Harley J
STE
Škála Greysona: 12
#33271
Popis skúsenosti
I am a field biologist who has always wondered what the point of existence is. I became a biologist because it just made sense to me to choose a profession where I would work outside. I just viewed ourselves as "naked apes." I have always been searching for the why, even though I was an atheist and my story at the time was that there was no point, that we just lived and died. I was a pretty heavy drinker when I was younger but always in a celebratory setting. As my brother is fond of saying, we drink to remember, not to forget. My brother and I had just gotten back from a trip to Belize that left me completely energized and inspired; especially the part of the trip that took us to the Mayan ruins of Tikal. We took a side trip into Guatemala to see the ruins. Being surrounded by the most amazing jungle I have ever been in and all the while exploring such a fascinating ancient civilization did amazing things for my soul!
I was living with my brother at the time. While he was away for work, I would get up and just start pacing in the hallway and writing. I wasn't sure where this ritual was heading, but it felt so good I just gave myself over to the process. When I would go to bed, I would often have something on my mind that was bothering me. Then, I would have a dream that would address it, either symbolically or directly. Then, I would wake up refreshed and feel like I had resolved whatever was bothering me.
So I spent a couple of days just pacing and writing. During this time I was having flashes of different conversations and experiences I had during my life. (this is the part that feels so in line with an NDE) I realized that everywhere I have ever been was right where I needed to be. This continued on until one day I wrote the word "love" and just collapsed on the ground and wept. I wept the most joyous, cathartic tears I have ever wept. After that I could see energy as a type of white haze around trees, fruits, and veggies. It was no doubt a manic episode, but it was accompanied by the most profound sense of peace I have ever known in my life.
My writing concluded with an equation.
Beta + Alpha = 1
(emotions + Fear) + (Confidence + Ego) = 1
where Confidence equals negative fear (-fear) and our egos also work on fear, the fear of loss of control over our emotions.
Only through Love can we dissolve our fear and our ego to live in ego-less confidence, otherwise known as Enlightenment. And I realized that our egos are the biological origin of oppression, and the only way to dissolve this oppression is through love. We're evolving as a species and in order to do this, we need to boost our confidence through kindness, participation in art, and fearlessly going after our passions as opposed to inducing fear (oppressing) others, which is the old way of gaining confidence. That emotional freedom was the ultimate form of freedom.
For what I believe was a couple of weeks I was able to live in this beautiful realization and have the most amazing connections with people where I would have a conversation with someone and a new piece of the puzzle would be revealed during our conversation. During this time I was completely sober. I wasn't drinking any alcohol or ingesting any kind of drugs or psychedelics. But of course I gradually came down the mountain and the amazing sensation wore off and I thought it was because of something I did wrong. My analytical, scientific brain kicked in and I wondered what the heck happened to me. I tried to oppress myself in order to tame my ego and this backfired spectacularly. I was so confused, scared, and lonely. This was 2003, so there weren't a lot of people talking about energy stuff and spiritual awakenings. I found the California Institute of Integral Studies online and it seemed like a perfect fit to figure out what the heck happened to me, as well as get an education in Anthropology.
Upon arriving there, I quickly found out it wasn't a safe space to discuss it as I confided in one of my professors about my experience and he said that he was sorry, he didn't believe in them. And his wife, who to this day is still the most powerful, brilliant person I have ever met, was super critical of people claiming to have spiritual awakenings to the point of ridiculing people courageous enough to say they had one. I wasn't one of those people since I felt completely shot down by her husband. But the education in post-colonial anthropology was so incredible, that I thought if anyone could prove they didn't exist, it's these people. But sadly they were so powerful and brilliant and convincing, and I was in such a vulnerable place with my spiritual awakening, that I tried to deny that it happened to me, and through this process I had what I consider a psychotic break. I was just so confused and unable to reconcile the most amazing experience of my life, with the most amazing intellectual education of my life, and I would just cry uncontrollably. I scared the heck out of my poor parents. But during grad school I met a fellow classmate who was a Jungian analyst and once a month we would meet for dream group and use our dreams as guides for healing. It remains one of the most profound experiences of my life and is one of the main reasons I was able to survive grad school.
