The Spirit LandEmmons, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulfinch)
Religion
The Spirit Land
Emmons, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulfinch)
Occultism -- Early works to 1900; Spiritualism
The criminal sees the dungeon or the gallows.
The awakened sinner beholds the flames of hell, or looks upon the
sceptre of pardon; and the Christian anticipates heavenly joy.
Strong mental emotions are sometimes embodied into a dream, which, by
some natural coincidence, is fulfilled. A murderer, mentioned by Mr.
Combe, dreamed of committing murder some years before the event took
place. A clergyman on a visit to the city of Edinburgh, from a distance
in the country, was sleeping at an inn, when he dreamed of seeing a
fire, and one of his children in the midst of it. He awoke with the
impression, and instantly started for home. When he arrived within
sight of his house, he found it on fire, and got there in time to
assist in saving one of his children, who, in the alarm and confusion,
had been left in a situation of danger. Without calling in question the
possibility of supernatural communications in such cases, this striking
occurrence may perhaps be accounted for on simple and natural
principles. Let us suppose that the gentleman had a servant who had
shown great carelessness in regard to fire, which had often given rise
in his mind to a strong apprehension that he might set fire to the
house. His anxiety might be increased by being from home, and the same
circumstances might make the servant still more careless. Let us
further suppose that the gentleman, before going to bed, had, in
addition to this anxiety, suddenly recollected that there was on that
day, in the neighborhood of his house, some fair or periodical merry
making, from which the servant was likely to return home in a state of
intoxication. It was most natural that these impressions should be
embodied into a dream of his house being on fire, and that the same
circumstances might lead to the dream being fulfilled.
The cause of a dream may sometimes be the cause of its fulfilment. A
clergyman dreamed of preaching a sermon on a particular subject. In a
few weeks, he delivered the discourse. His dream was therefore
fulfilled. But his waking thoughts caused the dream, for he had
meditated on this very subject; and they also caused its fulfilment,
for he proceeded to write and deliver the result of his meditations.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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