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SPIRIT-QUEST.CA

My Fantastical Journey

First of all, I would like to say that I do not consider myself an expert in this subject matter.  I am just a normal person; fortunate enough to have had some extraordinary things happen throughout the journey of my life.  This book is based largely on my own experiences, along with information I have gathered along the way by reading books and talking to others who have had similar experiences.

Ever since I was a young child, I have had strange experiences that could not easily be explained. In my childhood years I did not understand what was happening, though I always kept the knowledge that they occurred tucked in the back of my mind. I was afraid to mention the experiences to my parents, for fear of their reaction.

My father was a very religious man, having spent three of his younger years in the seminary, studying to be a Catholic priest before he decided he wanted a family instead. Any mention of the ‘Occult’ immediately put up red flags in the eyes of my Dad, as he would label everything mysterious as a product of Devil worship.   He had even gone so far as to call the local priest to our home one afternoon when a friend of mine had brought a book about Wicca over to show me.

I was fortunate to have kept a dream journal though, and at about the age of 14, I had a very vivid experience that would change my life:

“Journal Entry - 03/10/1985  -  A Journey Out-Of-Body

Last night, I woke up unable to move. I tried to shout out, but even my voice was muffed. I felt like I was in panic but I could not do anything about it. At first, I tried to fight the paralysis, but my attempts were futile, so instead I succumbed to it and let myself go.

The next thing I remember is standing in my room beside my bed, and the images looked distorted. Everything was kind of slow motion, and I found it hard to move around my room. I thought something was wrong with me. I think I was thirsty, because I remember trying to walk out my room to go get myself a drink. I was standing by my bedroom door, and I tried to leave the room, but my feet froze in position and I could not move any further forward. In fact, the only part of my body that I could move was my head.

I turned my head and looked back towards my bed, and what I saw has forever changed me: there was a still figure laying there in my bed, and that figure was me!

My next recollection is of strange rushing and static-like sounds, and then the feeling of being slammed into my bed. When I woke up, my heart was pounding and I did not know what happened! Could this have been real?”

For the longest time, I kept that experience to myself. Several years went by, where I had a few similar experiences, and I kept writing them down in my journal. I also started to gain an insatiable appetite for the unknown. I became interested in the paranormal, psychic abilities and the occult. I had this inner thirst for knowledge about reality as we know it.

I remember a game I used to play with a close friend of mine, where we would use a deck or cards and pull out the four aces. One of us would hold up a card, and the other would guess which card it was. We quickly got tired of only four possible answers, and moved on to picking a number between one and fifty, and to our amazement, we were accurate a surprising percentage of time.

During my late teens, there were many shows on television that dealt with unexplained phenomenon, and I remember watching one show where they interviewed a woman who had out-of-body experiences. Her description was eerily similar to the experiences I had been having. I do not remember the name of the program, though I remember vague images of a woman standing in the living room as if her body was standing through the coffee table, and she was looking at her physical body on the floor.

I gained some solace in knowing that there were others out there who were experiencing the same things. I still wasn’t completely sold on the idea of actually leaving my physical body. The thought somehow scared me, even though each time it happened, I had always returned safely.

When I was 21, I moved away from home temporarily for about a year. During this time, I had bought a book by authors Denning and Phillips called Astral Projection: The Out-Of-Body Experience.  I know you are not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but the artwork depicting a woman floating over her body and about to leave through a window is what caught my attention.  That book opened the doorway, and I realized that I was on the pathway of a journey that had started for me long ago. There was no doubt, I was having out-of-body experiences.

I must explain that this realization goes much deeper than the experience itself!  I began thinking that if you can travel outside your physical body, then the human spirit must exist, and that means life after death is real. And I started to ask myself, “...then how many other unexplained phenomena are real?”

I had become aware of a universe for more vast than the physical world we live in day to day! It was like a veil had been lifted from my eyes and I was now seeing deeper into reality, a view that most people seem not to be privy to.

From that first book, I tried a method to induce an out-of-body experience by will and I was highly successful. I did not expect anything to happen but I was amazed when something did!  It was the first time I was able to reproduce the experience with intent, and to some degree control.  I was better able to analyze what was happening to me while in this state. 

Though I called this OBE #1 in my journal, it’s actually about the 5th or 6th out-of-body experience that I can clearly recall, however the previous experiences were all spontaneous and this one was planned.

“Journal Entry - 15/05/1997  -  OBE #1 I Did It!

I began practicing a technique that I read in Denning and Phillips’ book that instructs you to use a form of relaxation, starting from your feet and working your way to your head, until your whole body is numb. I achieved this state fairly easily. The next part was a bit more difficult, as it instructed that I focus to keep my mind awake at the exact point that sleep takes over. I was able to do this, and then before I fell asleep, I was to simply tell myself with intent, that I would have an OBE.

