Divine Dreams
Divine Dreams
In a popular GUIDEPOSTS article, Ptolemy Tompkins asked, do our pets go to heaven? Now he's written a book about it.
It’s a comforting notion, but I wanted to see if there was theological justification for it. Your response was an overwhelming yes.
The topic, I realized, deserved more than could fit into a single article. It deserved a whole book. Do animals have souls? Where do those souls go when they leave this earth? Will our pets be there to greet us when our own time comes? And what happens to that unique, God-given personality we miss so much when a beloved pet dies?
Most of my article focused on what the Bible says on these subjects. But the Bible was only the beginning.
I eventually left GUIDEPOSTS to work on the book full-time. Instead of spending my days in an office filled with people, I found myself alone with my computer.
Or rather, almost alone. I did have one steady companion, my schipperke Mercury. Schipperkes are smart, hyper-alert dogs. Once, I’d watched in astonishment as Mercury leapt up and caught a sparrow in mid-flight (don’t worry, I took the startled bird and released it unharmed).
But those days were long gone. Mercury’s glossy black coat was dull now and fringed with white, and his sight was so bad that when we visited friends with cats, he tottered right past them. Often, in the midst of writing, I’d look down at Mercury lying at my feet and wonder how I’d cope when his time came.
Most of the letters I received in response to my GUIDEPOSTS piece came from people who wanted to tell me how deeply they had grieved the loss of a pet. A surprising number had received assurance that came in a dream, a heavenly confirmation that their animal companions lived on.
“I was crushed,” ran a typical letter, “when my 15-year-old white Persian Mindy died in my arms. I’m a widow and my kids are grown. Mindy was all I had. I didn’t know if I could continue without her. One night a week or so after Mindy left me, I had an unbelievably vivid dream. Mindy was curled in my arms just as she always used to be. She was young and healthy again, her coat bright and shiny, her big yellow eyes clear and sharp. She looked up at me, and in those diamond eyes of hers I saw something I’ll never forget. I’m still here, she was telling me. Even though you can’t see me or touch me anymore, my spirit is with you…and always will be.
“The dream was so vivid that it jolted me awake. I sensed something in the bedroom with me. Right away I knew what it was. Mindy’s spirit. I lay there quietly, thanking God for what he’d shown me. Finally, I went back to sleep. The next morning the feeling in the room was gone, but my view of the world had changed—for good.”
I did a little research into this phenomenon and discovered that these dreams usually come to us in what is technically known as the hypnagogic state. Hypnagogia occurs when we are in that strange place between waking and sleep, where we are neither fully conscious nor unconscious.
The word “hypnagogia” comes from combining the Greek words for “sleep” (hypnos) and for “conductor” (agogeus). The third-century A.D. Greek philosopher Iamblichus called the visions that occur in this state “god-sent,” and even Aristotle—a philosopher not known for his flights of otherworldly fancy—wrote that “in the moment of awakening” a man may “surprise the images which present themselves to him in sleep.”
Can we—or, perhaps more important, should we—trust the messages we receive in the hypnagogic state? From Jacob’s vision of the ladder of angels in Genesis to the prophecy in Acts that “your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams,” the Bible is rich with suggestions that dreams can be a genuine conduit for God’s word.
As the biblical scholar Walter Brueggemann notes, “The ancients dared to imagine that this unbidden communication is one venue in which the holy purposes of God, perplexing and unreasonable as they might be, come to us.”
Most of us experience the hypnagogic state twice a day—in the morning when we exit the world of sleep and in the evening when we enter it again. At those moments, the doors of our mind are open, and evidence of a larger world can creep into our consciousness before the everyday waking world comes along and crowds it out.
That’s not to say every dream we have is a message from beyond. But some dreams unmistakably are. Some dreams are simply different from others, and when we have them we know it. These dreams, the philosopher and religious scholar Titus Burckhardt writes, “mostly occur at dawn and continue until waking” and “are accompanied by an irrefutable feeling of objectivity. These are the dreams that come from the angel.”
