The Mystical Experience

[Windwalker]

This is a bit brief of a post for me, but I saw this linked video tonight through IFLS on FB. It shows a color blind man seeing color for the first time. It reminded me of the sorts of deep joy I felt in seeing the world for the first time in my Satori experience. I think when someone 'wakes up" to Reality the first time, it's like this, albeight the sort of thing that kind of drops you to your knees.

How would you describe your first Awakening moment?

 

[Baladas]

I loved that video.

I guess I would describe my first awakening moment as pure joy and awe.
I finally saw the interconnectedness, but more than that, I saw boundaries blur.

Differences seemed inconsequential, and I was filled with a deep love and appreciation for everything.
I found myself laughing at the foolishness of my strongly held allegiances, stances and opinions.
All of that fell away, and became less important than the fusses of toddlers.

Beauty was everywhere all at once, and I saw that I was just a little conduit of energy in a gigantic (possibly infinite) system...
Words fail to capture the majesty of that moment.

 

[YmirGF]

This is a bit brief of a post for me, but I saw this linked video tonight through IFLS on FB. It shows a color blind man seeing color for the first time. It reminded me of the sorts of deep joy I felt in seeing the world for the first time in my Satori experience. I think when someone 'wakes up" to Reality the first time, it's like this, albeight the sort of thing that kind of drops you to your knees.

How would you describe your first Awakening moment?

What an awesome development for colorblind people. That is way, way cool!

And yes, it is very similar in many respects to the "awakening" experience. (Hmmm... you just gave me an idea...)
Given that there is no time and space, my experience is still unfolding, as the conscious me assimilates the experience more fully. It's very much a work in progress, quite literally.
It is pretty hard to describe, but I felt like quite suddenly and unexpectedly I was standing at the centre of a sun, only the sun was me... the "real" me, as it were.
It was an ecstatic experience of unimaginable joy and that joy, that infectious enthusiasm, is something that radiates from me to this very moment. I also realized that though I would continually change, the essence of my personality will never die or be extinguished. That led me to quip one day the perfect epitaph on my headstone, which might be difficult as I wish to be cremated, but if I were to be buried, I'd love my tombstone to state, "He was irrepressible to the end ... but this ought to keep him down!"

 

[psychoslice]

My first Awakening was fantastic, I went through life confused and wondering what it was all about, I went through much depression and always wanted to leave here and go home, I didn't realize what home was. Then one night I fell onto my bed and I disappeared, I felt that I was one with all there is, felt that I was one with the Cosmo, it was beautiful, it changed my whole life. For me it was my mystical experience , and nothing else mattered, I wish this experience for all.

 

[Windwalker]

It is pretty hard to describe, but I felt like quite suddenly and unexpectedly I was standing at the centre of a sun, only the sun was me... the "real" me, as it were.
It was an ecstatic experience of unimaginable joy and that joy, that infectious enthusiasm, is something that radiates from me to this very moment.

This sounds very similar to what my experience was. This video about seeing color for the first time, triggered me recalling an aspect of that experience. What happened for me attempt to describe it is that suddenly the entire Universe opened itself in front of me in a radiant, living Love in everything there was. Every molecule of air vibrated and radiated this living Life which is Love. All that was around me opened its true Nature as Light. The sky and the grass vibrated with colors I had seen my entire life, but had never seen. Blue become truly BLUE for the first time, Green became GREEN. I saw Light everywhere. It was living, radiant Joy.

Then suddenly from the most deepest, unimaginable depths of my own being, this Light and Love came rushing forth out of me out into the world itself in the living exchange of Joy. There was no darkness in anything, my mind was pure and white in the infinite wellspring of Love flowing out of me to the world, and from the world to everything; from everything, to everything, through everything. I saw people walking around and saw this Light surrounding them, coming from them, but then I looked into their eyes and saw them walking about completely unaware of the world around them, and who they were. They were living inside a world inside their heads, unaware and unobservant of what was everywhere. I felt nothing but pure Love for them, aside from a thought of a certain sadness wrapped in Love that they couldn't see this themselves, and know this.

So the video triggered in me seeing his emotional response to seeing the beauty of color, with my own experience seeing 'color' for the first time, which was actually more seeing Reality as it is for the first time. It was like pulling back the veil exposing the true Nature of Reality as it is. Putting on these 'special glasses', as it were and seeing that vibrating Love in everything that exists, and then realizing you are That.

