Eternally Beyond (408 hits)
Category: UberMadness! EntryRating: 2 on 2 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by Bigmike (View user info) at 2006-10-22 03:58:55 EDT
This post was an official UberMadness! entry. Click here to view the original matchup.
"Out of body experiences (OBEs) are those curious, and usually brief experiences in which a person's consciousness seems to depart from his or her body, enabling observation of the world from a point of view other than that of the physical body and by means other than those of the physical senses. Thus, an out-of-the-body experience can initially be defined as 'an experience in which a person seems to perceive the world from a location outside his physical body' . In some cases experients claim that they 'saw' and 'heard' things (objects which were really there, events and conversations which really took place) which could not have seen or heard from the actual positions of their bodies."(1)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Michael walked slowly into the bedroom. He gently pulled his shirt over his head, dropping it on top of his dresser. He unbuckled his jeans, removing and then folding them while placing them on the dresser next to his shirt. Removing his socks and underwear, Michael then faced the bed. He looked at it from headboard to baseboard then closed his eyes, envisioning himself lying on top of the mattress. In his minds eye he could see the white sheet covering the mattress and separating his body from the harsh fibers that it was made of. He could see his blue comforter pushed over to the side, barely touching his left hand as he lie in bed, chest moving rhythmically up and down with each breath he took. In his minds eye, he continued to stare at his prone body.
After what seemed like an eternity, he could see a mist forming above his sleeping self. The mist began to swirl slowly as if trying to take solid form. He watched intently as the mist enveloped the entire top of his body and became still. Then he watched as the mist floated gently up, as if coming directly out of every pore of his prone flesh. The mist began to take form.
That form was an exact twin of the body beneath it. An exact replica.
It floated up above his prone body until it had about two feet of separation, then it stopped. In Michaels minds eye he could see the mist forming around the ethereal twin. Suddenly the mist sat up at the waist and turned its head, opening its eyes and staring directly at Michael himself as he stood next to the bed. Its eyes shone like white fire and the presence they had induced Michael, with a physical shudder, to quickly open his own eyes.
The bed was still there in front of him, empty, and beckoning his tired limbs to climb in and take a rest. He sat down on the bed and felt the soft mattress submit to the weight of his body. He had been trying now for two months to experience an OBE. He was hoping that tonight would be the culmination of all his efforts.
As he lay down on the bed, his hand unwittingly went up to the chain around his neck. Without even realizing it, he had begun to flip the chain between his fingers, caressing the crucifix that had been attached to the chain since his twenty first birthday.
That was ten years ago and much had changed with his life.
It brought him some comfort, that crucifix. Even though it was a totally habitual behavior, his subconscious still felt a little more at ease knowing it was there.
He laid his body down flat on the mattress and reached up, shutting off the light that was on the nightstand next to his bed. Then he rested the back of his head on the nice, soft feather pillow that had been waiting for him. He rested his arms down at his sides, palms down, and he closed his eyes again. The ritual of the relaxation response had begun.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The Relaxation Response is a simple practice that once learned takes 10 to 20 minutes a day and can relieve the stress and tension that stands between you and a richer and healthier life. The technique was developed by Herbert Benson, M.D. at Harvard Medical School, tested extensively and written up in his book entitled, of all things, "the Relaxation Response"."(2)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Michael began to concentrate. He started by flexing his toes downward in a crunch. He flexed them fully until he couldn't hold the flex any longer. Relaxing them, he repeated the flex another two times. He progressed to his ankles, moving them in a circular motion once, and then pulling his feet back towards his shin. Then, pointing his feet down again, he moved upward to his calves.
Flexing both at the same time, holding, then releasing rhythmically, he relaxed his calf muscles. Then his knees, followed by thighs, followed by buttocks. Same routine flexing, same relaxing pause.
It took him about half an hour and by the time he got to his shoulders, the rest of his body had taken to a completely relaxed state. As he rolled his shoulders, he found it hard to concentrate, the rest of his body willing him into a trancelike state. When he was satisfied that his shoulders were relaxed, he moved up and flexed his ears, nose and mouth.
As he began to fall into sleep, he envisioned in his mind, a rope hanging down from the ceiling. This rope was sturdy and as he followed it up, he saw that it wasn't tied to anything. It just disappeared into the ceiling itself. His minds eye saw that his arms, though fully relaxed at his sides, reached up to the rope and grabbed the end tightly. With a few soft test pulls, he could tell that the rope was secured by something unseen above his room.
