Dear Suze, (Guardian Angel),

As I mentioned earlier - you're
living the "dream." You've got
a new dimension of depth in
your actual world - you don't
need fantasy. You possess an
expansion of the mind that you
nourish and keep alive, a sense
of wonder within yourself.
How do I know this - look at
your own post history. You see
the world as it should be ...
sometimes heartbreaking, but never
hopeless.

"Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly."
(Langston Hughes).

Foxy, I think you are the angel!
You never seem to find bad in anyone - on these pages anyway.
I think you are an impressive communicator.
Have you ever written any articles or books yourself?
Speaking of dreams!

Dear folks... I'm playing catchup mode at the moment.. fitting reading/posting in between various work pressures.

Good to see a keen interest in this area, with a healthy dose of skepticism which is to be expected.

1/ No..it was not 'me' having this dream, it was a lady who I conversed with.

2/ I don't see it as 'proving' anything in particular.

MAIN PURPOSE in raising this thread, was to explore others experiences and opinions about the issue of DREAM/REALITY... ie.. in particular concerning hints of the future contained in dreams.

The "Lauren" story/dream seemed to suggest that there is an element of knowledge of the future available or.. put to us from the 'other' side..which ever side that is... But it wasn't clear or specific...so...one wonders about that also.

In my case.. I have had an 'experience' which most (specially Perilous:) would put down to sub conscious activity.. and that is on the night my mum died, I was in cold stark bone chilling fear of what seemed imminent. Then.. while I was pondering life without her, I heard a voice.. "Tonight you will lose a loved one"... it seemed to come from inside my head.. not audible, and before anyone jumps into the "oh youre subconscious was simply doing a coping thing"... I wondered about this much later.. and I did ask "What that from you Lord"? and then.. something happened, which blew my mind...but guess what :) I'm not telling ner ner. But the result was that in this case (the only time in my life) I was convinced that it was from the right source, and it was not self manufactured.

Have fun with that..as I know some will...

But the Lauren story was just one of a number I've come across at these MBS festivals.. some are downright creepy.. specially the meditation ones.

QUESTION. Has anyone involved in 'meditation' experienced some kind of vision or 'presense' which came out of that?...if so, please share.

It's nothing to feel embarrassed about, Boaz.

>>In my case.. I have had an 'experience' which most (specially Perilous:) would put down to sub conscious activity..<<

As you know, my view is that the concept of a deity is already a product of human imagination, created by us in order to paper over the bits of the universe that we don't understand.

So, to me there is absolutely no difference between "sub conscious activity", and the very real impression that God was speaking to you.

If that is the way it felt to you, then that is the way it was.

My only question would be to ask you, why you believe that you were singled out for such attention, when there were, at that very moment, people far worse off than you that needed his help.

Dear Suze,

Thank You for your kind words.
They are deeply appreciated.
However, to me - you definitely belong
in the "guardian angel," group of souls,
sent here to help others.

As for my dream of writing.
I am working on a book at the moment.
I have had things published both in this
country and the US - they've mainly been
short items.

*Brother Boazy*

To go on from my earlier comments re:hallucinations, it is worth noting that from a psychiatric perspective such symptomology can come about for a number of different reasons:

1. There is the acute medical conditions as already mentioned such as so called schizophrenia, post traumatic stress and others.

2. Substance, such as ketamine and others can induce "schizophrenic/psychotic" like symptoms, though depending on consumption, usually only temporarily.

3. Heightened emotional states such as the grief at a time of loss can also induce symptomology and I note one of my favorite Priest friends who is no longer with us in the flesh claims to have become "clairvoyant" at the time of the loss of his mother.

Of course, schizophrenia oughtn't be considered a dirty word as in many ways it is rather fascinating, and neither in my view should all "hallucinations" be considered the product of a diseased mind.

Regarding auditory hallucinations, they can of course and quite commonly are a voice/noise quite other than our own, but upon closer analysis, they do appear to be an echo of sorts of our own conscious mind, thus, if the nature of your experience is consistent with your own life , belief system etc, then very likely it is just a "Holy Echo" of your own mind, brought about by a time of stress.

If on the other hand, it is completely earth shattering, off the planet and completely new in your experience, then perhaps freshly we have an indicator of something other.

Think of those bits of the Al'Quoran for example that appear supernatural. When we really get down to it, is there really anything other than the echoes of the consciousness of a significant person of those times, religious, cultural and all other factors considered?