The dream world has had a wide reaching impact on society. Dreams have an affect on all people groups regardless of age, sex, creed, race, spiritual preference, etc. Here’s a great example of how one dream changed the course of the Catholic Church.
If you are not familiar with Catholic terminology, history shows that there have arisen small sects of Catholicism who attribute themselves to being wholly Catholic while also following the specific teachings of an individual leader. This leader usually teaches specific life practices that are not wholly endorsed by the Catholic church. For example, self-flagellation was never accepted as a normal form of Catholic lifestyle but many leaders taught their followers to do it. These sects are properly called “Orders.”
Many leaders have come and gone throughout the ages, few truly stand the test of time and become “sainted.” One of those saints, Fracis of Assissi, was originally ignored. That is, until Mr. Pope had a dream.
Francis of Assissi was not widely accepted because he had taken a vow of poverty and asked his followers to do the same. This was much to the dismay of his affluent family. His father tried to reason with him and even tried to commit him as insane. Francis felt he needed to disown his family to be fully adopted by his
message of simplicity, poverty and love. Although the same would be true for today, this was revolutionary for his day.
“It was after his meeting with him that the Pope saw [in a dream] the great church of St. John Lateran collapsing on itself. Just as it was about to fall, a small man appeared dressed in the clothes of a peasant. He took the weight of the falling church, held it up with his shoulder, and then straightened it back again.”
The Pope dreaming of the Basilica of St. John Lateran is very important because the church is “the official ecclesiastical seat of the Bishop of Rome, who is the Pope.” In other words, the Pope had a dream of his workplace. The building collapsing is obviously not a good sign - but then the hero of the dream steps to the plate and raises the roof on his shoulders. This sign spoke very clearly to the pontiff and he immediately sanctioned the order of the Franciscans.
Every Monday we will be informing you of an important historical dream that drastically has changed society. Most people are unaware of the affect the dream world has had on society. We believe that dreams are often overlooked in Western Cultures because of the dream’s inherit supernatural lineage. For whatever reason, Western Culture refuses to embrace anything supernatural. The point of these articles is to display in important role that dreams have had, even on Western Culture!
This week we will look at Elias Howe, the inventor of the first practical sewing machine.
Although most people give him credit for inventing the original sewing machine, Howe actually modified and patented the largest development of its day. This development made the machine much more efficient and quiet which would help spearhead the industrial revolution into new heights.
But before Howe actually patented his machine, he was a struggling engineer who did not have a financial leg to stand on. The major problem in the development of Howe’s sewing machine was the location of the eye of the needle. The inventor was rapidly running out of money and ideas when one night he had a peculiar dream.
He was being led to his execution for failing to design a sewing machine for the king of a strange country. He was surrounded by guards, all of whom carried spears that were pierced near the head.
Realizing instantly that this was the solution to his problem, Howe woke up and rushed straight to his workshop. By nine o’clock that morning, the design of the first sewing machine was well on the way to completion…
What creativity do you have locked away in your dreams? Submit a dream to find out if something is there! We interpret dreams for free online. Invite dreamingdreams to your next event, fair, festival or conference. Always remember to embrace the supernatural!