Eyes of an Angel Page 9

  Again I opened my eyes, and again I was instantly transported back to my body, seeing only the fallen book in the light of the reading lamp. Closing my eyes once more, I found myself back in front of the mirror, staring at the room behind me, marveling at the peculiar physics of the out-of-body state.

  The annoying music, however, was still playing so I decided to try another experiment. I wondered if it would be possible to affect physical matter and shut off the TV while in my energy body. Reaching the knob on the front panel, I twisted it counterclockwise. There was a distinct clicking sound and, to my amazement, both picture and sound went dead. But almost immediately it came back on. I tried again. There was a click, the TV seemed to shut down, but then came back on.

  This was beginning to unnerve me. The irritating music continued, and I was no further ahead. I had to find out what was going on. In frustration, I turned back towards the bed and dove into my body. Sitting up, I then leapt out of bed and headed over to the TV. As I got to within a couple of feet of it, I stopped in disbelief. To shut off this particular set, you had to push the button in, not turn it. I reached out with my physical hand, pushed the button to “Off,” and returned to bed.

  Sleep, however, was not possible. After tossing and turning, I got up and retraced my steps through the room. Why had I so clearly felt the button turn and click off? Previously, I had read accounts of others who reported similar anomalies while out of body. On astral journeys, they had noticed oddities such as furniture or other objects out of place. Since that night, I've never again encountered such an anomaly. Over the years, I have often contemplated the details of that particular experience, and the TV quirk still remains a mystery to me.

  For some time, I also wondered why I hadn't been able to see my astral body in the mirror. I have, however, come up with a possible answer to that question. A mirror in our physical world can only reflect that which is visible in the physical world. Our astral or energy bodies operate at much higher rates of vibration, beyond the spectrum of physical light. So even though I could look down and see my energy body, I would not be able to see its physical manifestation in a mirror, because it is simply not physical.

  6

  Guidance

  Then steadfast courage and honor bequest

  The hand of God we'll squarely test

  Until lust for battle be lost in the fray

  And restless spirit lights the way

  Throughout our lives, most of us encounter moments of deja vu, those elusive memory jolts that give us the impression that we may have had the same experience before. It might be a conversation, an incident, a feeling of familiarity with a place we've never been, or a knowing that we've had the identical experience at a previous time, but just can't remember it clearly. Other times, we receive flashes of intuition or receive answers to difficult problems seemingly out of nowhere. Occasionally I had such experiences and wondered what it was all about.

  To my delight, I had been able to arrange another trip to The Monroe Institute. They referred to this second weeklong seminar as “Guidelines.” As its name suggested, the program was designed to help participants search within to identify and experience the subtle communication from so-called spirit guides.

  Based on the experiences of Robert Monroe and numerous other out-of-body explorers, it was postulated that every person has one or more spirit guides assisting them throughout life. This wasn't a new concept to me. I had been taught as a child that we all had guardian angels looking after us. My problem was that I had never seen evidence of anything like an angel and had difficulty buying into the idea. However, considering some of the seemingly impossible experiences I'd been through, it was certainly worth checking out.

  The “Guidelines” protocol was the same as before. We were each assigned to our own specially designed rooms, where all sensory distractions could be blocked out, enabling us to move easily into controlled altered states.

  Unfortunately, the first couple of days were a rerun of my first visit to the Institute. Tired after the long trip, I could hardly make it through a single session without falling asleep. I decided not to waste time worrying about it, and by the afternoon of the second day, an energizing vibration began building within me.

  As the morning session began, it wasn't long before I felt myself settling into a deep hypnagogic trance with the now familiar flashes of hyper-consciousness. Slowly my thoughts and attention drifted away from my body, leaving me in a warm, comfortable void.

  I loved this part. The clarity of mind was such that I could drift for hours in the euphoria of expanded consciousness. I always felt a strong connection with what seemed like a never-ending universal awareness of all things. Images, thoughts, concepts, and living scenes played out in my mind. Sometimes it felt as though I was watching my own dreams, but without the confusion and scattered emotion that normally accompanies them. Absorbed in my thoughts, I lost track of time; I could spend an hour or a moment, it didn't matter. It was so utterly enjoyable.

  The abrupt sound of Monroe's voice shunted my attention back to the present. He was asking us to return to normal waking consciousness. I couldn't believe that 45 minutes had passed.

  I didn't want the session to end. A powerful energy had just begun rippling through me. It was an opportunity I couldn't pass up; they would have to do the debriefing without me. Concentrating on the vibration, I thought about separating from my body. The next thing I knew, I was floating towards the ceiling.

  It would be just a matter of minutes before the waking signal would pull me back to my body, so I had to make a decision. Where to go? I thought about my wife back home and wondered if it would be possible to make the long trip to see her. In the next instant, I found myself hovering in bright sunlight over the front entrance of a building with a strange roof design. I wasn't sure where I was, but the street seemed familiar. A few moments later, as I glanced around for clues, a vehicle pulled up to the sidewalk and stopped. It was a car I knew well.

