Last night's profound experience drove me to post on ATS for the first time

Hi everyone!

Although I have followed ATS for about a year now, I have not participated until now. I hope to participate fairly consistently from this point forward so hopefully over time many of you will become familiar with me.

The experience I had last night has driven me to submit this first post.

Last night I fell asleep as normal, but unlike 99% of my nights, I had a dream that began soon after I first fell asleep, and at the dream's conclusion I woke up suddenly. Normally I don't experience dreams until the morning just before I start my day. In fact, it feels inaccurate - unjust even - to call this experience only a dream.

I found myself with several people similar in age to me (I'm 25). I believe their were four of them that took precedence in the dream. 3 women and 1 man. Each was distinct from one another, all with clear personalities and physical features that I could sense acutely, yet they were individuals completely unrelated and disimilar to anyone I know or have known in this life.

I felt guided by them. They could float, fly at will anywhere without assistance, and I was able to follow them. In order for me to fly with them, I simply had to believe that I could. It almost felt like stepping off a cliff, trusting my ability entirely despite my logical mind. I found that very quickly as I showed myself that I could float as well without falling, moving through space by will alone became natural and easy.

I have had flying dreams before, and initially this sensation of believing=flying had been similar in previous dreams, but this dream was different. The sensations were so much more vivid and real. The four individuals in my dream seemed complete, not simply shadows of my consciousness. And yet, space and time were so uniquely indistinct. I consistently had this unusual sensation that we were very small and yet, nothing about my surroundings indicated so. There were vast and towering walls around me, but they were far away from me and indistinct. I felt contained within something vast, yet the space within where I flew felt endless and freeing. Below me stretched an ocean of gently rippling water with no directional waves as you normally see in an ocean. I didn't experience it as the ocean in my dream, but rather a vast plane of water that felt unthreatening and gentle.

The way the dream concluded is what drove me to post this. I was near the surface of the water, floating a few feet above it, when I looked up towards the man in the dream who hovered about 40 ft above me. I wanted to reach him so I willed myself upwards towards him. As I rose, I lifted my hand before me and looked at it and wiggled my outstretched fingers. It was my hand, visually distinct and I could feel myself moving my fingers. I marveled at it, it's realness. Then I spoke, I believe for the first and only time in the dream. I said, "it's remarkable. In reality I know my hand is made of atoms, but here it is made of nothing at all, and yet I can't tell the difference." I looked at the man as I neared his height, and he responded by simply dawning a gentle and knowing smile and shook his head as if to tell me that I was wrong and knew very little. At that moment I suddenly plunged towards the water, falling. I was not scared, but I woke up instantly.

When I awoke, I felt as if I were floating above my bed, though of course I was not. My entire body tingled. I felt as if I had just experienced something very powerful, even spiritual.

Context you should be aware of:
My life as of late has been emotionally quite stressful and difficult. My girlfriend and my parents have had a very strained relationship, a struggle which has put enormous stress on my own relationship with her as well as my family. Before I went to sleep last night I felt very bothered by all of this and have for many months. Today though, I had the good fortune of enjoying dinner with my family and girlfriend together and for the first time things seemed to go extraordinarily well. Everyone was very happy and I sensed that we collectively feel things have finally turned up quite dramatically.

Please know also that as of late I have tried to self-reflect critically and honestly. I have also tried to embrace humility and compassion as much as possible, though like all I am an endless work in progress.


Now that I've gotten that off my chest, I'd like to further introduce myself to the ATS community. Know that first of all I am not religious, nor was I born into any religion. I have not ever been baptized, nor ever attended church. I believe in evolution, consider myself an agnostic only because one cannot know anything with total certainty, but were it not for that truth I would be an atheist. I graduated college a few years ago with Suma Cum Laude highest honors and degrees in English Literature and History. Now I run my own start-up and it seems to be developing nicely. I have traveled much in my life, so far seeing nearly 40 countries, though I have spent the most time in Eastern Europe, India, Nepal and England (I live in America). I have had the fortune of visiting some unique places as well such as Egypt, Turkey and Russia, along with a few places in Latin America and the Galaopagos Islands off of Ecuador. I am at heart a photographer and have grown a global portfolio over time which has complimented some freelance journalism I have dabbled in, but my deepest interests lay in geo-politics. I suppose I tell you all this in order to legitimize myself somewhat and also introduce myself, as I hope to contribute more frequently from now on.

