MDW

Last night around 3am I awoke to an incredible sensation. A light body, mind at ease and breathe steady. I was connected to the trees, the sun, the sky and all living things. In this singular incredible moment I was free; the energy in all things flowing through my veins.

  Seconds later, sitting up in bed I felt a deep calm brought by the visit of an old friend. A friend who’s calm, caring and loving in it’s purest.

  Some call this presence God, Yahweh, Allah, Krishna and the list goes on.

  In life there are unknowns; questions without answers. Humanity has long searched for answers in the stars. Drawing conclusions to best explain phenomena with a limited set of tools. Effectively birthing multitudes of mythologies believed and followed by millions.

  These stories, spanning the generations, filled with supernatural phenomena all have one thing in common. They were penned by humanity, filling gaps in understanding.

  Dantes levels of Hell, Zues on Mount Olympus and even Jesus on the Cross. These stories are not surprising, nor are there contradictions.

  In the 21st Century we have a better tool kit for answering these questions. What happened last night? How could such an intense feeling, be anything of this world?

  Enter the skeptic; the worldview detective.

  When did this happen? – While in a state of not fully awake, nor asleep.

  Have you had this experience before? – Yes, many times.

  Have other people experienced the same? – Yes, it’s called Hypnagogia. Many have experienced similar phenomena and written about it in detail, such as Aristotle and Edgar Allen Poe.

  Was this an experience from God? –  No.

  If this queer moment, in a state of awkward awakening, were indeed God speaking; why would she do so in this mind frame? A time, in which other nights, I have experienced spiders crawling over me and large centipedes squirming up my legs. If I know one thing to be true, it’s that my brain has the ability to manifest bizarre scenarios; none of witch has ever been an experience of reality.

  If I believed there was a God. This situation, in which felt otherworldly, would have become evidence for its existence.  It’s called confirmation bias.

  Without this prior belief; the only thing in this situation that would be truly out of the ordinary; would be to think the experience was purposeful.

  What did I experience last night? – Me

  Our brains are marvelous triumphs of evolution, beautifully flawed. Within our grasp is the ability to transcend our current mental state.

  During meditation, brain activity transitions to the areas like the prefrontal cortex and away from sections of the brain responsible for spatial awareness; allowing the participant to feel out-of-body.

  When taking hallucinogens we can completely alter our perceptions of the outside world. Each emotion understood in a different light.

  During Hypnagogia new dimensions open up, exposing us to our fears and desires held within.

  If we are to know, and understand one thing, it’s that our brains are capable of allowing us to believe strange things. It would not be wise to believe its amazing creations are true.