Cover of InceptionIn my last post a discussion began in the comments about the phenomena of simultaneous or shared dreams and dream telepathy. Since these are topics that I have often pondered and have been portrayed in various movies such as Inception (2010), I thought we might consider the idea of telepathy in dreams. Next week we'll look at the idea of shared dreaming a bit more, but today I've invited the blogger who opened up this topic in last week's comment discussion. Stephen T. McCarthy is my earliest blogging friend and can be found at Ferret-Faced Fascist Friends.
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My bloggin’ buddy Arlee Bird has invited me to tell this story here on his dreamy blog, so here goes . . .
Near Easter Day in 1996, my Pa passed away and shortly afterwards I helped my Ma sell her house. She bought a smaller one here in Phoenix and I moved in with her. I was spiritually fired up then, meditating regularly and recording what I learned in my meditation sessions and in my dreams.
Below are my meditation notes of Nov. 1, 1995. (Remember this, doggone it, you’ll need it later!)
Meditation - 11/1/‘95
God is the composer and the conductor of the song. We are individual members of His choir. As we sing in harmony with the other members of God’s choir we are able to bring into manifestation the greatest music ever written. As we sing what God has composed and arranged, we actually become His music. The song is in us and comes through us, and it is His gift to us that we are made capable of displaying and sharing in His glory and creation. We are The Lord’s music made audible.
God’s singers are many, but His choir is One.
I strive to sing my part in God’s music.
I focus not on the singers, but rather on the choir. It’s not the singers in God’s golden choir that I see, but the golden choir of God within the singers.
And now here are the notes from my Dream Journal:
Dream - March 30, 1998
One day last week (Tues., Wed. or Thurs.) I was skimming over some of my past dream and meditation notes, and in so doing happened to read a couple of lines from my meditation notes of Nov. 1, 1995. Leaving my bedroom I went into the kitchen where Ma was cooking and I just blurted out, “I am a singer in God’s choir!” And knowing how loony I can sometimes be, Ma just kind of rolled her eyes at me. Nothing else was said between us.
I got a call from Mark D. in Los Angeles and he told me about an astounding dream he had last week, either Tues., Wed. or Thurs. He dreamed that he walked into some kind of massive cathedral-like structure. He knew it was a house of God even though it had no religious icons. It had no roof and it contained segmented boxed areas that reached up almost as high as the eye could see, to a bright light above.
Each of these sections contained a different group of people worshipping God. Each group was dressed in different colored robes; all the colors of the rainbow were represented and there was a mass of people observing and shouting from the floor in a loud and ecstatic manner while the people in the sections were singing praises to God.
Different races were represented in the various sections, and as one section would sing a verse from the song and conclude, another section would then pick right up where the other left off, and in this manner each section sang their praises and gratitude to God, much like fans will do “the wave” in a ballpark.
There was some sort of organized structure to the singing and the song, and yet the song was not so much lyrics but tones and sounds. The place was just wild with joy! And some of the people standing on the floor were just observing while others were shouting and joining in while not exactly a part of the “organization” of the singers in the sections.
The sections reached so high that those singers in them appeared as mere specks to Mark standing down below. Mark said he moved into the group more, and he said that he was just overwhelmed by a sense of being “home”. He said that although he did not think of this as being the “end” of it all (the ultimate Heaven), he knew that this was where he really wanted to be. He said it was filled with this feeling of comfort.
Mark looked around him and up into the bleachers and thought, “Yeah, these people believe what I believe in.” He was very happy to be there and described it as, without question, a very spiritual experience. And then he was following with his eyes each section as it took up its portion of the song.
The song passed to a section midway up there and he saw me mixed in with that group of people. In the cathedral, I was the only person he knew, and he thought, “Wow! That’s Stephen up there. What’s he doing here?” And as he looked at me, our eyes met and I saw him and smiled at him in recognition. Mark smiled back and waved to me. He wanted to shout up to me but he said he knew it would be pointless because I was too high in the bleachers to hear him. Mark said I looked very happy and content. One thing that surprised him so much upon seeing me there was that I, who am usually so reserved and quiet, was mixed in and participating in this really wild, Southern Baptist-like celebration.
