In this article, you’ll discover how:
- Dreams can offer profound spiritual experiences—especially when they involve loved ones who have passed on.
- In ECKANKAR, dreams can be seen as nightly “near death experiences” (without dying!). Dreams are a bridge between the physical and spiritual worlds, offering insights, healing, and connection beyond words.
- This personal story reveals how one dream became a final conversation, bringing closure and healing.
By Bea Colborne
A Quiet Grandfather, a Deep Spiritual Bond
I have a lot of love for my late grandfather, despite the fact he was an extremely quiet man. I never really knew him as well as I had hoped.
When he was diagnosed with cancer that affected his bloodstream, it was a two-year journey of watching him pass. During this time, I had been progressing through my ECK discourses, one of the Spiritual Living courses students of Eᴄᴋᴀɴᴋᴀʀ receive each year.
Overcoming Night Terrors and Reconnecting with Dreaming
As I was beginning to explore the ECK Dreams courses, I was nervous. I am not a dreamer. I used to be plagued by night terrors and had blocked out dreams. This was worrying me at the time. But I had felt like I had grown spiritually, so I was feeling ready to experience dreaming again.Experience with My Deceased Grandfather in a Dream
One night, I had a dream I was in my grandfather’s kitchen and for once it wasn’t a nightmare. We were having a full conversation. It was an equal back and forth. Light was pouring into his kitchen. In the dream, I suddenly realized: Oh, he has passed on!
This inspired me to carry on the conversation with more intention. I told him I was gay, something I normally kept to myself. Then he told me he was too! To clarify, I don’t think he was actually gay. I understood it as his way of humorously trying to relate with me.
Spiritual Goodbye Through Dreams
When I woke up, I realized it was a beautiful moment of connecting with him properly one last time, Soul to Soul. Saying that he was gay also was a beautiful moment connecting us emotionally to vulnerabilities in a way we couldn’t reach on the physical plane. This meant that when he translated (a way of saying “passed on”), I felt like I had said goodbye in my dreamtime and was content with everything we had together in both places – the spiritual and the physical. In Eᴄᴋᴀɴᴋᴀʀ, this is sometimes described as connecting in the dream worlds, which can offer profound healing and insight.
Learn More About Dreams
Learn more about spiritual dreaming.
What Does It Mean to Dream About Deceased Loved Ones?
From a spiritual perspective, these dreams may offer emotional closure, reflect growth in inner awareness, be genuine Soul to Soul encounters, and even proof for the dreamer that there is life after death. Eᴄᴋᴀɴᴋᴀʀ encourages dreamers to record dreams in a journal, ask questions inwardly before sleep, and view dreams as part of their spiritual education. Explore Eᴄᴋᴀɴᴋᴀʀ dream practices.
Coming Out in a Dream — Emotional Truths on the Inner Planes
Dreams often allow us to express truths we might hesitate to voice in waking life. For Bea, coming out in that dream was deeply healing. It showed that the inner worlds can be places of emotional honesty, spiritual connection, and personal growth, even during times of grief.
How Spiritual Growth Can Unblock Dreams
Many seekers experience blocked dreams due to fear or past trauma (like night terrors). As spiritual awareness grows, these blocks often dissolve naturally, allowing dreams to become more clear, uplifting, and meaningful. Eᴄᴋᴀɴᴋᴀʀ’s Dream courses are specifically designed to help students navigate this inner territory with confidence. Learn about Dream 1 Discourses.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What does it mean if I talk with a deceased loved one in a dream?
Such dreams often reflect spiritual connections or emotional closure. In Eᴄᴋᴀɴᴋᴀʀ, they are Soul to Soul meetings on the inner planes. Real experiences.
Q: Are grief dreams “real” or just symbolic?
They can be either, or both. Some dreams are symbolic reflections of inner healing, while others are direct spiritual experiences in higher planes of consciousness.
Q: How can I remember more spiritual dreams?
Eᴄᴋᴀɴᴋᴀʀ suggests trying a spiritual exercise before sleep, keeping a dream journal, and treating dreams as real spiritual experiences rather than random brain activity.
Q: What does “translation” mean in ECKANKAR?
“Translation” refers to the passing of Soul from the physical world to continue its journey in the spiritual worlds.
Q: Your Own Soul to Soul Journey
Dreams can be profound teachers, healers, and bridges between worlds. Whether you’re exploring your own grief dreams, spiritual experiences, or want answers about life after death, Eᴄᴋᴀɴᴋᴀʀ offers tools to help you understand the language of Soul. Discover more about spiritual dreaming.