 

[YmirGF]

This sounds very similar to what my experience was. This video about seeing color for the first time, triggered me recalling an aspect of that experience. What happened for me attempt to describe it is that suddenly the entire Universe opened itself in front of me in a radiant, living Love in everything there was. Every molecule of air vibrated and radiated this living Life which is Love. All that was around me opened its true Nature as Light. The sky and the grass vibrated with colors I had seen my entire life, but had never seen. Blue become truly BLUE for the first time, Green became GREEN. I saw Light everywhere. It was living, radiant Joy.

Then suddenly from the most deepest, unimaginable depths of my own being, this Light and Love came rushing forth out of me out into the world itself in the living exchange of Joy. There was no darkness in anything, my mind was pure and white in the infinite wellspring of Love flowing out of me to the world, and from the world to everything; from everything, to everything, through everything. I saw people walking around and saw this Light surrounding them, coming from them, but then I looked into their eyes and saw them walking about completely unaware of the world around them, and who they were. They were living inside a world inside their heads, unaware and unobservant of what was everywhere. I felt nothing but pure Love for them, aside from a thought of a certain sadness wrapped in Love that they couldn't see this themselves, and know this.

So the video triggered in me seeing his emotional response to seeing the beauty of color, with my own experience seeing 'color' for the first time, which was actually more seeing Reality as it is for the first time. It was like pulling back the veil exposing the true Nature of Reality as it is. Putting on these 'special glasses', as it were and seeing that vibrating Love in everything that exists, and then realizing you are That.

This reminded me of when a young Labrador came running into the room and I was quite startled at how ALIVE he was... His fur felt incredible and almost tingling. It was thrilling.

 

[mystic64]

I have only taken LSD-25 once in my life and what you guys are discribing as an experience is what I experienced at that time. As one who claims to be a mystic , because some folks here don't consider me a mystic, I have never had a first big awakening experience. I was born extremely empathic so I have always been able to see and feel the energies and emotions that living things give off. So what Bodhisattva discribed with his young labrador experience has been for me a normal everyday experience for my whole life. And coping with this overwhelming sensory information input has for most of my life been a problem for me. It is not the beauty of life that is the problem, it is the uglyness of it that goes along with the beauty that is the problem. You feel the joy of living things and the pain of living things, both human and animal. And as an experienced yogi I can create the neural chemical environment that causes me to feel bliss or ecstatic or overwhelming love if I choose to. Who knows maybe I haven't gotten as far as you guys have gotten, but to me the awakening experience is when a person reaches the point where they are at peace with the way things are and at peace with themselves. You are in the world but you are not of it. The emotion love is just "on" and a free gift to everything around you and you do what you can to help other living things, human and animal, but at the sametime the things that you do are not a goal, they are just something that you do. To me "awakening" is beyond emotion and beyond knowledge, it is just a calm loving state of being that goes with the flow. Life is just something that you are doing until you are doing something else. I don't know guys, you reach a point where you can play your brain chemistry like a piano and the concept of "awakening" becomes something different than an emotional experience. And an empathic awareness of oneness with all things is like color and sound, it is just a part of the environment that you are participating in at this point in time.

 

[Yerda]

People's experiences of awakening sound like my experiences of tripping. I'm sure they aren't the same, but I remember enjoying them (more than I thought was possible) and feeling changed (and that never went away entirely).

 

[mystic64]

People's experiences of awakening sound like my experiences of tripping. I'm sure they aren't the same, but I remember enjoying them (more than I thought was possible) and feeling changed (and that never went away entirely).

Jaiket, there is a lot to be said about what you said . And that is what makes things very difficut when it come to validating the validity of the mystic experience. At least relative to science anyway. The question is how does one prove to science that the mystic experience is valid? The mystic accesses information and this information comes from the metaphysical world (some unknown place). If the mystic could come up with information that science didn't have that science could validate, then that would be proof that there is some validity to the mystic experience. The problem is that mystics just plain do not apply that challenge to their gift. In my opinion some of the folks in theoretical physics need to get a hold of an experienced mystic that has explored the Divine a bit and have that mystic take a look at some of their stuff to see if he/she can make some suggestions on possible directions that they need to look at. And I think that if they did that that theoretical physics would discover some things that would make the world of theoretical physics interesting quick . Maybe some day.

