Mystical Experiencer: Male in mid-seventies
Current location: United Kingdom
Age at time of experience: 35
I was in bed, unable to sleep, and I remember feeling very depressed that night. I had recently seen a program on the crucifixion and I began to contemplate the death of Jesus. I became so deeply submerged in the experience that I could feel it psychically. The scourging and beating and the shock of the nails left me numb with pain and horror. How could we do these things to the best and most noble of our species? A feeling of intense desolation was almost immediately followed by an indescribable sensation of joy and unconditional love. I fell asleep wishing I could remain in this joy forever.
The following morning the love and joy still remained…. if anything, more intense than before. I beheld the earth and everything upon it with joy and a sense of oneness. I belonged to it and it to me. We were one…. I loved my fellow man and the mountains and the sea and the sky…. all were one and the same. I was enveloped in unconditional love and had no fear of death or loss. I felt I was in heaven.
I remained in this state for almost two months whilst maintaining my daily life normally. My work and family relationships remained entirely normal. I desperately wanted to remain in this (heaven on earth), but the experience gradually faded and I sadly returned to normality. I am not a religious person and do not attend any church, but I do hold Jesus and his life on earth in great reverence.
Over forty years later, I still remember this episode of my life vividly and have no fear of death or judgement. If this was a taste of heaven, I want to be there… if it was temporary madness, I would recommend it to you all.