Ordinary dreams are a very common experience. They are probably little more than manifestations of random subconscious thoughts and feelings. Typically, they are fleeting, bizarre, and quickly forgotten. At other times, however, our minds may relax completely... and we enter into a deep, trance-like state where we are very sensitive and perceptive. At that time we may experience dreams which have much more significance. These include memories from the lives of our ancestors, direct communications from the Goddess, and perceptions of certain types of spirit energies.

Dreams involving memories from the lives of our ancestors do not occur often, but I believe everyone may have them at one time or another. In my opinion, they do not have a metaphysical source, and are in fact a perfectly natural phenomena. I can well recall having several of these sorts of experiences as a child... a phase of life when our mind is somewhat more open, and we are fortunate enough to have a great deal of time for leisure activities and casual contemplation.

At around the age of 12, I had an unusually vivid dream in which I was walking through a forest in the evening, with a group of men. They wore a gray uniform and carried rifles. Eventually we came to a clearing, where a large open trench began. One by one, each man climbed down into the trench and we walked along in it for about a mile or two. Next, we came to a large concrete building, which we entered. Inside, there were other men, also wearing similar uniforms. They were engaged in various actions which seemed routine. One was shaving, several were cleaning rifles, and several more were sleeping or sitting and talking. That was all.

The next day I remember thinking that the dream was a bit peculiar, in the sense of how vivid it was. It felt as if I was there, and that within the dream I was conscious and had free will to act. However, I soon forgot about it and went about my daily affairs.

The next night, the dream was repeated. This time it was just after dark. Again, we reached the trench and followed it to the concrete building. I could hear noises in the distance which I recognized as gunfire. Upon reaching the building, we entered, and again the same group of men were present. The room was lit by kerosene lanterns. This time, one of them was playing a harmonica. I could smell food cooking, and heard some of them talking. They were speaking German, and I could understand them perfectly, although I spoke no German at the time. I looked down at my body and saw that I was wearing a gray uniform, just as they were. I noticed that my hands were large, and my fingers short and thick. Then it ended.

The next day I considered the dream more carefully. It was unlike any other dream that I had ever had. I felt conscious during the dream, like an observer. It seemed that this dream was important in some way, and that it was in fact somehow "real". I promised myself that if it happened again, I would try to find out as much as I could, and figure out what was happening.

The next night, the dream began as usual. We walked through the forest until we reached the trench. It was nightfall, and there was gunfire in the distance. We made our way to the building and entered. The men were there, speaking German, and going about their routine activities. Again, I noticed that I was wearing the gray uniform, and that my hands were large and my fingers short and thick. I realized that the dream was nearing it's end, and having no clear idea what to do, I made a point of examining the rifle I was carrying. Then, the ending came, and it was over.

The following morning, as soon as I awoke, I took a piece of paper and drew a sketch of the rifle. It had several peculiar attributes which were unlike any rifle I had ever seen before. It was a bolt-action, but the bolt handle stuck straight out. All the bolt-action rifles I had ever seen had a curved bolt handle. Next, at the end of the stock, there was a metal part that held the stock and barrel together, which had two straps that went over the top of the barrel. Finally, there was a strange round metal object in the side of the stock, about half way between the shoulder and the trigger. Again, I had never seen anything like it, and had no idea what it was.

I went off to school as usual, and the day passed slowly by. I was fortunate in the sense that the school had an excellent library, and when the day ended, I visited it and found some books about war. One of these books was an illustrated guide to military uniforms and field equipment, from various time periods. I began looking for the uniform that I had seen. Since the people in the dream were speaking German, I went to the section on World War II, but there was nothing there that looked right.

I then looked at the section concerning World War I. There were various illustrations of soldiers from different countries, and eventually I came to the typical German Army uniform. I was quite amazed to find that it was a perfect match to what I had seen. Fascinated, I looked to see if there was an illustration of the type of rifle that such a soldier would have carried. There was.

I took out the sketch that I had drawn earlier that morning and laid it out on the table. Point by point, I compared it to the illustration in the book. It was a perfect match. There was the bolt handle that stuck straight out, and the piece that held the barrel to the stock (a double "barrel band")... and even the round object in the side of the stock, which I learned was a tool used to disassemble the bolt for cleaning.

In somewhat of a state of shock, I left the library and went home as usual. The dream did not re-occur again, but as time went by, I continued to wonder about it. One day, my parents happened to mention the fact that my grandfather (my mother's father) had been in the first World War. He later migrated to the United States, from Germany, around 1920. This seemed like it might relate to my dream, and so I decided to ask my grandfather about it at the first opportunity.

It was several months until the occasion presented itself. My parents were going somewhere and needed a babysitter for me. The usual people were unavailable and so it fell on my grandfather to do the job. I was taken to his house and dropped off. We were alone together. Eventually, Grandpa made lunch for us, and after we finished, we sat around the table relaxing. This was the chance that I had been waiting for.

I told my grandfather that I had a very strange dream, which had repeated itself. I told him all about it, including the sketch of the rifle and the trip to the library. As I spoke, I noticed that he was listening very intensely, with a look of amazement on his face. When I was done, he could scarcely speak, but simply uttered the words "that's what happened... that's what happened to me".

I asked him for more details, and he told me where the events had occurred. It was somewhere in France although I can't remember the name of the area any more. He was really too shook up to say very much. As he spoke, my gaze happened to fall on his hands. I had never paid much attention before, but now it struck me. His hands... they were the same hands as in the dream. The same large hands with the short, thick fingers.

