I am 50 years old and have never witnessed a ghostly apparition, anything that can even remotely be classiifed as a UFO or seen big foot. But in 2003 I did have one experience that I am certain will haunt me for the remainder of my days. There is not a day that has passed I have'nt thought about that night...and I am quite certain that it was the most important event that has ever taken place in my life.
2003 was a particularly rough year. I was recovering from Cancer that had popped up a few years earlier. I was recovering from a divorce after 15 years of marriage and had just been laid off a job after 10 years of service. Because of these unfortunate events I have concluded that I was primed for "my experience".
I have always had a facination with the paranormal. As I stated earlier, I have never experienced anything that can be classified as paranormal. But that did not curb my fascination with the subject. But because of my job and marital obligations I never really delved into it with any real vigor. But, all that changed in 2003. My marriage was gone. I was unemployed. I found myself left with a lot of time on my hands.
Sometime during the earlier part of 2003 I became obsessed with the thought of life after death. I found myself constantly wondering "Is this really all there is?"
One day while surfing the internet I happened to stumble upon an article about OBE's. At first I found it amusing but as a few days passed I began to give the subject matter serious thought. Though I was more than midly interested in things such as UFO's, ghosts, etc. I was in no way financially able or of the right mindset to pursue them any further than the confines of my own home. Having an OBE experience however was well within the realm of possibility, given my circumstances at the time. Now, for those of you who have managed to read this far and have already came to the conclusion that this is another OBE story, you are mistaken. I never obtained the OBE state. I never left my body as far as I know. Something more profound took place that one summer night. Something, as I stated earlier, will always be with me.
During those weeks that preceeded my experience I became deeply committed to having an OBE. I was fortunate enough at the time to live in the country and was quite secluded from the hustle and bustle of city life. Each day i took long walks in the woods and spent the early eveing hours just listening to the sounds of nature from my front porch. I would have an early dinner then retreat to my room to practice meditating. After a few weeks of giving meditation a real good go I began to notice some changes. I wont bore you with the details of those changes as most were suttle and seemingly unimportant save one. I awoke one morning after another night of an unsuccesful attempt at an OBE to a strange sensation in the soles of my feet. The best way I can describe it was a vibration. A constant vibration that lasted 3 days and nights right up to the moment of my experience. To this day I cant help but believe this was a precursor to what was to come.
On the night my experince took place I settled into my routine of practicing for an OBE as I had everynight before. I fully expected the same results as previous nights..I would fall asleep during my attempt with little to show for my efforts. This time, however, this did not happen. I somehow was able to remain conscious through out the night and experienced some events that i cannot account for even today.
It began with a feeling of relaxation I had never experienecd before or since. I closed my eyes and very shortly after began to see images that were as clear as if I were looking at some photographs or watching a movie. The clarity was remarkable. As I became lost in the images I began to hear noises that I cant account for. The one that has always stuck with me was the loud and distinct sound of a train whiste. Not living anywhere near railroad tracks I knew at the time it was not from an outside source. Other sensation than began to happen. I flet like I was expanding. I felt like I was being blown up as one might blow up a ballon.
