I had this dream experience after asking for a lot of spiritual guidance, night after night, for quite a while.
I won’t reveal exactly what I was asking for, but in general terms, I wanted a clear understanding of a specific personal defect that was standing in my way, one that I had been diligently working upon overcoming.
I had learned to look for spiritual guidance in my dreams from Belsebuub’s work and had been hoping to find some answers in them.
I think I had been asking and praying so much for this guidance that I was beginning to feel like I’d never get an answer though. In fact, I think I had even given up on asking by the night I got an answer…
The answer I needed came in a very clear dream. I don’t have any recollection of the previous dream: I just remember suddenly materializing and being in a very real, but mundane situation with a task to do (something as mundane as getting groceries).
At the time, it never occurred to me how I got into that situation or why I needed to do what I was doing. It all felt completely natural, like that was my life.
I felt incredibly aware: as I walked, I was aware of the movements of my body and my breathing. I could feel the weight of my body as my feet pressed against the ground. I was in well-lit surroundings and could hear things both near and far. I proceeded with my task but then came across an obstacle: the circumstances I was in began to bring up the specific defect I was concerned about, which I knew was not a spiritual state.
I tried to not go along with that state and remain in awareness, but this became increasingly difficult as time went by and more events took place. My efforts to remain conscious increased, but only to a point, and eventually I found myself becoming psychologically captivated by the situation and the subconscious state overpowered my reason. Once I lost my awareness, I woke up.
It had all seemed so real, I even wondered if that was a memory from the previous day, but then knew it had only been a dream. And at this point, I felt a deep sense of remorse for not having had greater self-control. I knew the dream was a very accurate depiction of what I would have done in real life and I wished that I had understood that subconscious state better.
This experience, among other more personal things, taught me about how important it is to observe the small details of negative states and to have humility. Before the dream, I honestly thought that I had a greater understanding of the subconscious state I failed to overcome.
I guess this was in part due to my not seeing the smaller manifestations of this state in my normal life and perhaps also self-deceit, in not seriously considering that I could be tripped up by such simple circumstances.
It’s great to hear about your diligent approach to overcoming a defect. I find it so difficult to reach this ‘diligent’ level as it is so difficult to maintain a constant inner focus. I am glad you were able to reach to it and describe it with this particular inner state and post. Good luck for the future.
Very interesting Mike. It is incredible how much information we can get from dreams. And some times when we least expect it.
I love it so much when I can see an inner state clearly in a dream. Like you, I find that it helps me to see it more in daily life.
Thanks very much for posting that Mike! I can relate to some of the things you said as well – there really is a special quality to dreams, like they somehow show you not just the inner state from a new angle, but reveal it in a deeper way than we might have seen it in the waking world. I think you made a good point about watching out for the small details Sometimes I think that’s part of the beauty to dreams – they show reality, even though they’re normally something we see as being removed from it. Sometimes just understanding ourselves more can give the biggest boost internally to keep fighting bad inner states, like we know our enemies and have been armed with more knowledge to defeat them. Thanks again for sharing your experience!
Hi Mike, so nice to hear of that help coming to you, even if it’s at a different time or in a different way than we might expect it. The astral can be such a revealing place on how we really are inside.
I also like your advice on the importance of looking at details. Thanks
This sounds great indeed, thanks Mike for sharing! I can relate to the part about asking, asking and then, when no obvious answer comes, forgetting about that only to be alerted to the “answer” some time later. 🙂 The Divine beings out-there are definitely answering if we put enough efforts into things. I find some things are more “expensive” than others, so the answers may require more efforts.
Ah, good point, Lucia, on the “expense” of some guidance/experiences.
I remember hearing an analogy at one point, I think from Justin, that we can easily have the mentality that the spiritual work is like putting coins into a vending machine. We want the results straightaway… but the payment may of course require time and effort.
Great experience Michael. I can relate to things sometimes coming to me when I’ve almost reached the point of not being able to continue! That awareness you speak of is something so unique to the astral – it’s quite funny to me when people ask ‘how do you know it’s real’ when it feels hyper-real. Though the astral can be fun and magical, its real value is in being able to learn there more intuitively and directly. Hope you have more insights like this and thanks or sharing, it’s given me a push to work for my own teachings.
