Multiple Selves and Angel Dream

“I had a really strange dream last night. I saw three images of myself, three exact bodies. One of me was just standing there while the other two argued. All of a sudden, a beautiful angel dressed in white, billowy clothes slowly came down from the sky. She just stood a ways off watching. One of me wanted to go with her, the other me refused. He was very stubborn and it made the other me very mad. The third didn’t say anything. He seemed detached and didn’t care about what was going on. Finally, the angel rose up and went back into heaven.” (E.H.)

Angel dreams always nearly always significant and indicative of what is going on in the dreamer’s spiritual state. Often, angels appear with messages of hope, comfort, guidance or warning. Are they actual visitations from heavenly beings or merely dream symbols? I venture to say both, depending upon the circumstances. Religious people tend to dream more of angelic beings because they are part of their spiritual understanding and belief systems, but it should be noted that even atheists have reported dream and waking life experiences with gentle, ethereal beings who exude a celestial glow—with or without wings!

My intuition told me that this dreamer’s angel experience was more than symbolic. Although not a church-going man for most of his adult life, he had been raised as a Catholic as a child, attending a Catholic institution through high school. He then attended a religiously affiliated university. His spiritual beliefs included God, Jesus Christ and most certainly angels so it was no surprise that he dreamt of an angel appearing, especially at this time of his life. You see, this man was dying. So what was this dream trying to tell him?

Let’s look at the dream symbols

Three. Often representing the Holy Trinity or the Father (God), the Son (Jesus Christ) and the Holy Ghost (Holy Spirit), the number three is revered in religious rituals.
Selves. When a dreamer dreams of himself, regardless of the number of images, each self represents a part of him. It is important to note any variations in appearance, dress, tone to tell exactly what part of the self an image represents.
Angel descending from the sky. Angels are divine servants of God. They often bring messages.
Angel observes. This angel says nothing. There is no message.
One self wants to go with the angel. A part of this dreamer wants to go with the angel. Which part?
One self stubbornly insists upon staying.Another part of him is adamant about staying put.
One self seem detached. What is the part of him that is apathetic?
Angel ascends back into the heavens. The angel returns without any of the selves, again saying nothing.

The interpretation

Perhaps because I knew the dreamer on a close and personal basis, when I heard this dream, its meaning was clear right away. I knew this man was diagnosed with cancer and had been lingering far longer than his doctors expected. The three images of himself represented this man’s body, mind and spirit. An angel has arrived to escort him back to the Other Side. His body wants to go. It is tired, riddled with disease. Done with his earth life. His mind, however, was set on staying. He loved his life and didn’t want to let go.

The third image of himself, the indifferent one, represented his spirit. Like the observant angel, his spirit had no desires or demands. His spirit exists whether in a physical body or non-physical form. His spirit learns life lessons from every experience. This earth life was when his body and mind reigned, using desire and free will. His spirit simply waited for his body and mind to come to a decision. The angel allowed this dreamer to choose without any interference or input.

In the end, the dreamer’s mind won out. All three stayed while the angel, very patiently, ascended from whence she came, presumably to return another day when the dreamer felt ready to follow.

Dream therapy

I have to reveal that this dreamer was my uncle who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2009. He was a strong-minded and positive man, and the diagnosis—and bleak prognosis—didn’t change that. Pancreatic cancer is one of the most deadly, swiftly spreading cancers, often taking its victims within months or even weeks of diagnosis. My uncle insisted on beating this cancer. Hospice workers marveled at his upbeat attitude and determination. Weeks passed, months, then years. Towards the end, when his body was hollowed, his skin clinging to his bones like vacuumed-sealed cellophane wrap, and he could no longer speak more than a few words at a time, it was clear that he still wanted to live. He forced himself to sip some nourishment and he insisted upon sitting up on the sofa so he could see out the window or watch the news on the television.

When we spoke about the meaning of this dream, he shook his head in agreement. He understood. “Next time…the angel…comes,” he rasped, haltingly. “I…should go.” “I think this dream shows the power of your mind, uncle,” I replied. “You can do whatever you want to do. It’s up to you.”

A few weeks later, he died in his sleep.