Rosemary Ellen Guiley — Dream Messages from the Afterlife

[Jimi H.]

edited questions..

 

[Polterwurst]

Quote "This discussion surely takes us in a direction that's out of the normal comfort zone for The Paracast."

Yup. And not only for The Paracast. Thanks for stepping out of this comfort zone once in a while.

 

[Rosemary_Guiley]

I have not read Ms. Guiley's Dream book, but what do her personal dreams tell her about other planes of existence and about God in particular?

I believe we go OB during sleep and experience other planes in dreams. Many people have powerful dreams that they feel are a direct experience of God, or a demonstration that God exist. There isn't a "God exists" dream per se; the experience is framed within a meaningful context for the dreamer.

 

[Bob Watson]

Welcome Ms.Guiley to the Paracast fourms I followed your work for years and I always remain impressed.

 

[Rosemary_Guiley]

Since we know that the mind is capable of creating completely realistic, but entirely imaginary imagery, sounds and experiences, why should we presume that dreams involving the deceased reflect some afterlife rather than something generated by the mind of the dreamer?

There is (at present) no way to either prove or disprove that the dead visit in dreams. Dreams reside in the mundus imaginalis, an intermediary world between the sensory plane and the spirit plane. As Corbin pointed out (1964), imagination should not be equated with unreality, but is a way of accessing an immaterial reality. He described the mundus imaginalis as "a world that is ontologically as real as the world of the senses and that of the intellect. This world requires its own faculty of perception, namely, imaginative power, a faculty with a cognitive function, a noetic value which is as real as that of sense perception or intellectual intuition. We must be careful not to confuse it with the imagination identified by so-called modern man with 'fantasy,' and which, according to him, is nothing but an outpour of 'imaginings.'"

Dreams have been interpreted with value and meaning since ancient times, including visits from the dead. The interpretations are subjective. Dream visits from the dead have distinctive characteristics different from "ordinary" dreams, and fairly consistent from person to person regardless of their knowledge of dreams. One can make the choice to disregard dreams as meaningless because there is no scientific proof of their content, and thus derive no benefit from them, or choose to find meaning in them. Those who have realistic meetings with the dead in dreams can experience profound grief healing, validation of faith-based belief, and also changes in belief, usually about the existence and nature of the afterlife.

 

[Rosemary_Guiley]

Here is a dream I had a few years back. Background: my ex husband died of cancer about a year before this happened. On Sunday morning, I had a dream that he and I were playing water balloons. It was so much fun that I woke up laughing. That same Sunday, our daughter had a birthday party for one of her children. Being out of state, I could not attend but I did call her that evening to ask how the party had gone. The first words out of her mouth were, "We played water balloons."
I have had lots of different dreams like this one.

The dream has a precognitive element (playing with water balloons). If this were my dream, I would interpret the deceased ex as a dream symbol. "Little precognition" dreams (about daily life events) are common.

 

[Rosemary_Guiley]

Questions for Rosemary: Have you experienced (or do you know of others who have experienced) being suddenly awakened from a deep sleep by hearing the voice of a well-known discarnate nearby in the room with you? Also, have you experienced the sense while awake of the presence of a beloved discarnate's consciousness occupying a place adjacent to your own consciousness (and experiencing that individual's emotional state)? Finally, have you experienced (or know of anyone else who has experienced) a sudden rapid upsurge of powerful energy within your body that you sensed/knew to be produced by a beloved discarnate, powerful enough to cause a strong physical reaction in your body (for example, throwing your arms upward, the energy apparently exiting at your fingertips, followed by trembling of your arms and upper body lasting for 10-15 minutes)?

We go into this a bit on the show... direct voice dreams are documented in dream literature, but usually people ascribe them to a "voice of God" or "voice of authority."

Yes, some who feel the sudden presence of a dead loved one have physical reactions, including surges of energy... this one sounds like a kundalini uprush.

 

[Rosemary_Guiley]

I often have dreams of my great grandfather. I often see his death. and I see him as he looks in pictures when I see my great grand mother I see her as she was when he died (20 years old) is this a message from him or simply dreams? (the dream happens once every few months)

Since these dreams are frequent and repetitive... if they were my dreams... I would apply dreamwork techniques to them treating the dead as symbols. Repetitive dreams often concern something unresolved, frequently of an emotional nature.

 

[Rosemary_Guiley]

Following on what ufology, polterwurst and marduk asked, why do some dreams feel so real and what does that say about the nature of reality (and the nature of feeling)? Also, what are some of the rules of thumb by which people distinguish between meaningful dreams involving outsiders of some ilk and routine ones that just feature different aspects of the psyche working through issues? (Lucid dreaming aside, since that seems to have its own special flavor.) I know I've developed some of my own, and I assume that everyone else does, too.

