Thursday 14 December 2023

Dream recall:

I made three passages to a place high on a mountaintop.

The first was with a small group, we were pathfinders. We made our way through thick woods, over very rough terrain, across rocky gorges with rushing water. It was exhausting work, but as we gained altitude, everything became easier until the summit was reached.

On the second journey, there was a larger group, men and women, young people and older ones. The way was still difficult, but there were paths now. I was helping people across the streams and up the steeper trails. They too gained strength as we climbed higher.

A period of time had passed, and by the third passage, there were now small roads all the way up to a beautiful campus-like place, with places of worship and study, dining and lodging. There were people arriving continually, being greeted, taken care of and shown to places that were meant for each of them.

[end of dream]

Tuesday 5 December 2023

Dream recall:

I was building a model airplane, with balsa wood pieces and glue. It was marvelous and fun, relaxing and good. The little plane was beautiful. There was a blink of time, and I was building a much larger plane, with a six or seven-foot wingspan, and a small motor.

It had a long rectangular fuselage, and I finished it by sanding all the edges smooth and covering it with clear protective sealant. I took it outdoors for a test flight. There were open, rolling green hills all around, with areas of trees around the fields. I started the motor and hand-launched it into the breeze. At first, it wouldn’t fly straight and level, but would swoop up, stall slightly, and then nose down again to regain speed.

Somehow from a distance I was able to adjust the rudder, elevator and aileron, and suddenly it was soaring smoothly. As I watched, and just as suddenly, it became a much larger aircraft, still beautifully wooden, but now a biplane. And to my surprise, it developed pontoons as well.

It was now soaring over the landscape and somehow, I could see it from above, watching it meandering over the landscape. It came to me that I had to go recover it when it landed, so I set off in pursuit, driving up and down the low hills, winding along country roads. I was passing houses where I knew the people, waving and calling “Hello!” as I went past. There was a children’s party at one house and the kids were excitedly telling me which way the plane had gone.

The plane had landed on an empty high school football field, which overlooked a river and a small city on the other side. I had no idea how to bring it home again, but that didn’t seem to be important; it was safe and ready to fly again, and no one would bother it there.

Yet, there was a bad feeling all around. I knew somehow that I was being tracked via drones and GPS, and that not-nice people were watching me. The plane did not have any such system on it, so they didn’t know where it was. Within the dream, I was shown a vision of ‘watchers’ in a darkened control room, looking at satellite imagery and trying to keep track of many moving vehicles and people. Knowing this, I was able to disable the tracking on my car and return home.

[end of dream]

Sunday 19 November 2023

Recalling an overnight dream:

I was with my ocean-going crew: Gary and Dave, Andy, John and Bob, and we had just returned. We were laughing wildly about something that had happened, the atmosphere was filled with brotherly closeness. We were going in different directions from there, so I left the five of them sitting on a bench, waiting for a pickup. Then everything seemed to change.

Despite the bright sunshine, it was cold and wintry, with blowing snow. I ended up first in a car with someone not-nice, and I had to make them stop and let me out. There were bad feelings, but I knew I wasn’t supposed to go with them.

Walking, I made my way toward the nearby train station. It was late afternoon or early evening, the daylight fading and streetlights coming on. I couldn’t find the right way to get into the station and was massively frustrated. I walked and walked around, turning this way and that, taking wrong detours and having to backtrack and start over.

It was getting late, and in the dim light I had gotten into some bushes and trees surrounding the station. My spirit was angry, hurt, vexed. Somehow, I managed to blurt out, “Lord! Help me! This can’t be right!”

Suddenly, I could see a small path through the trees and down a small, snow-covered path towards an entrance I hadn’t seen before. I slid down a small slope, getting wet and muddy, and then had to go in a back door, through a coffee shop kitchen, past people working, who smiled but paid me no attention. I went through the shop and into the station.

It was mobbed inside, noisy and over-heated. There were throngs of people moving up escalators. Far ahead I could see a schedule board, and slowly made my way through the crowd to get a ticket.

[end of dream]

Saturday 18 November 2023

I had slept poorly and gotten up early for the 4^th watch prayer call. At about 9am, I lay down for a quick power nap, and immediately went into this dream.

I was shocked, surprised and overjoyed to see Lenny J[1]. He had come to help Judith and me work on our new house. We were building and fixing, and he was strong, healthy and happy, wearing a white t-shirt. His arms were sunburned brown from working outside, and his smile was deep and calm.

We had finished working, and he was getting ready to go – I didn’t know where he was going to go, and I couldn’t seem to ask him. I was flooded with love and compassion for him. I put my arm around his shoulder he leaned his head against my chest. We were close and at peace.

Judith and I wanted to feed him, but he smiled and said, “I’ve got to get going, I’ll just stop and get some pizza on the way out of town. Do you think they’re open at 10?”

And then we said goodbye.

[end of dream]

I woke with a start and tears, it was so powerful and close, and I missed him so much.

[1] Leonard Jokinen, my brother, went to be with the Lord July 15^th, 2012.