I really did not have any expectations about this, however I was very surprised to find that it worked! I remember floating above my physical body, facing upward. The perspective was about several feet higher than where I would have been laying in the bed. I looked toward the wall on the other side of the room, and lifted my hand to look at it. I noticed my body was translucent. I don’t know why I did that, except as a form of personal proof. However, seeing myself like that had startled me slightly, and I told myself that I wanted to go back right then.

I had the same loud static noises as before, and the feelings of being slammed in to the bed. I then awoke, thinking to myself how awesome this is!”

Following that experience, I was able to successfully utilize that same technique several more times over the next year or so. The experiences were kind of vague and I remember passing through doorways and hallways and then losing lucidity of the events.  I so much wanted to gain more control, and stay conscious throughout the experience, but something seemed to be pulling me back as soon as I realized I was out.  

The short duration of the OBEs do not have any less impact on the amount of awe you feel from the experience!  It only takes a fleeting moment of realization to cause such intense feelings of elation!

“Journal Entry - 24/08/1997  -  An Interrupted Excursion…

I tried to induce an out-of-body experience again tonight. I used the same method I have been using, putting a suggestion in my head just before sleep.

This time I was only aware of a small portion of the experience, before I lost my perception of it. I remember floating toward the door in my room, and starting down the hallway. I only made it about halfway down the hallway and then I don’t remember anything past that point.

When I awoke, I realized that my room mate had arrived home late and was making noise in the room.”

It was at this point I started to think that physical sounds or stimuli near the physical body while you are out might call you back at the slightest distraction. It was a disappointment that I was pulled back so soon, but at the same time I was glad to know that at the first signs of trouble, I would be able to get back easily.

Since then, I have accumulated a plethora of books on the topics of Out-Of-Body Experiences and Astral Projection. I likely have enough books to open a library on the subject! I have studied the theory of the universe on multiple levels, and the spiritual side to life. I have tried to look at this from all sides: the scientific, the philosophical, and the spiritual.

This is when I first became drawn to the Rosicrucians. Their knowledge passed down through the ages, teaches of the multidimensional nature of the universe, and ties science, religion and philosophy together.  Their teachings just made so much sense to me.  The Rosicrucians, once considered a very secretive society, now allow membership to just about anyone who has the interest to join.

I still did not know why I was given the gift of spontaneous OBEs, though they kept occurring and I have been lucky in that I have had several opportunities to validate them on a personal level.  One such opportunity came when a close friend of mine participated in an experiment with me.  He is empathic (he has the ability to sense what people are feeling) and as I attempted to induce an OBE in his presence, he was able to sense a duality in me while I was out-of-body. 

Though most of my OBEs occurred at night, I have had several out-of-body experiences happen in the day time when it was light in my room. I had one such experience that was able to validate the actual separation from my physical body in great detail!

“Journal Entry – 14/09/1998  -  An Afternoon Excursion

I went for a nap this afternoon because I had been on duty the night before and I was tired.  I laid down and went to sleep around 13:00.  I awoke about an hour later in sleep paralysis, and since it was light in my room and I could see everything clearly, I was not frightened by it at all.  I did not fight it, but I instead closed my eyes and just let go, and tried to retain my consciousness.  What happened was amazing!

I literally, visually, passed through my eyelids!  I could see myself leaving, and moving through the skin. It was like in the movie Ghost when he passes through the woman. That’s the only way I can describe it!

I was then beside my bed and looking to the other side of my room. In my mind, I told myself to move to the other side of the room, toward the chair at my computer desk.  With that thought, I moved on command.  Then I looked toward the window, and told myself to leave through it.  That’s the last point I remember. I lost awareness after that.”

That experience left no doubt in my mind that something was actually leaving my physical body.  I knew then, that it was not just a function of my brain.  I think I lost awareness after this point because as I had looked toward the window, I was also given a vantage point where I was able to see my physical body in my peripheral vision.  It seems that any thought of the physical will instantly pull you back.

Not all of my experiences were completely successful.  I actually had many times where I was pulled back to the physical immediately upon realizing that I was out-of-body.  I believe this is partly due to the excitement felt upon realizing that I was out, and partly due to thinking about the physical and of my physical body.

“Journal Entry – 04/05/1999  -  A Fleeting Glimpse

I had another OBE tonight, but it lasted only moments.  I gained consciousness of the experience as I found myself floating upward toward the ceiling.  I got just near the corner where the wall meets the ceiling, and then felt myself being pulled backward.  I did a full back-flip in the air, slammed back into my physical body, and then I woke up.”

In 2001, my father passed away unexpectedly from illness, and I had two very significant OBEs that followed:

“Journal Entry - 17/10/2001  -  A Final Farewell

My father passed away last night with my Mother and me at his side. The two of us left the hospital and stayed up most of the night talking, and around 5 am, I finally decided to try and get a few hours sleep. When I did fall asleep, I had an out-of-body experience - one that will forever be in my memory. I remember walking beside my father. The scenery around was like a convergence between two places. There was a kind of tower, like an outpost. It was round and had a lookout position at the top. We went inside. There were what looked to be consoles around the inside of the lookout, and windows all around the outside.

