Archive for March 2012
The Lower High Way
“The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.” – Joseph Campbell
What a drag high school could be. Or maybe it was just school in general. Or maybe it was because by the time I reached high school I had already been to six different schools. Six schools in nine years, through eighth grade (counting kindergarten). And then high school came around, and I was in three schools in four years. So a total of nine different schools in my 13 years of public education. Yeah, that was probably it. Not much stability in that. And then add to that that I was a shy kid, so not much else for me to be but a loner. But I got used to that, even though I was in a large family. So, as the oldest of seven kids, I pretty much kept to myself. But oddly enough, I got good grades in school, but looking back now I think it was because it was too easy. I rarely felt challenged, and I just floated through with not a lot of effort.
My main escape was my own imagination. And boy could I put that into overdrive. At eleven and twelve I remember hording comic books and going into the closet with a flashlight, closing the closet and reading comic book after comic book. And flying away with my heroes to other worlds. And no one in family really knowing where I was. But then by the time I was 14, I found a Playboy magazine and everything changed. Even, of course, the direction of my imagination.
The Dark-Haired Girl
“A magic dwells in each beginning, protecting us, telling us how to live.” – Hermann Hesse
So, back to those OOBE’s I had as a child (see previous post). I had almost forgotten about an important element that occurred in my last couple experiences. While floating around my room, a transparent little girl about my age appeared. And she was floating just like me. The first time she just faded in and out. The second time she tried to talk to me, but I’m not sure I completely got what she said. It seemed she was trying to tell me not to go. What that meant, I had no idea. I didn’t know I was going anywhere, was I? Funny thing, that was my last experience (in that series). Yes, I had some more in my teen years. But what was really important here was, that I would meet this little girl as a grownup many years later. Yes, quite amazing. And what topped it off was, I would know her for many years before I realized this fact. And that adventure, and that mystery, would continue … and still does …
Floating Away
“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.” – Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
When I was about six years old, I think, a series of odd experiences overtook my small life. And at that time, made life much larger than I thought it ever could be. I flew, no popped, right out of my body. Not once, but numerous times. Say what?
Now at this time, I had no idea what an OOBE (out-of-body-experience) was. Hey, I was six, I barely knew what the hell an IBE (in-body-experience) was. So now I’m supposed to deal with flying around my room above my body, all over the damn place? At this point, I just wanted my mommy! Waa!!
And yes, there she was down with my body trying to comfort me. As I looked down at her from one the corners in the ceiling of my bedroom. I was sick and had a high fever, and she was trying to help me. But hey, mommy, I’m up here!
And why did I see everything from an exaggerated fish-eye type lens perspective? Wow, this was tripping and I didn’t even know what tripping was. All I knew is I didn’t like it. Then all of a sudden I was back in my body. Oh wow, no wonder I got out. I feel like crap. I was sick all right.