Have you ever had a paranormal or spiritual experience that is hard to explain rationally?
Often when we’ve had these experiences, we minimise, ignore, or pretend it didn’t happen. We dismiss it as some sort of illusion, or, as a creation of the neurotransmitters and synapses in our brain.
There are times when it’s easier to gaslight ourselves, than admit we experienced something that cannot be explained within the normal framework of science, physical rules and rationality that dominates our society, education and media.
Maybe you have had an experience which you cannot explain, which fits the criteria outlined above?
If you did. Is it possible this experience was a turning point in the way you view the world, or your life?
Frequently we do not tell anyone about the experience. We fear the risk of derision, mocking, and attempts to humiliate us, or being labelled mad, crazy, hysterical, a fantasist, or having a loose hold on actual reality.
Yet, I’d speculate that many, if not most of us have had experiences that fit into the paranormal or spiritual framework. We just don’t let any, or many, people know it.
Am I mad to share what I’ve seen?
If I shared two of my more profound spiritual moments and experiences. Would you certify me mad, or, at the least, doubt my hold on reality?
Both of the experiences that follow fit the criteria above, and no, I have not told many people at all about them. In fact. They were both so in opposition to what I was told about the world, that they have been forgotten about for over 30 years!
The first one occurred around 17 years of age. A time when I was curious about spirituality & meditation. It was the seventies after all. Where even in the radical surfing magazine Tracks, there were regular articles on how to meditate!
One of the authors that was a favourite with my mates and I, was Lobsang Rampa – who, it was later revealed, was a very British upper class Englishman, who claimed to have channelled the books.
This meditation was intended to be the first step in Astral Travelling. I didn’t really believe I would do any Astral Travelling. However, to my shock and dismay, after laying in bed practising the method detailed in the book, I found myself floating 1.5 metres above my bed, looking down on my body!
FAAARK!
I immediately freaked out and quickly rejoined my physical body. Never doing that again and completely forgetting about it!
No-one will believe this!
The next experience that was unexplainable by normal rational frameworks was In my mid twenties. I had seen an advertisement in the local paper for a Yoga for beginners class, in Chatswood.
The timing wasn’t great, as I was off to a concert at the Hordern Pavilion that night, but I managed to organise myself to be able to do both.
I walked up the few cracked, concrete stairs to a door in an old weatherboard house in Chatswood. The shiny new sign said ‘Raja Yoga’. I knocked on the door.
The man who opened the door was one of the strangest individuals I had ever seen, let alone met. He seemed to be completely devoid of any personality, physical substance, or human trait. He was almost transparent. I think the word ethereal was coined to describe his qualities.
Completely shaven skull. White, almost translucent skin, stretched taut over bones with almost zero muscle mass. Dressed in a thin white smock, that looked like it had been washed thousands of times. The thinness of his body is best described as being that of a human being in a perpetual state of starvation, or fasting.
With few words, he led me to a back room where a semi – circle of chairs was set out, all facing the single empty chair on the other side of the small room. I sat down on an empty seat in the midst of about 10 others, sitting quietly waiting for something to begin, or someone to say something.
As I was to drive into the city after this Yoga demonstration, to witness Stevie Ray Vaughn in concert, I was keen to get the beginners class underway.
Finally, a man, very similar to the one who opened the door, entered the room and sat in the chair facing us. He began to speak in a monotonous tone about matters spiritual and yoga. It made no sense to me and was very boring and long winded, and I was very tempted to walk out.
However, I stayed, waited, and listened.
The leader lit a candle and asked us all to stare at the flame. We were to keep looking at the candle flame till it was our turn to look him in the eyes. Then, when he moved to look into the eyes of the person sitting next to us, we were to return to staring at the candle flame.
Well, talk about being blown away!
I’m sitting in this darkened room, in silence, with about 10 others, staring at the same candle flame. With my inner dialogue ranging from ‘What the fuck am I doing here?’ What is the point of this bullshit?’ ‘Jenny is going to be pissed off if I’m late’ ‘What happens if I just walk out now?’ ‘Do I have the guts to walk out now?’
The woman next to me finishes her turn. So I raise my head to look into the leader’s eyes, and something very bizarre, and completely unexpected happens. I have absolutely no reference point for what is about to occur.
Suddenly my point of view has moved from the level of my eyes, to being about 1 metre behind my head!
I’m looking at him as if I’m at the back of a long, narrow tunnel, from a distance of a metre or so going back into my mind. It is completely impossible. Yet, my mind goes completely and utterly still, silent, just observing.
He ceases looking at me and moves on to the next person.
There’s a residual silence and stillness that lasts for most of the night after the group is dismissed.
As I walk to my car, I experience a euphoria I have never felt before, yet I’m also grounded and present. Not experiences I’m familiar with, but can now with hindsight, name accurately. My flatmate Jenny is angry and stressed that I’m late. However, nothing she says fazes me at all.
Stevie Ray Vaughn and his brother’s band were absolutely amazing and I’ll always remember the concert and especially Stevie Ray Vaughn and his brother playing on the same twin necked guitar.
However, strangely, I forgot about this spiritual experience for over three decades!
It was only recently that the memory resurfaced and I said to myself, “Oh yeah, that’s right. That happened.”
Since that time I have had many, many, paranormal and spiritual experiences. All of which inform my ‘knowing’, that there are many realities, beyond the accepted normal human physical reality in which we all live.
I suspect that many of us, maybe even most, have had some experience which we keep to ourselves for fear of ridicule, mocking etc.
Have you had an experience which fits into the paranormal or spiritual framework?
Have you told anyone?
I’d love for you to share here or let me know in a message. I think it’s time those of us with these experiences share what we can.
