As is the case so often, I had planned on writing about something entirely different today, but I had a dream a few nights ago that I can’t shake; so much so, that it came to me the following day in a meditation.
Before I start, though, I feel the need to throw this disclaimer out there.
As always, I am not here to talk about religion, and I eagerly welcome people from all walks of life and all of their beliefs that come along with it to participate in these topics that are meant to get us all outside of our own heads and into a much higher perspective of all that we perceive things to be. I am no expert, but dreams and visions like these continue to shape my own perspective on life and the world, better, the universe that surrounds it. I will reference God throughout this writing today, and I encourage you all to let that speak to whatever you imagine God to be to you as I am not here to sway you in your beliefs.
In this dream, there was a vast, open plain that stretched as far as the eye can see in every direction. There were no buildings, no landscapes, no structure of any kind, only people. There were countless numbers of people. Some of them walking, some standing still, some looking straight ahead while others looked up or down, and no one spoke. The dream was as silent as could be. Surrounding all of us were clouds of light. I know that might sound weird, but that’s the best way that I can describe it. Above, below, and all around us were clouds of light, almost like an aether. As I scanned the sea of people in all directions, I started to notice differences among them. Some of them appeared as if they were glowing, almost as if the surrounding light was flowing through them. Others were dark, almost shadowy figures, and there were others that were somewhere in between, like a neutral presence amongst the dark and the light.
As the glowing figures walked amongst the others, I noticed two things. One: These figures were not only glowing, but they were connected to the others that glowed, almost like a light circuit or power grid. Two: As if the glowing, connected figures were magnetic, some of the neutral figures, as they walked closer, became connected to and part of the “grid” so to speak. There were also some of the darker figures that were slowly transitioning to a more neutral presence, while other dark figures remained in their darkened state.
This was the dream. There were no words, no dialogues, and no clear cues as to what it all meant. I awoke as usual and started my day, but that dream, that vision, kept coming back to me multiple times throughout that day. As I stated before, the vision came back to me in a meditation the following morning. It was almost exactly the same but this time, it made perfect sense to me.
Every morning, before I meditate, I pray. This is my time to talk to God. When I meditate, God has the floor and I simply listen. When I open my eyes after all of this, a poem is posted directly across from me. One of the lines in the poem reads “Understand what peace there may be in silence.”
The combination of these events are what made this vision suddenly make so much sense to me.
The “aether” in this vision, or the “clouds of light” represent God. Notice the detail in this vision that the light was not only above, but below and at all sides. Many refer to God as above, but I have long felt that God is all things and in all places. The next time you walk through the woods, take a look at the ground below you. The living biome of the soil, the perfect geometry in the blooming flowers, and the waters that flow through the creeks and streams. To me, these are perfect examples of God’s divine creation, and they shouldn’t be discredited to mere happenstance.
As people, we are another shining example of God’s creation, but as I see it, we have a unique responsibility that comes along with it. As we’ve all heard before, we were created in God’s image, in turn making us God-like creatures. In this dream, those that were glowing were those that were receiving God’s light. As I’ve found in my journey over the last year or so, just as these glowing figures appeared to be connected to each other, those of us that are familiar with what it is like to receive this light seem to be “attracted” to others that do the same. These “connections” grow like a network and they can be made in so many ways, whether it be an act of kindness, a conversation, or even a gesture. Whether grand or almost unnoticeable, there is exponential growth in these connections as we make our way through life.
Where the responsibility comes into play is when we, being God-like creatures, are tasked with transmitting God’s light. We are not meant to receive this light and hoard it and keep it to ourselves. It is a must that we cast this gift of light onto others at every opportunity possible. This is not only how the networked is formed and strengthened, but it ties into the part of this vision where the neutral figures shifted into the light and, in some cases, the dark figures shifted towards neutrality.
Those neutral and dark figures, at least to me, don’t represent evil or other associations with negativity, at least not in the intentional sense. Of course, it would be naive of me to think that none of that was present in my dream, as evil and negative forces indeed exist in the world. However, what I took from these “shifts” were those that, although they were dark, were simply caught up in a hard time in their life. We’ve all been through dark times in our lives, and we’ve been drawn back to the light, time and time again. The neutral figures represent those that are content in their existence. They aren’t struggling through a hard time, yet they aren’t in that state of being where they feel a deep connection to whatever they may perceive God to be. In many cases, they simply don’t believe in any form of divinity. This is all completely okay. Just as an electrical circuit relies on the neutral to provide a common bond in order for the light to come on, those of a neutral presence provide the perspective that allows the light to exist in the first place. Remember, without darkness or other states, there’s no contrast to provide the perspective that light exists in the first place. Sadness is another example. Without sadness, how would we know what happiness felt like?
As antennas, we are receiving and transmitting light. As more and more become antennas in their own right, the strength of the network improves. The concept here is to cast light upon any of those who may need it, whether they realize it or not. Not too long ago, I was walking down a hallway in a hotel I was staying at. Walking towards me were two of the custodians of the hotel, one was younger and was speaking to the other one in a bit of an aggressive tone. The place was packed that week, so it was most likely a conversation about all that needed to be done. The other custodian, an older woman, was listening and had an look of overwhelming stress on her face. I was in a particularly good mood on this morning. I had just finished working out, and I was going to finally see my family at the end of the day so I walked with a big smile on my face. As the older woman made eye contact with me, she did a quick double take and we locked eyes. All of the sudden, the stress melted off of her face and a huge smile emerged in its place.
That’s as simple as it gets, folks. Casting light upon others doesn’t have to come in the form of solving world hunger or ending all wars; it all starts with a smile. It’s infectious. I dare you to try and frown back at someone who greets you with a smile. I cast God’s light onto that custodian, and she instantly returned the favor in the form of her warm smile. I hope I made her day, but she surely made mine.
I hope I didn’t lose anyone with this one today, it’s just something I had to talk about, and I’m glad I did. Again, I’m no expert, and some may completely disagree with what I interpreted this vision to be, and that’s okay. It’s what makes this world such a unique place. Whether you agree or disagree, I hope that we can all agree that we have a responsibility to lift others up in their times of need. After all, we’ve come to rely on others in our dark times, so let’s pay that forward at every chance. As I said many, many months ago…
Be the lighthouse.