  I realized I was floating over the front entrance of the primary school where my wife worked as a secretary. Delighted, I watched intently as Candace hurried up the long sidewalk, and passing right below me, opened the door and rushed into the building.

  I took a mental note of what she was wearing: a matching outfit with a blouse and walking shorts, white with light blue flowers throughout. These details would help verify the fact that I had made the three-thousand-mile trip home in a fraction of a second. I would be able to describe the weather as well as my wife's clothing.

  Something, however, seemed amiss. It occurred to me that it had to be nearly ten o'clock. Why was Candace only now arriving for work? She had to be two hours late.

  I was just about to drop down through the roof to follow her into the office, when I felt an insistent tug. It was the beta signal on the headphones calling me back to Virginia. The session had obviously ended. Surrendering to the pull, I slammed back into my body.

  Puzzled, I remained still for a couple of minutes, contemplating my journey. Why would Candace be going to work at almost ten o'clock? Then it occurred to me. I had forgotten about the two-hour time difference between Virginia and home, where it was only 8 A.M.

  During the debriefing and chat sessions on the previous day, our instructors talked about the various experiences that some participants commonly reported during Guidelines seminars. Some reported encounters with spirit guides, loved ones who had passed on, and some even talked about previous lifetimes.

  I had serious reservations about things such as past lives. As a Catholic, reincarnation wasn't part of our belief system. To us, it was just some silly illusion of those Eastern religions. In retrospect, I can't believe what a skeptic I was. For almost two years I had been floating through walls and flying into outer space. I had seen the spirit of my dying sister. Yet I still resisted the possibility that we could live more than one life.

  The concept of guardian angels had been somewhat easier to swallow as these beings were act
ually alluded to, albeit in vague terms, in the Bible. I reasoned that the term “spirit guides,” might well refer to the same beings. It could have been just a different name for angels. I filed this stuff under the “I'll believe it when I see it” category, and got up to join the group.

  The afternoon session began later than usual. But it didn't take me long to settle into a relaxed state. While my mind wandered in a dark, comfortable void, I soon forgot about my sleeping body.

  The purpose of the session was to introduce us to a new type of frequency. Designed to create a shift in our vibrations, it would give us the opportunity to experience a new dimension. As Monroe's calm voice reverberated over the headphones, I was having difficulty concentrating on his directions. The energy within me was strong, but I kept drifting off into my own thoughts, barely aware of Monroe's instructions. To make matters worse, my mind also seemed to be falling asleep. I kept clicking in and out of consciousness.

  It was from one of these lapses that I became aware of a spinning vibration in the pit of my stomach. Different than anything I had experienced before, it was nearly nauseating. I was trying to get a grip on it, when I suddenly found myself floating in strange surroundings, about 15 feet above the ground. Wherever I was, it was nighttime.

  In the dim glow of a small yard light, my attention was drawn to a gleaming object lying in the thick, dew-covered grass below. It appeared to be a polished, nickel-plated handgun like some of the semiautomatic pistols I had seen on television. I was puzzled. I hadn't the foggiest idea where I was or why.

  As I floated in place, trying to figure out what was happening, I felt another surge of energy and, a moment later, I was looking down on a pair of hands over a washbasin. Beside the basin, an old, hand-operated water pump was bolted to the counter top. Below me, someone reached out, pumped water into the basin, and began to wash his hands. To my surprise, the wash water quickly turned to red. It looked like blood.

  My thoughts were all questions. Whose hands were these? My hands? It didn't feel like they were. Whose blood? Had I killed someone? Had somebody killed me?

  The scene faded and I next found myself in a long frame building looking down at a dirty wooden floor. Feeling suddenly fatigued, my mind reeled at the realization that I was now inside a physical body wracked with pain. At the front of the building, a uniformed army officer sat at a wide official-looking desk. Pacing in front of the desk was another soldier in combat gear. He was screaming at me in a Slavic tongue. I couldn't understand a word he was saying, but somehow I knew that this man was going to kill me. Almost faint from prolonged, intense pain, I couldn't bear much more. I just wanted him to get it over with.

  A moment later, I was again floating in the night air, looking down on tall green grass. I had a startling realization. This was indeed another place and time. It was a scene from a previous life. As if in answer to an unstated question, I heard the words “nineteen-forty-four” in my mind. I understood. This was the year of my previous death.

  The next thing I knew, I was back in my body in the present world. Pulling off my headphones, I drew a deep breath and stretched out on the bed. There was a lot to think about. No longer did I doubt the possibility of past lives. Reincarnation was a reality.

  Upset that the session ended so quickly, I had many unanswered questions. Who was I in that lifetime? How did it end? As I finally got up and prepared for the debriefing room, I could only hope that someday these questions would be answered.

  The rest of the day was a blur. I spent most of the time wrapped up in my own thoughts. I couldn't shake the images. Each scene played over and over in my mind. The questions and possibilities were endless. As I finally drifted off to sleep for the night, it was clear that there was so much more I needed to learn.

  The next morning I awoke early and trudged off to the washroom. Upon checking my wristwatch, I noted that it was only 5:30. Since the wakeup call on the room speakers came at 7:00 A.M., I headed back to bed, hoping to get at least another hour of sleep.