In the classic hypnagogic pet dream, a bereaved pet owner sees her ill and aged animal young and vigorous again, in a beautiful setting—often, a green field alive with flowers. People typically awake from these dreams suffused with a feeling of well-being. They know with certainty that their pets are okay, and that they will see them again one day.
My wife and I adopted a rescued Miniature Pinscher named Angel. Angel was just that bringing us much love in a world that hadn't been that kind to her. Our 1st Palm Sunday as my wife was taking her for a walk with our other Min Pin Ty Cobb, Angel was attacked by a Pit Bull. Angel was severly injuried, but many blessings were bestowed upon us that day. The owner of the Pit Bull had trained it so well that when he commanded the dog to stop it did so immediately. A friend of our had just been talking to my wife and placed her and our dogs in his truck and brought them home. I knew of an emergency hospital where we take Police Dogs when they are injured, so we got her there quickly. The doctor advised due to the extent of the injuries Angel would need a specialist as we discussed this she happened to drop in to see how things were going and immediately took Angel's Case. Angel Survived the attack, but last year on Mothers Day became very sick. This time there was no miracle. As the tears streamed down my cheeks I held my Little Girl while her life ebbed away. I think of her daily and sometimes can hear her distinctive bark. We have adopted 2 more rescued Min Pins since Angel died. I have no doubt when my time is over I will meet my Angel and we"ll walk the Bridge together.
My cat Tiffany recently died
My cat Tiffany recently died from cancer. The first time Tiffany had cancer, it took almost two months for the vets to find what was wrong with her, 20 Oct 07 to 16 Dec 07. She went from weighting 12.5 lbs to 6.75 lbs. Her blood work never showed any cancer. Thru an ultra sound, they found something in her intestines, everyone thought it was a blockage. It turned out to be cancer. Thankfully the vets were able to remove the tumor from her intestines with clear margins on both sides. She gained all her weight back and was a happy little kitty. On Apr 29 2010, I took her in for what I and the vet thought was a bladder infection. As before her blood work did not indicate any cancer but an ultrasound showed something in her bladder. On May 13 2010, Tiffany underwent surgery to remove what was on her bladder, when the vet went in he saw where the cancer had came back and spread thru out her little body. My little Tiffany Toes died on 13 May 2010. God bless me with another 2 years and 5 months with Tiffany. She never showed any signs of sickness until the last week. Tiffany was 12 yrs old. Thank you for this article on 17 May 2010. I know I'll see all my little fur babies in heaven someday. I'm planning a picnic with Jesus and all of my fur babies.
I started to cry when I read this. We just lost our 3-year-old cat last week unexpectedly and I'm just devastated. I've had so many pets throughout my 50+ years but Tink touched my heart in a way that had never happened before with a pet. I really felt that she was my baby (I have two children who are in middle school years). About an hour after we found her dead, I was crying in my room and then, out of nowhere, I heard her cry. She had a very distinctive cry. I really think that God was telling me that she was in heaven and alright. I do believe that pets go to heaven, otherwise when will the lion lie down with the lamb?...thanks for this article, it helped me heal a little bit.
My husband John and I lost our pal Boo of fourteen years October 2009. In our grieving God comforted us with a vision of Jesus holding our dear Boo--just as He held children in one of my favorite pictures. I know your article and book will encourage many. Thank you.
I would like to think you
I would like to think you for this article. I read this article the other day during my lunch break at work. When I came home that day I found out that my 15 year old cat, Scrappy, had passed away while I was at work. He was the sweetest cat and had been part of my life for a long time. I found him behind my house 15 years ago in the mouth of a dog and he was the scrappiest thing fighting off that dog. He was so tiny and the dog was a large dog. That was how he got his name "Scrappy". I miss him, but after reading your article earlier in the day I felt better about him passing. I knew then that he was in Heaven, maybe meeting Mindy.
