42 replies to this topic

[Ben Masada]

THE TRUTH ABOUT DREAMS DREAMS AND VISIONS

And they are very closely related. "And our old men will have dreams; and our young will have visions." (Joel 2:28) But these are dreams and visions in the metaphorical meaning of ideals and intellectual development.

Normal dreams occur when one is in the rem phase of deep sleep. Everyone dreams; and we dream every time we are asleep. Many think they don't because 75 percent of dreams are forgotten as we wake up.

What is the difference between dreams and visions? To dream, everyone does, although only 25 percent of the  dreamers remember to have dreamed or the dream they dreamed. To have a vision, one must be self-trained to be in control of the dream, which will become a lucid dream. And the ancient Israelite Prophets were pretty good experts at it. They had been trained in the schools of prophets.

Visions are known as lucid dreams, and they occur during that period of transition between deep sleep and the awaken state. But they mostly occur during a slumber, as one takes a rest and can't fall asleep because of preoccupations about what has been happening with one's life or with significant ones.

For a classical example of the above, we have in Abraham, when soon after his circumcision, he tried to rest at the entrance of his tent in the shade under a large tree as he was taking advantage of the fresh breeze in the heat of the day. He could not stop worrying about the barren condition of Sarah vis-a-vis God's promise of a son. Then, he would worry about his nephew Lot living in Sodom in the middle of corruption. Thus, he slumbered and had a lucid dream or vision, which he, almost involuntarily, would control it into his understanding through his imaginations as how things would take a turn either this or that way. Then, he saw in his lucid dream/vision the Divine confirmation of the promise, and even Sarah laughing from her tent at the idea of giving birth to a child as the old woman that she was.

Then, in the same lucid dream/vision he would change scenery as his imagination went from Sarah to Lot in Sodom. Then, he would find himself dialoguing with Divine emanations in the form of human messengers who spoke with him on behalf of God, or even with God Himself about His promissed heir and about Sodom. Every thing is possible in a dream.

The same thing happened with Ezekiel the Prophet, when he was in Babylon at the end of the exile. He would worry about Israel and the eminent return. In his vision he would be lifted up in the air and brought to Jerusalem. Any non-trained reader, especially those of the literal interpretation club, would think of him in Jerusalem when he never left Babylon.(Ezek. 8:3) It had been all in the lucidity of his imaginations.

The Prophets had rich imaginations which they would use during a lucid dream or vision in order to find solutions and sound advices to kings or people in charge of the government of nations. I am not ruling out the Divine intervention, but through emanations in the minds of the Prophets, or even in some of the common people. "If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make Myself known to him in a vision, and will speak to him in a vision.(Numb. 12:6)

Now, during dreams, lucid dreams or visions, everything is possible, even to see God and live. And some Prophets thought they would die because of the intensity with which they would self-induce themselves into believing that they had really seen God, when everything occurred during a lucid dream or vision. (Isa. 6:5-7)

Of course, the imagination functions according to the mental or religious orientation of the dreamer or visionary.

Ben

[Toadie]

Then what do you make of my dreams. I dream pretty much every night I can control my dreams. For example I had a dream about people getting bashed and I became frighten in my dream but a part of me was like this is dream you can do whatever you like. So I killed the bad people.

I always have stupid dreams like this where I'm telling myself only dream

[Seeker79]

Ben Masada, on 31 May 2012 - 05:49 PM, said:

THE TRUTH ABOUT DREAMS DREAMS AND VISIONS

And they are very closely related. "And our old men will have dreams; and our young will have visions." (Joel 2:28) But these are dreams and visions in the metaphorical meaning of ideals and intellectual development.

Normal dreams occur when one is in the rem phase of deep sleep. Everyone dreams; and we dream every time we are asleep. Many think they don't because 75 percent of dreams are forgotten as we wake up.

What is the difference between dreams and visions? To dream, everyone does, although only 25 percent of the  dreamers remember to have dreamed or the dream they dreamed. To have a vision, one must be self-trained to be in control of the dream, which will become a lucid dream. And the ancient Israelite Prophets were pretty good experts at it. They had been trained in the schools of prophets.

Visions are known as lucid dreams, and they occur during that period of transition between deep sleep and the awaken state. But they mostly occur during a slumber, as one takes a rest and can't fall asleep because of preoccupations about what has been happening with one's life or with significant ones.

