Meeting Spirits: Dream, Lucid Dream or Waking State?

As early as I can remember, I had a recurring dream {or what I thought was a dream} where I’m met by a spirit in a dark empty theater.

I enter the theater - a huge rehearsal room with wood floors, long, heavy curtains, and nothing but dark empty space. As I start to go up the stairs into continuing blackness, a huge chill begins at my sacrum and suddenly I feel the presence of Spirit. The chill turns into shutters and makes its’ way forcefully up my spine. The Spirit that was once surrounding me has latched on and paralyzes me. As a child, I was able to easily get out of this and I would “wake up,” clutching my teddy bear and gasping for air, relieved to have been released.

Fast forward 20 years, when I realize this is no longer a dream. It began as a dream, eventually shifted into lucid dreaming and now it happens when I’m very much awake. I’ve experienced it many times as an adult. It usually happens when I’m exhausted or in a state of doubt, insecurity or vulnerability. I feel the shutter start at the base of my spine and I know it’s coming. Suddenly, I’m paralyzed and a dark has spirit latched on. If I open my eyes, I can see it. Most of the time I can’t even open my eyes and I’m fully in it, being spiritually abused by a lingering dark presence. I communicate with them and see what they want. Many of them are caught between life and death and haven’t crossed over yet. Some of them have crossed over but have unfinished business; I have to let them know that it’s not with me and they’re not welcome in this space.

The most intense time I've ever been latched onto was the final day of Bali Spirit Fest 2016. I had arrived back to my room in the early morning after the celebration of the rising sun. I flopped down on my bed, exhausted. I had just closed my eyes when I felt the Spirit in the room. My eyes shot open as soon as I felt it, but it was too late. The Spirit was there and had full control over me. It pushed me into the bed so hard I thought I was going to fall through the other side. It pushed my head into the pillow, and when it was done holding me down, it threw me against the wall, dragged me across the room and violently swung me around until it was finished whatever business it had with me. The whole thing lasted about five minutes. I slept for 14 hours. The next day I went to the water temple and participated in a traditional cleansing with the holy water of 13 sacred fountains. 

Laying in bed last night, I felt it. There were four or five spirits lingering and swirling around the room. My dreamcatcher was rapidly spinning in circles, the windows were making cracking noises and I knew they were there. I felt the chills at the base of my spine.

In my mediumship course a few weekends ago, I learned some new techniques for closing down my energy centers so I was "clocking out" of being open to the Spirit world at night. So in addition to the usual protective energetic rituals I do at night, I closed down my energy centers the way my mediumship mentor taught me so they couldn’t get in. They tried. For an hour they tried. But they couldn’t get in. I got up and burned palo santo and told them it wasn’t happening. Not tonight.

This time they couldn’t latch on. They continued trying for another hour until they finally gave up and moved on. The room finally fell silent and still. This was the first time they had ever failed at latching on.

I woke up this morning, not rested at all; my lower back sore and aching from where the spirits had tried so long and so hard to latch. The first thing I did was smudge the hell out of my zen zone, filling the place with sacred smoke of cedar, white sage and palo santo while speaking prayers of cleansing. I asked my angels and my guides to be with me. I sat in my zen zone was drawn to Doreen Virtue's Goddess Guidance Oracle Cards. So I drew one. Artemis*  ~ Guardian. Her message is, “You and your loved ones are safe and spiritually protected.” The card goes on to say,

“Like me, you have a sacred mission to spread love and light. Yet, this is not a position that comes from tension or worry. Instead, the gentle essence of a joyful heart and lighthearted laughter sets your power into motion. Why would there be any tension in your mind or system unless you believed that you were somehow unsafe? And how could you be unsafe when you have called upon the spiritual warriors to watch over you? Your prayers have activated the flawless protection of Heaven. So, ease your mind of all cares and concerns, and concentrate instead upon your hold mission.”

And the Various Meanings Of This Card: The angels are watching over you and your family. Your future is safe and secure. All of your needs are being met and always will be. The worst is now behind you.

I even looked up on Doreen's website where she continues with a deeper description. "The greatest part of your mission is spreading love and joy, balance, harmony and peace to others. You can only do this if you are, yourself, full of love, joy, harmony and peace. There is no other way. When you carry worries and fears around with you, doubting whether you are capable or worthy of fulfilling your mission, you hold yourself back from the love. When you authentically live your truth, follow your dreams and fill your life with gratitude and passion, you change your vibration. Releasing the old and embracing the new, you raise yourself to a new consciousness."

So now the room is cleansed, my angels are with me, and I know I am spiritually protected. I release the fears of it happening again. I release feeling unsafe. I trust that I'm protected. 

*Artemis: (Pronounced Ar-tem-is): The Greek goddess Artemis is the twin sister of Apollo, the sun god. She is a powerful, tomboyish Goddess who prefers to spend her time in the woods with wild animals. Artemis has carried a bow and arrow ever since they were given to her in childhood, yet she never uses them to hurt anything. Rather, the energy of her bow and arrow is a talisman that helps her focus her thoughts and intention, and she always reaches the mark of her manifestations.

Artemis helps us to concentrate and focus as well. She offers protection to all who call upon her, particularly women and children.”*