I agree spiritualism is mostly internal but it also exists around us. We just need to be still enough and away from the clanging and banging of civilization to become aware of it.
To me a mystical experience means one where everyday reality comes into physical contact with the spiritual realm. If used wisely drugs can take you to or through this boundary but what about in straight reality?
I have had about six of these experiences and they have all affected me profoundly.
The experience that impacted me the most took place in the early 70's when I was in my 20's. I was not ready to deal with the experience and consequently didn't participate fully. No regrets, everything happens in its own time. If this experience happened to me today I wouldn't hesitate for a second. Who knows I might get another chance.
At the time I was living and working with a family built around a band called "The Flying Hearts" and also fondly called "Brain Damage". We lived mostly like Celephais' family in the city but also had alternate / pioneer lifestyle homes in the country. We toured a lot.
We decided we needed a break where only the band members would spend a month or two somewhere to work up new material for the band. We found a house in a mostly abandoned mining town called Riondel. It is situated at the end of the road on the east shore of Kootenay Lake in BC.
By nature I am a solitary individual and can only live in close quarters with others for short periods. We worked hard for about a month and started to burn out and decided to take a break. I decided I would spend my break on a solitary wilderness hike for a week or so.
As I mentioned Riondel was the end of the road (from the south) on the east shore of the lake. The lake continues further north about 70 miles through rugged mountainous terrain. There is a very interesting community at the north end of the lake called Argenta. It is a small Quaker settlement of about 50 people that has minimal road access from the north. Many of the greatest thinkers in the world have visited there.
My hike would take me about 70 miles from Riondel to Argenta through the wilderness. It was late winter and there was still much snow on the ground. The weather was socked in low clouds with blowing snow and rain. It was dark dreary and wet. The lake-shore was mostly rocky and hard hiking so I traveled mostly a 100 yards or so inland in the forest where some soil had built up. There were many game trails and I just meandered along following them.
On the second day in the afternoon a group of Ravens discovered me and were very curious. They tagged along with me for several hours and were very vocal. They would fly from tree to tree and squawk at me and the other Ravens. I got the sense they were joking with each other about this strange being in their midst. I felt this was being done in good spirit and teased them back.
In the late afternoon I got the sense they were trying to tell me to stop. I would normally have continued on for another hour or so but decided to trust my instinct and stop. I liked watching the lake so to camp I would go down to the shoreline out of the trees. I proceeded to do so when the birds convinced me to stop.
I stepped out of the trees onto a rocky point of land. Directly in front of me was a large boulder with a Bald Eagle sitting on it. It looked around at me and then took to wing. It flew a couple of circles around the boulder to gain height and was gone. This was kind of exciting, the eagle had been less than 10 feet from me.
The point was too rocky for camping so I looked down the shoreline for a more comfortable spot. I saw a likely looking spot about a hundred yards away. I wandered there and started to clear a spot of rocks to spend the night.
The whole trip so far had been totally socked in and windy. The clouds were about a thousand feet above the lake and the rain and snow were blowing sideways. As I was bent over picking rocks I felt my back get warm at the same time as it got brighter.
I stood up and looked across the lake and the sun was peeking through a small hole in the clouds low in a notch in the mountain's skyline. The sun was about 3/4 set. Just above it a rainbow started, I followed the ark with my eye and it ended about a 100 yards from me right at the rock where the Eagle had been sitting. I kind of freaked a little as rainbows are things you see in the distance and move if you try to approach them. This one just sat there almost as solid as the rock.
To my mind this was a supernatural occurrence and I was nervous about being there. After a moment I did get up the nerve to approach the rainbow. I got within 2 feet of it and stood there looking at it. It was about 15 feet across and almost opaque. I stood there for about 3 minutes trying to get up the nerve to step into the rainbow. I didn't do it. The light grew dimmer as the sun set and the rainbow slowly dissipated before my eyes.
I decided to stay there rather than go on with my hike and spent many thoughtful hours over the next few days sitting on the rock where the eagle and rainbow had been. I still get much peace from reliving this experience.
What would you have done? What do you think would have happened if I had stepped into the rainbow?
I think the clutter and noise of modern civilization stops many from experiencing these type of situations. The hints to their existence are very subtle and easily get lost in the hubbub.
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Topic: Given the option which would you choose. (Read 2125 times)
May 15, 2018, 05:54:03 PM