I got an email from a gentlewoman who was dreaming of deceased people, and she requested some clarity on this issue.  I respond thusly,

Dear Dreamer,

You are going to hear a million different reasons and explanations about dreaming of the deceased (or people who have passed from this physical plane, if you prefer).  All of these explanations are slices of the truth, and so you owe it to yourself to find the meaning that sits best with your own spirit.

In my life experience I have come to know the nature of energy (including the life force that is “human”) never dies – it simply passes from one phase to another.  We see it in all of nature.  Energy simply cannot be destroyed – it is universal law.

With that foundation, we can make the next assumption that our connection with other people (connections are a type of energy) will not die either – even if their physical bodies have ceased on this earth.

Are these people that have passed away coming in your dreams to give you a message?  Perhpaps….there are many philosophies out there that will tell you this.

The psyche deals with mortality in interesting ways – this is due to our own deep rooted beliefs as well as the collective conscious’ perception of death.

Perhaps you could also entertain the idea that you are a receiver of energy.  If our energetic connections with people never cease, then it would make sense that there are places within our own psyche that will recall the energy of those who have passed.  In this light, perhaps your own inner self is sending you a message, and using the imagery of those who passed as a message.

Recall the personalities of those people in your dreams.  Is there a predominant theme?  For example, was one person a healer?  Perhaps this is a message for more healing in your life.  Was another person always angry? Perhaps this is a message to point out your own anger, and how you may work to defuse it.

When we dream of those who passed, it may also be our inner selves telling us to die to the things that no longer serve us.  In other words, dreams of people who have passed me be a message for us release grudges or ditch bad habits.

You have brought up an enormous phenomenon – books have been written about this phenomenon, and will continue to be written about it.  What is key, is that you invest the time to determine the meaning to your own personal satisfaction.

I can promise you one thing, however: These dreams would not come to you if you yourself did not have the answers to their meaning. 

You know – just give yourself the time, patience, determination, and thirst for knowledge – the answers will come.