I thought I would ask a very broad question that applies to everyone... It's a question that I feel will help me/everyone get to know everybody else just that much better, and I think that it would just be interesting to find out. -- I was wondering what brought you/everyone to this site. (i.e. was it a spiritual experience/an acquaintance/death of a loved one, etc.?) I ask this just out of pure curiosity, and because I don't really know everybody's background with regards to a question like this... (Forgive me if a question like this has already been asked prior to my arrival here.) I got this idea from one of dave's replies on the "Islamic view of Afterlife" thread...

Thanks for any replies!

PUL,
Cosmic_Ambitions

P.S.

Here's my story:

"I came across this site about 4 years ago when I started to question the full nature of all religious beliefs in general (I believe most of us have at some point or another...) I knew that there were common "truths" within all of them, but I couldn't quite figure out why all of them claimed that "theirs" was the one to be followed in order to be "saved". I got to wondering about the concepts even further after taking numerous philosophy/study of religion classes in college... I felt like I was wallowing in a blanket of fog and that there "had" to be some truth out there that tied all of "this" together. I couldn't accept the idea that a supreme consciousness would make the world in such a way as to create a random "luck" pool, so to speak... where you were just lucky if you were born into the "right" family that held the "right" religious beliefs, so that you could get to the "right" heaven/afterlife. Or that you were born into an area that exposed you to certain religious doctrine that led you into a specific religion by chance/choice. I have always felt that if there was any morsel of truth out there that it, in fact, had to be something that I could find out within myself. There simply was no other way... It had to be something that didn't need to be preached, but that I "felt", it had to be something that I could reach/understand even without being exposed to any types of religious teachings... something that over time would prove undeniably true to my notions of right and wrong, good and bad; as a result of seeing the effects that different types of actions/thought patterns had on the world around me, and the world within me. I thought about it all for awhile, and then I realized that most of the "spiritually" enlightened teachers that had come down to this physical planet were actually trying to preach these types of notions all along. (i.e. the kingdom of heaven is within you... it is in fact all around you.) You just have to look... Then I thought to myself, well? There are so many people out there that never even consider notions of God, religion, etc... but, they seem to be good, honest, nice people... What of them? I then realized that if the question/curiosity of "everything" does not reside within you, or you don't acknowledge that you in fact have this curiosity within you, then that's okay too because it takes time to experience the types of things that need to be experienced to have those kinds of questions surface. This could be likened to the "soul's" evolution so to speak. So, for me everything slowly began piecing together, bit by bit, curiosity by curiosity... until eventually I had some unexplainable experiences that eventually brought me to this site to figure out more on the subject. Many of the experiences I had were of brief surreal/whimsical visions of places I could have never imagine in my wildest dreams; these all happened while I was under tremendous amounts of stress. Other times it would be something like my friend noticing somebody (possibly my guardian) standing behind me and then vanishing. Then I heard numerous reports of NDE/OBE from friends/family. Most of these occurances were spanned over a period of time, but had built up my curiosity to such a degree that I decided to devote much of my time to what I like to call, "My Search for the Ultimate Truth/Light". My experiences with relaxation techniques while lying in my bed led to my heart beating rapidly; sweating; buzzing sounds; vibrations in my body; a floaty feeling; a "loosening" feeling; and occasionally a "suctioning" feeling of my (counterpart?)... This in turn led me to research various forms of meditation/chakras, of which I had previously no notions of. I then began to do some introspection/retrospection of everything that I have ever experienced/thought/(believed?)/heard/felt with regards to all religions/spirituality/physicality/the afterlife. I took all of this quite seriously because, in all matter of factness, this "me" of mine was all that I knew/had and I had to know the truth of my existence because this was the only existence I knew/know... and  it was quite frankly a VERY strange/overwhelming existence to me.
I had more questions than answers and the answers that I had always led to more questions which led to even more non-answers. It was a never ending coil of confusion and "lostness"... which only made things worse for me. Every time I looked around at everybody else I felt almost like an alien... I kept wondering, "Am I the only one with questions like this!?" "And how come everybody else is so content with the platter that they've been served, no questions asked?" "In fact, I almost envied other people at times, because I felt like they MUST know something that I don't know!" "But, WHAT!!?" Every time I asked somebody a question regarding religion/God/spirituality, I got a loaded answer that answered nothing for me. And most of the time the person I asked it to was fine/content with not knowing.. But I wasn't. All of it to me was very serious because I felt that if the eternity of my soul/everyone's soul rested on the vestiges of a "certain" religious doctrine/preaching, that I'd/we'd better have it right and flawlessly right for that matter... because if I/we don't have it right, then I/we could potentially spend a VERY long time making up for the "misunderstanding" that had occured during this brief lifetime. It just didn't seem right/make sense to me. Hence, here I sit. A few of Bruce Moen, and Robert Monroe, and various other books/websites later... More content than I ever have been... It seems the more that I search within myself for this elusive curiosity "creature", the closer I become to the "Truth/Light"... the "Search of a lifetime"."


