The Wisdom of Dreams: A Journey Through a Lifetime of Visions
“We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.” – Anaïs Nin
My life has been a river flowing with dreams, from the terrifying nightmares of childhood to the profound visions that followed my recovery from addiction. After 1987, my dream world took on a profound quality I could no longer ignore, becoming a source of insight, healing, and prophecy. This collection of dreams is a testament to the mysterious ways consciousness communicates with us, offering glimpses into our past, present, and future, and guiding us toward our truest selves.
Here is an abbreviated listing of the multitudes of important dream experiences that I have been blessed with:
1. The Priest and the Evil One (1964) –Personal Growth, Remote Viewing, and Teaching
At just eight years old, I had a vivid dream that would define my understanding of the human psyche. I dreamt I was a priest in a pre-technological village who instructed his people to cast their sacred idols into a lake. In his own home, stripped bare, he summoned the darkness that had long terrorized his community. As he exhausted his life force fighting this unseen entity, a face began to materialize in the fog—his own.
- Meaning: This dream was a powerful lesson in psychological projection. It revealed that the “evil” we perceive in the world is often a reflection of our own inner shadows. The gods and defenses we create to protect ourselves are born from an ignorance of our own nature. We are all wounded by this process, and until we acknowledge our role in creating our own demons, we remain trapped. We must heal together, or we will perish alone.
2. A Message from a Lost Family Friend (1978) –Visitation Dreams
Dorothy Fero (left) Bob Fero (center) at yet another party for the Oakey Doaks square dancing group.
Bob Fero was a close family friend, a man I grew to love and respect. His life ended tragically in a car accident born from a fit of rage. My father was too grief-stricken to attend the funeral, but I went. Two nights later, Bob appeared in my dream. He told me not to fear death, that where he was is beautiful and peaceful, and that death is not the enemy.
- Meaning: This visitation dream offered a profound sense of comfort and a perspective that transcends our mortal fears. It was a message of peace, suggesting that consciousness continues beyond physical death. While the message didn’t console my father, it planted a seed of spiritual understanding in me.
3. The Reincarnation of Bobby Clements (1987) –Remote Viewing
A month into my sobriety, I had a sequence of three dreams on three consecutive nights. In them, my name was Bobby Clements. I saw myself as a teenager with my friends, enlisting in WWII, and finally, piloting a bomber that was shot down, knowing we would all die. Decades later, my sister’s research uncovered the story of Robert “Bobby” Kelly Clements from Nova Scotia, a bomber pilot whose life story matched my dreams with uncanny accuracy—he even hand-picked his five friends for his crew.
- Meaning: This experience raises profound questions about the nature of consciousness and memory. Are dreams portals to past lives? The parallels between my childhood aspirations (to be a pilot and an electrician, just like Bobby) and his life are too significant to dismiss as mere coincidence. It suggests that our souls may carry echoes of past experiences that shape our present journey.
4. A Dream of Healing and Self-Love (1988) –Healing and Visitation Dream
Shortly after the tragic death of Diane “Di Di” Mcloud, a woman I loved deeply, she appeared in a dream. In it, I was disgusted by an aggressive, abusive man and pleaded with a policeman to arrest him. Di Di then took the policeman’s place and told me that for love to reappear in my life, I must first “arrest” those same negative qualities within myself.
- Meaning: This healing dream was a direct message from my subconscious—and perhaps from Di Di’s spirit. It taught me that to find love and peace externally, I first had to confront and transform the darkness within. True love begins with self-rehabilitation.
5. The Prophecy of the Eight-Jeweled Ring (1988) –Prophetic Dreams
seven jeweled ring with big stone. Yes, Sharon is the big stone and the setting, for sure!
In a dream, I was searching for a ring with eight jewels but could only find seven. A thought came to me that the eighth jewel would be found mounted to the lost ring itself. Years later, my wife Sharon showed me the ring she had bought for our second wedding. It had seven small stones and one large, distinguishing eighth stone. I had never told her about the dream.
- Meaning: This prophetic dream was a stunning confirmation of life’s mysterious synchronicities. It showed that our future may already be casting shadows (or light) into our present, and that the answers we seek are often waiting for us to find them at the right moment. Sharon was the final, most important “jewel.”
6. A Farewell to a Friendship (1988) — Visitation and Prophetic Dreams
Randy is the guy on the right
I dreamt that heaven was singing a beautiful song about Boston and that I was leaving my lifelong friend Randy Olson behind. Soon after, I traveled to Boston, a significant place in my spiritual studies. My relationship with Randy, who was still struggling with alcoholism, grew distant. He eventually passed away, and our friendship on the “outer plane” was over.
- Meaning: This dream foretold a painful but necessary divergence of paths. It illustrated that spiritual growth sometimes requires us to move on from relationships that no longer align with our journey. We cannot force another’s path, but we can honor the love we shared while continuing on our own.