Mark said that this dream was so powerful and “real” that he felt he just had to call me right away and tell me about it. He knew he had written my phone number a long time ago on a yellow legal pad but he wasn’t able to find it. But then, a couple days later, after he had stopped looking for it, he just happened to stumble on it underneath a pile of papers, and so he called me.
Mark seems to have been getting more and more religious (Catholic) with the last few years, and I told him this dream is extremely significant for him. I feel it is some sort of calling from God Himself. I know it has tremendous meaning for Mark and he really needs to go within and find out what he is being told to do.
And for me it is far more encouraging than I could possibly explain; it has made me so hopeful. For just as Mark obviously tapped into my thoughts, it verifies for me that there is some real truth to my thoughts and at least SOME of my meditation visions and messages. Despite my many failings, I know I really am on the right track; my efforts have not been for nothing. And it seems I’m not just fooling myself – I really am in God’s choir. My heart is just overflowing now with hope and confidence in The Lord. “Things” really seem to be happening fast now – there IS a quickening taking place!!!
[*Incidentally, the “Mark D.” referred to in these notes is the same “Mark D.” interviewed in this video: ‘Alpha Dad Takes Down Depraved L.A. Cop’]
Read more about this story at:
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Some final thoughts:
Lee, it’s been a good ten years or more since I last read these notes from my journal. As I stated above, I had completely forgotten about the meditation notes and how they played into this thing. And of course I had always remembered that Mark’s dream was vivid, but I had forgotten just how dramatic it was.
I seriously doubt that these passages play into this thing at all, but every year when I have come across Nehemiah 12:31-43, Ezekiel 40:44-46, and Revelation 14:3 in my annual Bible study, they have always reminded me of Mark’s dream.
Readers--what do you think? Coincidence? Synchronicity? Telepathic communication? Divine messaging?
This was so interesting to read and most absorbing.
ReplyDeleteI am not one for sleeping straight through the night but on the evening my mother passed away I slept so deeply and never had cause to toss and turn, I thought no more of it until two months later my husband passed away and the same thing happened, Such a deep sleep can't recall any dreams yet since then(14 years ago) I have never had what I call a good nights sleep. It seems strange to me coincidence maybe but to me there was a reason.
Yvonne.
What a lovely interconnection! (How could that possibly be coincidence?) I enjoy God's sometimes whimsical way of letting us know He's there and we're all members of His one choir (a beautiful sentiment). A "wave of worship" - another fun idea. :-)
ReplyDeleteSome Dark Romantic
Stephen:
ReplyDeleteWhat and incredible, vivid and beautiful dream your friend Mark had.
The people that know me well, my friends, know that I don’t for even a fraction of a second believe in coincidence. I tend to see things as part of a grand design, orchestrated to help us become closer to each other as the children of our loving Heavenly Father. Make no mistake that I am NOT suggesting in any way that He orchestrates our lives, but rather the opportunities to see His desire for our personal growth and happiness as we endure the mortal condition.
I personally believe strongly in the connections between people we know and meet in our varied lives. Many people pass through their entire mortal existence meeting people and never ‘connecting’ with them on any level, let alone a strong spiritual one. It would seem this is NOT true for Stephen. Obviously, this is a man who not only studies the word of God, but embraces it in every aspect of his life. That he would have a friend such as Mark, and a lasting connection could exist between them, stands to me as a ratifying example of Gods unconditional love for his children and a desire to have each and every one of them return to His glorious presence.
Indeed, I do believe that each and every one of us has an innate desire to sing in Gods choir. Call it our ‘divine nature’, the ‘soul longing for home’, the ‘stranger wandering in a strange land’, or whatever you will, no matter the circumstances we are born into, I do believe that each of us hears the music of that ‘Divine Choir’ at some point in our lives, and has a desire to join in. Often we need to see that friendly face smiling in our direction, or even make a more direct connection and have some friend take our hand, but there is no greater love that to give of our self to a friend.