For a classical example of the above, we have in Abraham, when soon after his circumcision, he tried to rest at the entrance of his tent in the shade under a large tree as he was taking advantage of the fresh breeze in the heat of the day. He could not stop worrying about the barren condition of Sarah vis-a-vis God's promise of a son. Then, he would worry about his nephew Lot living in Sodom in the middle of corruption. Thus, he slumbered and had a lucid dream or vision, which he, almost involuntarily, would control it into his understanding through his imaginations as how things would take a turn either this or that way. Then, he saw in his lucid dream/vision the Divine confirmation of the promise, and even Sarah laughing from her tent at the idea of giving birth to a child as the old woman that she was.

Then, in the same lucid dream/vision he would change scenery as his imagination went from Sarah to Lot in Sodom. Then, he would find himself dialoguing with Divine emanations in the form of human messengers who spoke with him on behalf of God, or even with God Himself about His promissed heir and about Sodom. Every thing is possible in a dream.

The same thing happened with Ezekiel the Prophet, when he was in Babylon at the end of the exile. He would worry about Israel and the eminent return. In his vision he would be lifted up in the air and brought to Jerusalem. Any non-trained reader, especially those of the literal interpretation club, would think of him in Jerusalem when he never left Babylon.(Ezek. 8:3) It had been all in the lucidity of his imaginations.

The Prophets had rich imaginations which they would use during a lucid dream or vision in order to find solutions and sound advices to kings or people in charge of the government of nations. I am not ruling out the Divine intervention, but through emanations in the minds of the Prophets, or even in some of the common people. "If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make Myself known to him in a vision, and will speak to him in a vision.(Numb. 12:6)

Now, during dreams, lucid dreams or visions, everything is possible, even to see God and live. And some Prophets thought they would die because of the intensity with which they would self-induce themselves into believing that they had really seen God, when everything occurred during a lucid dream or vision. (Isa. 6:5-7)

Of course, the imagination functions according to the mental or religious orientation of the dreamer or visionary.

Ben

Wow!!! That is an excellent analysis, and there is much truth to it.

But where do you draw a line between imaginations tainted by cultural influence & ultimate truth. Have you written off entirely that these visions can be  more than dreams or a more accurate label extended hypnogogic/hypnotimic experiences?

Do you know what a dream even is?

Edited by Seeker79, 31 May 2012 - 06:00 PM.

[Karlis]

Ben Masada, on 31 May 2012 - 05:49 PM, said:

