An Open Letter to the Skeptics

There are many people who will dismiss the notion of the non-physical experience without second thought. “That’s impossible,” they may quip.  This is unfortunate, for they are closing off an entire avenue of exploration within the human experience. In my opinion, life is too short to not at least give it a shot! In our fast paced world people may question the practicality of such experiences. “What’s the point?” people may wonder. Well, only through personal experience can these questions be answered for you. Only through personal experience can the reality of these experiences be affirmed to you. I can go on and on about non-physical experiences leading to spontaneous physical healing, meetings with knowledgeable non-physical beings, and the exploration of other worlds, but none of it will be real to you without your own subjective experience. I could tell you about how a dream led me to my current job, but I don’t want you to take my word for it. I want you to experience it for yourself. Only you can bring these experiences into your reality, just as only you can shut them out.   

At one point it was “common knowledge” that the Earth was flat and the center of the universe. Even today we hold many assumptions about the nature of reality. Contemporary study of reality on the quantum level shows us that the accepted view of a Newtonian reality, a reality of fixed physical objects, does not hold up very well. The closer we look at the particles that make up reality, the more we find that they are highly variable –all particles behave simultaneously as a waveform and a particle! We find, demonstrated by the Schrödinger’s cat experiment, that a conscious observer plays a pivotal role in the outcome of all experiments. All outcomes at every moment are viable until realized by conscious observation. The placebo effect is another prime example that our consciousness plays a role in influencing our reality on a physical level. There are many other examples within the realm of quantum mechanics. I would speculate that consciousness itself is the missing piece of the puzzle towards a unified field theory. It seems the more we learn about reality the more interesting (and perhaps confusing) it gets! 

It wasn’t until the 1980’s that lucid dreaming was proven to be a scientific reality. Scientists were able to get lucid dreamers to send back certain eye movements, signaling from the dream state. As time progresses further into the information age, I foresee the striking reality of these experiences to move further and further into the mainstream. The vast majority of these experiences are subjective by nature, and therefore do not meet the strict scientific standards only concerned with what is objectively and empirically observable. When living in a culture that tells its children “it’s only a dream,” it is hard to break through the beliefs which confine ones experiences. The movie Inception brought much attention to non-physical experiences, and many people had their first lucid dream as a result of that movie. These experiences also go against the grain of a society which is being propelled by a capitalist-consumerist mentality. Something about having any and all experience at your disposal makes that new car a little less interesting!

It is hard to fathom the idea of a conscious non-physical experience if you have never had one before. Let’s do a little thought exercise: Take a look around at your current surroundings. Take a look at the walls in the room you sit within. Notice the empty space that fills the room. Notice the feeling of the ground beneath your feet, the smell that permeates the air. Now, imagine you have the profound realization that you are dreaming – that you are within consciousness space. An entire avenue of experience had just opened itself up to you. Do you want to fly to the moon or a distant star? How about converse with the dream characters, perhaps aspects of yourself, you find yourself with? The only limit to your experience once within consciousness space is the self-imposed limits you put on yourself. Your first experience “waking up” within consciousness space will be an exciting moment.  

 I use the term consciousness space (CS) to refer to the place dreams and other non-physical experiences occur. In CS you don’t have to have a body unless you want one. Your focused intent becomes your means of travel and manifestation. A mere thought can lead to your favorite food. I’ve found, as first introduced to me by Robert Waggoner, a powerful use of CS is posing a question to the “dream source” itself – How about something like “What is the meaning of life?” Expect the unexpected. 

In short, keep an open mind when approaching this subject. Keep a skeptical and inquisitive mind as well. The only one who can validate the reality and potentiality of the NPE is you. Please don’t take anything I say as fact – validate it for yourself. Give yourself the opportunity to stretch the bounds of what you think you can experience in this life. You may just find that there are no bounds. Give this subject a concerted effort before you brush it off. If you have made it this far, your curiosity may just lead you down the rabbit hole.