…‘how do you know it’s real’ when it feels hyper-real.
Agreed Ella. My best proof that it’s not just ‘in my head’ or ‘just a dream’ has not been any physical proof or confirmation but because it feels and is real when I’m there.
Yeah, it sure is “hyper-real”. Reminds me a little of how, in some senses (many, actually), the truly real is beyond the physical world. So when we go to the astral, we’re closer to reality, assuming an objective psyche, than when we’re in this lower, more dense physical world.
Hi Mike,
Even though you failed to overcome that defect in your dream, I find it inspiring that you were persistently asking and even when you had given up on it you were given this experience. I find that happening to me too, ie. asking for a very long time, thinking no one is listening and it is not having any effect, but then starting to get guidance, usually just in subtle ways in daily life or when doing a spiritual practice. And often that guidance shows me my self-deceit and makes me feel like it was a bit obvious and I was just blind to it. Those are difficult moments but extremely helpful. The divine beings seem to be very patient and compassionate with us, fortunately.
Actually reading your experience helped me to get an understanding about something I’ve been praying to get guidance on. So thanks a lot for sharing!
Hi Mike,
It is interesting to find ourselves in the astral and having such a strong feeling of reality! How different it is from the subconscious dreams we have otherwise. I know for myself that I have had dreams that were so clear, vivid and so real that I would wake up in the morning and like you, wondered if it was simply a memory of an event I’ve had in the past, but there would always be something that was somewhat ‘supernatural’ or ‘that could not be’ to make me realize that in fact it had been just a dream..
The quality of these dreams is what I find so captivating, in how we can get so much information about ourselves in such a short little dream – it is quite humbling really to see the power of the divine in how it gives us through symbols, or dream scenarios such meaningful information that can then help us transform and better understand ourselves.
Also, the detail about having to wait for guidance and information while you were still working on that defect is also very good stuff to remember for me personally. It made me think of what Jesus says in the Bible:
Not only do I need to be genuine about wanting to know but also that I need to do my part (ask, seek, knock) and not just expect to be given something – so many thanks for sharing such an inspiring experience, that was really helpful. And best wishes to finally overcome that ego!
Thank you, Geraldine. The ego is still a work in progress 🙂
Thanks for the quotation! It sounds so easy with a literal interpretation, but being genuine as you mention, and earning the experience (I guess not being the swine) are vital ingredients so easily overlooked.
Mike that was such a learning experience, to be shown so directly and true to life so that you could grasp it more fully than in life itself.
Geraldine I was reading that quote from the bible recently and as I was reading various citations of it I came across one that I felt offered a way to understand that section about asking, seeking and knocking a bit more. It’s referred to as Matthew Henry’s commentary http://biblehub.com/commentaries/mhc/matthew/7.htm
“7:7-11 Prayer is the appointed means for obtaining what we need. Pray; pray often; make a business of prayer, and be serious and earnest in it. Ask, as a beggar asks alms. Ask, as a traveller asks the way. Seek, as for a thing of value that we have lost; or as the merchantman that seeks goodly pearls. Knock, as he that desires to enter into the house knocks at the door. Sin has shut and barred the door against us; by prayer we knock. Whatever you pray for, according to the promise, shall be given you, if God see it fit for you, and what would you have more? This is made to apply to all that pray aright; every one that asketh receiveth, whether Jew or Gentile, young or old, rich or poor, high or low, master or servant, learned or unlearned, all are alike welcome to the throne of grace, if they come in faith. It is explained by a comparison taken from earthly parents, and their readiness to give their children what they ask. Parents are often foolishly fond, but God is all-wise; he knows what we need, what we desire, and what is fit for us. Let us never suppose our heavenly Father would bid us pray, and then refuse to hear, or give us what would be hurtful.”
Hi Mike, thank you for this experience. It’s quite relevant to read it right now actually, I’m trying to look into the mechanics of something that looks too big and I know it’s getting that big through small manifestations that build up. I don’t feel like I have enough depth into it and although I can feel that feeling of repentance that you mention I know there is ‘More Work to Do’. Thank you.