  With the soothing sound of ocean surf playing in the background, I settled in under the covers, reflecting on the experiences of the past week. There hadn't been anything earthshattering, but I had learned a few new things. Most significantly, I had actually experienced a piece of a past life. That meant another big shift in my perception of reality.

  As I pondered the recent changes to my worldview, I began to notice a subtle vibration exerting pressure against the inside of my forehead. A new sensation, it seemed to be slowly but steadily increasing in intensity. With the exception of the vibration, it felt a lot like the beginning of a sinus headache.

  Deciding to let the process unfold, I relaxed and waited for what would follow. The pressure continued to build, growing increasingly uncomfortable. When I began to wonder if I could stand much more, it abruptly released. It was as if a jet of air had puffed through the center of my forehead, creating an aperture that I could see through. At first only a small speck of light appeared, but the vibration inside my head began to surge and, ever so slowly, the opening grew wider. Soon, it seemed like I was peering through a long dark tunnel. I wondered if this vision was what some referred to as the third eye, or was it instead the type of tunnel people described in near-death experiences. Then I began to worry. Why was this happening? Could I be dying? No sooner had this thought crossed my mind, than a feeling of peace and well-being began to flow through me.

  The exquisite vibration, which earlier seemed to be confined to my head, now surged through my entire body, intensifying as it spread. It wasn't long before my every molecule felt as if it were being gently massaged from within. As I drew nearer to what appeared to be the end of the tunnel, my anticipation became almost unbearable. I was shaking like a leaf in a breeze.

  Softly, like sunlight filtering through the morning mist, a wonderful golden light began pouring into the opening, enveloping me, bathing me. Overwhelmed by powerful emotions, I found myself irresistibly drawn into the light. There was nothing I had ever wanted more.

  For several moments I floated in place, soothed by the vibrating glow. Whatever this light was, it filled me with the warmth of complete love and acceptance. I would have been willing to stay forever, but as the minutes passed I felt a compulsion to move on. I thought I heard someone calling my name, and I could not resist. Someone was waiting for me to move through the brightness to the other side.

  I had to know what the next step would bring. With increasing excitement, I moved through the opening. The golden light faded, and before me appeared the most beautiful vista I had ever seen. Billowing white clouds floated through a pristine sky. In the distance, my eyes were drawn to a horizon of beautiful snow-covered mountain peaks. Spilling out of the mountains, a forest of magnificent blue green trees cascaded down the slopes to the valley below. Alive with every imaginable color and variety of flower, dazzling grass-covered hills swept up from the valley and across a small clearing to a stand of vibrant fruit trees beside me. The smell of the blossoms, flowers, and grass was intoxicating. “If this isn't Heaven,” I mused, “then it sure ought to be.”

  While soaking in the natural beauty of my surroundings, I began to have the feeling that someone was watching me. Cautiously turning to my left, I was surprised by the presence of two men a few feet away. Dressed in tan, monklike robes, warm smiles spread across their faces as they bowed their hooded heads in greeting. My mind raced with excitement. Who were they? They looked so familiar. I was certain I had seen them before.

  As if in answer to my thoughts, the man on the left reached up and pulled back his hood. Deeply tanned, with short black wavy hair and a full beard, his beautiful dark eyes burned their way into my soul. Appearing to be around 35, he had a trim, but stocky physique. With eyes twinkling, he greeted me. “Hi Paul. My name is Meldor.” The other man, a bit younger and slimmer, was cleanshaven with medium brown hair and blue eyes. Smiling warmly, he just said, “Hi.”

  I was stunned. They had actually spoken to
me. It was the same as speaking with any person in the physical world. I clearly and distinctly heard their voices. But how could they know my name? For some reason I thought communicating with a spirit would be different from this. I'm sure that my thoughts must have been as plain as the confusion written all over my face.

  Meldor's expression took on a look you might expect from an amused, loving parent answering a child's question. “We have known you through eternity, in many, many lifetimes. It's taken a while in this incarnation, but we are delighted that we have finally been able to make you aware of our presence.”

  With that, he smiled, and a beautiful golden aura began to form around the two beings. Growing in brightness, it enveloped both of them, slowly radiating towards me. Cautiously, I pulled back, bracing myself as the wave of energy hit. Within seconds, my body began to vibrate with the purest feeling of love and acceptance I'd ever experienced. At first, it practically took my breath away. But when I felt the love and trust it engendered, I closed my eyes, allowing the wonderful energy to envelop me.

  How long I basked in their aura I didn't know, but at some point I began to feel the embrace of Meldor's mind within my own. I could feel his vibration and hear his thoughts: “We are pleased that we have been able to spend this short time with you, but it is now time for us to withdraw. In a moment your consciousness will be drawn back to your body and you will not be able to see us, but please know that we are always available to you. You need only to search within. Call us and we will be with you.”

  The love and appreciation that I felt for these two beings seemed unlimited. My heart ached. I wanted them to know this, but I was speechless. I managed to express only two simple words. “Thank you.”