I lost my father when I was only 12 and struggled to grieve outwardly and instead, I went through the grieving process through dreams. So I'm aware of using dreams this way. However, this is a different situation...

My Mother passed away 2 weeks ago. She was 85, was not suffering in any way...just drifted off to sleep. It was expected and she was very ready for it. I don't see death as a negative or an end and I am actively grieving outwardly for her.

In the dream, she was a bit younger and I immediately knew I was dreaming because I knew that she was dead. I told myself to go to her, as she was seated in a chair nearby and to look at her for as long as I could because I wouldn't get to do that in waking life any longer.

I took a knee in front of her and looked very carefully at her face. She then grabbed my arm and was almost hurting me with her strong grip. She looked very upset and her eyes bored into mine as if to impart something important. She said "Death is not what you think it is. It is NOT good here".

I immediately awoke and was very rattled. Please understand, I do not believe in hell, so I know it's not some unconscious worry about that...any ideas out there?

Thanks for any replies

Most dreams aren't direct..did she ever fear death? or had opposite views to you on the afterlife?

"It is not good here" could also mean that is not good for you - "here" being your life now. It is not good for you because you because you are grieving.

@Geordie I realize that most dreams aren't direct. I think it's just harder for me to see it that way because it's been such a short time since her death. She did not fear death and said that she was praying for it daily.

@Marcia Changing the meaning of "here" is an interesting thought and one I will follow to see where my intuition takes me. Although what she said was upsetting to me in the dream, it was also an odd sentence...as dream speech can sometimes be. I think what stayed with me most is the look of desperation on her face. She seemed determined to impart something of great urgency to me and her grabbing my arm kind of highlighted that.

I think I was also caught off guard because I so often have lucid dreams but am not often surprised or upset by the characters in them because I know I'm dreaming. I knew I was dreaming from the instant this dream started and I was happy to have the chance to see her, but I was very rattled by her behavior and instead of trying to change the behavior like I do in most lucid dreams, I woke up instantly in that same state of upset. Very, very different for me.

Thanks for the input from each of you. I greatly appreciate it.

You are still in the very early stages of grief. Expect your mind to do weird things.