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11-10-2016, 03:24 AM
Here's a vision I had in Seattle Washington on 7/16/1992. I wrote it down the day after it hit me, while traveling, so what follows is my contemporaneous written record:
Journal entry, 7/17/1992:
I arrived in Seattle yesterday. A---, after graduating pharmacy school and taking her board exam, decided to take July off and drive out to Sorrento BC with her parents. I flew out alone, rented a car, and drove to Kent WA to meet with Nick and Nina M---- for the first time; I contacted Nina by phone, but Nick would not be home from his job at Boeing until 11 PM PST. I laid down to sleep from 7 to 11 so that I could have a more awake visit.
After about 5 or 10 minutes, I suddenly found myself in a vision. It was different from a normal dream, because it was like really being there. The colors were vivid as real life, and during the whole vision, I was aware that I was having a vision.
So I found myself in a vision, and was startled by the suddenness of it.
I looked at my hands, then looked up and around and said, “What a wonderful vision!”
I was standing on a small patch of ground, maybe 1/4 acre. There was blue sky above, and sunlight. Before me were two trees: An oak tree, tall and fully formed, with acorns and full, green leaves. In front and to to the left of it (from my viewpoint) was a cherry tree. It was large for a cherry tree, but only about 2/3 as high as the oak tree. What caught my attention was a long lower branch on the front of the cherry: It was full of light pink cherry blossoms, and had a gentle spiral to the limb, away from the tree trunk. The rest of the cherry tree was in full leaf, but had no blossoms or fruit. It may have been an ornamental cherry tree (ie., Japanese Cherry), but I am not sure.
I felt that I should examine the cherry tree and oak tree, and I walked around each of them.
I asked aloud if there was any more to the vision, but when I tried to look beyond the two trees, I could see nothing but blue sky, which seemed to go to ground level. This seemed to me to mean that the two trees were the important part of the vision.
The ground itself was not remarkable: It was dark brown with a few bumps that I took for the tops of tree roots.
Just as suddenly, the vision left me. I opened my eyes, sat up in the hotel bed, and began to wonder what it meant. At this time, I have no clear idea of what this vision means, if anything. However, I felt today, while driving up to Sorrento, that it would be important to seek the counsel of a church elder on it. So I am writing it down, here in the park in Hope, BC.
Comments, 11/24/2000.
I still don’t claim to know fully what this vision means. ...
These two trees would never naturally be seen as they appeared in the vision; Oak trees never have nuts when Cherry trees bloom; Cherries lose all their petals before the leaves come in.
The Cherry Tree
This seemed to be a Japanese Cherry tree: Over many years, Japanese gardeners were able to raise many varieties of these trees. They are lovely to look at in the Spring. However, their flowers have no scent and no nectar for bees; Their flowers seem to promise fruit, yet they produce no fruit. The roots are not deep, compared to an oak tree; The trunks are short, and so do not yield useful lumber. This tree is beautiful, but of no practical use. It promises life with its blossoms and the fibonacci spiral of its blossomed branch, but delivers nothing, thanks to the intervention of human gardeners over centuries. It will never reach as high as the oak. It cannot even reproduce itself except by rooting cuttings of the branches with extensive human intervention.
The Oak Tree
This was a big one, and full of acorns. It was not particularly decorative, but very tall, shady, and fruitful. The flowers of the oak tree are stringy, and not very pretty; Their pollen causes many people to suffer from annoying seasonal allergies. The nuts provide forage food for wild animals but are mildly toxic to humans-- And the nuts germinate readily into trees. The roots go deep, and are almost impossible to remove , even in small sized trees. The wood is durable, but very difficult to work. Chisels need regular grinding if you use them on oak. After a forest fire, the evergreens grow first. But oak trees eventually displace them and drive them out.
Partial Possible Interpretation
There are two “somethings” before me/us, one represented by the Cherry Tree, one by the Oak. The Cherry is man’s way-- looks pretty, promises much, delivers nothing in the end. The Oak is God’s way-- not worldly attractive, but fruitful and tough. It is God’s will, and will prevail in the end.
So, that’s all. Perhaps at some point I will be faced with an important decision, one like the Cherry and the Oak. I will naturally lean towards the Cherry, but that is the wrong decision. Or, perhaps this is for someone else. If it is you, when you choose, choose the oak-- Whatever that means....