 

[YmirGF]

I have only taken LSD-25 once in my life and what you guys are discribing as an experience is what I experienced at that time. As one who claims to be a mystic , because some folks here don't consider me a mystic, I have never had a first big awakening experience. I was born extremely empathic so I have always been able to see and feel the energies and emotions that living things give off. So what Bodhisattva discribed with his young labrador experience has been for me a normal everyday experience for my whole life. And coping with this overwhelming sensory information input has for most of my life been a problem for me. It is not the beauty of life that is the problem, it is the uglyness of it that goes along with the beauty that is the problem. You feel the joy of living things and the pain of living things, both human and animal. And as an experienced yogi I can create the neural chemical environment that causes me to feel bliss or ecstatic or overwhelming love if I choose to. Who knows maybe I haven't gotten as far as you guys have gotten, but to me the awakening experience is when a person reaches the point where they are at peace with the way things are and at peace with themselves. You are in the world but you are not of it. The emotion love is just "on" and a free gift to everything around you and you do what you can to help other living things, human and animal, but at the sametime the things that you do are not a goal, they are just something that you do. To me "awakening" is beyond emotion and beyond knowledge, it is just a calm loving state of being that goes with the flow. Life is just something that you are doing until you are doing something else. I don't know guys, you reach a point where you can play your brain chemistry like a piano and the concept of "awakening" becomes something different than an emotional experience. And an empathic awareness of oneness with all things is like color and sound, it is just a part of the environment that you are participating in at this point in time.

I quite like this, mystic64. On empathy, I do know what you mean. I don't think my empathy runs as deeply as yours from the sound of it, but I am much more in "tune" than your average garden gnome. I understand about the bothersome, the ugly side of being, that can be incredibly unsettling. I'm getting older now though (59) and have pretty well learned to "dial back" the impulses when they hit. I still notice, but I am wary about how deeply I LET them affect me. It's a delicate balancing act, to be sure.

 

[mystic64]

I quite like this, mystic64. On empathy, I do know what you mean. I don't think my empathy runs as deeply as yours from the sound of it, but I am much more in "tune" than your average garden gnome. I understand about the bothersome, the ugly side of being, that can be incredibly unsettling. I'm getting older now though (59) and have pretty well learned to "dial back" the impulses when they hit. I still notice, but I am wary about how deeply I LET them affect me. It's a delicate balancing act, to be sure.

Yep YmirGF, It is either learn to do that or become a basket case . And you can't be angry with folks for what they are thinking, you can only be angry with them for what they say out loud. I hate that part .

YmirGF I wanted to ask you something (and others also if they wish), "Does empathy play a role in the mystic experience?" And if so, how much? Just for fun .

 

[YmirGF]

Yep YmirGF, It is either learn to do that or become a basket case . And you can't be angry with folks for what they are thinking, you can only be angry with them for what they say out loud. I hate that part .

YmirGF I wanted to ask you something (and others also if they wish), "Does empathy play a role in the mystic experience?" And if so, how much? Just for fun .

Empathy and emotion play a far greater role in mystical experience than most would have you believe. It's not just a clinical "Mr. Spock" intuit the universe type thing where you automatically understand everything. The experiences always have a deep emotional impact and resonance that stays with you long after the event. Many times, it is the feelings you had during the experience that help to keep the memory fresh. It is my view that the emotional element might just be the binding glue for the intellectual components.

For example, in another thread not too long ago I was being told how the ego is the root of duality and that when you lose the ego all that remains is the "non-dual". After dozens of pages I remain unconvinced that those I was arguing with actually knew what they were talking about even with their claims of so-called "Higher Awareness". What stood out to me was the lack of empathy and compassion for the poor little ego. In my reality, the ego is "part of the family" and it is extremely secure in the knowledge that though someday this current incarnation will end, it will never be forgotten, but more importantly, the larger identity, of which it is a part, will never try to annihilate it or even tell it to go sit in a corner.

 

[Ouroboros]

... but more importantly, the larger identity, of which it is a part, will never try to annihilate it or even tell it to go sit in a corner.

Of course not. There are no corners in an infinite realm...

 

[Goblin]

I saw that the world we live in is bs.
That we could do anything because possibilities are infinite.
I saw my world was in my head, and just because people agree doesn't change that. Their similar world is in their head.
I have no "home" , I'm just a person taking refuge from the weather. I have no "job" I make an agreement that exchanges work for resources.