I allowed myself to participate in a Kripalu Yoga Teacher training workshop, as well as go to Maine in the middle of winter to stay in a cabin to work through my pain. This was a particularly powerful experience that involved me working through a lot of pain and howling and making all kinds of crazy noises. Last winter I had another rather intense healing session where I made the realization that this waking life is also a dream, and when I'm able to surrender in meditation, my eyes go into what I can only explain as REM. Which makes sense from a standpoint that our dreams are a way for us to heal.
Twenty-three years is a long time to ruminate on something, especially a spiritual awakening that allowed me to live in the moment for a short, blissful time. But I have such a stubborn, analytical mind that I just continue to ask the questions over and over again of "Why me? How? What am I supposed to do?" But I am gradually getting more and more okay with it. After all, allowing a spiritual awakening to ruin me would be a terrible waste of one! But it's been a long road, and I hope me writing this might help someone else who might be struggling. As I understand it now, blending both my spiritual and intellectual teachings... This life is a dream, and our reality is partially composed of our emotional and imaginative projections. That we're in consciousness and different things come into our life as a means for us to grow and evolve, just like in our dreams. That it is too complex for even the most intellectually gifted minds to comprehend. That's why Buddhism has the mind games to help you wake up. And that you're much, much more likely to attain enlightenment by dancing than you are by reading a book. That because of our oppressive culture, white men experience a lot of emotional pain because we haven't been properly socialized to deal with our trauma, and because we have so much privilege, we end up projecting this pain and causing a ton of suffering. That the world is made up of stories.
Základné informácie
Pohlavie
Male
Dátum, kedy došlo k zážitku blízkej smrti
4/20/2003
Prvky zážitku blízkej smrti
Bol v čase vášho zážitku prítomný život ohrozujúci stav?
No, Wasn't an NDE, but it's the closest thing I can think of upon researching the topic., Other (briefly specify), Super alive!
Ako hodnotíte obsah vášho zážitku?
Entirely pleasant
Cítili ste sa oddelení od svojho tela?
No
Ako sa vaša najvyššia úroveň vedomia a bdelosti počas zážitku porovnáva s vaším bežným každodenným vedomím a bdelosťou?
More consciousness and alertness than normal, I have struggled with depression for most of my life; that just completely dissipated during the awakening. My scattered brain and absentmindedness just washed away, leaving such a profound sense of focus, clarity, purpose, and ecstasy.
V ktorom čase počas zážitku ste boli na svojej najvyššej úrovni vedomia a bdelosti?
I would say right after I wrote the word "Love" down in my notebook.
Zrýchlili sa vaše myšlienky?
No
Zdalo sa, že sa čas zrýchlil alebo spomalil?
No
Boli vaše zmysly živšie ako zvyčajne?
More vivid than usual
Prosím, porovnajte svoje videnie počas zážitku s vašim bežným videním, ktoré ste mali bezprostredne pred zážitkom
As I said, I could see the energy as a form of white haze around certain natural things, like a forest or fruits and vegetables.
Prosím, porovnajte svoj sluch počas zážitku s vašim bežným sluchom, ktorý ste mali bezprostredne pred zážitkom
My hearing seemed to be unchanged.
Zdalo sa vám, že si uvedomujete dianie inde?
No
Prešli ste do alebo cez tunel?
No
Videli ste počas vášho zážitku nejaké bytosti?
No
Stretli ste sa alebo ste si uvedomili nejaké zosnulé (alebo živé) bytosti?
No
Videli ste, alebo ste sa cítili obklopení, jasným svetlom?
No
Videli ste nadpozemské svetlo?
No
Zdalo sa vám, že ste vstúpili do nejakého iného, nadpozemského sveta?
No
Aké emócie ste cítili počas tejto skúsenosti?
All the positive ones. I felt so infused with a sense of purpose, of confidence, happiness, contentment, calm, relaxed, curious, and light.
Mali ste pocit pokoja alebo príjemnosti?
Incredible peace or pleasantness
Mali ste pocit radosti?
Incredible Joy
Cítili ste pocit harmónie alebo jednoty s vesmírom?
I felt united or one with the world
Zdalo sa, že ste zrazu všetkému porozumeli?