THE TRUTH ABOUT DREAMS DREAMS AND VISIONS

~~~ ...





... For a classical example of the above, we have in Abraham, when soon after his circumcision, he tried to rest at the entrance of his tent in the shade under a large tree as he was taking advantage of the fresh breeze in the heat of the day. He could not stop worrying about the barren condition of Sarah vis-a-vis God's promise of a son. Then, he would worry about his nephew Lot living in Sodom in the middle of corruption. Thus, he slumbered and had a lucid dream or vision, which he, almost involuntarily, would control it into his understanding through his imaginations as how things would take a turn either this or that way. Then, he saw in his lucid dream/vision the Divine confirmation of the promise, and even Sarah laughing from her tent at the idea of giving birth to a child as the old woman that she was.

Then, in the same lucid dream/vision he would change scenery as his imagination went from Sarah to Lot in Sodom. Then, he would find himself dialoguing with Divine emanations in the form of human messengers who spoke with him on behalf of God, or even with God Himself about His promissed heir and about Sodom. Every thing is possible in a dream. ...(snip) ...





Ben

Ben, please explain how you conclude that Abraham's experience with the three "spirit beings" above was a vision, as opposed to a real event, where these "spirit beings" came to Abraham in the form of flesh-and-blood humans?

For those who may be interested in this event, please read chapter 18 in Genesis, and if you feel like commentingon this event, please do so.

regards,
Karlis

[Ben Masada]

Toadie, on 31 May 2012 - 05:54 PM, said:

Then what do you make of my dreams. I dream pretty much every night I can control my dreams. For example I had a dream about people getting bashed and I became frighten in my dream but a part of me was like this is dream you can do whatever you like. So I killed the bad people.

I always have stupid dreams like this where I'm telling myself only dream

We all dream all kinds of dreams every single night. You have unwillingly claimed a little of the prophetic gift as you considered that it was just a dream, and controlled it in the lucid phase of your dream into doing what you wanted.
Ben

[Ben Masada]

Seeker79, on 31 May 2012 - 05:58 PM, said:

Wow!!! That is an excellent analysis, and there is much truth to it.

But where do you draw a line between imaginations tainted by cultural influence & ultimate truth. Have you written off entirely that these visions can be  more than dreams or a more accurate label extended hypnogogic/hypnotimic experiences?

Do you know what a dream even is?

IMHO, a dream is the fulfilling of one's desires or intention to achieve during the time of awareness when it became impossible in reality. Almost impossible wishes that return in our dreams. And yes, visions are more than dreams. Most solutions to our attempts to get anything done occur during the vision phase of the dream, which is the phase under the control of the dreamer.
Ben

Edited by Ben Masada, 31 May 2012 - 08:34 PM.

[Ben Masada]

Karlis, on 31 May 2012 - 06:30 PM, said:

Ben, please explain how you conclude that Abraham's experience with the three "spirit beings" above was a vision, as opposed to a real event, where these "spirit beings" came to Abraham in the form of flesh-and-blood humans?

For those who may be interested in this event, please read chapter 18 in Genesis, and if you feel like commentingon this event, please do so.

regards,
Karlis

Abraham is pictured among us as the father of Judaism. The first Jew, so to speak. Now, the evidence that Abraham was visited in a dream by spiritual bings in the form of man is observed by the contradictions of Torah concepts and doctrines. If we read Num. 24:19 we will see that God is not like a man to act as a man. The personages would act as men in their addressing with each other. They would eat as men do. And in unJewish way as to eat meat with milk together at the same time. In reality, the dream of Abraham would be impossible in the awaken state.
Ben

Edited by Ben Masada, 31 May 2012 - 08:47 PM.

[Mr Walker]

Ben Masada, on 31 May 2012 - 05:49 PM, said:

THE TRUTH ABOUT DREAMS DREAMS AND VISIONS

And they are very closely related. "And our old men will have dreams; and our young will have visions." (Joel 2:28) But these are dreams and visions in the metaphorical meaning of ideals and intellectual development.

Normal dreams occur when one is in the rem phase of deep sleep. Everyone dreams; and we dream every time we are asleep. Many think they don't because 75 percent of dreams are forgotten as we wake up.

What is the difference between dreams and visions? To dream, everyone does, although only 25 percent of the  dreamers remember to have dreamed or the dream they dreamed. To have a vision, one must be self-trained to be in control of the dream, which will become a lucid dream. And the ancient Israelite Prophets were pretty good experts at it. They had been trained in the schools of prophets.

Visions are known as lucid dreams, and they occur during that period of transition between deep sleep and the awaken state. But they mostly occur during a slumber, as one takes a rest and can't fall asleep because of preoccupations about what has been happening with one's life or with significant ones.

For a classical example of the above, we have in Abraham, when soon after his circumcision, he tried to rest at the entrance of his tent in the shade under a large tree as he was taking advantage of the fresh breeze in the heat of the day. He could not stop worrying about the barren condition of Sarah vis-a-vis God's promise of a son. Then, he would worry about his nephew Lot living in Sodom in the middle of corruption. Thus, he slumbered and had a lucid dream or vision, which he, almost involuntarily, would control it into his understanding through his imaginations as how things would take a turn either this or that way. Then, he saw in his lucid dream/vision the Divine confirmation of the promise, and even Sarah laughing from her tent at the idea of giving birth to a child as the old woman that she was.

Then, in the same lucid dream/vision he would change scenery as his imagination went from Sarah to Lot in Sodom. Then, he would find himself dialoguing with Divine emanations in the form of human messengers who spoke with him on behalf of God, or even with God Himself about His promissed heir and about Sodom. Every thing is possible in a dream.

The same thing happened with Ezekiel the Prophet, when he was in Babylon at the end of the exile. He would worry about Israel and the eminent return. In his vision he would be lifted up in the air and brought to Jerusalem. Any non-trained reader, especially those of the literal interpretation club, would think of him in Jerusalem when he never left Babylon.(Ezek. 8:3) It had been all in the lucidity of his imaginations.