At the time, I was very young, and had no idea what to make of this experience. It was not until many years later that I formed a theory about the cause and meaning of this sort of dream. I was watching a TV show about human genetics, which mentioned the fact that human DNA actually uses only about 5 percent of it's total storage capacity to transmit the information required to reproduce the physical body of the child. The function of the remaining 95 percent of the DNA is unknown, and presumed to do nothing. As soon as I heard that, I began to think about it.

We are all familiar with the process of evolution. Normally it's presumed to operate in a very crude way, where a physically superior creature reproduces more than an inferior one. That's an easy to understand concept, for the physical modification of a species over time... but what if there was another related way of passing on more intellectual sorts of experiences, which have survival value to future generations ? With all of that extra capacity available in our DNA, could there be some additional information stored there ?

That is what I believe happens. These memories usually operate subconsciously, as what we refer to as instinct or intuition. It would require a more unusual state of consciousness, when we are very sensitive and receptive, to allow us to come into contact with these memories directly. Dreams, in my opinion, are one way that may occur... and hypnotic regression might be another.

In any case, the main point that I would like to make is that remembering the lives of our ancestors is a fascinating natural phenomena, but should not be confused with a genuine metaphysical event.

Metaphysics involves forces which are beyond the range of our current scientific knowledge. Although these things may be commonly observed, and are known to exist, the scientific community has not yet been able to explain them. Of course it's always much more difficult to explain some type of force, than to merely perceive it... for example, things like sound, light, gravity, and magnetism were perceived for thousands of years before scientists determined exactly what they were, and how they work.

It may be interesting to note that physicists have recently detected several new forms of energy, which has caused them to propose various theories. Apparently there may be more dimensions to the universe than they had previously realized. Although these theories are somewhat speculative, they do imply that eventually there may be an accepted scientific basis for what we think of today as metaphysical events. At the moment, however, we must continue to rely on our powers of observation, and attempt to expand our knowledge by a process of trial and error.

I presume that the reader has already had enough experience with our gracious Goddess to be certain of Her existence, and Her ability to communicate with us, at times when our mind is receptive. A genuine communication from the Goddess is a rare and tremendously moving experience. I've had the honor of receiving them on several occasions. I would describe them as very purposeful and structured... and I knew immediately and without a doubt that the Goddess was the source.

In addition to being extremely clear, simple and direct, communications from the Goddess are also very memorable. They make a lasting impression, similar to any important experience which one may have during the waking state. Finally, they may provide certain information which the dreamer was previously unaware of, and which could only have come from an external source.

Historically, our religion has been known for such prophecies, although prophecy had a rather different meaning in the ancient world. It was not a prediction of future events, but rather, it was a form of divine guidance. That is exactly what the dreams and visions that I receive from the Goddess are like... they consist of answers to questions, advice, and other practical insights. Sometimes these communications may take the form of a sort of day-dream which I refer to as a vision, although it should be noted that they can also be purely auditory.

Many types of persons may receive a communication from the Goddess. One well-known example is the famous Greek warrior and statesman Themistocles , who was guided by Her on several critical occasions in antiquity. Themistocles was a loyal follower of Cybele, although he was not a Priest of any sort... but he was clearly an exceptional and gifted individual, who was destined to change the course of history.

At the naval battle of Salamis in 480 BCE, the Greek fleet under Themistocles defeated the Persian fleet, which far outnumbered them. When the Persians entered the straits, it became apparent that the Greeks were not properly positioned for the attack, so they began to retreat and stall for time. At exactly the right moment, the Goddess appeared and told Themistocles to begin the attack. This "vision" resulted in the decisive victory that marked the turning point in the Persian war, and the salvation of the western world.

Themistocles also had several prophetic dreams. Many years after Salamis, while traveling in Turkey, he paused to take an afternoon nap. The Goddess appeared to him in a dream and warned him that he was about to be attacked in the next town. Themistocles sent his caravan on ahead but circled the town, and as expected, it was attacked by a substantial force of Pisidians. Themistocles, however, was saved by his absence.

The Goddess then told Themistocles that in exchange for the saving of his life, he was to built a temple for Her at Magnesia , where his daughter Mnesiptolema was to serve as High Priestess. Themistocles built the temple, and his daughter remained there, as High Priestess, for the rest of her life.

These are just a few of many well-known historical examples of the way in which the Goddess appears to Her people in dreams and visions. They should be sufficient to illustrate the difference between ordinary dreams and a genuine communication from the Goddess. The main thing to remember is that if the Goddess speaks to you, there will be no doubt about it... the message will be crystal clear, and of significant importance.

In order to be receptive to experiences such as these, you must be at peace with yourself and maintain good general health through proper diet and exercise, and by getting adequate regular sleep. Moreover, you should avoid things which could impair your psychic sensitivity... such as prescription medications, allergy pills, recreational drugs, alcohol, caffeine, and tobacco.

In addition, a brief period of meditation before bed is helpful, to clear the mind of any distractions and prepare yourself for any communications that may come. Yet another useful idea is to keep a written record of your dreams, with exact dates and descriptions of them.

One other category of dreams which I will mention relates to the perception of spirit-energies. In general, dreams of this type can be traced to specific events and persons that are connected with the location where it is occurring. It is also possible to perceive these energies in the waking state. If you believe that you are having dreams or visions of this type, I recommend that you contact a Priest or Priestess immediately.