7. The Grandfather and the Fire of Love (1992) — Healing and Visitation Dream
In a powerful dream, a fierce orb of pure light and love—which I knew to be my deceased grandfather—hovered over me. I felt myself being drawn into it, knowing my physical body couldn’t withstand its intensity but not caring, for I had found what I was searching for. My wife woke me, fearing I was having a nightmare.
- Meaning: This was a profound spiritual experience, a glimpse of a higher state of consciousness or what some might call the eighth chakra. It taught me that to host the higher vibrations of love, I needed to strengthen my physical and psychological “body.” The journey to spiritual embodiment is one of preparing the vessel to hold the divine fire.
8. A Glimpse into Another’s Reality (2016) — Remote Viewing Dream
June and Sharon in Las Vegas, 2017
I had a strange and realistic dream where I fell in a bathroom and became trapped between the toilet and the wall. That same morning, my wife’s friend June called. She was visiting her sick brother, who, in the middle of the night, had fallen in his bathroom and gotten trapped between the toilet and the wall.
- Meaning: This remote viewing experience challenges the conventional boundaries of consciousness. Do we have the capacity to extend our awareness beyond our five senses? This dream provided a clear “yes,” suggesting a shared field of consciousness where we can connect with others’ experiences, regardless of distance.
9. The Two Paths on the Map (2017) —Teaching and Lucid Dream
After a seminar on mysticism, I had a lucid dream where I entered a room and was offered a cup that would bring a spiritual “intoxication.” On a table lay a map with two types of paths. On the right was a single, solid line. On the left were several intersecting, dotted-line paths that snaked their way forward.
- Meaning: This teaching dream was a metaphor for life’s journey. The solid line represents the conditioned mind—the safe, predictable rut of conformity. The dotted lines represent the mystic’s pilgrimage into the unknown, a path created with each new step. True spiritual evolution requires us to wander, to embrace uncertainty, and to create our own path rather than follow one laid out for us.
10. An Industrial Healing with Marty (2017) — Lucid and Healing Dream
After sharing a powerful evening with my friend Marty, who was battling melanoma, I had a dream. We were in a noisy industrial plant, and I was working on an electrical system that needed reconditioning. The message was clear: let go of control, trust the process, and remove the “security locks” we place on ourselves, even amidst the noise and chaos of life. Sadly, Marty passed away a few months later.
Meaning: This dream was a symbolic message about healing, trust, and surrender. It highlighted the difficulty of letting go, especially when facing life-threatening challenges, and the necessity of trusting in a higher power and the support of others to complete our “work.”
11. The Magnetic Self (2018) — Teaching and Healing Dream
In a workshop, I dreamt of assembling a large foundation with others. In the dream, I delivered an articulate monologue on the “magnetic self,” only to immediately turn to my wife and ask, “Do I sound like an idiot?”
Meaning: This dream perfectly captured my lifelong challenge: self-doubt. Even when speaking from a place of deep understanding, an inner voice of criticism persists. It serves as a constant reminder that the journey to silence that voice and fully own my truth is ongoing.
12. Guidance from a Departed Friend (2018) — Visitation Dream
Marty is on left. He died September 11, 2017
My friend Marty, who had passed away, appeared in a dream. He told me he would be my secret guide and pointed to a book of therapies. The issue he highlighted was my lifelong struggle with isolation, depression, and anxiety—the very caricature of my spiritual self when it’s not healthy. The dream ended with a sense of peace.
- Meaning: This visitation dream provided deep comfort and clarity. It showed that the bonds of love and guidance are not severed by death. Marty’s message was a reminder to continue confronting my core wounds, reinforcing that our journey of healing is supported by forces seen and unseen.
Dreams possess an uncanny ability to deliver precisely the medicine our souls require. They can reveal hidden wounds, point toward necessary changes, and provide the encouragement we need to continue growing. By paying attention to these messages and integrating their wisdom into our daily lives, we participate in our own psychological and spiritual evolution.
Embracing the Mystery of Consciousness
The dreams I’ve shared represent just a fraction of the mysterious communications that have shaped my understanding of consciousness and reality. They suggest that we are far more than isolated individuals navigating a material world—we are interconnected beings with access to wisdom, guidance, and healing through the doorway of dreams.
Your own dream world holds similar treasures. Whether you remember fragments or vivid narratives, whether your dreams feel mundane or mystical, they carry messages worth receiving. The key is cultivating the patience to listen and the courage to act upon what you discover.
Start or continue your dream journal tonight. Keep it beside your bed and record whatever you remember upon waking, no matter how strange or incomplete. Share your most meaningful dreams with those you trust—often, speaking our dreams aloud helps reveal their deeper significance.
Remember that dreams are not puzzles to be solved but invitations to be explored. They call us toward a deeper understanding of ourselves and our place in the vast mystery of existence. In honoring these nocturnal messages, we honor the profound wisdom that flows through the depths of our consciousness, waiting to guide us toward our truest selves.
