Dreams as Communication from the Afterlife

Claudia Carlton Lambright has had numerous After-Death Communications via Lucid Dreaming with her father and her husband, who are both in spirit. The following is an excerpt from her book, Just a Dream Away: After-Death Communication Through Dreams.

I believe that our loved ones in spirit can see and hear us and want to stay in touch however they can. The connection you had with them in life and the eternal love you share create a natural link that never ends. For me, the connection is dreams. I have been interested in dreams since I was a little girl and have learned to become lucid—aware that I’m dreaming—in my dreams. So, when my dad died, I opened my mind to seeing him in dreams and becoming lucid so I could communicate with him. Six years later when my husband died, I did the same with him.

I dreamed I was at the folks’ lake house and the whole family was there. We were all younger—as if the calendar had rolled back about 15 years. I was sitting on a stool in the family room just watching Dad and the family, fully lucid and content to be enjoying a happier time when he was still with us. As he walked close by me, I reached out and touched his arm and said, “Can I get a hug, Dad?” This part was very vivid; I was fully invested in the moment…I saw his face as he drew me close and it was full of love…then his long arms enveloped me and we hugged for a long time. I told him I loved him, and he told me he loved me. Then I sat back down on the stool and the dream picked up where it left off. He walked over to Mom, and said, “What do you think about bringing out the leftover steak from last night and we’ll gnaw on it again for supper tonight?” The phrase “gnaw on it” is very characteristic of Dad…he had a good sense of humor and often used homespun expressions such as this one, which made the dream even more real for me. 

 

I hope I’m adequately expressing how amazing this dream experience was—it was as if there were a play in progress, and I stepped onto the stage and asked one of the actors to hug me in the middle of the play! My family was going about their day as if nothing was unusual…but, it was a dream, and I was the only one who knew it.

My first truly lucid dream visit with my husband happened exactly seven months after his death. I had slept for about five hours then lain awake for two; it was a pattern that, unfortunately, plagued me often during the first few years after his passing. But it may have been the catalyst for the very vivid experience I had that night; having slept for five hours, I was rested and better able to slip into the “mind awake/body asleep” state conducive to meaningful meetings with our loved ones in spirit. 

I was drifting between sleep and waking when I suddenly found myself standing in our dining room. I saw something in my right peripheral vision; I turned and saw Rusty sitting in the corner of the dining room. It was a huge shock and I remember bringing my full attention to him to be sure it was really him. It was. I was elated! I said, “Babe, you’re here!”  

Photo: Luca Carrà

Exactly a year after Rusty’s death, he came to me in a very special dream. I dreamed I was at a business meeting. After getting checked in and moving into my hotel room, I went down to the lobby. There were lots of people there but they all seemed to be engaged in conversation, so I stayed in the fringes. Suddenly, I looked slightly to the right and there was Rusty, standing very close to me and smiling. I knew immediately that it was a “visit.” Surprised and elated as usual, I cried, “Rusty, you’re here!” “Yes,” he said, “I felt you really needed me, so I came.” I think he asked me what’s wrong, why was I pulling on him so hard. I told him I missed him and wanted to see him. He said, “Do you need help with the questions? If they ask you what’s the most important thing, tell them ‘kindness,’ because it’s not at all forthcoming.” I hoped I would be able to remember everything he was saying. Then our son was there with us and the three of us were standing close together, holding hands. Then my consciousness faded and I opened my eyes, back in bed.

This is another of those dreams that seemed to become more vivid and real when Rusty appeared. It’s very interesting that he said straight out he came because he sensed I needed him; I believe the vibrations of my deep grief traveled to him across the field of energy that connects everything. And, I was stunned when he told me that kindness is the most important thing in life, not because it’s implausible but because he was sharing what I would consider a sacred principle; it appeared he was relearning the important things we forget when we incarnate and the “veil” is lowered. The irony of it is that in life, Rusty was one of the kindest people anyone could hope to meet. I have come to believe that good character traits such as kindness are sacred truths that have become second nature to people who have truly internalized their learnings from the Other Side.

Photo: Brazil Topno

I really love dragonflies, and he had given me a couple of dragonfly gifts over the years, my favorite being the beautiful jeweled dragonfly pin he gave me a few Christmases before he died. I told him that dragonflies would be the symbol I would associate with him after he crossed over, and that I would consider a close dragonfly sighting a visit from him. He chuckled, and I know he thought I was a little daft. He always called my spiritual beliefs and practices—such as my dream work—my “woo-woo stuff.”

One morning in the summer of 2017, I was riding the country back roads near my new home. It was a beautiful morning and I was riding at a pretty good clip. Suddenly I became aware of something on my chest. I glanced down and saw a dragonfly sitting at the top edge of my tank top in the middle of my chest—right over my heart. Immediately I remembered the day in early April of 2014 when I had told Rusty I would consider a dragonfly sighting a visit from him. I knew it was him. I had to get a photo of this! So, I took the risk that the dragonfly might fly away when I came to a stop. Amazingly, it stayed all the while I was trying to take a good selfie that would include both of us. That accomplished, I kept riding at high speed for at least another mile, and the dragonfly held tight to my shirt. Finally, it was gone. But for those few minutes, I know Rusty had validated my faith that he would visit me symbolically in the form of a dragonfly.

CLAUDIA CARLTON LAMBRIGHT

Claudia Carlton Lambright’s book, Just a Dream Away: After-Death Communication Through Dreams, was released November, 2020. William and Susan Buhlman wrote, “Just a Dream Away is a moving account of the author’s husband’s death and ultimate rebirth through another form of communication. With enchanting accounts of her dream meetings, she illustrates that we don’t die, but move our consciousness to another place of presence. Claudia Lambright fully grasps and puts into beautiful words the continuum of consciousness through an emotional rendition of life, illness, transition, and ultimate freedom of spirit.” Claudia is a retired technical, scientific, and biomedical writer and editor who has been invested in dreamwork since childhood. She has studied and practiced dream incubation, lucid dreaming, group dreaming, dream interpretation, and after-death communication through dreams, and was for many years moderator of online groups on dreams and astral travel. During her professional career, her writing was published in trade and academic journals. This is her first book on the subject of dreaming.

For more information on after-death communications see our post AFTER-DEATH COMMUNICATION EXPERIENCES by Bill Guggenheim.