Any dream can be meaningful. Some of the characteristics that distinguish ordinary dreams from extraordinary dreams are lucidity, unusual colors, pervasive, brilliant light, volition, sensory phenomena (especially touch), an unusual, heavy or electrical "atmosphere," the presence of the dead or otherworldly beings, etc. While none of these guarantee an extraordinary dream, these characteristics, combined with meaningful dream content, comprise dreams that have a powerful impact on the dreamer. In the case of dream visits from the dead, the dreamer is convinced a genuine experience took place.

Ordinary reality and the world of the senses is only a slim part of a bigger reality available to us... and which opens in dreams.

 

[Rosemary_Guiley]

According to REG:
1) What's the difference between a dream and reality? Are dreams another objective reality?
2) What other parts of our dreams might be real, if we think that we can be visited by the deceased? Do you think we are actually visited by UFOs if we dream about UFOs? Or our deceased cat or goldfish? Where does the limit go?
3) What role do you think that sleep paralysis and other somatic disturbances has in experiences of visitations by either deceased ones or alien abductors? Does it seem like the same persons are prone to experiencing both?
4) Is science wrong, when it suggest that dreams are basically our own sub-conscious imagination at work?

1--Dreams have their own reality (see remarks about Corbin elsewhere)
2-- We can be visited by the dead, including animals, in dreams. Entities of all kinds can invade dreams. No know limits to the dreasmcape.
3-- Speculation: perhaps certain entities take advantage of natural sleep paralysis, or know how to cause it.
4-- Dreams do deal with material from the subconscious, but they are far more.

 

[Constance]

Many thanks to Rosemary for responding to the questions presented in this thread. I'm looking forward to hearing your interview on The Paracast.

 

[Christopher O'Brien]

Thanks for taking the time to add your comments, Ro, I think the show will be illuminating for some of our listeners!

 

[SRL+]

Who knows, perhaps C. G. Jung will tune in.

 

[Wade]

Since these dreams are frequent and repetitive... if they were my dreams... I would apply dreamwork techniques to them treating the dead as symbols. Repetitive dreams often concern something unresolved, frequently of an emotional nature.

If you're still hanging in there w/us rosemary,at the risk of taking to much advantage of your presence I'd like to add another couple question/statement

I've been faithfully recording my dreams for years and notice quite a few themes that are constantly popping up. What I mean is that a certain sequence pops up again and again within the context of various dreams but doesn't seem to really have anything to do with the dream itself and some of these themes are pretty obscure (I think) involving locks ( such as what ships pass through) canals, convoluted street intersections...ships coming down canals in the middle of streets !!!...escalators, bypassing the floor I want and having to take the stairwell back down to get to the floor I want, long curving dark ramps that descend into various places... Such as to an underground garage, freeway onramps and off ramps (usually from above) vacant and deserted construction yards, running along catwalks at construction sites, running through interconnected buildings (usually in the form of quonset huts) and running/navigating my way through suburban shopping malls off interstates and in bazaars and boutiques always looking for something that I usually can't find, running along hiking paths and struggling to keep my footing and balance usually on curves .and I probably missed a few... As I said one or more of these elements come up almost every week and I can honestly say I cannot relate to any of these things in my personal life except I was a deckhand some 20 plus years ago and I do quite a bit of hiking. So while i am not asking you to interpet these, in your professional view do you see anything in common between all those aspects that could help me track down that could all lead to a single issue or do you think I have a lot of unresolved issues to contend with and need therapy?

I do have another repetitive dream that constantly pops up I've been able to identify. I am constantly dreaming about visiting some old acquaintances in Brisbane... That I've pretty much loss touch with.... And because I'm having trouble getting all my stuff and souvenirs packed, I miss the bus to the airport and miss my flight. I made several Trips to Australia back in the late 80's early 90's and one time my friend and I got "stranded" on Moreton Island for a Couple of days because we missed the ferry and we subsisted on berries and food scraps because The wild eyed goats got into our food DESPITE my recommendation to tie our stores up and hoist them up into some trees. Johnathan's words, which came back to haunt him... I saw to that... "They're not bloody bears, mate"


On that note, whenever I have a dream where I'm flying on a jet...Another theme... The seating is auditorium-like with large deep seats, And there is a huge window to watch out of, also auditoriums and lecture halls come up a lot add a theme though I don't go out to see movies and never went to higher education but I do go to a handful of symposiums yearly.


Also I am constantly telling myself within dreams that "I've been here before" and find my way to a certain place that i apparently have no business knowing

 

[Randall]

There is (at present) no way to either prove or disprove that the dead visit in dreams.

Thank you for your feedback. Are you actually R.E.G. ( Sometimes writers have authorized stand-ins who help with blogs and forums)?