OK, I’ve done it again and completely hijacked this comment box. I can be a bit overly dramatic, especially in my excitement about something so dear to my heart. God speaks to each and every one of us at all times, it is our ears that are often ’stopped’ by worldly matters and we do not hear. That we can and do connect with those whose souls reach out to ours, in our dreams, I have no doubt. For me, this is a stunning example of that.
Well done Mr. McCarthy. What a pleasure to read such a lovely dream. That you where there for your friend only proves your grand devotion to our Heavenly Father and His love for us all. That you had the confirmation of the truthfulness of Mark’s dream in your passing remark to you mother, signifies to me, God’s great love for you, and his pleasure at the fine example you provide for your friends.
Thank you Arlee for hosting Stephen T. McCarthy and allowing each of us the opportunity to share in some small way this experience.
Very interesting indeed. I gave this issue some thought in the past, although nothing really in deep.
ReplyDeleteMy mother, a few years ago, dreamed of listening to some music during an afternoon nap. The music was a ballad played and sung by the Italian Partisans at the time of the Second World War. She never listened to such music, nor has she ever had any interest whatsoever in that kind of music.
The day after, she told one of her best friend about it. Her best friend promptly made her listen to a song and asked her, "Was this the song?". My mother said, "Hell yes!". Her friend then told her that she was listening to that song the day before while doing Yoga, exactly while my mother was having her afternoon nap.
Look forward to reading your next week article.
Hey Stephen..very interesting dreams and thoughts...I am not a person who believes in God, or any kind of divine intervention, but I do believe that certain people have connections between them that defy miles of separation...when my brother died last year I had several dreams where he would come to talk to me and apologize (he killed himself)...in these dreams I could see him plain as day,he was solid...not at all 'ghostly' or anything like that..I could hear his voice, sometimes I could even smell him, the only thing was, I could never feel him...when I'd hug him it was just like hugging air...my arms didn't go right through him or anything like that, they were around him, I just couldn't feel him...that first night, when we found out what he'd done, I screamed and screamed for most of the night, and the second night was the first time I dreamed about him...he looked like he'd been crying since the beginning of time and he said, "I heard you screaming and I'm so sorry..." It is the most profound dream I've ever had..
ReplyDeleteI must say I'm enjoying this dream site..thanks for the thought provoking post.
Thank you Stephen for this incredible post. It has generated some very thought-provoking and moving comments and I know we both like that.
ReplyDeleteYvonne -- This is strange and interesting. Not sure why it would be that you would have had such a sleep at those times or why your sleep would have been so disrupted since. Perhaps you need to try in the morning to see if you can capture any dream fragments so you can start remembering your dreams (you are having dreams) and perhaps better sleep will come when you have more control over your dream cycles.
Mina -- I agree with what you've said.
Farawayeyes -- I think I've said it before--don't worry about hijacking my comment section. You take us for an interesting ride and keep us flying so its a welcome excursion. You've given some great thoughts here and I'm sure Stephen will have something to say about them.
Jay--Interesting story. I think most of us have experienced something similar, but never give it any thought or realize it even happened. I'm sure I have, but I can't remember any specific examples, though I wish I could. That's a great story about your mother and another one to make us contemplate the power of the mind and the forces that interconnect us all.
Eve-- This is a remarkable story that I found very moving. Your description of the dream event was very well recounted. That's the kind of dream that really makes us stop to wonder how these can come about and by what means the dreams are delivered.
Lee
First, my thanks to EVERYONE who felt this blog bit warranted a comment.
ReplyDeleteARLEE BOIDMAN -- 'A-List Thanks' for inviting me to participate like this on your blog. Definitely a new experience for me to find myself yakking away on somebody else's blog. Also... I liked the "asterisk rainbow" you came up with. That was a clever way to illustrate one of the ideas found in my Dream Journal notes.
