In the first half, author and expert on the paranormal, Rosemary Ellen Guiley talked about dream visits from the dead, and her recent book Dream Messages from the Afterlife. "Everybody has one of these kinds of dreams at least once in life," she observed, "and they are so powerful that people never forget them." While the means by which these dreams occur remains a mystery, Guiley suggested that, based on her research, such an event requires "an impetus on both sides." To that end, she noted that dream visitors from the 'other side' often reveal that the process is difficult and only allows for a limited amount of time. Additionally, she suggested that "emotional energy" conveyed by the living may help facilitate these experiences, but also that the 'visits' may be dependent on one's ability to "receive the dream."
According to Guiley, these 'dream reunions' seem to have a variety of forms and purposes. The 'reassurance dream,' she said, consists of a departed loved one returning from the afterlife to let family and friends know that they have safely completed their journey to the 'other side.' Eerily, there are also 'farewell dreams,' where a dying person visits a loved one at around the time they pass away and it is only later that the dreamer realizes the true nature of the experience. Other types of visits that have been reported, she said, are dreams where the departed return to settle unfinished business, impart life advice, or reveals insights into the afterlife. Regardless of the reason behind the dream visit, Guiley marveled that the experience seems to both reaffirm the dreamer's belief in the afterlife and also provide greater meaning for their own life here on Earth.
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During Open Lines, Zach in Chicago shared the story of a bizarre creature he spotted while working as a truck driver. As he traveled along a two-lane highway in Kentucky, a nearly seven-foot tall, bipedal entity dashed across the road. The creature sported "bent back knees" like a kangaroo, a broad upper body, and a combination of fur and scales all over its body. Zach recalled that the beast moved amazingly fast and crossed both sides of the highway, four lanes in total, in less than two seconds, ultimately scampering up a nearby hill and out of sight. "I have no clue what this was and no one I've talked to has known what it was," he lamented, "most people think I'm insane, but I know I saw it."
Later in the program, Carl in Greenville, South Carolina recounted a series of odd experiences which happened to him while on a planned three-month-long canoe trip from Arkansas to the Gulf of Mexico. Reaching an impenetrable part of the river, Carl got out of his canoe to maneuver more easily and, suddenly, a portal appeared. Out of this, people emerged and transformed into "little sparks" that flew off into the sky. Despite passing out from the experience, Carl continued onward and, over subsequent nights while camping, would hear a spiritual song saying, "come in out of the rain." The strangeness culminated when he woke up one night to discover that the river had been flooded to five times its size and his campsite was now a tiny island. Fortunately, local authorities rescued him from any further danger and put an end to his seemingly supernatural adventure.
News segment guests: Mish Shedlock & Peter Davenport