Some 15 years ago, I once had an 'experience' that is difficult to describe in a few words. Was on my boat, and had to 'wait' for several hours. Was laying on the bunk, the sky was clear, the sun warm. Was not actually 'consciously 'thinking' of anything. The light coming through the hatchway created a pinkish haze on the inside of my closed eyelids. In the centre of the haze came a lighter patch. Inside the 'patch' was what looked like an out-of- focus branch of a tree. Without actually 'trying' I tried to see what the tree looked like. Suddenly I was 'outside' of the boat, or rather my 'body' and all 'physical' stuff disappeared, and I was a speck of 'consciousness' suspended about three feet above the waves. Aware of the sky, birds, 360 degree 'vision'. Hard to explain. It lasted only a few seconds, and surprised me so much that I sat up and bumped my head, to then find that all was 'physical' again, and nothing had changed. Tried to 'recapture' it, but was not able, and not able since. My mind is too full of trying to earn a 'living'.
It would be nice to have the 'time' to concentrate on that experience again.
Is the body that we walk around in nothing but a machine?
Is the brain nothing but a 'computer' programmed by others?
7 comments:
Welcome to the Matrix Davo
Davo, have had similar experience. Seems more like primary "reality" to me and this moment-by-moment (momentary?) experience as a body and society member real but secondary.
You ask good questions.
Didn't think it was 'unique', George. Am told that it is the primary goal of proper 'meditation', though in this case it was entirely 'accidental' and a complete suprise. Though it's a bit like 'love'. Now that I know what am looking for, will probably never find it again. :-)
Could I recommend the books of Alistair Hardy on religious experience. He did this huge survey many years ago. People wrote in with experiences they would call religious. These were not necessarily people belonging to a community of faith. It is most interesting stuff. It includes a description of an out of body experience over a 24hr period. Hardy said that, except that he personally knew the person and how sensible and practical she was, he would not have believed it. While I am a member of a faith community and have a major in Studies in Religion to boot, I have no way to describe some of my own experiences. I think that many of our experiences are beyond articulation but we use the best words we can. One of my favourite writers, Richard Rohr says that we can't speak of the best things, only the second best. Some of my experiences have - although I may not have realized it and placed a different interpretation on the experience - been precursors of future events or experiences. So I have thought about parallel universes. However, my most serious description is that we don't properly understand time or what eternity means. Our clock-time is very much a human construct to help us to interpret the space around us. But there is a "time without time" I think that we do not understand. It impinges on our lives in dreams, meditation, experiences like yours. They are real - and we know this by the impact they have on us and the impact stays with us. Clearly your experience has impacted you - else you would not have told us. Sometimes we can search our whole lives for the meaning of one experience - but I'm not sure that this is the best way to go. The Quakers speak of "that of God in every one". This explains a lot of things about the spiritual dimension in the makeup of human beings, I think. You have touched something wonderful. Don't let good old Mammon (perhaps that should read bad old Mammon) get you bogged down. The same creation and universe that gave you this experience provides for all your needs as well.
EC, there is much that I would like to write about all this - especially the period 0 C.E. to 350 C.E., but need to collect a few more 'facts', names, dates and places. It was a very turbulent period, with many fundamental changes (not all for the better).
Have to say that - at least in the 'western' world - MAMMON is the supreme ruler. Aided, abetted, and fostered by the priesthood of Rome. I don't really know much about the beliefs and practices of the Quakers or the Amish, (or the Jewish people) but I would suggest that they are far more 'christian' than those who have been brainwashed by the Roman priesthood.
It is curious to note that the Australian aborigines had no concept of "an elsewhere saviour" but held to a faith in the "Dreamtime" of their ancestors, themselves, their community and the LAND that sustained them .. until we turned up and f****d them (and the land)with 'christianity'.
At some stage, would like to 'explore' some more about the aboriginal 'philosophies'.
My Encyclopaedia of myths and legends by Stuart Gordon says:
Aborigines
“…They say material goods harm their owners unless always in motion. So, such goods were once continually traded in a continent wide game…The value of the goods exchanged lay in token of intent: to meet and trade again to fix frontiers and share ideas, to mark and maintain psychic highways called “Songlines”..."
Aaahh, "Songlines". I really must look further into that. It is, perhaps, a sad comment on Australian attitudes that the Aborigines have almost become the "forgotten" people. I know far more about the American indians, than I do about our own people. That's not to say that I know 'nothing'.. but the stories are so many and diverse, it's a bit like trying to understand all the 'christian' "sects".
We began badly. The British Monarch declared this continent "Terra Nullius" (Empty land) and several million people methaphorically 'vanished' by the stroke of a pen.
There are, however, efforts being made to redress that, and to move toward 'reconciliation'.
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