The Prophets had rich imaginations which they would use during a lucid dream or vision in order to find solutions and sound advices to kings or people in charge of the government of nations. I am not ruling out the Divine intervention, but through emanations in the minds of the Prophets, or even in some of the common people. "If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make Myself known to him in a vision, and will speak to him in a vision.(Numb. 12:6)

Now, during dreams, lucid dreams or visions, everything is possible, even to see God and live. And some Prophets thought they would die because of the intensity with which they would self-induce themselves into believing that they had really seen God, when everything occurred during a lucid dream or vision. (Isa. 6:5-7)

Of course, the imagination functions according to the mental or religious orientation of the dreamer or visionary.

Ben

I sorry but the basic premise of this is flawed. I havee been a controlled lucid dreamer since i can remember and can also create dreamscapes and the people and story lines within them at will . That is an entirelyy separate ability to being a visionary or a prophet although it is easy and tempting to see the two things as similar.

True visions and prophecys are set apart, both because of the involvement of god in their creation, and also because they come literally true (or enable one to change and alter what would have come true through prior warning)

Heres an example of the difference. I can crete a dreamscape of my past and enter into it. My mind can provide all the known details of my life and history. BUT, if god enters the vision, he can provide information images etc which i could not know, and can do so with perfect accuracy. Thus he can implant images of a  place like a hospital, a person, or an event from before my birth, which it was impossible for me to see/know. ANd he can do the same for potential future events. He can also link me to people and places around the world /universe where i havee never been and which i know nothing about, and again provide me with dvd quality images of those places events etc. Now those, if verifiable as accurate, are true visions and, if of the future, are prophecies.
Ps I am not sure about the specific case you use, but visions and prophecies do not necessarily come when one is asleep at all. God manifests to people who are wide awake and imparts knowledge, power, visions, and voice.  He can do this externally in a physical manifestation, either solidly or like a hologarphic projection; or internally in a transference of knowledge, thought, words, or vision, direct fromm god's consciousness to ones own. All while one is wide awake , cognizant and also interacting with the rest of one's surroundings.

It is erroneous to attribute  all manifestations of  god to sleep or to hallucinations or  to something similar. You can be walking down the street and god can appear or communicate with you in one of many ways. I met a bloke who told me how god (while invisible) pushed him back strongly with a hand to the chest and spoke aloud to him, "Have no fear. No harm shall come to you, for I am watching over you" He was in a cardiac unit awaiting a triple by pass. The people around him asked him what he had said, but he had said nothing. It was the  audible voice of god emanating from the air, as god pushed him firmly but gently, to make the point of who was speaking to him unmistakeable

Edited by Mr Walker, 01 June 2012 - 10:17 AM.

[eight bits]

There is nothing in Genesis 18 that remotely suggests visionary experience.

In particular, it is utterly unsurprising that Abraham doesn't observe later customs, recorded in a Torah yet to be written. Whatever his religious opinions, his native culture is not Hebrew, and obviously cannot be. If he is the first Jew, then he is also the first Jewish convert.

Even if Abraham could be expected to follow later cultural ideas, his guests aren't Hebrews. A point of this story is that hospitality trumps. I imagine that if the trio wanted pulled pork sandwiches, then Abraham would have arranged that for them. There wouldn't be any reason why they couldn't like pork. They aren't Jews, and they are the ones eating, not Abraham.

On other points, while many people find lucid dreams useful for this or that purpose, "big dreams" (searchable) aren't typically lucid. Besides, what an aspiring prophet wants is interaction, not control, and interaction is typical of ordinary dreams anyway. People who make a sustained effort to remember their dreams routinely have partial success with it. Even partial dream recall rapidly furnishes far more material than most people will ever fully and consciously integrate into their waking thought.

Interactive waking visionary experience is also readily available. In our century it is made methodical in "active imagination" (searchable), but in reality, it is simply there for the taking. The main reason why so few people have the experience regularly is that they mostly don't try to have it. Many of those who do try gravitate to bizarre rituals with exotic ingredients, suspiciously resembling an ego-defense mechanism to ensure that such experiences are kept rare.

Intrusive visionary episodes (that is, unsought "religious experiences") are probably ubiquitous. The Gallup organization asks about it every few years in the US and the UK. Depending on how they phrase the question (a typical factor in all survey work), they get one-third to one-half affirmative, at least one such experience reported, and have for almost fifty years now. Of course, that doesn't mean one-half to two-thirds of adults never have such an experience; it just means that at the time they were asked, they hadn't had one yet.

The truth about dreams and visions, then, is that everybody can play, everybody does play when they sleep, and many people play while they are awake at least once in their lives.

While it is often the case that

Quote

Of course, the imagination functions according to the mental or religious orientation of the dreamer or visionary.

many people are sufficiently attuned to the character of symbolic thought that they can look through the specificity of surface references to appreciate the generality of a symbol as well.

That appreciation doesn't require "any altered state of consciousness" at all. More than enough really happens which carries symbolic import that we could, each one of us, build a religion on that alone. All you need to "see" is that an unexpected visit from three strangers, a real visit from real flesh-and-blood men, is a perfect metaphor for encountering God. The situation is, as a matter of fact, a literary and artistic motif for just that, throughout the world.

If there is something suspicious about Genesis 18, it is not any toolmark of an unconscious origin, but rather the eyes-wide-open calculated perfection of its literary realization.

[Karlis]

eight bits, on 01 June 2012 - 10:03 AM, said:

There is nothing in Genesis 18 that remotely suggests visionary experience.

In particular, it is utterly unsurprising that Abraham doesn't observe later customs, recorded in a Torah yet to be written. Whatever his religious opinions, his native culture is not Hebrew, and obviously cannot be. If he is the first Jew, then he is also the first Jewish convert.
~~~ ...