My father spoke to me and said ‘This is as far as you can go. Don’t worry, it will be ok’

I realize that my description of the scenery is probably just how my mind interpreted it, but I know I was really with him. His words were my last memory before waking.”

“Journal Entry - 14/05/2002  -  Reunited!

(We were in Norfolk, Virginia. We had to bring the ship to be depermed. This is where we wrap large cables around the ship to erase potentially dangerous magnetic signatures built up in the hull. We wrap the large cables around the hull and pass electricity through them, effectively turning the ship into a large electromagnet - which we sleep inside! I knew that electromagnetic energy had to have something to do with OBEs, so I decided to try to have an OBE.  I lay down in my bunk and focused on leaving my body.)

“I was dreaming that I was upstairs, in my mother's house; was unaware that I was dreaming, as the usual unconscious mind perceives. The house was the same, but somehow different: colors were emanating from everything, as if it all had an aura, even the inanimate objects. I heard my recently deceased father call my name, from downstairs; I knew in the dream that he was not alive, so with excitement I called out to him. As I kept calling out to my father, I proceeded down the stairs (floating, as with all my OBEs, but at this point I did not realize it was an OBE).

I saw my father sitting on the end of the coffee table. I went to him and hugged him very frantically. Looking into his eyes, I realized that it was him, but was younger, in his thirties— my father had little hair since his younger years, but here he had a full head of hair. He was much younger and healthier looking. His eyes are what got to me: imagine seeing flecks of pure energy dancing in someone's eyes. He looked more alive than a person ever could in life.

He asked me, while looking directly into my eyes, how I was since his death, that year. I replied, "I really miss you, Dad. There is something I want to ask you: can I reach you through astral projection?"

Up until that moment, I was still unconscious of what was happening. As soon I as I said the words "astral projection", I suddenly realized that I was out of my body, already! The worst part was that as soon as I realized that I was out-of-body, I immediately returned to my physical state. I never got my answer from him.

Before I re-entered and heard the buzzing sounds just before I opened my physical eyes, I shouted, "No, I don't want to go back, yet!"

What I find interesting is that my Father was the one who I was able to contact through an OBE, when he was always the one who warned me about the supposed dangers of psychic abilities and the paranormal (due to his religious training and beliefs). 

That out-of-body experience was to this day, the most vivid. I truly believe that the electromagnetic field I was sleeping within was a catalyst in that case.

In 2002, I was invited to be a guest on a radio show in the United Kingdom.  The show dealt with the topics of many unexplained phenomenon, and I was invited to talk about my out-of-body experiences, and the website Astral Society (A website devoted to OBEs and other related subject matter, where I had been a staff member for some time). It gave me a chance to really open up about the subject, as I was asked to describe my experiences in great detail.  I felt like it was time to be open with my family about it as well.

To my amazement, I learned that some of my other family members have also had similar experiences. They are not that uncommon! In fact other psychic abilities are common as well. I have also had a few experiences with a phenomenon known as Spontaneous Remote Viewing, and recently found out that my Mother has had these visions occur as well. In these visions, you see through closed eyelids, detailed scenery and movement in real time, just as if you were watching through a pair of binoculars. Unlike with out-of-body experiences, you are completely aware that you are still in your physical body.

I have since learned how to induce my out-of-body experiences more easily, and even differentiate between the different types of experiences. I have gained some degree of control over them while I am out. I also have had the opportunity to perform some experiments of my own, utilizing electromagnetic fields, and brainwave technology.

I must stress though that for every success there are a few failures. I don’t propose to be an expert on this subject, but more or less someone who was given a gift and wishes to share it with others. There have been times when I tried to induce an out-of-body experience, and got close, but failed. In fact, I can get to the completely relaxed state right before separation quite easily, but sometimes I just can’t seem to leave the physical.  Still, I strive to persevere!

“Journal Entry - 16/09/2003  –  A Failed Attempt

For some reason my sleep was very odd last night. I woke up kind of in sleep paralysis, but I was in and out of it. I could feel the pull of a spontaneous OBE and thought I would try to get out. I phased in and out of this state several times, but no matter how hard I tried, I could not get myself to separate. I think I was too over-tired and I eventually gave up and went to back to sleep.”

My knowledge has increased dramatically over the years, and my spirituality has blossomed. What as a child I did not understand, I now regard as a precious gift. I wish that everyone could experience the things that I have! It affects my artwork, and my music, and my being. I find myself appreciating everything that life has to offer, and I do not fear death because I feel that I have been given proof that I will survive beyond this life.

I wish to share this same knowledge, this same gift with others who also wish to journey toward enlightenment. It is my hope that others will be able to experience the awe and learn to journey out-of-body.