EXPERIENCE DESCRIPTION:

About five years ago, I read the Bible and found the place where Solomon received wisdom and was wiser than anyone else of his time. I also found the passage in James which states that those who lack wisdom should pray with faith, and they will receive, so I prayed, "God, please grant me wisdom, wiser than Solomon, that I may come to know the truth." Since then, I have received knowledge about philosophy, religion, quantum and Newtonian physics, personal meaning, being and non-being, biology, environment, literature, logic, and a variety of other topics. Above all, I knew that I knew nothing. It was almost eerie how much I came to know after this prayer. Ironically, because I know that I know nothing, I am agnostic, but I also speculate that a higher Reality may exist, especially since prayer seems to be effective.

At the time of your experience was there an associated life-threatening event?   No 

Was the experience difficult to express in words?  No    

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness?    By far, my greatest level of consciousness was throughout the summer of 2014. My perceptions changed, and things seemed brighter. Also, my awareness of reality's strangeness lead me to experience hyper-alert anxiety.

How did your highest level of consciousness and alertness during the experience compare to your normal everyday consciousness and alertness?      More consciousness and alertness than normal   Actually, all three of these apply, but I could only select one. At times, my alertness was normal. At other times (such as the summer of 2014), my alertness was very high due to awareness of reality's strangeness and often anxiety. At other times, I would fall into an intellectual dilemma that would lead me into a deep depression, and my consciousness would be less than normal. That is currently happening, in fact, and I am sharing this mostly to distract myself.

Please compare your vision during the experience to your everyday vision that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience.   It depends on what point in the experience you are talking about. During some periods in 2011 and 2014, I experienced more detailed vision due to hyperawareness. During other periods in 2012 and 2013, as well as the present, my awareness dropped low due to periods of melancholic depression, since wisdom often produces sorrow.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience.   The hearing itself has remained roughly normal, although after I learned the biology behind the ear, I was more aware of vibrations reaching the ear and causing my brain to hear the sound.

Did you see or hear any earthly events that were occurring during a time that your consciousness / awareness was apart from your physical / earthly body?   No  

What emotions did you feel during the experience?   Oh boy! Name an emotion, and I probably experienced it due to the experience: joy, sorrow, anger, fear, love, confusion, clarity, ecstasy, torment. A better question might be what emotions I DIDN'T feel during the experience.  

Did you pass into or through a tunnel?   No  

Did you see an unearthly light?   No  

Did you seem to encounter a mystical being or presence, or hear an unidentifiable voice?   No

Did you encounter or become aware of any beings who previously lived on earth who are described by name in religions (for example: Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, etc.)?   No  

Did you encounter or become aware of any deceased (or alive) beings?   No  

Did you become aware of past events in your life during your experience?   No  

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world?   No

Did time seem to speed up or slow down?   Time seemed to go faster or slower than usual
I noticed that my knowledge changed my consciousness at times, and this would often make time passage feel slower or faster than usual.

Did you suddenly seem to understand everything?   No

Did you reach a boundary or limiting physical structure?   No

Did you come to a border or point of no return?   No

Did scenes from the future come to you?  No 

During your experience, did you encounter any specific information / awareness suggesting that there either is (or is not) continued existence after earthly life (�life after death�)?   Yes   My wisdom lead me to learn about past-life memories, near-death experiences, cases in which a mystical voice told people there is life after death (and also told them other things that were true), the fact that time is not real, so we do not really die, and some evidence that life after death may not exist such as correlations between fantasy proneness and likelihood of experiencing an NDE, the fact that only a few people who "go under" experience NDE's, and Robert Monroe's astral projection in which He asked the Light what he should do to find information. The Light replied, "Ask your father to tell you about the great secret." His father, however, knew nothing about any great secret. This makes it difficult because there is so much evidence both ways, and I am not sure what to believe, except that we cannot really die because death takes time, and time is an illusion. Precognition (read Anthony Peake's writings for proof of this)and mystical experiences in which a timeless reality is encountered shows that time is not linear like we think it is, so we always exist in our past, present, and future all at once.

During your experience, did you encounter any specific information / awareness that God or a supreme being either does (or does not) exist?   Yes   While I am still agnostic, the answer to my prayer suggests a God may exist as do NDEs and mystical experiences. Still, I do not have definitive proof, so I could not really say.

During your experience, did you encounter any specific information / awareness that you either did (or did not) exist prior to this lifetime?   Yes   Through the wisdom I was lead to, I learned that time is not real, so we always exist in the past, present, and future simultaneously. I, therefore, have no beginning and no end, nor does anyone or anything else.

During your experience, did you encounter any specific information / awareness that a mystical universal connection or unity/oneness either does (or does not) exist?   Yes   Mystical and near-death experiences, based on some of the wisdom I received, seem to show that if God exists, It is a unity behind all things. Also, quantum physics shows that when subatomic particles are separated from their atoms, they still behave as one system no matter how far you separate them. This suggests that reality is one and not separate.

During your experience, did you encounter any specific information / awareness regarding earthly life�s meaning or purpose?   Yes   Reality is clearly imperfect. The more I know, the more I see what a hellish realm this world is: suffering, ignorance, sin, depression, hunger. It's horrible. At the same time, it may all be for a purpose.

