Altered State Experience That Changed My Perception of Life

I don't often make threads but I experienced something this past weekend that I cannot put my finger on. Ever since I've felt slightly different. I feel as though there is more meaning in everything and that I may have had a close encounter or direct connection to whatever the higher power or "creator" is. Keep in mind, I'm not one that easily buys into this sort of thing and I've been a skeptic when it comes to experiences such as this one. I would just mark it off as being "all in your head" or that sort of thing. Well, I was wrong.. I'm not afraid to admit it. I experienced something very real.

It was Saturday around eleven AM. My girlfriend and I decided to go get something to eat for lunch and went to a smaller family owned "cafe" that we hadn't been to before. We went in and seated ourselves. The place was pretty cozy, and fairly empty when we went in. Maybe two or three older couples, a lady and her baby and a few waitresses. We sat down, browsed through our menus and decided on what we'd eat. I chose the Reuben, and sweet potato fries. She chose a cranberry almond turkey wrap. Not that either of those things really pertain to the story, but for some reason my brain took note of this. After ordering we talked on and off, between a phone call or a text message here and there. Did some minor people watching as people came in and out. Then all at once something started to change. She received a text message from her mother and began to respond. I was sitting across from her silently, just kind of observing people in the cafe. I noticed the light shining through the windows; solid beams of light that the dust had captured.
There were lights on inside, but these beams of light lit everything up and not too brightly. It was a nice subtle light, but very vivid and warming in a way. I looked around and noticed all of the little things happening. Everyone was having a conversation, words were being exchanged, expressions were being made. People were going through the movements. Everyone with their own individual consciousness. The odd part was, I could listen and decipher everything going on around me. One older fellow talking about the football game the night before, a child with another couple that had come in asking for chocolate milk, an older man sneezing as he read the newspaper. It was sort of overwhelming. I cannot accurately describe how I was feeling. The other strange part was that I could almost "see" or sense in a manner, connections between people. I say connections because its the easiest term I can use to describe it. I felt this energy being exchanged between my girlfriend and I and I could see that there was some blockage between the waitress and the people she was serving. There was something "different" about everything.
I felt lifted in a sense, but at the same time anxious because of this new feeling. It was like the awe of deja vu, but constant and what seemed like 10 or 15 minutes, but it was really only a minute or so. I could function just fine, nothing with me seemed out of the ordinary but I was kind of awestruck. I felt like I was experiencing LIFE on a whole new level. It was like an extreme moment of clarity, a divine moment of truth. Information filled my head so quickly I couldn't take it all in. It was overwhelming. Then, just as quickly as it came on it vanished. My girlfriend said my name and began laughing about her mother's text message. The food was being placed on the table and I was back to existing the way I had before. I felt closer to whatever it is that makes all of this happen, and I still do. I don't want to call it enlightenment.. I'll call it a moment of clarity I guess. To quote Radiohead.. Everything was in its right place. Everything was perfect. It felt like the world was putting on a show for me. Everyone was an actor and I the observer. I can't describe it.

Has anyone experienced anything like this? Can anyone give me some incite? I'd love to hear your opinions or similar stories.

The guy who is usually the Devil's Advocate,
ZiggyMojo

I'd go with a moment of clarity, or expanded awareness.

Just a glimpse into the real world, by accident or otherwise.

Just appreciate it for what it is, you could spend a lifetime trying to understand the mechanics of the universe.

.. and, I always liked that song.

reply to post by ZiggyMojo


Welcome to my world ZiggyMojo, not much more to say other than you are not the only one and that it is definiately ]IMHO not wise to start using the religious card and trying to pair up your experiences with any false idolised figurehead. Simply keep an open mind don't label anything consciously (roll with it) and see where your next experience takes you. Frustrating but to say anymore will cloud your own thoughts with mine.

Thank you for the responses so far. I knew I wasn't going crazy or anything. I really felt something inside of me, and it was as if I was seeing "life" in every aspect, instead of one narrow view. I could see the most minute things, like the slow rising of people's chests as they would breathe. The hardest part for me to handle was how I saw EVERYTHING going on and felt everything going on and my brain was able to interpret it all. I'm not one to subscribe to any religion, I've built my own beliefs on my experiences and knowledge but whatever it was I felt, made me feel closer to the "oneness" of everything. I felt as though we were all one organism, and I was aware of all that was happening. To compare, it would be like running your hand through a pool of water and feeling the water all over your hand as it flowed between and over the ridges of your skin. It was like that, with all of my cognitive senses. I was very acute. I'm really interested to find out more about these type of experiences... Maybe I'll be lucky enough to venture into that realm again.. I don't know what it was, or what it meant but it felt right.

Looks similar to what I've experienced on 3.5g of mushrooms. That feeling of understanding everything, having all the knowledge in the whole universe. I feel ya!

I'm pleased to hear you've had this experience Ziggy, I haven't really experienced it outside of an exogenous substance but I know exactly what you mean. Almost as if your third eye was opened temporarily for whatever reason. It seems you are waking up good sir, and just in time. Try to tap back into that as much as possible.

reply to post by d00d557


I've always been interested in opening the third eye. I've read up on meditation and some additional exercises to help with it, but I've never really sat down and done anything with that knowledge. I think that may change though now that I've had this experience. I don't know that I'll be able to forcibly have that feeling again, it kind of just came on, and I feel like part of it was the atmosphere I was in. Everything seemed perfect in a very strange way. It was like the stars aligning on a much smaller level. Everything was in sync, to some silent symphony in my head. On a different note, I have been having much more vivid dreams since about midsummer. Very lucid in fact. I had one just last night where I was swimming in water, just crystal clear in a lake surrounded by tall rock ledges. I could open my eyes underneath and see the fish, and fallen trees. I could even feel the sensation of holding my breath while I went under. I've been having dreams of varying situations, but extremely vivid like that for awhile. If I'm awakening, I like it. I can't really say for certain what it is. I'll just have to let everyone know what unfolds.




Gab1159: It wasn't like that at all. Something much clearer, less "omnipotent". This may violate T&C. Dunno tho.

reply to post by ZiggyMojo


Your pineal gland just gave you a couple extra squirts of '___'. Being a child of the 60s, I experienced your experience so many times [with and without] that I incorporated it into my lifestyle.; Detachment from the trivial and a hedonistic rush to all things pleasurable and artistic. Yep, it certainly does change your perception of life, huh?

With this new awareness of yours; I would think that you could be nicer and not so arrogant on the boards.