A couple of nights ago I had a dream that was unmemorable except that Miss Ellie paid me a visit. When we were both younger, I often thought of Ellie as my “soul cat,” because we were so close. She died, at 24, several years ago.

In the dream I was in “my” kitchen, and there she was. At first she seemed nervous, like this was unfamiliar territory to her. But then she settled down. I sat on the floor and she came over to me for a pet. Her little round head and dense fur were so familiar and warm. I have missed that little old cat, a lot.

Then she looked at me. Really looked at me. She was totally there, in the dream, and not just as a symbol of something else. This was Ellie herself, making eye contact with me from the other side. It was a delight, a surprise, and a comfort to see her bright, intelligent little face looking back at me.

It didn’t last long, but it was wonderful to have her with me again, however briefly.

It’s amazing when friends and loved ones come back to visit like that; when the contact is so strong and so personal that you KNOW it’s them and not just a symbol of something. They’re not some image that the unconscious has selected for its own purposes. No, a connection like this one is next door to being with them in the physical life. It has that same energetic solidity, if that makes any sense. It’s just REAL—you can feel them as themselves. In part, it’s the eye contact, I think, that does it for me. Dream images are just that: images, flat and dimensionless despite their activity. You can tell, at least in retrospect, that they’re representations. But when a spirit or soul or whatever comes to visit, their presence is so clear and vital that you are left with no doubt. Well, your rational mind might doubt it, still, but your heart knows the difference.

Anyway. Thank you, Miss Ellie, for coming to see me. I miss you. And yes, I’ll see you again one of these days.