Christine – Thank you for your really interesting questions.
If you realise that all the characters in your dreams from devils to angels are you - I mean that as we dive further into ourselves the sense of difference decreases so ultimately we are all characters. So your voices can come from any aspect of you. So I have different voices. One of the main one doesn’t come from a recognisable character, but from everywhere around me or from behind me. That is very powerful ad seems to me to be from a source that gives amazing insights.
But it is a good thing to question the voices if they are unclear or are unsettling. You can ask as many questions as you like and our unconscious has wonderful ways of making things clear.
I realise that such voices are often thought to be a sign of madness. But that is only from a disturbed mind. A recent survey found that many people hear voices and find them helpful. The main thing is not to believe anything but have a discriminating mind.
The unconscious often has an old fashioned way of using language. You example of the shepherd is an excellent example, and a wonderful thing that you took notice of it. The one about packing might be one that you should have questioned. There is no harm in asking questions. If you read the life story of Edgar Cayce that was all he did, answering people’s questions about their illness, their life, their talents and so on. See
http://dreamhawk.com/interesting-people/edgar-cayce-and-the-cosmic-mind-superminds/So you could really develop the ability to ask questions – while awake – of things you need information about. I have a character I call Angel who I ask questions about things people ask me that I have no conscious awareness of, and the answers are sometimes startling correct. But you do need discrimination.
Being all gold is a good sign. Maybe some people lead a black and white life. Nearly all my dreams lack any sense of colour. Colour only becomes marked when it is important – in my dreams.
Tony