He fastened his ethereal grip on the rope and willed his arms to pull.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Many people report a high-energy vibrational feeling and temporary physical paralysis during separation; this is often accompanied by an intense buzzing, humming, or roaring sound. These sounds and sensations normally dissipate after separation is complete."(3)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Michael had crossed over into sleep, but his dream was lucid, and he felt that he was in complete control of what he was doing. He willed his hands and arms to pull on the rope harder, physically trying to lift himself off the bed onto it. He pulled harder and harder, exerting in his mind a tremendous pressure on the rope. His body refused to move, lying on the bed as if it were anchored by some unseen force. He began to sweat with the exertion of his pull.
He started to release his grip just a little on the rope because his arms were beginning to tire. He decided that he would give it one last effort and just as he was changing his grip on the rope he felt a soft but very intense vibration running through his body. He could feel the rope moving towards him and it seemed as if he were pulling the ceiling closer. The whole room shifted and took on an amber hue. It was very bright and as he closed his eyes to shield himself from the light, he noticed that it was to no avail. The light had surrounded him. Ethereally, he opened his eyes again to find that the ceiling was just a few inches from his nose. His body was as light as a feather.
He took a deep breath and turned his head to the right.
His mother, Irene, was there next to him, holding her hands out to him palms up, her face covered in a smile from ear to ear. She was angelic; surrounded by a soft indigo glow, and he instantly had to suppress the scream that was desperately trying to escape his mouth.
The vibrations became softer as he watched his mother reach out to touch him. She put both her hands under his body and lifted softly. His body began to float away, the rope slipping from his ethereal grip. He looked at her as she moved him away from the bed and over to the wall of the bedroom.
"It's ok," she whispered. "Let it go."
"What if I don't make it back?" He said, fear gripping his heart in a vise.
"There are worse things," She whispered to him.
Her soft smile and reassuring nature had him releasing the rope completely. She removed her hands from him and placed the palm of her right hand over his eyes. Through her hand he could see shifting colors and changing light. Amber to pink. Pink to green. Green to lavender. He could feel his body rotating as the colors shifted. When his body came to a stop, she removed her hand from his eyes and he was standing directly in front of her. He looked into her eyes and then she looked down. His gaze followed hers and he immediately felt dizzy.
There was nothing there. No floor, no ground, nothing. He reached out to grab for her and she just smiled.
"Don't worry, Michael," she said. "You've made it, you're here. I love you."
She looked over his shoulder then, and he turned to see what she was looking at. Suspended in a bright amber haze was his bed. He could see the detail of the bedposts, the brightness of the sheet and comforter. It was as if he were looking through a filter that made everything clear and crisp.
He could see his body lying on the bed, resting. His skin color a brilliant yellow surrounded by shifting colors of light blue and orange. His body seemed to be floating away, getting further, more distant. He reached out with a misty arm and tried to will himself back.
"Soon enough, Michael," his mother said in a voice he remembered from his childhood. "Soon enough."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The term lucid dreaming refers to dreaming while knowing that you are dreaming. It was coined by the Dutch psychiatrist Frederik van Eeden in 1913. It is something of a misnomer since it means something quite different from just clear or vivid dreaming. Nevertheless we are certainly stuck with it. That lucid dreams are different from ordinary dreams is obvious as soon as you have one. The experience is something like waking up in your dreams. It is as though you 'come to' and find you are dreaming. This experience generally happens when you realize during the course of a dream that you are dreaming, perhaps because something weird occurs. Most people who remember their dreams have had such an experience at some time, often waking up immediately after the realization. However, it is possible to continue in the dream while remaining fully aware that you are dreaming."(4)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Michael looked back at Irene and thought he saw sympathy in her eyes.
"Am I dreaming?" He asked.
"Well," she said, "That depends on how you look at things."
Michael was puzzled by her reply and took a moment to think. As he did, he felt that his body was beginning to lose balance; that it was beginning to tumble to the side.
"Feels funny, doesn't it," his mother said to him with a polite laugh as she reached her right hand out and stroked the left side of his face. He immediately reverted back to his childhood, when he and his mother used to sit on the couch, him using her lap as a pillow. They would watch television and she would casually stroke his hair and the side of his face. He would always fall asleep there and wake up in his bed in the morning, wondering if it had all been a dream.
"You get used to it after awhile," she said to him. It's not altogether different from a dream, but life is a dream as well."
He was again puzzled by this statement. She continued.
"Michael, look over your shoulder for a moment."
He turned his head and looked back upon his sleeping self.
"You see that over there, you lying in bed, asleep as if you didn't have a care in the world?
He nodded his head and watched as his body continued to sleep.
"They can put you in the ground, Michael, but that doesn't mean that you stop living; that you stop thinking." As she said this, Michael detected a hint of sorrow in her voice.
