Category: Messages from Memories

Back to Horse Heaven: A Message from a Memory

Reading Time: 2 minutes

By Michael Avery

I was hiking along Horseheaven Creek just north of Steamboat on the North Umpqua River many years ago when I had a vision. In my mind’s eye, I saw a sacred valley called Horse Heaven, where wild horses still run free. Perhaps there exists such a valley in the area, but I didn’t pursue that reality since my vision was so clear and real to me. I memorialized that vision with a poem.

When the memory of that day kept returning, I realized that I’d missed a lesson or an insight back then. Horse Heaven, and especially one pony, was a metaphor. So, I got out the verse I’d written many years ago…

The Mining Train: A Spiritual Exercise

Reading Time: 5 minutes

By Michael Avery

I had the great pleasure and also the great misfortune of growing up at a quicksilver mine my father operated. With fifty-plus acres of hills, meadows, streams, ponds, wild strawberries, and ample wildlife, it was an idyllic place for a boy to live.

However, quicksilver, also known as mercury, is extremely toxic. The liquid metal that I often held in my hands turned out to be something other than a fun toy, as health issues later in life would prove. But this article is about a different memory from the “Bonanza Mine”—one that involves an old mining train and how it engendered a useful spiritual exercise. 

Embracing the Wind: Messages from Memories

Reading Time: 5 minutes

By Michael Avery

When memories of water skiing come to mind, they generally evoke feelings of fun, freedom, and ninety degree days, but not always. My fondest boating memories are from the time Eldon, a friend from the plywood mill where I worked, taught me how to slalom ski. I learned a lot about water skiing from Eldon, and a little about sacrifice. The latter proved invaluable.

Messages from Memories: “Circus”

Reading Time: 2 minutes

By Michael Avery

When we look back upon our memories, we often find gems of wisdom that we missed at the time of the initial experience. Messages from Memories fall into the category of Exotic Waking Dreams. A good example is “The Smile.” That memory carried its message through the corridors of time until I finally heard what it wanted to convey: “We can be happy under any circumstance.”

A poem entitled “Circus” held another special gem. Its messages are self-evident, but I will memorialize them in words at the conclusion of this post.

Messages from Memories: “The Smile”

Reading Time: 3 minutes

By Michael Avery

Pichaya often reminds me to be here now in this present moment. She is right of course. But sometimes a memory will arrive at my doorstep unexpectedly and shuttle me off to the past. At least that’s the way I used to view it.

But what if those memories have really come from my past and into my present for a purpose? Why would they do this? I asked myself. Could it be they have messages they are trying to communicate? 

When the Cats Wake Up First

Reading Time: 4 minutes


By Michael Avery

I remember the early morning antics of two, 10-week-old kittens like it was yesterday. They woke me up from a sound sleep, but they were so cute that I couldn’t stay mad at them for long. 

Looking back at the memory, it is apparent that the experience was a “Waking Dream in Retrospect.” In other words, there was a lesson hidden in the chaos that morning, one I was only able to understand in retrospect.

3 Past-life Dreams that Helped Me Heal

Reading Time: 6 minutes

By Pichaya Avery

“Many of our dreams relate to past lives. Once we come to that realization, we can begin to access the experiences that lie hidden within our memory banks. And yes, it is possible to bring hard-won lessons from past lives into the present for a better understanding of our situation in life today.”
—Harold Klemp,
Past lives, Dreams, and Soul Travel, page 73 


For as long as I can remember—dating back to 1972—I have always been fascinated by dreams. While there were several sweet dreams—talking to animals, floating in clouds, and flying through the air—there were countless nightmares as well. I was continuously chased by a man with a knife and often died in those dreams. In the middle of the night, I would wake up screaming and wondering, Who am I? and Why am I here?

Remembering “The Old Road:” A “Waking Dream in Retrospect”

Reading Time: 4 minutes

By Michael Avery

Are the memories we tenderly take out of our treasure box from the past simply remnants of better days, or do they carry messages yet to be delivered? Could they really be “Waking Dreams in Retrospect?”1

As I reminisce about a trip I made many years ago into a remote area of the Bohemia Basin near Cottage Grove, Oregon, it occurs to me now that what I found there was equally as valuable as the parable it inspired.

3 “Exotic” Types of Waking Dreams

Reading Time: 5 minutes

By Michael Avery

In an earlier post, we covered the 3 Common Types of Waking Dreams: Uncommon Events, Golden-tongued Wisdom, and Highlighted Waking Dreams. These become easily recognizable once we’re aware of them. Awareness is the key.

Now that we’re seasoned travelers and have found waking dreams helpful companions, we may want to venture further down the tracks of Divine Communication. For those blessed with an adventuresome spirit, the glorious lands of exotic waking dreams are waiting to be discovered just beyond the near horizon. 

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