I am a proud owner of Harper's Encyclopedia of Mystical & Paranormal Experience, ( and a few other titles ). The EMPE is an excellent resource, however I also must preface that by saying that I consider the information in it to be separate from my beliefs.

I don't know where you draw the line between your personal beliefs and your journalistic reporting of such beliefs, so please understand that although the comments below may seem to challenge what you are saying, my intent is to get at the truth rather than be critical ( in a negative way ).

Dreams reside in the mundus imaginalis, an intermediary world between the sensory plane and the spirit plane.

All as we know with any degree of certainty is that dreams reside in the mind of the dreamer, which according to the objective evidence is dependent upon a functioning brain/body system. The belief in a "spirit plane" is a murky issue steeped in mythology and often times the assumption that it is some sort of objective realm independent of the believer. This latter view is entirely unsubstantiated ( so far as I know ) by objective evidence, or for that matter even substantial subjective evidence. By substantial, I mean evidence such as detailed and verifiable information that is acquired by some subjective means ( like a dream ) and then verified as something new or unique that the dreamer could not have fabricated ( intentionally or otherwise ).

As Corbin pointed out (1964), imagination should not be equated with unreality, but is a way of accessing an immaterial reality. He described the mundus imaginalis as "a world that is ontologically as real as the world of the senses and that of the intellect. This world requires its own faculty of perception, namely, imaginative power, a faculty with a cognitive function, a noetic value which is as real as that of sense perception or intellectual intuition. We must be careful not to confuse it with the imagination identified by so-called modern man with 'fantasy,' and which, according to him, is nothing but an outpour of 'imaginings.'"

I'm fine with distinguishing between subjective and objective reality. The problem I have is when people start equating the two as if they are interchangeable when in fact they're not. One is fantasy, perhpas with some facsimiles of objective reality thrown in ( like people and places you may know including the deceased ), but believing those things exist in some independent reality beyond one's own mind is unsubstantiated. We may have a wonderful dream about living in a beautiful estate home when in fact we're living in a basement suite, and the bank isn't going to give you a homeowner's loan on the mansion in your dream.

All that being said, dreams about the departed can have powerful psychological effects, either positive or negative. I once had a dream about my departed father, and after waking up I felt as though it was real on a deep emotional level that made me feel a lot better than I had in a long time. So I can see why some people want to believe such dreams actually represent the presence of another entity communicating from some other realm, however that simply cannot be the case in reality ( for logical and philosophical reasons ).

 

[Rosemary_Guiley]

If you're still hanging in there w/us rosemary,at the risk of taking to much advantage of your presence I'd like to add another couple question/statement

I've been faithfully recording my dreams for years and notice quite a few themes that are constantly popping up. What I mean is that a certain sequence pops up again and again within the context of various dreams but doesn't seem to really have anything to do with the dream itself and some of these themes are pretty obscure (I think) involving locks ( such as what ships pass through) canals, convoluted street intersections...ships coming down canals in the middle of streets !!!...escalators, bypassing the floor I want and having to take the stairwell back down to get to the floor I want, long curving dark ramps that descend into various places... Such as to an underground garage, freeway onramps and off ramps (usually from above) vacant and deserted construction yards, running along catwalks at construction sites, running through interconnected buildings (usually in the form of quonset huts) and running/navigating my way through suburban shopping malls off interstates and in bazaars and boutiques always looking for something that I usually can't find, running along hiking paths and struggling to keep my footing and balance usually on curves .and I probably missed a few... As I said one or more of these elements come up almost every week and I can honestly say I cannot relate to any of these things in my personal life except I was a deckhand some 20 plus years ago and I do quite a bit of hiking. So while i am not asking you to interpet these, in your professional view do you see anything in common between all those aspects that could help me track down that could all lead to a single issue or do you think I have a lot of unresolved issues to contend with and need therapy?

I do have another repetitive dream that constantly pops up I've been able to identify. I am constantly dreaming about visiting some old acquaintances in Brisbane... That I've pretty much loss touch with.... And because I'm having trouble getting all my stuff and souvenirs packed, I miss the bus to the airport and miss my flight. I made several Trips to Australia back in the late 80's early 90's and one time my friend and I got "stranded" on Moreton Island for a Couple of days because we missed the ferry and we subsisted on berries and food scraps because The wild eyed goats got into our food DESPITE my recommendation to tie our stores up and hoist them up into some trees. Johnathan's words, which came back to haunt him... I saw to that... "They're not bloody bears, mate"


On that note, whenever I have a dream where I'm flying on a jet...Another theme... The seating is auditorium-like with large deep seats, And there is a huge window to watch out of, also auditoriums and lecture halls come up a lot add a theme though I don't go out to see movies and never went to higher education but I do go to a handful of symposiums yearly.