Well eight bits -- you left pretty well nothing else for me to add in answer to Ben; apart to possibly argue against Ben's opinion that Abraham was "the first Jew".

That said, Ben does have interesting viewpoints that lead to interesting discussions.

[Ben Masada]

Mr Walker, on 01 June 2012 - 09:58 AM, said:

Quote

Heres an example of the difference. I can crete a dreamscape of my past and enter into it. My mind can provide all the known details of my life and history. BUT, if god enters the vision, he can provide information images etc which i could not know, and can do so with perfect accuracy. Thus he can implant images of a  place like a hospital, a person, or an event from before my birth, which it was impossible for me to see/know. ANd he can do the same for potential future events. He can also link me to people and places around the world /universe where i havee never been and which i know nothing about, and again provide me with dvd quality images of those places events etc. Now those, if verifiable as accurate, are true visions and, if of the future, are prophecies.

IMHO, for any thing to happen in a dream, it must have been experienced in conscious life, active or passively, even if by only brought to mind through imaginations.

Quote

Ps I am not sure about the specific case you use, but visions and prophecies do not necessarily come when one is asleep at all. God manifests to people who are wide awake and imparts knowledge, power, visions, and voice.  He can do this externally in a physical manifestation, either solidly or like a hologarphic projection; or internally in a transference of knowledge, thought, words, or vision, direct fromm god's consciousness to ones own. All while one is wide awake , cognizant and also interacting with the rest of one's surroundings.

I never said that prophecies come when one is asleep, but in the lucid phase of the dream between the rem phase and the almost awaken state. And I do not believe that God manifests to people in the awaken state of consciousness. Unless through the things created. Nature, that is.

Quote

It is erroneous to attribute  all manifestations of  god to sleep or to hallucinations or  to something similar. You can be walking down the street and god can appear or communicate with you in one of many ways. I met a bloke who told me how god (while invisible) pushed him back strongly with a hand to the chest and spoke aloud to him, "Have no fear. No harm shall come to you, for I am watching over you" He was in a cardiac unit awaiting a triple by pass. The people around him asked him what he had said, but he had said nothing. It was the  audible voice of god emanating from the air, as god pushed him firmly but gently, to make the point of who was speaking to him unmistakeable.

That would be too personal. According to Einstein and Spinoza, they could not conceive of God on a personal basis. When Einstein was asked if he was an atheist, he answered and said. "Never! But I cannot relate to God on a personal level."  And so did Spinoza in his tractate, "The Theologico Politicos."

Ben

Edited by Ben Masada, 01 June 2012 - 06:50 PM.

[J. K.]

Ben Masada, on 01 June 2012 - 06:48 PM, said:

IMHO, for any thing to happen in a dream, it must have been experienced in conscious life, active or passively, even if by only brought to mind through imaginations.

I'm sorry to say that, yes, we can dream things that we have never experienced or postulated.  As a young child, I dreamed that my brother died in a tragic and unusual, unique manner.  I never would have originated that in myself.

Quote

I never said that prophecies come when one is asleep, but in the lucid phase of the dream between the rem phase and the almost awaken state. And I do not believe that God manifests to people in the awaken state of consciousness. Unless through the things created. Nature, that is.

Ben, you've made it clear that you don't think interacts with people personally.  What then do you identify as the cause of the experiences that I, and hundreds of people that I have known, have had in which we have been communicated to by a source outside of ourselves?  These instances occur to young and old, rich and poor, and have had life-changing impact.  What would you say is the source of all this?