I want to tell idlesandy2002
I want to tell idlesandy2002 that I know you will see your sweet dog in heaven and that he is there now, whether or not you have had a vivid dream that shows him there. I believe you are hearing him bark from Heaven. I just lost my beloved kitty of 14 years, Baby, to cancer last Saturday and the grief has been so profound. Even so, I heard unmistakenly the deep, loving voice of the Holy Spirit has saying the words, "She is dwelling in the safety of My presence, in My care." I felt a pronounced joy and comfort. In addition, later I had a very, very vivid dream in which I was running along a beautiful path with lush green park land on each side. It felt wonderfully exhilerating to run, with no breathlessness at all, just strength and joy. About 4 feet in front of me on the path was a full-grown cat running as well. Then, from the right side of the lush green park area my dear sweet kitty, Baby, bounded onto the path in front of me, running effortless and joyfully straight ahead. "Baby!" I said with joy and we all ran straight ahead a bit, then Baby ran a bit faster to the lead position in front of all of us. She ran on a path that curved off to the left and into a little cul de sac area, where she stopped and turned around. "Baby!" I said again, joyously and I bent down as she leaped into my arms and nestled her face into my neck. The full grown cat that had been running with us sat and watched us embrace with such a pleasant and friendly expression. I thought to myself, "I wonder who this really friendly cat is?" Instantly I heard the Holy Spirit say, "That is Baby's natural mother. You will always be her Mama, but she now has a dear. loving companion, too." I was overwhelmed with joy and gratitude. I'd never thought of any such thing as I'd never known Baby's natural mother, but had gotten Baby as a rescue kitten. So many layers of joy in that vivd dream in the midst of my grief. You see Baby was visually impaired and could not run full speed ahead in a straight line when she was on earth...
I had the experience of a
I had the experience of a divine dream after I lost my cat a few years ago. After she was gone I questioned God as to whether I would see her again since she was as close as a family member to me. A few days later I had a dream where I was looking through a window onto a field of grass and flowers. The colors were brilliant. After a minute or two my cat entered the field leaping and playing as if she were a kitten again. Her colors, brown and white, were deep rich brown and glowing white. I watched her for a few minutes and then woke up. I believe God gave me a gift of that dream to assure me that all of my cats will be with me in heaven. A few years later I read an article about a man who had died after an accident and was brought back to life. In his description of his short trip to heaven he said one thing that stood out was the colors there are much richer and brighter than we are used to here on earth. That was a confirmation to me that my dream was from God and I was shown a little piece of heaven where my pets are playing and waiting for me.
i had a dog and he had a tumor on his leg and i had it taken off last year and it came back and in feb. he would lose weight and i took him to the vet and he gave him some medicine to take and he gained the weight back in march he lost weight again and i took him to the vet and they xrayed his lungs to see if his cancer has spread and it was in his leg. sat of this month he got worst and he couldn't even walk i sent my daughter to the store to get him some soft dog food and i had to put it down him to make him eat and drink he took his last breath on sunday around 10:30 am he was 11 yrs old i miss him so much i had to give his dog house away because when i would open the bathroom window his doghouse would be right there i had to he would let me do anything to him but my family couldn't he would not be still i loved him. when he died it really hurt me it felt like i lost one of my kids. i lost my sister in 1973 it felt like that again. i had him in the house in the kitchen were it was cool and i wanted to make sure he was in were i could take care of him i know he had a happy life i took him to the park and he loved to get in the water i know he is in heaven catching his treats i always give him. i buried him in the back yard were i can go and talk to him. sweet dreams i love you
idlesandy202, please read my
idlesandy202, please read my recent post on 05/05/2010. I had almost an identicle experience with my beloved kitty Baby in all the details you mentioned. I feel a deep connection with you in this and really feel God allowed me to "stumble" upon this article in order to encourage you. Jesus said that He was going to Heaven to prepare a place for each of us. It is so important for you to know that God delights to prepare that special place in Heaven for you that includes everything you love and delight in, including your beloved doggy. Your doggy is there NOW in preparation for you to join him later. You have heard him bark because he is alive in Heaven even if you can't see him. God gave you the gift of your dear dog and God's gifts last forever. His gift to you goes on into eternity where there will be more days (to infinity!) ahead with your beloved doggy than you had with him in the mere 11 years here on earth. Take heart, my friend, for the Lord has surely done this for you.
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