The things that seem so important and concrete are just one possibility played out.

This happened after the whole ultimate reality thing was realized.
After seeing this I decided to hop a frieght train down south for the coming winter and see what life has in store

 

[roger1440]

How would you describe your first Awakening moment?

Was just a dream?

I chose my words very selectively.

 

[mystic64]

Empathy and emotion play a far greater role in mystical experience than most would have you believe. It's not just a clinical "Mr. Spock" intuit the universe type thing where you automatically understand everything. The experiences always have a deep emotional impact and resonance that stays with you long after the event. Many times, it is the feelings you had during the experience that help to keep the memory fresh. It is my view that the emotional element might just be the binding glue for the intellectual components.

For example, in another thread not too long ago I was being told how the ego is the root of duality and that when you lose the ego all that remains is the "non-dual". After dozens of pages I remain unconvinced that those I was arguing with actually knew what they were talking about even with their claims of so-called "Higher Awareness". What stood out to me was the lack of empathy and compassion for the poor little ego. In my reality, the ego is "part of the family" and it is extremely secure in the knowledge that though someday this current incarnation will end, it will never be forgotten, but more importantly, the larger identity, of which it is a part, will never try to annihilate it or even tell it to go sit in a corner.

YmirGF I knew that you were a deep thinker and had been out there to have a look at things. Yes "duality" is the big kick around word along with "ego". And yes, in my opinion , they are the catch words for the intellectual folks that, for the most part for whatever reason, have "empathy" shut off. So I do agree with you . And it seems to me that what they are attempting to create and promote is a non involved psycho-pathic mind state reality which will ultimately be non functional and go no where. And I agree that it is not about destroying the "ego". In my opinion it is about taming it a bit so that it does not get you in trouble . Some yogi traditions have a concept that is called "samadhi" (I might have spelled it wrong) and basically it is about stepping into a union with something and becoming that something so that you are sharing its conscious experience and state of being. You as an empath can understand what I am talking about here because you can do it to a certain extent. And this union with something can not be truly done without also experiencing that something's emotions as well as its thoughts. And yes durring this union experience your "ego" becomes its "ego". Your "ego" still exists, it is just that your "ego" is quietly listening to things. So it is not about having no "ego" , it is about having a quiet "ego" that has the ability to listen. Now what is funny is that this concept of "samadhi" has been twisted into something else by intellectual type folks that are incapable of emotional union with other living things, for whatever reason. And for me as a yogi the goal is to step into "samadhi" with "the profoundly power force with a conscious mind" that was the first mind to come into existance that survived the experience. What is this entity like? How does it approach us? How can we approach it? With a lot of the old yogis claiming that you can "samadhi" with it . And some folks have accidently done this and they immediately came to the conclusion that they were God because they were experiencing God's experience and what you experience your mind tells you that it is you. From there they teach and promote to others that we are all God. And they call it "Self Realization". And those that are attempting to experience the union from a pure intellectual reality to become "Self Realized" are never going to truly achieve it because emotion is also a part of this "the profoundly power force with a conscious mind". At best they will just be in union with the automated library part of "the profoundly powerful force with a conscious mind". YmirGf, now I am the one who is weird. Unless of course one is an empath .

 

[YmirGF]