[Ben Masada]

eight bits, on 01 June 2012 - 10:03 AM, said:

Quote

There is nothing in Genesis 18 that remotely suggests visionary experience.

It doesn't have to. Abraham was a prophet. According to Numbers 12:6, "Should there be a prophet among you, in vision will I reveal myself to him, in dreams will I speak to him." Therefore, what Abraham had with those visitors was in a dream/vision.

Quote

In particular, it is utterly unsurprising that Abraham doesn't observe later customs, recorded in a Torah yet to be written. Whatever his religious opinions, his native culture is not Hebrew, and obviously cannot be. If he is the first Jew, then he is also the first Jewish convert.

No, Abraham was not a Jewish convert. He was the founder of Judaism. Was Paul a Christian convert? No, he was not; he was the founder of Christianity. (Acts 11:26)

Quote

Even if Abraham could be expected to follow later cultural ideas, his guests aren't Hebrews. A point of this story is that hospitality trumps. I imagine that if the trio wanted pulled pork sandwiches, then Abraham would have arranged that for them. There wouldn't be any reason why they couldn't like pork. They aren't Jews, and they are the ones eating, not Abraham.

I can't argue on that with you, considering that the events took place in a dream, when even a cow can fly.

Quote

On other points, while many people find lucid dreams useful for this or that purpose, "big dreams" (searchable) aren't typically lucid.

I agree with that one, as slumbering is part of the lucid dream phase, when visions occurr.

Quote

Besides, what an aspiring prophet wants is interaction, not control, and interaction is typical of ordinary dreams anyway. People who make a sustained effort to remember their dreams routinely have partial success with it. Even partial dream recall rapidly furnishes far more material than most people will ever fully and consciously integrate into their waking thought.

Especially between the rem phase of sleep and the almost awaken state. If we stay put for a while without getting off the bed, we can achieve much in terms of a solution for problems related to the dream just experienced.

Quote

Interactive waking visionary experience is also readily available. In our century it is made methodical in "active imagination" (searchable), but in reality, it is simply there for the taking. The main reason why so few people have the experience regularly is that they mostly don't try to have it. Many of those who do try gravitate to bizarre rituals with exotic ingredients, suspiciously resembling an ego-defense mechanism to ensure that such experiences are kept rare.

That's a very interesting way to look at it..

Quote

That appreciation doesn't require "any altered state of consciousness" at all. More than enough really happens which carries symbolic import that we could, each one of us, build a religion on that alone. All you need to "see" is that an unexpected visit from three strangers, a real visit from real flesh-and-blood men, is a perfect metaphor for encountering God. The situation is, as a matter of fact, a literary and artistic motif for just that, throughout the world.

You describe views I am fully in agreement with.

Quote

If there is something suspicious about Genesis 18, it is not any toolmark of an unconscious origin, but rather the eyes-wide-open calculated perfection of its literary realization.

IMHO, Abraham was not deep sleeping but slumbering. That's when most vision take place.

Ben

Edited by Ben Masada, 01 June 2012 - 07:14 PM.

[Ben Masada]

J. K., on 01 June 2012 - 07:01 PM, said:

I'm sorry to say that, yes, we can dream things that we have never experienced or postulated.  As a young child, I dreamed that my brother died in a tragic and unusual, unique manner.  I never would have originated that in myself.

Ben, you've made it clear that you don't think interacts with people personally.  What then do you identify as the cause of the experiences that I, and hundreds of people that I have known, have had in which we have been communicated to by a source outside of ourselves?  These instances occur to young and old, rich and poor, and have had life-changing impact.  What would you say is the source of all this?

"As a young child..."  how young, too young to know that one dies, or to have never heard of death? You might not remember but, based on your idolized love for your brother, you must have related a death experience to him in your imaginations. Then, you dreamed with his dying as a result of a tragic accident. Understand now?

Yes, God does not relate to any one at all on a personal basis; only in a dream, or vision if one is a prophet. (Num. 12:6) So, to answer your last question, the source of any praphysical connection is only in the imaginative mind of the agent.
Ben

[unit]

recently in a dream, i became lucid and told the two companions with me that i knew it was a dream and they were pushing me too hard.. the 'camera position' instantly changed (behind and above the companions) the part that buggers me is how they raised their hands and stepped back, as though i'd just quoted some statutory law to a pair of overzealous security guards?