Mystical Experiencer: Male in early fifties
Current location: United Kingdom
Age at time of experience: 42
It was a beautiful, clear, autumn day and I was taking my 10-week-old son out into town for the first time; just me and him. I felt a little anxious but extremely proud to be a dad. As I pushed his pram along the pavement, heading toward central Colchester, I was smiling and feeling generally happy, enjoying the moment.
A black guy smiled at me as he walked past and I sensed a feeling of love or joy in his heart. It was as if our hearts were connected by an energy force. Then, everything was seen with a strong sense of gratitude; the path I was walking on, the lamp-posts, the buildings, the cars etc. “Someone has made this path; someone invented lamp-posts; someone designed those buildings and those windows; cars – what a great invention…” There was a sense of wonder at everything around me.
This feeling intensified as I carried on walking along the path. Within a few seconds, I felt as if I had merged with my surroundings. There was no separation between myself and that which ‘I’ observed; I had become one with everything. There was no subject-object, no ‘me’ and ‘that’.
Everything and everyone were made of the same ‘stuff’ and as ‘I’ pondered what this ‘stuff’ could be; the only word that could describe it was ‘Love’. The whole universe is made of love. Time no longer existed in this state. I was out of time and out of my personal ego/mind and connecting up with a far greater reality.
I walked through the park as if floating, the pram seemingly pushing itself.
When I finally came out onto the high street, the ‘oneness’ started to fade, and I returned to ‘normal’ consciousness. However, I felt born again, brand new, that something had awakened in me.
For days afterwards, I felt emotionally closer to loved ones, indeed, anyone I came into contact with; more empathic, more compassionate, more caring.
I retraced my walk some time afterwards to work out the duration of the mystical experience and conclude that it lasted approximately 15 to 20 minutes of clock time.
It has been the most significant experience in my life to date.
I will add that prior to the experience and for some days I had been reading about ‘awakening experiences’ in Steve Taylor’s book, ‘Waking from Sleep’, so I was familiar with the concept of mysticism and unity consciousness. I’ve often wondered if reading the book kind of ‘primed’ me to have my own experience. And, as I’ve tried to understand it over the years, I’ve also wondered if the unconditional love for my son was the initiating factor, a love that simply rippled out to everything and everyone around me?