YmirGF I knew that you were a deep thinker and had been out there to have a look at things. Yes "duality" is the big kick around word along with "ego". And yes, in my opinion , they are the catch words for the intellectual folks that, for the most part for whatever reason, have "empathy" shut off. So I do agree with you . And it seems to me that what they are attempting to create and promote is a non involved psycho-pathic mind state reality which will ultimately be non functional and go no where. And I agree that it is not about destroying the "ego". In my opinion it is about taming it a bit so that it does not get you in trouble . Some yogi traditions have a concept that is called "samadhi" (I might have spelled it wrong) and basically it is about stepping into a union with something and becoming that something so that you are sharing its conscious experience and state of being. You as an empath can understand what I am talking about here because you can do it to a certain extent. And this union with something can not be truly done without also experiencing that something's emotions as well as its thoughts. And yes durring this union experience your "ego" becomes its "ego". Your "ego" still exists, it is just that your "ego" is quietly listening to things. So it is not about having no "ego" , it is about having a quiet "ego" that has the ability to listen. Now what is funny is that this concept of "samadhi" has been twisted into something else by intellectual type folks that are incapable of emotional union with other living things, for whatever reason. And for me as a yogi the goal is to step into "samadhi" with "the profoundly power force with a conscious mind" that was the first mind to come into existance that survived the experience. What is this entity like? How does it approach us? How can we approach it? With a lot of the old yogis claiming that you can "samadhi" with it . And some folks have accidently done this and they immediately came to the conclusion that they were God because they were experiencing God's experience and what you experience your mind tells you that it is you. From there they teach and promote to others that we are all God. And they call it "Self Realization". And those that are attempting to experience the union from a pure intellectual reality to become "Self Realized" are never going to truly achieve it because emotion is also a part of this "the profoundly power force with a conscious mind". At best they will just be in union with the automated library part of "the profoundly powerful force with a conscious mind". YmirGf, now I am the one who is weird. Unless of course one is an empath .

I chuckled when I read this because it reminded me of the "Silence" or "Emptiness". I am pretty sure that you will understand, but in this ineffable silence and emptiness there is a curious wrinkle. Though it is more apparent in the "emptiness" one notices, upon reflection, that they were there witnessing, experiencing, being the emptiness... so it wasn't really empty at all. Lastly, I really appreciate what you are saying. In my view, you are quite correct, the focus self (the you we are most familiar with) begins to see reality from different perspectives which, in turn, enhance or expand the sense of self. It's not that the ego mushrooms ever-outward, though the "I am god" state is perhaps its pinnacle, the ego slowly begins to appreciate that it is a necessary part of a much larger framework... that directly supports its very existence.

 

[mystic64]

I chuckled when I read this because it reminded me of the "Silence" or "Emptiness". I am pretty sure that you will understand, but in this ineffable silence and emptiness there is a curious wrinkle. Though it is more apparent in the "emptiness" one notices, upon reflection, that they were there witnessing, experiencing, being the emptiness... so it wasn't really empty at all. Lastly, I really appreciate what you are saying. In my view, you are quite correct, the focus self (the you we are most familiar with) begins to see reality from different perspectives which, in turn, enhance or expand the sense of self. It's not that the ego mushrooms ever-outward, though the "I am god" state is perhaps its pinnacle, the ego slowly begins to appreciate that it is a necessary part of a much larger framework... that directly supports its very existence.

In my opinion YmirGF, you have put that very well !

 

[methylatedghosts]

What an awesome development for colorblind people. That is way, way cool!

And yes, it is very similar in many respects to the "awakening" experience. (Hmmm... you just gave me an idea...)
Given that there is no time and space, my experience is still unfolding, as the conscious me assimilates the experience more fully. It's very much a work in progress, quite literally.
It is pretty hard to describe, but I felt like quite suddenly and unexpectedly I was standing at the centre of a sun, only the sun was me... the "real" me, as it were.
It was an ecstatic experience of unimaginable joy and that joy, that infectious enthusiasm, is something that radiates from me to this very moment. I also realized that though I would continually change, the essence of my personality will never die or be extinguished. That led me to quip one day the perfect epitaph on my headstone, which might be difficult as I wish to be cremated, but if I were to be buried, I'd love my tombstone to state, "He was irrepressible to the end ... but this ought to keep him down!"

I imagine the song during your cremation being "come on baby, light my fire" by the doors...

 

[allfoak]

@Windwalker

I have had many experiences such as the person in the video has had.
Many of which happened in my youth.

I had an experience once that made me feel clean inside.
It was like i had been given a second chance at life.
I felt free.
The clarity that came with that has stayed with me all of my life.

I am finding that these experiences are just a small portion of the bigger picture.
What has been happening to me lately is that i am gaining more and more clarity in my life just through understanding my own mundane experiences.
Washing the dishes and cleaning the house have taken on new meaning.
I am beginning to experience the feeling the gentleman in the video experienced regularly.

What i am learning from this is that these experiences are not supposed to be few and fleeting but rather the norm.
The clarity and understanding that comes from each one brings one to a higher and higher place that allows for this feeling to remain.
It is kind of like seeing the world from the eyes of a child and the understanding of an adult.

The experiences are becoming secondary to the knowledge, wisdom and clarity gained through them.