Strange indeed Padraig for I too had a similar recurring dream the best way to explain the house for me was Our Lady's home on the falls road,,anyway I had a chat with a very holy man one night about the dreams and he instantly replied that my dream was about me,, the house represented my person and the things behind the door were graces from God the fear that I got or noises were obstacles and distractions from satan preventing me obtaining those graces he finally said open the door John have no fear !!! its a hidden door an upper room behind the altar , I remember thinking well that guy is nuts but as being ever curious it was some time later I found a very very old book ( wrote in 1891) called "From the Upper Room to the Altar" I feel it might be something you should read From the Upper Room to the Altar of the World is a collection of reflections on the Word of God. These reflections focus on the Eucharist and suggest that the Eucharist has to flow from the Upper Room to the Altar of the World and thus it connects the Eucharist with the vicissitudes of life in the world. (FORWARD) WHILE regarding some of Bro. Horner's positions extreme, and some things laid on us in this first part from Christ's life that Christ Himself did not and does not lay upon us, owing to the differences of relation betwixt God and man, and man and man, I find many incisive, inspiring and instructive sentences, of great help to the soul in the honest work of spiritual self-examination. The danger of erring in practical Christian life is on the worldly and selfish side ; hence strong representations of self-denial, self-humiliation, and constant looking to and trusting in that great sacrifice, the life and death of Christ, whose heights and depths we can never reach, but may always seek, the better to show us how we should submit ourselves to another in love, and in the fear of God. There is certainly no degradation in humbling ourselves in any act or effort to reconciliation after the mind of the adorable Lord. Bro. Horner presents this aspect of the Christian life very vigorously. A. CARMAN.
MMM well I know people love to kind of psycholgise dreams into symbolism. Joseph's dream in Egypt about the seven years of fat and the seven years of lean were of course symbolic. As of course were Daniels dreams. I remember all the wonderful dreams in the old Alfred Hitchcock dreams full of the symbolic in the old films. But some dreams in scripture are not symbolic but cross right over into real time. Like the dreams St Joseph had of an angel that warned him it was cool to marry Mary or the other were the angel told him to shift ass to Egypt since Herod was on the rampage. Or again the angel who visited Peter and helped him escape out of jail. There is a wonderful dream like quality to Peters jail break. Yet it is clearly the real deal, not symbolic but actually happening, in the 'real world'. Acts 12:3-19 3 When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread. 4 After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover. 5 So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him. 6 The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. 7 Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists. 8 Then the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.” And Peter did so. “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” the angel told him. 9 Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision. 10 They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him. 11 Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen.” 12 When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. 13 Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer the door. 14 When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, “Peter is at the door!” 15 “You’re out of your mind,” they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.” 16 But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. 17 Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. “Tell James and the other brothers and sisters about this,” he said, and then he left for another place. 18 In the morning, there was no small commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter. 19 After Herod had a thorough search made for him and did not find him, he cross-examined the guards and ordered that they be executed.
I would have very much in the past have very much wished to have seen such dreams as simply a product of the imagination or of the deep unconcious but I am afraid experience has taught me that this in many cases is not so. This is because what happens in the dream often translates right on into the , 'Real' world when I awake. As for instance my dreaming my bad clothes are being pulled off and when I awake at the other side of my bed room and as on one memorable occasion I saw a bowl of Holy Water flying across my bed room to hatter on the ground. But more than this the presence(s) in my dream being awfully present in my bed room when I awake. Even, sometimes turning up during the day when I am wide awake. In any case my Spiritual Father , who was an exorcist told me it was the devil so...
The very Holy Belgium Benedictine monk Fr Poll of Moll describes how on one occasion he saw a procession of demons walk past. He described them as being dressed up like medieval soldiers dressed in grotesque armour and in horrid awful forms. I have always like the idea of the soul being like a walled fortress with an army encamped around about trying to get in. Psalm 27:3 Even if an army came against me with its tents, my heart would have no fear: if war was made on me, my faith would not be moved. View attachment 1660 Now at the centre of the city is the citadel which in the case of the soul is the will. We and only we can choose to sin or not to sin, to love or not to love, to let Satan in or not to let him in. However the devil has quite a lot of free rein on the outskirts of the city the imagination. , for instance. He is a master of stirring the pot in this area and can stir up all kinds of stuff, a master of smoke and mirrors. An empty derelict house for instance. But there is a kind of cross over point at which,with God's permission, he can step things up and cross over from working in the imagination to actually getting his hoofed feet down in the, 'Real world'. He does not choose to do so for actions have consequences and a bad consequence for him is of he shows his hand he actually increases the faith of the person he is attacking directly. The devil therefore prefers to be like a lion that hides behind a bush. Him best weapon being that folks don't believe in him not really; or they will often say they do but in their hearts they wonder... View attachment 1661
How ever when the devil(s) sees the person of prayer , like Father Abraham taking the road of faith the strategy of bush hiding is no longer effective and he and his friends might just as well drop the hiding and come right on out for the dance. We see this in the case of exorcists, for instance. They see diabolic phenomena quite often and so the devil does no longer have to crouch behind that old bush, he can strut his stuff openly. I heard of one top exorcist for instance to whom the devil came to annoy frequently at night time. He did this by lifting his bed off the ground and shaking it. This was not symbolic , the poor priest was wide awake and the bed was most certainly right of the ground going from side to side and this happened quite regularly. Alfred Hitchcock would have been amazed. But you know this exorcist it did not bother him so much he pretty well took it as par for the job. Amazing. An example to us all.
