Decide for Yourself

Read my story and decide for yourself how you would interpret what happened.

I've already got my own interpretation, because after all, I am the one who had the experience. This is one of two such experiences I have had in my lifetime, the second of which I will publish sometime later.

It was the spring of 1975. I was 17, and looking forward to my high school graduation. My family had recently moved into a brand new home built by my father with some help from my brother and me. I thought it was a terrific home, with plenty of space and a bedroom of my own.

On Sunday morning, I was lying in my bed asleep. I found myself awake, but at first a little disoriented. Instead of opening my eyes to see the normal view of my bedroom, I was looking down at my own body lying in the bed. I immediately realized that I had died, but was not in the least upset or concerned about that fact. It was a sort of bemused detachment, observing the lifeless body on the bed and knowing it was mine, but not feeling any particular distress about that realization.

It wasn't very long at all, no more than a few seconds, when I felt an inviting presence from a growing light behind me. It seemed to be coming through the top corner of my bedroom at the opposite corner from the bed.

But it wasn't just a light. There was a presence inside the light. So far, the presence had no form or name, but the welcoming message was clear, inviting me to move into the light. Strangely, although the light was a brilliant white light, brighter than any light I had ever experienced, it did not hurt my eyes to look into, nor did it seem to emanate heat.

But inside the light was the most loving, caring, consoling, welcoming presence beyond anything I could have imagined. The nonverbal invitiation was clearly encouraging me to pass from my room, my home, and the earthly plane to whatever dimension the light inhabited. This was no dream, as everything around me was completely real, in vivid color, and I was fully awake and alert.

Just as I began to move toward the light, in a way that might seem like floating but seemed much freer, I spotted my mother walking toward my room in the hallway. I was momentarily bemused by how easily I could see her through the walls and the door. As she approached, wearing her customary blue housecoat and slippers, I heard her say or maybe think, "I have to get Dan up."

Immediately I told (who, the presence, the light, God?), "I can't go, my Mom's coming". But, then again, I didn't really "say" it, I just sort of expressed it in some non-verbal manner that I knew was perfectly understood. "He" openly accepted my desire to return, and in less than a blink of the eye, I was sitting up in my bed as my mother lightly knocked and opened my bedroom door. "Time to get up, Dan", she said. I replied, "I just had the most amazing dream!". She just smiled and told me to get ready for Church.

Getting out of bed, I felt the most incredible euphoria, as if all of my problems, worries, aches and pains, and everything else had been taken away. I enthusiastically showered, had breakfast, and went to Church. At Church, I had a feeling that they all meant well but were missing the point in some way. On the other hand, I couldn't exactly explain what point it was that they were missing, but I did have this lingering feeling that all the questions of God, the Universe, my Life's purpose, and other things all had really very simple answers. For some reason, I just seemed to have a mental block that wouldn't let me access those answers, other than the those basic things I now knew; That there is order to the Universe, death is most definitely not the end of life, and an indescribable love and peace await me on the other side.

I remember trying to share this experience with members of my family. Reactions ranged from dismissive ("It's just a dream") to patronizing ("That's nice") to negative ("Stop being creepy"). So I didn't really share the story very much after that.

In fact, I hadn't thought about it much for a long time until earlier this year, when I had another, very vivid dream. This time it wasn't about me, but my mother.

But that's another story.