Everything about the universe, It was just a profound understanding that everything is energy and that we're evolving as a species. That it's all connected. I had such a profound sense of peace and confidence around this.
Vrátili sa vám scény z vašej minulosti?
It was as if I was just finally able to lower my defense mechanisms to allow things to just flow through me. And a large part of what flowed through me were my past experiences informing where my writing was going.
Objavili sa vám scény z budúcnosti?
No
Prišli ste k hranici alebo bodu, odkiaľ niet návratu?
No
Boh, spiritualita a náboženstvo
Aké bolo vaše náboženstvo pred vašou skúsenosťou?
Unaffiliated - Atheist, Extremely dogmatic atheist.
Zmenili sa vaše náboženské praktiky od vašej skúsenosti?
Yes, I meditate now when I never used to. I'm still really confused, but less so with each passing day.
Aké je vaše náboženstvo teraz?
Buddhist, The experience left me with a profound understanding of the energetic and interconnected nature of existence, and when I researched it, Buddhism describes this to a T.
Zahŕňala vaša skúsenosť prvky zhodné s vaším pozemským presvedčením?
Content that was both consistent and not consistent with the beliefs you had at the time of your experience, Well, it completely blew the roof off of my hard-nosed atheistic beliefs! But it was in line with us being biological and cultural animals, just that we're evolving to be more peaceful and loving. It made me aware that reality is just so much more complex than I ever gave it credit for, and so much more wondrous and magical.
Došlo u vás k zmene hodnôt a presvedčení v dôsledku vašej skúsenosti?
Yes, I consider myself a Buddhist, and I see everything as having worth, and everybody. It helped cut through my socialized racism, sexism, heterosexism, and classism.
Zdalo sa vám, že ste sa stretli s mystickou bytosťou alebo prítomnosťou, alebo ste počuli neidentifikovateľný hlas?
I heard a voice I could not identify, During my initial awakening, I didn't hear a voice. But when I was in Maine and I had done some intense healing, I was talking to myself and I said, "Well, there's no going back now," and a voice I couldn't identify as mine replied, "Why would you want to?"
Stretli ste sa alebo ste si boli vedomí nejakých bytostí, ktoré predtým žili na zemi a ktoré sú menovite opísané v náboženstvách (napríklad: Ježiš, Mohamed, Budha atď.)?
No
Počas vašej skúsenosti ste získali informácie o univerzálnom prepojení alebo jednote?
Yes, Yes, that it is all energy. While I was experiencing this, I was able to have such amazing connections with people, and it was as if they were giving me answers to questions I wasn't even conscious of. I learned that we are all one and interconnected, which was an easy thing for me to understand from a biological perspective, taking the example of ecosystems and how everything relies on everything else, and understanding that it's all just one interconnected ecosystem.
Čo sa týka našich pozemských životov mimo náboženstva
Počas vašej skúsenosti ste získali špeciálne poznatky alebo informácie o svojom účele?
Yes, That it's all just energy, and we can gain confidence without inducing fear in others. We are here to love and to go after our dreams, because when you are doing something you love, you are more prone to gain confidence through non-oppressive means.
Počas vašej skúsenosti ste získali informácie o zmysle života?
Yes, That we are here to figure out how to love.
Počas vašej skúsenosti ste získali informácie o posmrtnom živote?
Yes, It was an understanding that consciousness is so much more complex than I previously thought, and that we just momentarily inhabit this body; our consciousness just moves on after this body expires.
Získali ste informácie o tom, ako žiť naše životy?
No
Počas vašej skúsenosti ste získali informácie o životných ťažkostiach, výzvach a útrapách?
Yes, Mainly centered around the notion that we have to learn to overcome our fears, the things that hold us back.
Počas vašej skúsenosti ste získali informácie o láske?
Yes, That love is a form of energy just like wind or water. It flows, and a person can be infused with love and pass it on to others.
Aké životné zmeny nastali vo vašom živote po vašej skúsenosti?