Then my eyes began to flutter widly as if I were in the deep stages of REM sleep during a dram. The only difference being is I was fully concsious. I know this to be fact because I would constantly ask myself through out the night questions such as what was my name...what is the date..what did I have for dinner..etc. Each time I possed a question to myself I could immediately respond in my mind with the correct answer. My eyes were fluttering 10,000 miles a second it seemed but I have no doubt whatsoever I was fully aware of it. It was a battle just to keep my excitement in check. Suddenly, during the experience without warning, the fluttering stopped abruptly. The images I was seeing ceased and I noticed I had no feeling whatsoever. There was no sensation of my body...there was no sensation of breathing. I could feel nothing. Then, the vision behind my closed eye lids turned a profound black. It was the richest blackness I have ever seen. No shade of black that I have seen in pictures, movies, etc. can compare to it. The best way I can describe it is pure. Absolutely pure. After what seemed an eternity in this "black void" something began to happen. On the horizon of my vision appearing from the right side of my vision an image of something appeared. Im not sure what it was. It seemed far, far away and yet was clearly visible. I believe it was shaped like a square grey box but I am not certain. It began to glide across the blackness just in front of me. When it reached the very center of my vision it exploded into what I can only describe as a bridge made up of many different colors. I swear I have never seen anything like it in all my life. What happened next will always haunt me and always leave me wondering. I am not a Starr Trek Fan but must use it as an example to accurately describe my experience. When Starr Trek first starts, there is a scene where the ship takes off at what I guess would be called warp speed and there is a large burst of colors behind it as it speeds off. This is exactly what I experienced. And furthermore, my mind felt like it was being hurled thru space at an unbelievable rate of speed along this colored bridge I described earlier. I have been on many rollercoasters in my life at amusement parks and I assure you that there is no rollercoaster that can even come close to recreating the feeling of motion that i experenced during this episode. Here I was "hurling" thru this void with some sort of multicolored "bridge" as my marker. Then the unthinkable happened. For a brief moment I felt a surge of excitement. It was not fear. It was an excitement like no child has ever experienced on christmas day. And as qucikly as the journey started it ended.
I opened my eyes and quickly realized I was in a state of paralysis. It took a few moments before I could even move a finger. But here is the strangest thing of all. I am one of those people who likes the darkness...when I retire for the night I cannot sleep in a room where any light at all shines. For this reason I had long since tacked up a dark blanket over my window to keep any moonlight out at night so I can sleep. When I turn the lights out in my room it is completely dark. Nothing is visible. When I opened my eyes up and realized I was in a state of paralysis my room glowed as if there were a lime colored fog in the room. Everything was visible...even the drawers partially opened in my dresser were clearly visible. I could even make out the clothes in them. But eveything glowed. Slowly but surely the glowing faded and darkness returned to the room and the paralysis lifted. This is the only time I have experienced this and I must say it was an unforgettable experience. There are those who will argue that I was dreaming this. I can assure you I was not. I am left with wondering what would have been had I not felt that rush of excitement at such a critical moment. Perhaps in the whole big scheme of things the paranormal is designed this way. We are allowed to sample but can never have it all.
2003 was a particularly rough year. I was recovering from Cancer that had popped up a few years earlier. I was recovering from a divorce after 15 years of marriage and had just been laid off a job after 10 years of service. Because of these unfortunate events I have concluded that I was primed for "my experience".
I have always had a facination with the paranormal. As I stated earlier, I have never experienced anything that can be classified as paranormal. But that did not curb my fascination with the subject. But because of my job and marital obligations I never really delved into it with any real vigor. But, all that changed in 2003. My marriage was gone. I was unemployed. I found myself left with a lot of time on my hands.
Sometime during the earlier part of 2003 I became obsessed with the thought of life after death. I found myself constantly wondering "Is this really all there is?"
One day while surfing the internet I happened to stumble upon an article about OBE's. At first I found it amusing but as a few days passed I began to give the subject matter serious thought. Though I was more than midly interested in things such as UFO's, ghosts, etc. I was in no way financially able or of the right mindset to pursue them any further than the confines of my own home. Having an OBE experience however was well within the realm of possibility, given my circumstances at the time. Now, for those of you who have managed to read this far and have already came to the conclusion that this is another OBE story, you are mistaken. I never obtained the OBE state. I never left my body as far as I know. Something more profound took place that one summer night. Something, as I stated earlier, will always be with me.
During those weeks that preceeded my experience I became deeply committed to having an OBE. I was fortunate enough at the time to live in the country and was quite secluded from the hustle and bustle of city life. Each day i took long walks in the woods and spent the early eveing hours just listening to the sounds of nature from my front porch. I would have an early dinner then retreat to my room to practice meditating. After a few weeks of giving meditation a real good go I began to notice some changes. I wont bore you with the details of those changes as most were suttle and seemingly unimportant save one. I awoke one morning after another night of an unsuccesful attempt at an OBE to a strange sensation in the soles of my feet. The best way I can describe it was a vibration. A constant vibration that lasted 3 days and nights right up to the moment of my experience. To this day I cant help but believe this was a precursor to what was to come.