I look forward to reading the responses to this post, and if you have managed to read through all of my blabbering and reached this point, I applaud you. Thanks for listening.

Looks like you had a very vivid dream, possibly lucid.

Thanks for sharing, I don't know if you expect anything from this thread since it is obviously very personal and not supernatural in any way?

a reply to: Squidleepie

Dreams are able to prove concepts of co creation.

The details sometimes can only be explained by spiritual co creation.

I had few dreams in my life that are mind blowing, and you gotta wonder how can my mind create these scenes and stories out of nothing.

You gotta wonder.

originally posted by: Squidleepie
Please know also that as of late I have tried to self-reflect critically and honestly. I have also tried to embrace humility and compassion as much as possible, though like all I am an endless work in progress.

This ^ ^ ^

It was an astral plane. And yes, it felt limited on that plane but yes you could explore it endlessly. There is a way up and out of each plane to the next level. If you had not focused on your hand you would have continued with your co-travelers probably higher up and out to the next. Just thinking about your physical body and the rules we have returns you to it.

Re: your humility and compassion: To continue and enhance your understandings and experiences you might try writing an uplifting phrase on your hand. Every time you think something negative say that phrase to yourself instead. In other words, clean out your mind. You'll be amazed at how much garbage we carry around in there and without it you'll be able to receive more understandings. I've been able to maintain this for a few months here, a few months there and have had some very special moments.

I know this post is kinda cryptic but I just woke up from a great "dream" and couldn't fall back asleep. I checked in on ATS and saw your thread. I guess I need coffee to write more descriptively.

Happy dreams,

STM

Which hand did you reach with and did the man have a face and how did you feel when you saw him?

a reply to: Squidleepie

You dream all night in cycles. You just only remember the last one or two that take place just before waking. That's most of us. We enter a dream state shortly after falling asleep. Then we go onto deep sleep then we come up to dream state again, then deep sleep again. You get the pattern...

Makes me wonder if we can have out-of-body experiences while asleep -- that we mistake for dreams. The ones that feel like real experiences, rather than just a plain old dream. Usually the ones where dead relatives visit, and have distinct conversations with. Those feel different than a plain old dream.

a reply to: Squidleepie
I know the tingling you experienced. I too felt it once and heard a long time ago that it was the sensation you get when the soul is returning to the body. Which I guess could explain the flying.

I've had flying dreams and it always seemed night time in the dreams. I started to wonder if they were even dreams or was it because I was really stepping out at night.

A couple of years ago I had two different dreams that I still remember to this day.

One was there was a large cloud that seemed to be several acres in size. It was in the shape of a hand. People were frightened and running away but for whatever reason, I wasn't scared. I reached up and touch the cloud and just felt instantly calm and relaxed and just like a huge weight had been lifted off me.

The feeling of serenity was with me for several weeks afterwards and even now when I'm stressed I think about it and it calms me.

The second one, I was standing on a beach and I knew in the dream that I was in Alaska. I looked out into the ocean and saw Eskimo children playing and swimming and laughing. I could see the snowy mountains in the distance but the water was apparently warm and the kids were having fun.
Ps. About the warm water...NO I didn't pee on myself.

Wow, you're lucky. I would bet you had one heck of a lucid dream.

Your words could be mine, as well.

Please know also that as of late I have tried to self-reflect critically and honestly. I have also tried to embrace humility and compassion as much as possible, though like all I am an endless work in progress.

a reply to: Squidleepie

You've just confirmed a belief that I've had regarding self-reflection and lucid dreaming. You see, many months ago I spent a good part of an afternoon self-reflecting, deeply. That evening, I had the clearest lucid dream I've ever had. I was burning (flying) through dark blue clouds with a pitch black sky, while simultaneously, in waking reality, listening to my wife silently mull around our bedroom getting ready for work. I was going to try to talk to her but I was scared poop-less that I would lose the dream. Anyways, thank you for sharing, how cool. I believe you are and have been entering the other component of our collective, multidimensional reality. Good Luck.

