Reincarnation dream

 I am a soldier in the desert - I have had dreams like this many times before - and in fact my Paternal Grandfather was a "desert rat" in the North Africa Campaign, WW11.

Back to the dream ... first I meet my Dad (who was also a soldier but at a different time of course). He is in uniform and is dancing an Irish jig style dance. I watch and think "oh so THAT is how you attracted my mom ...." 

Then he is gone - and I am in the desert and a group of us have been captured. At first I talk with the captors and think all will be ok, they will treat us in honourable ways. Then I am led to a grave dug in the sand, climbing in I vividly recall the face of a colleague that expressed in every silent line and twitch "we are done for, this is it". I recall his face so vividly ...

Next thing I know, I am in fact dead ...

Before I continue it is worth saying that my Paternal Grandfather in fact survived a firing squad in the desert. The little I know is that he and his men were captured and betrayed in some way, and executed by firing squad. But as everyone was being buried by local bedouin grave diggers / labour, he was found to be breathing, sneaked out and spent some months with them "missing in action" as he recovered ...

But back to the dream ....

I die and find myself in another realm. I am with a mature woman, warm, competent and friendly like a really good therapist or teacher. She tells me I am going back and I say "what already?". And she says yes I am due for reincarnation straight away.

She is counting out coins and says I have done really well. She gives me 8 coins with metal that is of 'lower value' and more impure first. Then she gives me a handful (5 I think) of higher value purer silver coins. The finally she gives me 3 large high value silver and gold shining coins. These are an extra special reward and I feel humbled.

But still, there is no escaping it, she says I must go back.

I step through a portal acquiescing to my return and just as I do so - she has a cat and it follows me through the portal. I call to the cat "nooooo you are not supposed to come!" - but the mature woman says its ok she is supposed to join me and that she will find us both some time later.

I arrive in the new world and the cat has become a young girl. She is very bouncy and energetic (like Lyla in the TV adaptation of the Phillip Pullman books). I struggle to keep up with her as she explores the new world with excitement and purpose. Its dark, we are near a big old church in a town centre, I can't quite work out the era.

I follow the girl around the back of the church thinking to myself "I am not sure if I am a man or a woman, I must find a mirror to find out what my body looks like ...". I think I am a man again but am not sure ...

We go round the back of the church. As we do so trouble is brewing at the front, it feels like some kind of protest or riot is taking hold. Some flames have appeared and the lick the church building threatening to consume it ...

Inside I have a sinking feeling "oh no, not another difficult one [incarnation] ..."

A side dream

Another dream branched off in which the soldier in the sand grave was in fact my Grandad and he survived - just as he did in real life.

In this dream he returns home to my Grannie and brings with him ornamental snakes from North Africa carved in wood. They are very ornate, stylised and organic - almost like a human nervous system.

He is home and the house is small and domestic - he wonders "how on earth will I fit my snakes into this small house? They just don't fit in."

I think when I awake of how much trauma he returned with, and marvel at how he continued on with his life, eventually running a sweet shop in Totnes. I loved him greatly and in later years would spend alot of time hanging out with him in his mobile home, smoking roll ups, drinking whisky and playing cards.