The Bible describes Jacob's nocturnal vision of angels ascending and descending a ladder that connected him with God; and we read of the archangel Gabriel's announcement to Mary that she would become the mother of a son who "will be called the Son of the Most High." Religious traditions also tell us that through dream encounters with angels, Mohammed was given instructions to found Islam, and the Book of Mormon was revealed to Joseph Smith.
But while dream messengers are found in the sacred texts of major religions, a most intriguing line of inquiry is whether these types of dreams are experienced today.
To answer this question, I began collecting dream accounts from several sources, and what I found is that angels do appear in contemporary dreams and that their visitations follow several patterns. Just as in waking accounts of angels, dreamers describe angelic beings as "shape shifters," beings that take on a form that makes the perceiver comfortable. Thus, in only a few accounts did dreamers experience anxiety or discomfort when encountering an angelic presence.
Generally the feelings are extremely positive and remain so for years afterwards. One man recalled his angelic dream encounter very clearly even after 52 years:
"At the foot of my bed was a golden staircase which I started to climb and I came out on soft clouds. Big stars were all around and beautiful angels were everywhere. The angels had wings, but I don't remember halos. The angels picked me up, hugged me, and passed me around. They were laughing, very happy, and very beautiful. I had a feeling of love and warmth which I have never experienced since. Finally, I had to go back down the stairs and return to my bed."
Comforting dreams are not limited to children. A 50-year-old Swiss carpenter dreamt that he was looking out the window:
"It was late evening and very dark. I saw two little rainbows lightly bouncing around outside. I went to the door and opened it. An angel was standing there. The rainbows turned out to be on the tips of the angel's wings. The angel gave me a big hug, and that was probably the most beautiful experience I have ever had in my whole life."
But not all angels are huggers. Sometimes the angel is simply present or floating in space. In one dream, a person was flying when he suddenly encountered two radiant aerial angels. He felt great joy in their company and decided to join them. But despite great mental effort, he couldn't ascend to the same height.
Interpreting angelic dreams...
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When contact is made with angelic energy, the dreamer sometimes experiences increased somatic sensitivity. A Florida woman dreamt she was in a bright room--the brightest she had ever seen in her life--and a man with jet black hair, wearing solid white clothing as bright as the room, approached her. He gently shook her and repeatedly called her name, telling her to wake up. When she suddenly awakened, she realized she had been in a diabetic coma and might have died had this angelic Good Samaritan not roused her. After her dramatic dream encounter, the woman was convinced that angels were "real."
According to a dream of a Canadian television producer, angels themselves seem to want to communicate not only that they are real but also that they have messages to deliver, heavenly "public service announcements." This man's dream was their "promotional ad":
"There are some creatures holding a large sign in front of me who seem very animated. Their activity is keeping me lucid; they seem to want my full attention. Finally, I say, 'What is it?' The creatures then clarify into angels holding a huge postcard in front of me. They announce that I must begin letting people know that angels often place messages in people's dreams. They explain that they borrow someone's dream for an instant and place their message within the plot and action so that it is encoded in the dream. They do this often, they say. They want me to be sure to tell people that their dreams often include these 'postcards from their angels.'" While many dream accounts describe positive experiences, people wonder whether misleading "postcards" can be delivered by dream figures, who falsely represent themselves as angels. A useful criterion is whether the figure takes on a judgmental or critical role toward the dreamer or anyone else, appears threatening, or seems connected with dark energy. If so, you can be quite sure that the "messenger" was not sent from a higher spiritual source.
If you do receive the gift of a genuine angelic encounter in one of your dreams, I strongly encourage you to write it down in a journal so that you can return to it and contemplate its full significance. If you haven't previously kept a journal, let the meeting serve as your wake-up call, nudging you to begin to record the steps of the spiritual journey that you have been called to follow.
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