During your experience, did you encounter any specific information / awareness regarding earthly life�s difficulties, challenges, or hardships?   Yes   Reality is clearly imperfect. The more I know, the more I see what a hellish realm this world is: suffering, ignorance, sin, depression, hunger. It's horrible. At the same time, it may all be for a purpose.

During your experience, did you encounter any specific information / awareness regarding love?   Yes   Many mystics and religions say that "Love is all there is." This may very well be true, but I cannot be certain. Nevertheless, it is important that we love all people if we are to make the world a better place. Anita Moorjani's NDE suggests self-love is important since the universe needs every consciousness to be itself. Otherwise, it is deprived of individuals it needs.

During your experience, did you encounter any other specific information / awareness that you have not shared in other questions that is relevant to living our earthly lives?   Yes   First of all, be humble about your beliefs. I know how little I know, and that is a great part of the wisdom I received after my prayer. For all I know, other people might not even exist. Also, stop being blind. Many of the questions I have come across in my wisdom cannot be answer because people are thinking too narrowly. Question everything. Help those struggling with hard questions, since that kind of suffering is a living hell in many respects.

Did you have a sense of knowing special knowledge or purpose?   Yes   That is what the whole experience is. I prayed for knowledge and received.

What occurred during your experience included:   Content that was entirely not consistent with the beliefs you had at the time of your experience   When the experience started, I was a conservative Lutheran who believed that reality is solid; unbelievers go to hell; the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod's interpretation of the Bible was the right one; physical reality is real; I know something besides my own consciousness; and God is three guys in the sky. Since, I have learned that we live in a bizarre reality in which parallel universes may exist; everything is vibration; time is not real; and we are under a system of control. It is also possible that we live in a computer-programmed universe. Regardless, reality is not always what it seems to be.

How accurately do you remember the experience in comparison to other life events that occurred around the time of the experience?   I remember the experience more accurately than other life events that occurred around the time of th   The bizarre journey my prayer lead me to is virtually all I can remember about the past 5 years. Even the memories seemingly unrelated I feel are a part of the experience. For example, I feel that my failure to go to State in cross country was a result of failure to use the Law of Attraction properly, rather than mere poor sports technique. I will never forget these memories, some too wonderful and beautiful to forget, others almost traumatizing.

Discuss any changes that might have occurred in your life after your experience:   I am not the same person I was five years ago. I am in an unknown world seeking an unknown reality with an unknown meaning. I don't know who I am or why I am here, but I am seeking the truth behind these matters. My faith in prayer, however, has increased because the experience taught me that our thoughts create reality. In fact, the more I believe I will become wiser, the wiser I seem to become.

My experience directly resulted in:   Large changes in my life

Did you have any changes in your values or beliefs after the experience that occurred as a result of the experience?   Yes   Before my experience, I was a conservative Christian. Now, I am agnostic, but still open to religious ideas. My faith in prayer is much greater though.

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience?   Uncertain   Depends on what you mean by "psychic." I don't see auras or have precognition or anything like that, but I have an almost eerie ability to manifest my thoughts and prayers into reality. I'm not sure, but I think I might have accidentally caused someone to throw up once by worrying that someone would throw up (I have emetophobia). The whole experience was caused by prayer, of course. I also affect my states of consciousness by maintaining a certain attitude about the future and then I feel the way I imagine myself feeling.

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you?     The whole thing showed me that reality is bizarre and not always what it seems. After all I've discovered, why not say we're all in a movie and just don't know it-but that's probably not weird enough to be true.

Have you ever shared this experience with others?   Yes  It was about a 3 or 4-year gap between the time I experienced it and started sharing it with others. One of my parents thought the wording of my prayer, "Make me wiser than Solomon," was too envious, even though I simply was trying to strive for greatness and understand the Bible better (that was the real intention at first). I wrote about my experience for a scholarship at a progressive Christian church, and they found it very touching. I will be receiving money for it this Sunday, as a matter of fact. My English teacher was appreciated my deep thinking, and it made for a good essay. I'm not sure if or how it influenced them, but I hope it was positive somehow.

Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience?   No  

What did you believe about the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened:   Experience was probably real   For all I know, reality might be a dream, or that my memories have been hacked or I made this whole thing up, but I'm 99% sure these life events actually took place.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience at the current time:   Experience was probably real   The distinction between "shortly after" and "at the current time" doesn't really matter because it is really something I am still experiencing.

Have your relationships changed specifically as a result of your experience?   Yes   Periods of anxiety caused by knowledge lead me to feel isolated at times, so I lost friends because of social anxiety. I can also be very awkward, as well, because my knowledge makes me feel confused and distracted. I had trouble getting along with my church for a while because I questioned their ways of thinking. The church I go to now is much more tolerant and progressive. For a while, it made my parents concerned about me, but I think they accept my "strange" beliefs and behaviors now.

Have your religious beliefs/spiritual practices changed specifically as a result of your experience?   Yes   I went from Conservative Christian to agnostic.

At any time in your life, has anything ever reproduced any part of the experience?   Uncertain   I notice that my skills in prayer and the Law of Attraction are improving. In that sense, the experience is being manifested in many forms.

Is there anything else that you would like to add about your experience?   I can't stress it enough: THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX!!! Otherwise, you will remain a mechanical robot for the rest of your life. Don't follow the herd.

Did the questions asked and information that you provided accurately and comprehensively describe your experience?   Yes   In general. Maybe add more questions applying to people who have had prayer experiences.