It was a couple weeks ago. (things have been hectic around here :-[)

I have vague memories of the surroundings, but not the specifics of what was said.

First, my father died 25 years ago and except for a few instances shortly after his death I've had no contact, no dreams, nothing..until just recently.

I was at a gathering..strange kind of place, reminded me of a jungle setting.  I was interacting with others when my father came in.  I was so happy to see him and he seemed happy to see me also.

I told him he was home now and couldn't leave until after I did.

I woke up thinking how strange it was.  Had he been stuck somewhere all this time?  Was he now "home" and waiting for me to get "there" before he moved on to the next life?

He did die suddenly, unexpectedly in a car accident.  No lingering, instant death.  There were indications that he "knew" time was short though, through things he did in the weeks before hand, such as taking care of last minute things and visiting places he hadn't been to in years.

Also, I had not seen him for about 7 months before his death, though we had spoken on the phone many times.

Any thoughts?  Retrieval, dream or contact?

Quote:

He did die suddenly, unexpectedly in a car accident.  No lingering, instant death.  There were indications that he "knew" time was short though, through things he did in the weeks before hand, such as taking care of last minute things and visiting places he hadn't been to in years.

Since you feel he knew time was short, he most likely did move on when he passed over so it seems to me that this was a contact. However, it also could have been a retrieval. Perhaps future contact with him will tell which it is. And I don't feel that dreams are just dreams so it was contact or retrieval.

Love, Mairlyn ;-)

Of course it's too hard to evaluate someone else's experience, but my opinion is that this was contact.  I think this because you said you haven't dreamed of him in 25 years.  I think that when someone pops into a dream unexpectedly (meaning that you had no other reason to be dreaming of him) then it usually means it is contact.  

Have you had anymore insight into this dream?  What do you think you meant by telling him he is home now and couldn't leave until you do?

He passed in 1980, my mother 11 years later, in 1991.  I've had many contacts with her..but always without him.
I think perhaps he has been wandering for this time, even though he knew time was short.
Perhaps he was stuck in a BST where he couldn't be reached.  He had a mild Christian type belief..sometimes, he would go off to church downtown on his own.
I have to wonder what his expectations were on crossing over, if he ended up in some pseudo-heaven from which he has finally gotten free?  
I've not had any other dreams of him since, but I often sense his presence close by.

What is called dreams is another word for alternate realities. Alternate realities can be experienced in many ways on various concious levels. It sounds as if you were almost there fully lucid. Contact was made, a retrieval, my feeling is no, and maybe not needed. The alterstate was the way to make contact. In this case your dream state.
You can always do a incubation on this experience and return. All it is, is planning ahead, setting the intent before sleep, and go for it.
Doug