"It's wonderful here, Michael. It's solid and it's real. That room back there, the room you sleep in, that's the real dream. You just don't know it yet."
She said this with a conviction that brought a chill to his heart. He had always felt sad that he never got to say goodbye to her. She had passed in the middle of the night as they were in the middle of a grudge over one thing or another. It had been six weeks since he had spoken to her when he had gotten the phone call from his father telling him that she had passed.
It had been eight long years since that day.
He had shed no tears. In his younger days he was impetuous and unforgiving. As a more mature man, he recognized his regrets and learned to deal with them on a level that seemed sensible to him.
He looked back at her.
"I'm sor.........." He started but she wouldn't let him get it out.
"This dream we live isn't eternal, Michael. The dream ends. We give up our regrets, our hopes, our fears. Sometimes the dream is a nightmare and we can't wait to get out, to wake up. Other times we wish the dream could last forever, that we can experience everlasting joy and peace. That we can maintain a state of bliss that goes beyond anything we've ever experienced before."
In his minds eye, Michael could see tears begin to wash down his face.
"Here, we are beyond those things," she continued. "We realize that all our hopes and fears don't really amount to anything. We are beyond that. Eternally beyond all that. You have much to look forward to."
She stopped and began to look around. The light shifted from a bright amber to a soft brown. Michael sensed the shift in light and watched as it began to darken. When it reached a deep, dark gold, she spoke again.
"Don't worry Michael, the dream has yet to take you on a journey. For you, the dream of reality is really just beginning. You have yet to fulfill your destiny, and though it may seem trivial to you at the time, when you finally come to the reality, when you finally come home to me you will be your own man and it will have been a very satisfying and gratifying journey. You will see that."
As she spoke, Michael could see that she was fading just a bit. Her likeness was becoming more transparent. Her mist was beginning to dissipate.
"WAIT.............please wait. I haven't told you......"
She interrupted him in mid sentence.
"I know," she said softly. Just always remember that I know, and I love you. It's time to go."
She held her palms out flat to him and he instantly became dizzy. The sensation of falling overwhelmed him and he shut his eyes hard as the colors shifted from deep gold to crimson red, and finally to black. He felt a small vibration at the base of his neck and then he felt a hard snap course through his body.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The OBE may or may not be followed by other experiences which are self-reported as being "as real" as the OBE feeling; alternatively, the subject may fade into a state self-reported as dreaming, or they may wake completely. The OBE is sometimes ended due to a fearful feeling of getting "too far away" from the body. Many end with a feeling of suddenly "popping" or "snapping" back into their bodies."(5)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Michael opened his eyes and found himself back in his bed. He remained motionless for a few minutes, wondering if he was really back in his bedroom. Many thoughts ran through his head, and for a fleeting moment he thought he might be dead.
The room was dark around him and he was afraid to move. He closed his eyes and an image of his mother popped into his head.
"Don't worry, Michael," she said. "You've made it, you're back. I love you," he heard her say from very far away, her voice fading with each word she spoke.
He reached up, felt for the light switch, found it and turned it on. The room was flooded with a deep amber glow and for a minute he thought he was still in the dream. He looked for a rope on the ceiling and found none. He looked around the room and realized it was as he left it. Then he doubted whether he had left it at all.
He got up from his bed and went over to the dresser. Squatting down, he opened the bottom drawer and moved a few sweaters aside revealing a large book. He pulled the book from the drawer and went over to the bed. Sitting down, he placed the book on his lap and opened it to reveal a series of photographs that he had saved. The top photo was of his mother, dressed impeccably with him beside her. It was a photo of his first communion and he and his mother had just come out of the church. They were standing on the bottom step when the photo was snapped. She was beaming with pride and he was looking like all he wanted to do was get out of the shirt and tie she had forced him to wear.
He looked at the picture, wondering how much of his actual life was really as she had said, if it was really a dream.
"I'm sorry." He said as he looked at the photo.
"I'm sorry."
He closed the book and replaced it in the bottom drawer of the dresser. He went over to the bed and laid down once more, thoughts racing through his head. Then he reached up, turned off the light, and went to sleep a changed man.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
References
(1), (3), (4).
OBE OOBE The Out of Body Experience
Brainwave Entrainment Technology
(2)
The Relaxation Response
University of California Human Resources
and Benefits 10/13/98
(5)
Out of Body Experience
Wikipedia, The free encyclopedia.
Wikipedia is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.
User Reviews
Submitted by Crystle (user info) at 2007-06-06 13:11:33 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by TheUniter (user info) at 2007-06-05 12:27:37 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2