I think the belief question is a tricky one to answer because I was very conscious of my understanding that there was no point to life, no god, and no afterlife. But if I'm being honest with myself, I actually was afraid that those things existed and that I was wrong. I was partially afraid to be wrong because of my ego, and partially afraid because a part of me believed in god, but one I was socialized to believe in, a god that judged me harshly and was going to damn me to hell. Now I understand it to be a complex thing that is way beyond comprehension but is non-judgmental and just wants you to evolve.
Zmenili sa vaše vzťahy konkrétne v dôsledku vašej skúsenosti?
Yes, Yes, I have a much deeper relationship with my dad and brother now. I experienced a lot of bullying from my brother when we were younger, and I see how that has stayed with me, so I have conversations about it with him. And to his credit, he is willing to have those conversations with me. I am also now married to a beautiful person from East Kentucky, one of the poorest congressional districts in the country. I feel my experience really pulled back the curtain on privilege and suffering, and that poor people are just as smart and brilliant as anyone else. They just don't have the privilege as someone like myself from the middle class. So between my spiritual awakening and my grad school (which I attended because of my spiritual awakening), I was able to see through my toxic socialization of labeling people from that region as "hillbillies" or "rednecks" or dumb or backwards. I am also way more of a feminist because of the spiritual awakening for the same reasons.
Po NDE:
Bolo ťažké vyjadriť túto skúsenosť slovami?
Yes, It was like nothing I have ever experienced prior or since. One of those things that you say you just have to experience. Words always fall short.
Ako presne si pamätáte skúsenosť v porovnaní s inými životnými udalosťami, ktoré sa stali v tom čase?
I remember the experience more accurately than other life events that occurred around the time of the experience, It just completely blew me away. It was just such a powerful experience that it literally knocked me on my butt when I wrote the word 'love.' I think about it every day. I used to think about it every moment once I came down the mountain. So, I remember it so vividly.
Máte po svojej skúsenosti nejaké psychické, neobyčajné alebo iné špeciálne dary, ktoré ste predtým nemali?
Yes, At different times, I can see the hazy energy.
Existujú jedna alebo viaceré časti vašej skúsenosti, ktoré sú pre vás obzvlášť zmysluplné alebo významné?
The fact that we're all connected and meant to experience life! Live it! Share it! Love it! Heal it!
Podelili ste sa už o túto skúsenosť s ostatnými?
Yes
Mali ste pred svojou skúsenosťou nejaké vedomosti o zážitkoch blízkych smrti (NDE)?
No
Čo ste si mysleli o realite vašej skúsenosti krátko (dni až týždne) po tom, čo sa stala?
Experience was definitely real, I just experienced it as a major flush of energy running through me, and it definitely felt like enlightenment (it wasn't, it was just a taste of what's possible). It was showing me that life is way, way more complex and magical than I thought.
Čo si teraz myslíte o realite vašej skúsenosti?
Experience was definitely real, I now see it as a stepping stone to something bigger, to be fully emotionally free and to have complete freedom and trust in the universe. It was meant to show me what's possible, that life is a miracle, and that it's all one big miracle.
Reprodukovalo niekedy v priebehu vášho života niečo nejakú časť tejto skúsenosti?
Yes, When I take the time to heal, such as going to Maine, I'm able to work through a ton of pain. Colors get brighter, and I'm able to see the energy again at times. I also went to an emotional intelligence workshop, and when it was over, I had an experience of my consciousness expanding out into the cosmos.
Chceli by ste ešte niečo dodať o svojej skúsenosti?
One of the things I took away from my grad school experience is the cultural nature of pathology, and how oppressive cultures produce people that are suffering. One thing that has helped me through all of this is that we learned that paranoid schizophrenics in our culture have the same genetic makeup as shamans in indigenous cultures. I feel like I have that kind of genetic makeup, as my spiritual awakening happened at 25, around the same time paranoid schizophrenia starts to present itself. Thanks to my job as a biologist where I get to hang out in the woods and it's low stress, and my privilege in general, I have been able to survive in this culture as opposed to being unhoused, completely drugged up, or dead.
Opisovali položené otázky a informácie, ktoré ste poskytli, presne a komplexne vašu skúsenosť?
Yes, Yes, I feel like the questions come from just enough different angles to encourage telling the story in a comprehensive light, so taken together, you get a good picture.