Journal entry, 7/17/1992:
I arrived in Seattle yesterday. A---, after graduating pharmacy school and taking her board exam, decided to take July off and drive out to Sorrento BC with her parents. I flew out alone, rented a car, and drove to Kent WA to meet with Nick and Nina M---- for the first time; I contacted Nina by phone, but Nick would not be home from his job at Boeing until 11 PM PST. I laid down to sleep from 7 to 11 so that I could have a more awake visit.
After about 5 or 10 minutes, I suddenly found myself in a vision. It was different from a normal dream, because it was like really being there. The colors were vivid as real life, and during the whole vision, I was aware that I was having a vision.
So I found myself in a vision, and was startled by the suddenness of it.
I looked at my hands, then looked up and around and said, “What a wonderful vision!”
I was standing on a small patch of ground, maybe 1/4 acre. There was blue sky above, and sunlight. Before me were two trees: An oak tree, tall and fully formed, with acorns and full, green leaves. In front and to to the left of it (from my viewpoint) was a cherry tree. It was large for a cherry tree, but only about 2/3 as high as the oak tree. What caught my attention was a long lower branch on the front of the cherry: It was full of light pink cherry blossoms, and had a gentle spiral to the limb, away from the tree trunk. The rest of the cherry tree was in full leaf, but had no blossoms or fruit. It may have been an ornamental cherry tree (ie., Japanese Cherry), but I am not sure.
I felt that I should examine the cherry tree and oak tree, and I walked around each of them.
I asked aloud if there was any more to the vision, but when I tried to look beyond the two trees, I could see nothing but blue sky, which seemed to go to ground level. This seemed to me to mean that the two trees were the important part of the vision.
The ground itself was not remarkable: It was dark brown with a few bumps that I took for the tops of tree roots.
Just as suddenly, the vision left me. I opened my eyes, sat up in the hotel bed, and began to wonder what it meant. At this time, I have no clear idea of what this vision means, if anything. However, I felt today, while driving up to Sorrento, that it would be important to seek the counsel of a church elder on it. So I am writing it down, here in the park in Hope, BC.
Comments, 11/24/2000.
I still don’t claim to know fully what this vision means. ...
These two trees would never naturally be seen as they appeared in the vision; Oak trees never have nuts when Cherry trees bloom; Cherries lose all their petals before the leaves come in.
The Cherry Tree
This seemed to be a Japanese Cherry tree: Over many years, Japanese gardeners were able to raise many varieties of these trees. They are lovely to look at in the Spring. However, their flowers have no scent and no nectar for bees; Their flowers seem to promise fruit, yet they produce no fruit. The roots are not deep, compared to an oak tree; The trunks are short, and so do not yield useful lumber. This tree is beautiful, but of no practical use. It promises life with its blossoms and the fibonacci spiral of its blossomed branch, but delivers nothing, thanks to the intervention of human gardeners over centuries. It will never reach as high as the oak. It cannot even reproduce itself except by rooting cuttings of the branches with extensive human intervention.
The Oak Tree
This was a big one, and full of acorns. It was not particularly decorative, but very tall, shady, and fruitful. The flowers of the oak tree are stringy, and not very pretty; Their pollen causes many people to suffer from annoying seasonal allergies. The nuts provide forage food for wild animals but are mildly toxic to humans-- And the nuts germinate readily into trees. The roots go deep, and are almost impossible to remove , even in small sized trees. The wood is durable, but very difficult to work. Chisels need regular grinding if you use them on oak. After a forest fire, the evergreens grow first. But oak trees eventually displace them and drive them out.
Partial Possible Interpretation
There are two “somethings” before me/us, one represented by the Cherry Tree, one by the Oak. The Cherry is man’s way-- looks pretty, promises much, delivers nothing in the end. The Oak is God’s way-- not worldly attractive, but fruitful and tough. It is God’s will, and will prevail in the end.
So, that’s all. Perhaps at some point I will be faced with an important decision, one like the Cherry and the Oak. I will naturally lean towards the Cherry, but that is the wrong decision. Or, perhaps this is for someone else. If it is you, when you choose, choose the oak-- Whatever that means....