On the night my experince took place I settled into my routine of practicing for an OBE as I had everynight before. I fully expected the same results as previous nights..I would fall asleep during my attempt with little to show for my efforts. This time, however, this did not happen. I somehow was able to remain conscious through out the night and experienced some events that i cannot account for even today.
It began with a feeling of relaxation I had never experienecd before or since. I closed my eyes and very shortly after began to see images that were as clear as if I were looking at some photographs or watching a movie. The clarity was remarkable. As I became lost in the images I began to hear noises that I cant account for. The one that has always stuck with me was the loud and distinct sound of a train whiste. Not living anywhere near railroad tracks I knew at the time it was not from an outside source. Other sensation than began to happen. I flet like I was expanding. I felt like I was being blown up as one might blow up a ballon.
Then my eyes began to flutter widly as if I were in the deep stages of REM sleep during a dram. The only difference being is I was fully concsious. I know this to be fact because I would constantly ask myself through out the night questions such as what was my name...what is the date..what did I have for dinner..etc. Each time I possed a question to myself I could immediately respond in my mind with the correct answer. My eyes were fluttering 10,000 miles a second it seemed but I have no doubt whatsoever I was fully aware of it. It was a battle just to keep my excitement in check. Suddenly, during the experience without warning, the fluttering stopped abruptly. The images I was seeing ceased and I noticed I had no feeling whatsoever. There was no sensation of my body...there was no sensation of breathing. I could feel nothing. Then, the vision behind my closed eye lids turned a profound black. It was the richest blackness I have ever seen. No shade of black that I have seen in pictures, movies, etc. can compare to it. The best way I can describe it is pure. Absolutely pure. After what seemed an eternity in this "black void" something began to happen. On the horizon of my vision appearing from the right side of my vision an image of something appeared. Im not sure what it was. It seemed far, far away and yet was clearly visible. I believe it was shaped like a square grey box but I am not certain. It began to glide across the blackness just in front of me. When it reached the very center of my vision it exploded into what I can only describe as a bridge made up of many different colors. I swear I have never seen anything like it in all my life. What happened next will always haunt me and always leave me wondering. I am not a Starr Trek Fan but must use it as an example to accurately describe my experience. When Starr Trek first starts, there is a scene where the ship takes off at what I guess would be called warp speed and there is a large burst of colors behind it as it speeds off. This is exactly what I experienced. And furthermore, my mind felt like it was being hurled thru space at an unbelievable rate of speed along this colored bridge I described earlier. I have been on many rollercoasters in my life at amusement parks and I assure you that there is no rollercoaster that can even come close to recreating the feeling of motion that i experenced during this episode. Here I was "hurling" thru this void with some sort of multicolored "bridge" as my marker. Then the unthinkable happened. For a brief moment I felt a surge of excitement. It was not fear. It was an excitement like no child has ever experienced on christmas day. And as qucikly as the journey started it ended.
I opened my eyes and quickly realized I was in a state of paralysis. It took a few moments before I could even move a finger. But here is the strangest thing of all. I am one of those people who likes the darkness...when I retire for the night I cannot sleep in a room where any light at all shines. For this reason I had long since tacked up a dark blanket over my window to keep any moonlight out at night so I can sleep. When I turn the lights out in my room it is completely dark. Nothing is visible. When I opened my eyes up and realized I was in a state of paralysis my room glowed as if there were a lime colored fog in the room. Everything was visible...even the drawers partially opened in my dresser were clearly visible. I could even make out the clothes in them. But eveything glowed. Slowly but surely the glowing faded and darkness returned to the room and the paralysis lifted. This is the only time I have experienced this and I must say it was an unforgettable experience. There are those who will argue that I was dreaming this. I can assure you I was not. I am left with wondering what would have been had I not felt that rush of excitement at such a critical moment. Perhaps in the whole big scheme of things the paranormal is designed this way. We are allowed to sample but can never have it all.
I dare say you would be the better diver though.