Also I am constantly telling myself within dreams that "I've been here before" and find my way to a certain place that i apparently have no business knowing

It would take a good bit of dreamwork to unravel all that within the context of each dream. However, most people have recurring themes in dreams that can persist over a long period of time, even a lifetime. Dreams that prominently feature missing connections, slow travel, not finding things, etc. are often anxiety dreams. Recurring dreams can happen when situations trigger certain patterns of behavior or responses; when something isn't resolved; or when certain emotions are triggered by daily life events. If you started dissecting the dreams one at a time you'd probably come up with a great deal of information about what they had to say.

 

[Rosemary_Guiley]

Thank you for your feedback. Are you actually R.E.G. ( Sometimes writers have authorized stand-ins who help with blogs and forums)?

I am a proud owner of Harper's Encyclopedia of Mystical & Paranormal Experience, ( and a few other titles ). The EMPE is an excellent resource, however I also must preface that by saying that I consider the information in it to be separate from my beliefs.

I don't know where you draw the line between your personal beliefs and your journalistic reporting of such beliefs, so please understand that although the comments below may seem to challenge what you are saying, my intent is to get at the truth rather than be critical ( in a negative way ).

All as we know with any degree of certainty is that dreams reside in the mind of the dreamer, which according to the objective evidence is dependent upon a functioning brain/body system. The belief in a "spirit plane" is a murky issue steeped in mythology and often times the assumption that it is some sort of objective realm independent of the believer. This latter view is entirely unsubstantiated ( so far as I know ) by objective evidence, or for that matter even substantial subjective evidence. By substantial, I mean evidence such as detailed and verifiable information that is acquired by some subjective means ( like a dream ) and then verified as something new or unique that the dreamer could not have fabricated ( intentionally or otherwise ).

I'm fine with distinguishing between subjective and objective reality. The problem I have is when people start equating the two as if they are interchangeable when in fact they're not. One is fantasy, perhpas with some facsimiles of objective reality thrown in ( like people and places you may know including the deceased ), but believing those things exist in some independent reality beyond one's own mind is unsubstantiated. We may have a wonderful dream about living in a beautiful estate home when in fact we're living in a basement suite, and the bank isn't going to give you a homeowner's loan on the mansion in your dream.

All that being said, dreams about the departed can have powerful psychological effects, either positive or negative. I once had a dream about my departed father, and after waking up I felt as though it were real on a deep emotional level that made me feel a lot better than I had in a long time. So I can see why some people want to believe such dreams actually represent the presence of another entity communicating from some other realm, however that simply cannot be the case in reality ( for logical and philosophical reasons ).

Yep, it's me. Thank you re the Encyclopedia of M&PE. It's been out quite a long time.

I don't see dreams as a substitute for ordinary reality, but certainly they are part of our extended reality. As for logic, anyone who spends much time dealing with the paranormal finds out that logic often goes out the window.

 

[Randall]

Yep, it's me. Thank you re the Encyclopedia of M&PE. It's been out quite a long time.

Well then it's certainly a privilege to have had the opportunity to exchange a few words with you, just please don't go too far down the Sylvia Browne path.

I don't see dreams as a substitute for ordinary reality, but certainly they are part of our extended reality.

When it comes to dreams I prefer the phrase "subjective reality" to "extended reality". The word "extended" doesn't do enough to differentiate between the material world and the virtual reality inside our heads.

As for logic, anyone who spends much time dealing with the paranormal finds out that logic often goes out the window.

Beliefs about the various realms of the deceased are definitely not immune to analysis by logic and critical thinking, but maybe you can think of something else? Perhaps you could offer up an example?

 

[Rosemary_Guiley]

Well then it's certainly a privilege to have had the opportunity to exchange a few words with you, just please don't go too far down the Sylvia Browne path.

When it comes to dreams I prefer the phrase "subjective reality" to "extended reality". The word "extended" doesn't do enough to differentiate between the material world and the virtual reality inside our heads.

Beliefs about the various realms of the deceased are definitely not immune to analysis by logic and critical thinking, but maybe you can think of something else? Perhaps you could offer up an example?

I have always advocated looking for natural explanations first. After that, if we're going to make any headway, other possibilities have to be considered.

 

[ward]

An interesting show Gene and Chris, Rosemary has really done a vast amount of research into these topic and is impressively fluent in the materials.

A couple of questions for you Rosemary if i may ask you.

As an example in ufology almost without exception all the the information given to an experience by the "aliens" be it predictions or information turns out to be false.

How do you verify any of this information as coming from a legitimately dead source?

Do the "dead" some how loose the ability of deception they had in life?

Could these "dead" simply be your beloved Djinn or similar trickster having the last laugh?

I see a forthcoming book is Black Mirror Scyring, how would this differ from using say a ouija board and how can you possibly trust any of the information coming from it or the source it claims to be?