most High as a visitation,
do not give your mind to them.
7 For dreams have deceived many,
and those who put their hope in them have failed.
8 Without such deceptions the law will be fulfilled,
and wisdom is made perfect in truthful lips.

St. Thomas says:

Accordingly we must say that there is no unlawful divination in making use of dreams for the foreknowledge of the future, so long as those dreams are due to divine revelation, or to some natural cause inward or outward, and so far as the efficacy of that cause extends. But it will be an unlawful and superstitious divination if it be caused by a revelation of the demons, with whom a compact has been made, whether explicit, through their being invoked for the purpose, or implicit, through the divination extending beyond its possible limits.

---

For the OP: I don’t think your dream was morbid. Here are some of my thoughts:

(1) I would follow Pianistclare’s excellent advice: pray for her soul, and stop thinking about the casket!

(2) Have you read this book? amazon.com/Forty-Dreams-St-John-Bosco/dp/0895555972

(3) Don’t forget that demons too can influence our dreams, and there’s a story in the above book about St. John Bosco seeing a demon dipping his finger into the head of a sleeping boy to make him dream. (I think it’s in that book, anyway.)

 

[Memaw]

Dreams in the Old Testament were literary devices used to communicate prophecy. The authors of the Old Testament used dreams to distinguish between prophecy and Revelation which was announced by angels or God Himself. Ancient peoples attributed magical properties to dreams because they had no scientific understanding of them.

Today we know that dream images are produced by discharges in the brain during REM sleep. The first couple of REM cycles reflect what you were seeing or thinking about before you went to sleep. As you run through more cycles, older images that may not be connected are ‘played.’ The brain attempts to piece together a story and make sense of what is seen. As the brain goes through more REM cycles, the images become more macabre and by the time you wake up, the images can be mindblowing.

Attributing prophetic or magical attributes to dreams is actually superstition and a sin. (See CCC 2111)

AMEN, God Bless, Memaw

 

[Pythagoras]

.

Attributing prophetic or magical attributes to dreams is actually superstition and a sin. (See CCC 2111)

Hmmm. I took a look at CCC 2111 which talks about superstition, but nowhere does it say that attributing prophetic attributes to dreams itself is superstition or a sin.

We must remember that there are also Saints who had prophetic dreams like St. John Bosco, specifically about the future of his students and the future of the Church.

 

[Crown_of_Stars]

I’d add her to my list of people I pray for (the Holy Souls) and have some Masses said for her repose.

Thank you I’ve lit many candles for her before Mass (we have candles in the back), and I’ve said rosaries for her. Thank you, everyone, for your thoughts. They are reasonable, and I have healed from the loss of her. The dreams were just more interesting to me than anything else, but I do strongly feel that she may be in Purgatory and it’s her way of coming to me (through and with God’s ability, that is) I just dreamed about her again last night. This time, I was at her grave, and there was a beautiful headstone there for her, and two dark purple jewels on the stone near her name. It may signify now that she is in heaven. I don’t know, though, and I know you’re not supposed to give too much thought of it. It’s hard not to. It doesn’t disturb or worry me…it’s just interesting to wonder about.

 

[Aunt_Raven]

If I had had your latest dream, I would have prayed for discernment on the symbolism in it: in Liturgical use, purple is the color of a) Royal dignity, and b) suffering. A jewel is a valuable treasure.

As there were two purple jewels on the grave-stone which signifies her eternal rest, I would have 2 Masses offered for the repose of her soul–, as soon as possible.

You can find places online which can take your Mass stipend and immediately have a poor missionary priest in say, Africa or India, at your specific request say a Mass for the Dead, celebrated in Purple vestments.

Try googling “Franciscan Friars, TOR Masses” and you can reach one site to request Masses online. There are others if you look for them.

I should add that if a person cannot afford a Mass stipend, they can still request their local parish priest to say the requested Masses; the priest cannot refuse, though it may be several weeks or months before he can fit them into his Mass schedule.

 

[Crown_of_Stars]

If I had had your latest dream, I would have prayed for discernment on the symbolism in it: in Liturgical use, purple is the color of a) Royal dignity, and b) suffering. A jewel is a valuable treasure.

As there were two purple jewels on the grave-stone which signifies her eternal rest, I would have 2 Masses offered for the repose of her soul–, as soon as possible.

You can find places online which can take your Mass stipend and immediately have a poor missionary priest in say, Africa or India, at your specific request say a Mass for the Dead, celebrated in Purple vestments.

Try googling “Franciscan Friars, TOR Masses” and you can reach one site to request Masses online. There are others if you look for them.

I should add that if a person cannot afford a Mass stipend, they can still request their local parish priest to say the requested Masses; the priest cannot refuse, though it may be several weeks or months before he can fit them into his Mass schedule.

Thankyou, Aunt Raven, and everyone else for your concern. Having Masses said, saying rosaries for her, and lighting candles is what I’m doing, and need to keep doing.

 

[BlueKnight]

The dream means she is under the earth ie in pergatory.

Have masses said for her ASAP as pergatory is not pleasant.

Also pray and fast for her. When she gets there you will likely have a dream of her in a river dressed in something white and she will seam very happy.

I just said some prayers for her.

Thank you for sharing these wonderful dreams. Feel free to ask me to interpret any dreams you have. If I don’t know I won’t pretend to know. God has filled my life with dreams that have clued me into things or people to pray for, shown me bits and pieces of future events, and revealed to me other things. Dreams are biblical and very cogent to the catholic faith. People are wary of the devil and dreams as they should be and few are the number of people who can interpret dreams accurately. However god is light and truth and does not deceive. You can also pray to god for the meaning of a dream.

Bk

 

[Memaw]

Thankyou, Aunt Raven, and everyone else for your concern. Having Masses said, saying rosaries for her, and lighting candles is what I’m doing, and need to keep doing.

That’s good but don’t get carried away by superstition. Dreams are not usually a “sign” from God or anyone else. They may be a result of your own thoughts and worries !! To get caught up in this sort of “dream analyzing” can border on superstition. God Bless, Memaw

 

[BlueKnight]

Good thing St Joseph didn’t think dreams were superstitions!

Good thing Daniel didn’t either!

Or Joseph son of Jacob!

And for those Catholics who don’t read their bible check out what is said about dreams and visions specifically.

The list goes on and on.

Dreams are revelatory, warning, or guidance.

What they aren’t are road maps, sacraments, or the bible.

A good dream interpreter can help people avoid danger and loss of time.

Good dream interpreters are hard to find and it is the bad ones have given dreams a bad reputation.

That said their are soulish dreams which derive from your strong personal desires that do not come from god. Spicy food can also give you bad dreams. Psychological trauma can also give you repetitive nightmares. Medications can also cause nightmares or stop dreams.

Anyone who claims to know that dreams are to be ignored are very uneducated and inexperienced on the subject.

Even sleep specialists don’t know what dreams are for. And many experts have noted a prophetic quality to dreams that they can’t explain. There are many types of dreams which adds to the confusion.

Bk