"The Dark Cellar," A Childhood Prophetic Dream

 

I experienced one of my life's most profound, prophetic dreams when I was five. 

In 1960, my family lived in a two-story house—vintage 1900—in a small town with about 250 residents. The house had no basement, but ten steps out the back door was a grass-covered mound with a door. If Mother had canned vegetables and fruits, she would have lifted the heavy wooden door and carried the canned goods down the steps to a dark, dank cellar. It was also the underground structure we ran to for cover if a tornado had been spotted on the edge of town.

My sister and I played atop the grassy cellar mound, running down the slope chasing butterflies and lightning bugs. I don't remember seeing the cavern beneath the mound except when I walked into the cool, subterranean darkness via an unusually vivid dream.

The Dark Cellar Dream

In my dream, I held hands with a babysitter as we walked down the cracked and crumbly stairs between the cellar's mud-packed walls.  I remember an earthy scent. Ahead of us was a dark, black pit that seemed bottomless. I was frightened, as each step took us closer to the unknown.  

When we reached the bottom, light from a second staircase illuminated a round drain with holes in the lid, typical of a 1950s shower drain.  The well-lit stairs on the other side of the drain rose toward a bright opening. The steps looked strong, unblemished, and were encrusted with sparkling gemstones--rubies, diamonds, emeralds, and sapphires.  The babysitter gently urged me to hop over the drain and go up the bejeweled steps alone.  

I glided up the stairs, over the gems, and emerged into a sunny day. I marveled at the deep blue sky and fluffy white clouds slowly floating toward me. I sensed the presence of God  as I stepped into another unknown.

Interpretations 

I have adopted various interpretations of the dream for decades.  Although I didn't write it down in a dream journal when I was five, I often recited the details of my dream to myself and others.    I realized this dream was spiritual and similar to my previous comforting dream of "Jesus" sailing away with the beasts of my nightmares.

By the time I was a teenager, I assumed the cellar dream was prophetic and that I would suffer through a painful life before finding joy. Would I lose a child? Or become homeless? Or perhaps sustain a catastrophic injury?  

Except for an extended illness from which I have mostly recovered, there were no disasters in the first seven decades of my life. No periods of despair or depression. Even during health challenges, I was content because I had been touched by a healing love.  (See Label: Diary of an Ambivalent Mystic.)

As I grew more open to spiritual experiences, such as past-life regression and Jewish, Christian, and Islamic mystical writings, I adopted a new interpretation saturated with symbolism:

The mud-packed, earthy cellar walls remind me that I was made from clay (Genesis 2:7).   The crumbling steps warn us that we are entering a fragile situation, but I trust the one who holds my hand, a babysitter representing a spirit guide (or angel) of newborns. ("Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you..." Jeremiah 1:5.)  

The cellar is like a dark womb.  As we stand on the  floor of the cellar, my guide urges me to cross over a shower drain, where most memories of my past lives will "go down the drain."  A second staircase embedded with gemstones rises up to a bright opening.  The jewels are gifts to the newborn, Cynthia, if she chooses to accept them:

• "the connection between heaven and earth, balance and regeneration, rebirth and transitions" (Diamonds)
•  "vitality, courage, protection from negative energies" (Rubies)
• "Rebirth" (Emeralds)
• "Wisdom, truth"  (Sapphires)**

The bright day peeking through the top of the second staircase signifies my new home (Earth), where God's presence will be felt rather than seen as a king in the clouds. 

Dreams can stay with us throughout our lifetime. Some are personal, and others have universal meanings that might be the key to unlocking questions about our spiritual lives.  

May your dreams comfort you,

Cynthia 

Basement Cellar Image by Thomas Wolter from Pixabay

 

* I will share my past-lives regression session in a future post.

**Find the meaning of universal symbols on Online Sources, such as the Dream Dictionary   

Feel free to comment on this post. I would also love to hear about your dreams and metaphysical experiences! Please contact me if you would like to receive email updates or a consultation.