I was driving along  Wisconsin passing the Swenson's  Ice Cream on the right past the Metro stop. I was heading south and was driving a light Blue Pacer. A  funny little  car that looked  like a comical UFO.

I was thinking about the name for  our renewable  energy business that we were working on that was involved in  Solar electric  research as well as  renewable energy. I had decided to name the company Terra Sol. ( Earth  Sun )  

at that moment  I found myself above and a little to the  right of myself, above the car, today 30 years later I can still see this image in my head clear as day.  

Then I experienced an old  weathered hand  reaching down and planting a seed in  dirt and patting the soil. from it a  plant  bloomed immediately and grew like  Jack and the Beanstalk and became a  Sunflower that bloomed and the head peeled  back and then began to spin. The  stalk drops away and as a globe forms under the spinning head the  seeds  shoot out in a helical pattern and  surround the globe, the EARTH, in Seeds of Light. They dissipate, leaving the Earth in all its  splendor and  glory. And all is well. 

I was back in the car. I  apparently drove home. I was actually driving in light traffic  but don't remember  much. My mom was the first person I encountered when getting to where I lived on Porter  Street   about 8 or 10 blocks away. It  apparently took her  a few days to convince  me that she wasn't with me in the car. She said I was  very excited and babbling. I felt confused about what had just happened but  I also knew that I was okay and it was okay though profound. It changed my life. I began a search  to  figure out what was wrong with me and my life  which was a  terrible mess at the time and among other things after a bit over two years  I  stopped using drugs and alcohol and entered  long term counseling. I have been clean and sober for  26  years now and have a  good life. I met my wife a year or so after getting sober and we have been married  for 19 years and  are  still deeply in love. This and my recovery  and our marriage  is  in itself a miracle as  we had both come from   families rife with alcoholism & drug abuse, mental illness,  severe abuse , multiple trauma's, multiple divorces and in  in generally  massively dysfunctional behaviors and lifestyles. I have had a successful business in energy efficient lighting, I have  dealt with  many of the  severest  trauma's and dysfunctions and have a good and peaceful life.

I still wonder if there is more I should do with this  experience and so am glad to share it with others. I have had  both before this a range of other  " psychic " first as a teenage and  later  as a clean and sober adult. They all have been spontaneous .  Thank you God.

Any associated medications or substances with the potential to affect the experience?     Uncertain            trouble with  14 years of drug abuse at time of  event,

(  daily marijuana , sporadic cocaine, extensive use of psychedelics over  12 years ).

 strong history of  use of  psychedelics  but  had not had any  in  at least 3  to 6 months at time of event.  event was spontaneous  and UNLIKE anything I had ever  experienced.

Was the kind of experience difficult to express in words? No       I was overwhelmed and in a form of  ..shock. It took my mom several days apparently to  convince me that she was not with me when it happened though I had the experience she was in the car with me as a passenger  but she was not. she was the first person I encountered after I came home. I  had no idea what it meant or what I should do and it took many years  to  learn, accept and come to terms with having had such a  profound experience. feelings of both inadequacy  and questioning  dogged me but most of all the experience itself was  utterly profound and  powerful and positive and changed my life's direction radically. it was  as if  God  was giving me  a kick in the pants to say  you are on the wrong  path. your ( my) psychedelic  spirituality is a  crutch or a Trojan horse..THIS... is the REAL THING.

At the time of this experience, was there an associated life threatening event?          No       though I was under tremendous work and financial stress, had  a sever  drug abuse problem as well as massive personal, family and psychological issues. I was anything but stable

What was your level of consciousness and alertness during the experience?           completely aware, in  3 places at once.

1 ) driving the car 

2) OBE above  myself and to the right  above and out of the car 

3) EXPERIENCING this world changing event / phenomena 

All in a matter of maybe under  10 seconds.

            Was the experience dream like in any way?   no. it was  super real.

Did you experience a separation of your consciousness from your body?     Yes     see above,, that's a  good joke ! see above !!

What emotions did you feel during the experience?            I don't really feel I was in an "emotional" state. It just simply happened.

