Also see Part I: Light of Unconditional Love: My Personal Experience
 |
| Nasa Photo of Helix Nebula* |
Everyone who is seriously
involved in the pursuit of science becomes convinced that a spirit is manifest
in the laws of the Universe--a spirit vastly superior to that of man, and one
in the face of which we, with our modest powers, must feel humble. -- Albert
Einstein, Theoretical Physicist
I never forgot the details
of my first spiritual experience in 1986, but I was reluctant to share the
story for years. I imagined I was too ordinary and reasoned that only artists, poets, and monks were qualified to share their experiences of ecstasy, universal oneness, and unconditional love. I heard skepticism in church whenever I brought up the topic of spiritual awakenings occurring in this day and age, and I tucked my story away.
A few years ago, I began
listening to podcasts and reading books focused on spiritual experiences and
discovered numerous individuals unafraid to tell their stories. One book in
particular caught my attention. It documents testimonies from scientists
and academics willing to publish their experiences with spirit and the
cosmos. They convinced me that these joyous encounters with oneness
occur across an entire spectrum of humanity. A spiritual experience can
happen at any time. To anyone.
The book--
Spiritual Awakenings: Scientists and Academics Describe Their Experiences**--offers
a collection of fifty-seven testimonies by individuals who had mysterious
encounters. Some of their descriptions are so similar to mine that one might
think I borrowed them; however, I wrote about my experiences years before I
read their convincing anecdotes.
Janice Miner
Holden, EdD, Professor Emerita of Counseling (North Texas). In 1979, she attended a psychosynthesis
workshop in Chicago. During a group meditation with guided imagery, she was
told to think of a challenge she was facing while following paths up an
imagined mountain. Once at the top, she was instructed to discover her personal
symbol of “the ultimate benevolent source of wisdom in the Universe,” and to
ask the source for guidance. Immediately, she encountered a "Being of Light" – she could feel its power. “The light came
into me, filling me and emanating from my chest. Even as I write these words
right now, I’m overcome with chills to remember the overwhelming sense of love
I experienced. There were no words, no
verbal message—just this experience of profound, embodied and emanating Love.”
Dr. Peter
Fenwick, Emeritus Consultant Neuropsychiatrist, Maudsley Hospital and Emeritus
Senior Lecturer at the Institute of Psychiatry. “It was on a retreat that I had
my first cosmic experience…[After meditation], I became aware of a strong light
surrounding me…. I was very aware of a
greater reality. It slowly became
evident that love is the basis of the universe…. I remember going for walks [after the
retreat] in the woods where I was one with the universe and everything happened
automatically.”
Anne
Shumway-Cook, PT, PhD, FAPTA, Professor Emerita in the Department of
Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Washington, Seattle, Washington. “God Is Love-- My first spiritual
transformation: …. While [pushing my son in a stroller through a park], I had an extraordinary
experience. Time seemed to stop. I felt
an intense sensation of fullness; I was filled and overflowing with joy and
extraordinary happiness. I felt an
intense sense of love surrounding me, filling me, flowing through me,
connecting me to my son and the world around me. I felt the spatial boundaries of my body
dissolve. I was one with the love surrounding me, the love spilling through
me. I was one with the world.”
Amit
Goswami, PhD, a theoretical quantum physicist, retired full professor from the
University of Oregon’s Department of Physics. After “doing japa” [repeating a mantra], I
walked out of my office, then out of the building, across the street, and onto
the grassy meadow. And then the universe
opened up to me…. I seemed to be one
with the cosmos, the grass, the trees, the sky.
Sensations were present, in fact, intensified beyond belief. But these sensations paled into
insignificance compared to the feeling of love that followed, a love that
engulfed everything in my consciousness—until I lost comprehension of the
process. This was Ananda, bliss.”
I am grateful for the eyewitness accounts of spiritual awakenings from scientists, academics, skeptics, nonprofessionals, and many others. Their stories, combined with my experiences, have helped me shed the old dogmas of religions that thrive on strict conformity.
I have lost my sense of guilt about abandoning a weekly church service, but I have not abandoned “God” or “I Am.” Like the shepherds quaking at dazzling starlight in the Christmas story, I am restored to wonder and awe whenever I commune with nature or contemplate the universe's vastness, colors, and energy.
Albert
Einstein never lost his adoration of the universe and adopted a "cosmic religion" that wedded science and spirituality under a canopy of mystery:
The most beautiful experience we can have is the
mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion that stands in the cradle
of true art and true science. Whoever does not know it can no longer
wonder, no longer marvel, is as good as dead, and his eyes are dimmed.
Thank you for sharing the light,
Cynthia
*NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope captured the image of the Helix Nebula, which is located in the constellation Aquarius-about 700 light-years away from Earth. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona
**Wollacott, Marjorie, PhD and David Lorimer, eds. Spiritual Awakenings: Scientists and Academics Describe their Experiences. Academy for the Advancement of Postmaterialist Sciences. 2022.
Feel free to comment on this post. I would also love to hear about your dreams and metaphysical experiences! Please contact me if you would like to receive email updates or a consultation. cynthiamystic222@gmail.com.