WORLD OF POETRY (Yvonne) -- What you described pertaining to your Mother and your Husband is quite peculiar. I could be entirely wrong (and probably am) but the thought that occurred to me was perhaps the exceedingly rare "deep sleep" you experienced when they passed away was somehow symbolic of the deep restfulness that your Mother and Husband were now enjoying with The Lord. Just an idea.
MINA -- "A wave of worship". Hey, I like that expression you invented! Nice!
FARAWAYEYES (Nitro) -- Great comment! I know Arlee Bird appreciates it as much as I do when someone is so interested in a post that it inspires a lengthy, in-depth comment. You're not "hijacking" the thread; you're fully participating in it, and that's what we like!
>>..."That you had the confirmation of the truthfulness of Mark’s dream in your passing remark to you mother, signifies to me, God’s great love for you, and his pleasure at the fine example you provide for your friends."
Thanks so much for that remark! I'm afraid that I'm probably as frequently a "bad example" as I am a "fine example", but then if there wasn't plenty of room for a lot o' improvement I probably wouldn't still be toiling here "as the world turns".
JAY -- Hey, that was a super-interesting and intriguing story you related here. Thanks for sharing it, Brother!
EVE -- It is my opinion that you ought to consider that dream of your Brother as something much more significant than "just a dream". I have also been visited in my "dreams" by a few people close to me who passed away.
My first recollection of that happening occurred in 1976 (twice!) while I was still in high school, and shortly after my friend Ty committed suicide. Both "visitations" (which is a more accurate term than "dreams") were so vivid that I can still recall them.
The scene of Ty's second visitation was at the door to a Spanish class he and I had taken together the semester before his suicide. I was shocked to see him there and I said, "Ty, what are you doing here?"
He replied with something like, "Why shouldn't I be here?"
I said rather loudly, "But you're dead!"
And he responded, "Do I look dead?" and then he began mocking me and poking fun at me for thinking he had died.
I firmly believe that what I was supposed to take away from that visitation is the idea that there is no death, and we merely move into some other dimension or some spiritual realm when we pass away from this worldly experience.
Eve, you wrote: "...certain people have connections between them that defy miles of separation."
I would ask, why and how could that be so?
First we had mail service, then the telegraph was invented. Later we had telephones connected by cables, and now we have cell phones without wires. But in every stage of communication between human beings, the system had to be designed and set up.
I would ask the question: Why should we accept the idea that telepathic communication between minds could exist without a Designer making that possible?
ARLEE BIRD, my thanks again for... making this possible. ;o)
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
What a detailed dream. Wow.
ReplyDeleteHey Stephen, What I meant is that there are some people in our lives, who, no matter how far away they are, whether they are in some far away country, or dead, we still feel connected to them..I didn't mean to imply that we can communicate telepathically with them...I still feel connected to my brother...I knew him for 40 years..he is still part of our family..it's like when people lose a limb, they can still feel the amputated arm or leg..sometimes they have such awful pain in the limb that is no longer there...when a person is part of a family and suddenly dies, the rest of the family can still feel their presence for years, sometimes forever after the event, it doesn't mean that the dead person is still there in some different form,..I know that the dreams I had about my brother are dreams from my own brain and not him visiting me, because he was dead in his apartment for almost 3 days before he was found..I started having the dreams when I found out what had happened, not when he actually died...so I didn't get any kind of telepathic or 'divine' message at the moment he died..even so, the dreams were all very vivid and in all of them I could never feel him...I think that sometimes people are too quick to jump to the 'divine designer' answer to some of lifes mysteries...just because we don't understand something, it does not follow that it must be the work of a god...thanks for doing this piece, it is so interesting and I think it's good to exchange different ideas and have a healthy debate. Thanks again to both of you.
ReplyDeleteLoved the post - loved discovering this blog - dreams are fascinating to me - I dont' really know what to make of them but I think they are valuable. yes, I lean towards the intuitive and I can play with that stuff but I don't let it run my life - looking forward to more posts!
ReplyDeleteThis blog looks just like quite nice! Great choice of colors and this design is wicked! You obviously know how to keep a reader amused.
ReplyDelete