Again, thanks for any replies!
(I hope there are a few...)

Severe depression, fear and morbidity. It's all better now, though .

I came here in October 2000. I had read Bruce's first 3 books and taken Gateway Voyage at TMI. When my daughter met me at the airport, I asked her to take me to the Gateway store so I could buy a computer. When I got it, first thing I did was find this website and made it my homepage.

Love, Mairlyn

I came here after finding the website in Bruce's books (have read them all) and finding that all his experiences tie in with what I already have read and believe from other sources.
How much better can life be when you relate to people with similar beliefs and open minds?
I also love that I can seek valued opinions from all of you and you help me to see outside of my little square!
thanks to you all and much love

Ryan, we had our Pe and I gave you an old shoe. the old shoe meant that it would be very comfortable for you as time goes on, to slip in and out of your body to astral travel. so I'm glad I can restate what I've always felt about your talent for this. hugs, alysia

Thank you all for sharing! That was all very interesting/inspiring...

I forgot to put this under "Off Topic Posts"... I got so use to writing under the "Afterlife Knowledge" forum that I didn't really consider that this thread didn't fit the bill! (I've got to be more careful next time!)

PUL,
Comsic_Ambitions

P.S. I look forward to hearing more stories!

P.S.S. It's SO warm and "light" outside today... It's like I can feel God smiling through our atmosphere!  8)

Hi Cosmic_Ambitions!
Read Monroes books, came on the TMI website, found that a TMI trainer lived near my hometown, visited him, he told me of Bruce's books, bought them, was amazed and visited this website the first time then, must have been 2002 or 2003. Read a bit across and turned away again, did the Gateway Voyage, then again came back here a short time, did Lifeline and last year (is it true, it's less than one year?! Not longer?) I posted the first time.

But like you, of course the story is longer, definitely an important date was when I read the NDE book by Raymond Moody when I was 12 or so. Had that important impressive dream, where time was flowing and hissing like the wind. Since then I was on my journey. (But well, it started earlier, you know, looking back you can read the signs)

Always wondered why are the other people such sincere and confident about what they do and plan? In fact, what are they doing and what the heck am I doing here? That's why I really had a deep grin when I read your version:
>>>"And how come everybody else is so content with the platter that they've been served, no questions asked?" "In fact, I almost envied other people at times, because I felt like they MUST know something that I don't know!" "But, WHAT!!?"<<<
so I sometimes wished being "normal", stop thinking, but it didn't work!

And what you wrote then, this is quite like Plato's "Socrates' Defense" (Apologeia), when Socrates was running around to disprove the oracle's saying, that he was the wisest, by searching for someone who was wiser than he. What he found were people who were talking loud, sweet, of gorgious things, but knew nothing, because they all were just trapped in their profession, and from this narrow viewpoint they thought they could tell about all things beyond their profession too and felt very wise but they couldn't and they weren't, so the oracle's saying turned out to be true, as Socrates knew nothing, but this he knew, while the others knew nothing but thought they would.

As for this website, many people told their stories here and many are amazing and credible, so they remind me of what is possible, which I need from time to time! And it seems I need writing too, sharing what I experienced. And of course it's true, many became my friends. I noticed I have friends here, since it feels like I walked together with them a part of the road and I could rely on them and we came along some good places and passed them cause there are even better and better!

Spooky

I was lurking here for a while. I had done a workshop with Mr. Monroe and read his books; that eventually led me to read all of Bruce's books. I came here out of a spiritual crisis and felt that there was a possibility that some here might understand it, even have answers for me.

     I was having a recurring experience where I would cease being a separate indivual... this wasn't blissful. It terrified me. I noticed  a group of non-physical beings  watching when this happened, very familiar to me but my memory of who they were stayed in that state of consciousness.

Anyway, I began posting other stories and then eventually posted what I really came here to say. No one had any answers or clues. But just to get responses where it wasn't immediately assumed I was crazy was helpful. I think it was useful to me to ask for help too.

After a long process, over a year or so, I found the answers I needed on "my own".

I've met people important to me. I've learned from the likely sources here and the most unlikely.

I came here because it's very easy for me to relate to folks who have been touched by Bruce's work, who have read or met Mr. Monroe.

I'm not looking for answers right now. I come here these days to learn the signatures of bunches of you, should we meet "out there".

I love your stories.

My own connections are so buddhist-centered, my stories are about Padmasambhava and the copper colored mountain, the Heart Sutra, things like that.  Those aren't what this site is about.


I come here to know you all, so I can remember you.

In gratitude, Tim F.