I believe it is possible to communicate with spirits in dreams, and so I was asked recently: what does it mean to have dreams about deceased loved ones?
This is a great question.
I have experienced and do believe that we can communicate in our dreams with individuals who have passed – our family, friends, and pets.
In my experience when I have dreams about deceased loved ones, they show themselves quite vividly, often healthy looking and with much love. In particular, there are two dreams I’ve had that stand out for me. Both dreams were very impactful; one was of my brother, and the other of my grandfather.
When my brother came to see me years ago in my dream – well before I became a medium – he arrived as a bright vibrant person wearing a bright white shirt and jeans, almost glowing in his appearance. In the dream, he loaded my luggage into the back of an Aerostar van (that’s an old one!) and told me telepathically that I was going to be okay.
I have shortened the full extent of the dream, but the message there was that I was changing, life was changing for me and he was helping me pack up and he was there to support me. I always knew this was his spirit communicating with me and a few years later I understood the significance of it.
When my grandfather came to me in a dream, I did not recognize him it until it was morning. He had his 50’s glasses on, and we were flying over our small town. Then we were in Disneyland and I was lost sitting on the side street with so many people. He was right beside me. He gave me a teddy bear and told me that I would be okay.
Again, there is much more to this, however the result of my grandfather coming to see me was that I was lost, and I would find my way. At the time this was in fact true for me, and I can see why I would get a teddy bear from my grandfather. My grandfather was so young and energized, lovely to see, and his facial features were the same but youthful and plump.
Both spirits were both supporting me in a none-verbal way and providing me with information about my life. They didn’t necessarily communicate with me in my dream as one would expect; instead, they were a presence and they communicated through their eyes and thoughts. Both assisted with enlightening me about the meaning of my life. They also showed me my struggles, and what opportunities were in store for my future.
Do you have dreams about deceased loved one?
If you have dreams about deceased loved ones, this is what I call a Visitation dream, and you may find that these dreams are quite different than our “normal” action packed dreams, or typical scary dreams, or other challenges and adventures that we encounter in our dreams. Some dreams we wake up and we wonder what was that all about! The dreams I had of my brother and grandfather were Visitation dreams.
There are also dreams that are different than Visitation or regular dreams, where we may receive information from our higher consciousness. I call these Subconscious dreams. I’ll give you an example.
I dreamed once that my teacher gave me a plump, beautiful, healthy, pig. Yes, she gave me a pig in my dreams! But when I woke in the morning, I could not figure out why this pig was given to me. It was a startling dream to say the least.
However, when I looked up the meaning of pigs in dreams, I found that a pig is often a sign of change, generally good ones. Especially if the pig is healthy, you might experience some new business success or career progress. Isn’t that awesome! And in fact – this dream came about during my mediumship training and unfolding into something more, so I now look back on my beautiful pig as an inspiration of positive change.
I believe that there is a big difference between Subconscious dreams where you connect with your higher self, and Visitation dreams, where you may have dreams about deceased loved ones. The difference is in the vividness and the absolute beauty of our deceased loved ones during a Visitation dream.
When our loved one comes to see us in dreams, it is often during a time in our life when we need their help. But man, oh man, they are the most beautiful dreams! Because you can feel them right with you right with you.
Once a person wakes up from dreams about deceased loved ones, there is often a feeling of knowing that your family was with you. I have met others who were slightly shaken because of the vividness and they didn’t really know if it was their family spirit or not. After listening to their stories and their experience, it is often with gratitude and thankfulness that I can assure them that a loved one was with them in their dreams.
So, to answer the post’s question of what does it mean to have dreams about deceased loved ones – it means that your family is with you, and they are sending you love and support at a time in your life when you need it most. And they may even enlighten you about other things like your purpose, your struggles, or what’s to come in the future for you.
On the other hand, I believe some of our “regular” dreams are our higher selves telling us something about our lives that is about to happen, or our higher self is coming to us at a time when we are working through difficulties and change in our lives.
When our family visits us in dreams about deceased loved ones, it feels very real, amazingly vivid, and a connection that unlike any other kind of dream.
It is with much love that I hope this helps you.
To read more answers from Arlene about mediumship, check her FAQ page.