Though once the  Vision of light occurred It felt  well...wondrous. clean. I want to say  "good" but that is not accurate. I felt I was experiencing something in advance  what everyone would experience  someday and once we all  did  we all WOULD KNOW that everything would be alright.  I am clear this was NOT an apocalyptic event I WAS experiencing as I have had at least one of those  re  9 11. ( That was an experience  while on hallucinogens while in NYC in the early 70's right after the World trades  were finished and I saw the Towers fall and wash over me like a wave. Years later when I saw it on TV I realized that that was what I had seen  30 years earlier. Again there was no EMOTION attached to that event either but I was also on a lot of  psychedelics and the Seeds of Light I was sober ). I have since had  had other  experiences that were not under any influence.

Did you hear any unusual sounds or noises?           no

LOCATION DESCRIPTION:  Did you recognize any familiar locations or any locations from familiar religious teachings or encounter any locations inhabited by incredible or amazing creatures?            Yes     I was  first  in DC on Wisconsin Avenue ( described above ) and  then I was I guess out in space watching the EARTH

Did you see a light?           Yes     Seeds of Light shot out in a helical pattern from  the head of the Sunflower and wrapped the earth in sparkling  trails of light , then dissipated and disappeared leaving the earth as it was.

Did you meet or see any other beings?           No      

Did you experiment while out of the body or in another, altered state? No      

Did you observe or hear anything regarding people or events during your experience that could be verified later?          Uncertain      not yet. still waiting. I believe I will experience this with everyone in my lifetime  but have no way  of being sure about that. 

I have told close friends  about this and other  events but  don't proselytize or advertise  or preach about it  in any way. I am in many ways a very open persons  but  really value my privacy person. I am  emotionally and  in speaking  my truth a very "open" person but more on a one to one basis. I guess just this  day,. that moment  my channel, as I sometimes describe it was WIDE OPEN.


Did you notice how your 5 senses were working, and if so, how were they different?          Yes            everything was  clear and I was I looked back on it just that I guess I was in  3 places at once, but even that doesn't  really say it correctly because  in each "place" I was operating at a different  level, almost like automatic driving the car, aware but watching  from my OBE  perspective or place and then EXPERIENCING my Sunflower  Vision.

Did you have any sense of altered space or time?   Yes     My body was driving the car 

My kind was watching over my body driving the car and my...consciousness ( ? ) was EXPERIENCING SOMETHING that was  out of time. 

I  Believe now it was something that will come about in time, will be profound for EVERYONE and we will all be okay.

Did you have a sense of knowing, special knowledge, universal order and/or purpose?    Yes     as described above

Did you reach a boundary or limiting physical structure?             No       I was  out of time while  experiencing the Vision, out of this present time in my consciousness awareness as best as I can describe it

Did you become aware of future events?       Yes     this will come to pass

Were you involved in or aware of a decision regarding your return to the body?       No       it all happened very very fast

Did you have any psychic, paranormal or other special gifts following the experience that you did not have prior to the experience?           I have had numerous  experiences yes.  

The most profound was when President Obama first spoke at the  Kerry  Edwards convention for the first time I KNEW within  one or 2 minutes of his speech he would be the next President of the United States. I emailed everyone I knew the next day and they all  thought I was  crazy. I never once wavered from that  knowledge all during his election even with Hillary challenging him. I had never been so sure of  anything in my life before on such an important issue. 

I also have a VERY strong intuitive sense and in business when I KNOW something I am  most often  correct and way ahead of others  sometimes by months and years.

Did you have any changes of attitudes or beliefs following the experience?   Yes     It completely changed my life and probably  saved me from death or  severe mental illness or both. the path I was on  I would  not be alive today or if I was  it would not be... good.

How has the experience affected your relationships? Daily life? Religious practices? Career choices?       Moved  me to clear up my life and  search in a  different way. I was  doing my best  to live a good life but I was severely hampered by a host of issues and behaviors and trauma's and problems as a  result of the  life  I had experienced, the  choices I had made which though were the best I could do, were killing me.

Has your life changed specifically as a result of your experience?         Yes     described in detail above

Have you shared this experience with others?         Yes     What emotions did you experience following your experience?        stunned, shocked, excited, confused, intimidated, thrilled but  kind of scared.

What was the best and worst part of your experience?      The best was  experiencing  it and the grace to be chosen as a channel for this  wonderful  vision and that  in all my faults and inadequacies I  was open ENOUGH to experience  it.

The worst part was the shock I felt after but this was also  positive as it was like a kick in the pants " YOU ARE ON THE WRONG PATH BOB !" and it lead me to  sobriety and health and  a healthy  relationship with a higher power and  a good life well lived.