Experience description:
My
airline colleague friend Carla and I had won a trip to Japan to visit Expo 70 in
Osaka . We were both ticket office staff in UK and took the opportunity to visit
a number of places during a 3 week holiday including Tokyo, Kyoto, Hong Kong,
Bangkok and Bombay (now Mumbai)
We
compromised on places to visit and as Carla was very interested in Buddhism Zen
and Japanese culture we visited a temple in Kyoto famed for its rock garden.
The boulders and rocks are arranged in groups on the ground and the gravel
around them is raked into wave like patterns. Visitors generally go there to
meditate on the arrangement of rocks and I think the pattern of the gravel helps
them to de-focus. Before we went in the rock garden we went through the tea
ceremony.
I
have to say that at the time I really wasn't interested in Oriental culture,
least of all pursuits like yoga and meditation. I loathe soccer and so standing
staring at a bunch of rocks was about as exciting to me as having to watch a
game of football. Everyone was staring at the rocks and I should say the
majority were Japanese or Oriental who were meditating. My companion was trying
to meditate in the hope of having some sort of revelation. I decided to just go
along with it and stared earnestly at the rocks.
Quite suddenly I popped out of my body and had a bird's eye view of the garden
below. This was a frightening experience and I quickly popped back. I have tried
to rationalize the cause and think it may well have been me picking up vibes
from the meditators as well as having my eyes de-focused by the gravel. I have
had incidents of telepathy, premonition and a ghost sighting in my younger years
but this out of body leap was the most shocking.
I
sometimes wonder if it was a 'wake up call', as since that experience I have
learned to appreciate Japanese art and culture and taken an interest in Buddhism
, as well as enjoying exercise like Tai Chi and qi gong
It
wasn't the most spectacular OBE on record but it did happen. I did not tell my
companion or our Japanese hosts at the time because i thought nobody would
believe me
Any associated medications or
substances with the potential to affect the experience?
No
Was the kind of experience
difficult to express in words?
No
At the time of this experience, was
there an associated life threatening event?
No
What was your level of
consciousness and alertness during the experience?
I was alert and startled at the speed of
exit
Was the experience dream like in any way?
No, it felt very real
Did you experience a separation of
your consciousness from your body?
Uncertain I only saw the rock garden from
above and didn't know at first what must have happened
What emotions did you feel during
the experience?
Adrenaline? The
feeling of going up in a fast lift (elevator)
Did you hear any unusual sounds or
noises?
The garden was
very quiet
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?
No
Did you see a light?
No
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?
No
Did you notice how your 5 senses
were working, and if so, how were they different?
No
Did you have any sense of altered
space or time?
No
Did you have a sense of knowing,
special knowledge, universal order and/or purpose?
No
Did you reach a boundary or
limiting physical structure?
No
Did you become aware of future
events?
No
Were you involved in or aware of a
decision regarding your return to the body?
Uncertain Once I was at altitude I
desperately wanted to get back to ground level
Did you have any psychic,
paranormal or other special gifts following the experience that you did not have
prior to the experience?
No
Did you have any changes of
attitudes or beliefs following the experience?
Yes Following this and other
experiences I have become more interested in and less sceptical about the
paranormal. I have investigated various
philosophies and religions and I now regard myself as spiritual rather than
religious
How has the experience affected
your relationships? Daily life? Religious practices? Career choices?
Not aware it has affected the
above. I think of it as an experience I had to have
Has your life changed specifically
as a result of your experience?
No
Have you shared this experience
with others?
Yes Only with close friends as I
got older. Depends on the person. People either accept/believe in paranormal or
they don't
What emotions did you experience
following your experience?
Doubt. Did that
really just happen to me?
What was the best and worst part of
your experience?
The best part
was that what promised to be a dull visit turned out to be an exciting and
unique adventure. Also the knowledge that it is possible to leave your body. The
worst part was the sudden unexpected and involuntary act of doing it
Is there anything else you would
like to add concerning the experience?
To my knowledge
I have not met anyone else who has had any sort of OBE and I wonder how
commonplace it it
Following the experience, have you
had any other events in your life, medications or substances which reproduced
any part of the experience?
No
Did the questions asked and
information you provided accurately and comprehensively describe your
experience?
Yes Yes they did
Please offer any suggestions you
may have to improve this questionnaire.
In my case, No.
My OBE was so fast and unremarkable in many ways