An illustrated account of lucid dreams and out-of-body adventures. The blog details excerpts of selected excursions and other related events since the publication of the book An Adjacent Place.
The spire, gate and war memorial at St. James' Church, Shere
18.12.19 About a week after our arrival in the UK, we get to visit Shere, a tiny village tucked away in a dip in the Surrey Hills, and walk around the picture-postcard shops and houses. St. James' Church is situated just off Middle Street and the unusual feature in the foreground of April's sketch (below) turns out to be a war memorial, although the church gate and spire are in quite close correspondence. There is a plaque inside the church recounting the short life of Christine Carpenter, the anchoress of Shere. While still young, in an act of religious devotion, she chose to be enclosed within a walled recess on one side of the church and live out the rest of her days in contemplative silence. A small space was left in the wall through which she could presumably receive food and drink. Later in the morning, when we explore the grounds, April says she actually sees Christine standing outside the enclosure. She says she is blue-eyed and pretty and looks about twenty years of age, her golden hair tied in a bunch behind her head, brown earrings fashioned out of some stone. A white band keeps the stray hair from her face. She is wearing a simple black and white dress and black leather shoes. Her left hand is raised to indicate where she stayed. She smiles a welcome, and in January would later visit and speak with April in a clear dream after we return to Singapore. Pleased with our morning's accomplishments, we decide to stop for an early Christmas lunch in the wonderful White Horse Inn in the centre of the village, and later head home fully satisfied.