Woo Hoo.....
Honest self reflection, everyone !! Try it.

Cool dream. I am just curious, can you describe these people in your dream?

I reached out with my right hand (I am right hand dominant). Yes, the man had a face. He had very dark hair and pronounced black eyebrows with somewhat olive toned skin. He was thin as well. He looked Italian perhaps. He didn't look like anyone I personally know.

a reply to: ketsuko

Yes, the man was thin with very dark short hair and pronounced black eyebrows. He had olive toned skin but not tan in any way and looked Italian. As for the women, one was heavier-set with long dark brown straight hair. Another was very short and petite, also with dark brown hair but it was cropped fairly short. The other one was taller than the other two. She was very slender and had sandy blond hair also cropped fairly short. I felt positivity towards and from all of them, and until my interaction with the man at the very end of the dream, no single individual took precedence.
a reply to: RomaSempre

What do you mean by cocreation?
a reply to: PredatorCrackling

In Indian thought there is theorized to be astral worlds more advanced adepts go after they die.
The ordinary rule of materialism do not apply and it is more etheric and aesthetic where more advanced soles continue evolve unless reincarnated again in the world.
a reply to: Squidleepie

a reply to: Squidleepie

Terrific post! S&F.

Wow, I've had some dreams about flying, but nothing like that.

I wonder if the dream reflected that you can sometimes fly above your worries and that things will get better.

Perhaps the beings in the dream had a task to help you, since you were so worried about the relationship between your girlfriend and parents.

Maybe the guy at the end of your dream was the one to guide you back to reality.

Please keep us informed if you continue to have the dream, or up you see any of the people again in subsequent dreams.

originally posted by: Squidleepie
I reached out with my right hand (I am right hand dominant). Yes, the man had a face. He had very dark hair and pronounced black eyebrows with somewhat olive toned skin. He was thin as well. He looked Italian perhaps. He didn't look like anyone I personally know.

a reply to: ketsuko

Reaching out with your right hand doesn't always have much to do what hand dominant you are. Each has its own meaning.

Excuse me for taking the Christian spin on this if you aren't, but it's how I go with my own dreams.

The right hand symbolizes God's strength or long life, and an open hand is symbolic of grace.

Falling expresses a feeling that your life may be spinning out of control or have uncontrollable circumstances. It's also a possible sign of not having God's guidance in life (you did say you were agnostic).

Flight, Flying are both symbolic of easy progress in life and swift progress over obstacles.

There were 4 people flying above you. Four is the symbol of heaven, angels, God's created intelligences.

All in all, this seems like a very re-assuring dream. Whether you believe it or not, you are being looked after, and all you have to do is reach out for assistance and it's there. And if fact, it seems as though your life experiences are bearing this out. I hope it continues to look up for you.

Amazing isn't it? To understand the realities and world's people are missing when "sleeping".

The new agey tag of "being awake", is to be conscious in waking reality, that which you experience within your human body and it's 5 senses (sound, taste, touch, sight, smell).

To have the same conscious awareness when the body is at rest, and to experience fully, what the internal YOU is capable of, is to truely be awake.

You said, in this reality you know your hands are made of atoms. But in the paralell space you were experiencing, it's made if nothing. This is where the man gave you the signal, you were wrong.

And you are! That "body" you were floating/seeing/feeling/speaking/experiencing, in, is made if inner light!

"The internal/eternal Sun".

A hard concept to understand for most. Because they only can relate the light that fire gives off. Yet fire, is an external element that is experienced with the human body's senses. And is not an internal thing. It exists in the universe, not the spirit.

The universe creates with the 4 raw elements, driving chemicals and biology to make up creations. The 5th element, is the electricity, and it flows through everything that is living, though subtle/neutral unless tapped into/harnessed.

Back to the parallel experience. I'm very happy for you to get to witness the internal self. Though the analogy of, toes in the water, is all you get.

Trust me, it's more expansive then you could imagine right now. Those beings you were with, exist in that paralell space too.

Love and best wishes that your relationships and family matters cure, be well

I think you will be meeting the other 5 people shortly.

a reply to: ketsuko

We take unto us with our left hand, we give from us with the right hand.
Hence the wives tale that you're getting something, usually unexpected money, when your left palm itches.