Padraig I don't know if you remember these posts but it came back to me very strongly the other day I don't know what it is but I feel there is a very big connection, its kind of like an interior castle kind of moment that St Teresa of avilla talks about, is the dreams we are having a conflict with our humanness causing fear and in fact we are afraid to open the door to mercy... I just found it very striking that doors are being opened throughout the parishes and the doors for me are simular to my door in my dream and victorian/edwardian looking .. https://www.osv.com/holydoor I am also getting a huge connection with what Our Lady of Medjugore said regarding the narrow door and quoted Lukes gospel Work hard to enter the narrow door to God's Kingdom, for many will try to enter but will ... "Strain every nerve to force your way in through the narrow gate, I see the little doors around the parishes as this very door although full of mercy it will be very difficult for us to achieve I feel God is giving us a great warning that the door is closing soon maybe when the year of Mercy ends.. I also a huge connection with Mario's vision and these doors I just haven't linked it all up yet ??
Andy3 it would be great if you could get your mother's friend to a priest for deliverance prayer. I would guess one of her ancestors has been involved seriously in the occult, and the effect is coming down the family tree. Clairvoyance is condemned in scripture. Deut 18: 9 - 14
Once when travelling for work. I was staying at a hotel and went to bed. The TV turned on by itself! I got up and shut it off and went back to bed and it turned itself on again! So I got up and unplugged it. When checking out I mentioned it to the desk clerk, and he just said that happens in that room. It may have been demonic or maybe not. I was far from God at the time so I did not think demons at the time. Also, growing up we lived briefly in a house where some nights at 12 midnight the radio alarm would go off playing Tom Sawyer by Rush. The alarm was never set and it was always that song. It would freak me and my siblings out!
This isn't specifically about demons but do cats have any spiritual significance. Are there any saints that mention cats. Padre Pio had a black dog that would appear but that was evil. Any thoughts? Brother al
Well I'm thoroughly convinced that my guardian angel plays with my cats, and that they "see" her... And my kitties are very attentive when I pray. Jenny likes to "wear" my rosary beads. I think that they are very in tune with the other plane of existence out there. It may be why sometimes they do get used by occultists
I have traveled a lot, I mean a lot with my job. I travel with a St. Benedict crucifix on a lanyard that I hang over a lamp somewhere usually near my bed but certainly somewhere prominent in the room anyway. Sometimes I will sprinkle a little holy water or blessed salt in the room when I first arrive. I don't have any bad encounters when I travel, ever. I started doing this when I learned about the power of St. Benedict medals and when my faith began to be strong again, I just always have a small crucifix in my bag. Prior to that there were a few times where I didn't feel comfortable in a room. But I never have that feeling anymore. Doesn't hurt to be prepared. If you don't have a crucifix, just hang a rosary on a lamp finial or somewhere in the room.
I would think once enrolled, always enrolled. I have purchased many sacramentals from http://www.cukierski.net/ They do great things for people
My only freaky attack by a demon actually took place at a retreat house/monastery! I wrote about it on here somewhere a couple years ago. Padraig confirmed what I suspected. It was my own fault though in that I "told" my angel I was safe in my retreat room and she should go enjoy her time at this holy place...to go to the chapel or somewhere else and hang out with the other angels there and that I would be fine here...I actually said that out loud! Gads! Do NOT ever do that! I learned my lesson that night. Who'd of thought that of all the places I have been, that it would happen in a place such as this, a place with crucifixes everywhere and the Maji and house blessing markings over the doors...a place I had been to many times and felt snug as a bug in a rug. I still feel good when I go back there, but I ask the angels to stay nearby now!
I had the most terrible nightmare about the devil when I was away. Its funny how these things come and go.
yes, that's the 2nd tease about this nightmare. is it for public consumption or wil it scare the crap out of all of us?
I don't actually remember the dream itself , I just recall waking up terrified. This is most unusual for me as I get such dreams regularly. I think it was a great blessing that I have no memory of the contents itself or I would still be scared. To put in context I have seen physical things associated with such occurences like my holy water font, a glass bowl come crashing to the floor and my blankets being pulled off and thrown to the other side of the room and not being half so frightened. I think the devil is very,very angry and wperful at the moment. He may choose to show his hand, he may choose not too. But he is in one huge fury. As scripture tells us, the dragon has fallen to Earth in a great fury knowing he has but a short time left. Revelation 12:12 The War in Heaven …11"And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death. 12"For this reason, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time."
I'll tell you one thing about the devil which a saint said and has been the greatest consolation to me down the years. The devil does not have to wait till nighttime to attack, he does not have to wait until we are alone in some quiet forest. He can attack in full light of day, even during mass. So we must not be disquieted by whatever time or location he chooses. He can do as he pleases, with the full permission of God. He can only act with God's say so and is like some fierce dog on a very short leash. “Have courage and do not fear the assaults of the Devil. Remember this forever; it is a healthy sign if the devil shouts and roars around your conscience, since this shows that he is not inside your will.” ― Padre Pio
