a dream from Rabbi Nachman

First day of Chanukah, after lighting the Chanukah candle at night, a guest came in to the householder. He asked him “how do you make a living?” And he replied “My home doesn’t have a steady income only what I make from out in the world”. And he asked him “What are you studying?” And he told him. And they talked together. Until things from the heart started to enter their discussion and the householder started to yearn and to long to acquire and reach high, holy things. The guest told him “I will study with you”.
And the householder started wondering and thinking he might not be human at all. But he saw that he talked to him like human beings do. He was immediately encouraged by this and decided to trust him. And he started calling him "Rabbi" and saying to him reverently “I would first like to ask to learn how to behave toward Your Honor, so it won’t be said that I harmed Your Honor in any way, God forbid; a person cannot be too careful with his behavior and that’s why I want to learn how to behave toward Your Honor." He answered saying “I don’t have time now, I will come some other time and teach you, but now I have to go.” And he said: “This is also something I have to learn from Your Honor, how far should I accompany you?” and he told him “Just beyond the entrance.” He started thinking, "Should I step out with him? now I am among people but if I step out with him by myself who knows who he is", so he told him: “I am afraid to step outside with you”. And he replied: “If I can come in and study with you like this, should I want to do something to you now who can stop me?” So he stepped out with him.
And then he immediately grabbed him and started flying with him and he was cold and he took clothing and gave it to him saying “Here, take this and all with be well with you, you’ll have food and drink and you will sit in your house”; and flew with him.
So he looked and there he was, in his house. And he couldn’t believe it, but when he looked, there he was talking to people, eating and drinking in worldly ways; so he looked again and there he was, flying as before; he looked again and there he was, in his house; he looked again and there he was, flying; and this kept happening for a long time. Then he let him down in a pass between two mountains and there he found a book and in it combinations of letters aleph, zain, chet and dalet and so on; and in the book there were pictures of vessels and inside the vessels there were letters and also letters of the vessels by means of which those vessels could be created; and he felt like studying that book.
He looked and there he was, in his house; he looked again and there he was, about to go up the mountain, in the hope he might find some settlement there. And when he got to the mountain he saw a golden tree standing there, with golden branches and from the branches there were vessels hanging, just like those in the pictures in the book; and inside the vessels there were vessels by means of which those vessels could be created. And he wanted to take those vessels but couldn't because they were tangled in the crooks of the branches. So he looked and there he was, in his house. And he wondered greatly at this, how he was now here, now there. And he wanted to tell people about it, but how can one tell people about such an unbelievable wonder. He looked out the window and saw the same guest and started begging him to come in to his house, and he replied that "I don't have time because I am coming to you". He said to him: "I can't help but wonder about this too: since I am right here, what does it mean that you are coming to me?" He replied "When you wanted to accompany me past the entrance I took your soul [nefesh] and dressed it in clothes from the lower Gan Eden, but your spirit [neshama] I left in you. And because of this when your thoughts cling to that place, then you are in that place … and when you come back here you are here." And I don't know what world he is from, though surely he is from a good world and it hasn't ended and is not over yet.

from "Chayei Moharan"; Hebrew original