Self Portrait, a computer drawing by Emily Kottler, age 12.
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Divine Messages Received In A Dream
by Helen Kottler
At about 3 A.M. On Sunday, February 18th , I had a dream of my Guru, Gurumayi Chidvilasananda. I was performing arati (worship) to pictures of the three Gurus of the Siddha lineage in modern times, Gurumayi, Baba Muktananda, and Bhagawan Nityananda, in an ashram ( a place of spiritual retreat). The ashram seemed more like a museum and the public was wandering through it looking at the pictures. As I did arati to each picture, I would see it was not one of the Gurus after all, but a painted image of an ancient sage(not necessarily from India). I then saw Gurumayi through some double doors which were partially open. She was so vibrant and present. I turned to my husband, Harry, and said, “Gurumayi is here!” He immediately and joyfully slipped into the room and sat at her feet. I turned to continue with my worship but found myself sitting on a grassy bank besides Gurumayi. I told her that she had named our twelve year old daughter, Emily,”Echo”. Gurumayi explained that this was a very auspicious name. Emily would echo or reflect the Guru's truth or light. I then found myself standing someplace with a small group of people waiting to see Gurumayi leave. I saw that there was a mess made by scattered children's toys in the area where she would exit. I couldn't believe that everyone there was not moving to clean it up, so I started myself and the others joined me. The mess now seemed to be left over construction pieces, but we did our best. Gurumayi came through as I bent down to clear the last piece. I could see her robes and her feet as she passed. She went down in the elevator. A long-time devotee and I went into the elevator to follow her. The elevator started falling faster and faster. It seemed like a free fall, but I was only vaguely concerned that we would hit the bottom hard. I thought, “There must be a brake,” and I found the brake and then woke up. When I woke up and shared the dream with Harry.
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Harry's interpretation of the dream was as follows:
The ashram seems to the public visiting it to be just a museum, because the general public has no idea of the true power of spiritual lineages; they do not know that there have always been realized beings and in our times those being can give grace and transform ordinary human beings like you and I into saints.
The reason the pictures appear to be ancient sages is because lineages such as the one we are following are ancient. The reason all the sages are not necessarily from India is because the state of Enlightenment has been achieved by great beings throughout the world.
The fact that Gurumayi says that Emily would echo the Guru's truth is significant because the day before the dream Emily was given a lead role in a children's production at a local theater. Her part will be Charlotte the spider in Charlotte's Web. The director told Emily that she sees the character as being magical.
Helen's cleaning of the mess is indicative of her incredible devotion and diligence. What is the mess? It is the work people need to do to have grace totally transform their lives.
The elevators speed is indicative of the speed of Helen's spiritual journey. When the elevator seems in free fall, she's vaguely concerned (due to ego) and she thinks that there must be a brake and she finds its. The remembrance and finding of the brake is indicative of her supreme faith in the Guru and God.
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With love and respect,
Harry, Helen, and Emily
