I recently had a wild experience within five minutes of going to sleep. I became conscious of someone asking me if I was ready. I replied yes, let's go. They held my hand and accelerated straight up. It felt like I was traveling at a million miles an hour, until we seemed to break through into some sort of other plane. There I saw maybe 10 or 12 beings of light standing in a circle. They were the blue color of electricity. (I can only remember clearly seeing two of their faces. One was a very tall woman who looked at me a little cross. The other was an older, short man who held his hand out to me and radiated kindness.) I got scared and somehow knew I had to speak to return to my body, and started saying "No, no, no." My partner woke me as I was saying this out loud. It all happened within five minutes of going to sleep, so I doubt I was in REM sleep. What happened to me? What did I experience, and why? Is it common for people to experience such things?
Maggie
Dreamchaser:
This experience truly IS wild, and I am so grateful that you shared it. I feel you are a very evolved old soul. I believe you are either on your last or next to last life as a human. There is a group of people on this planet called Lightworkers. The purpose of a Lightworker on earth is to awaken humanity. The main tool of a Lightworker is LOVE. I believe you are one of them.
I would be willing to bet that you see the number "11:11" all the time. I bet you frequently see 222, 111 and 333 here and there as well. I also imagine you hear ringing or sometimes chiming in your ears, randomly smell roses or some other fragrance from nature, hear your name being called but realize no one called you, feel cold breezes hitting you around your face or head, feel your skin prickle for no reason, and feel "someone" around, just to the left of you, when you KNOW no one is there.
Those are all signs that you are of a higher spiritual nature than many here on this planet. I'm sure that quite a few of you reading this will find these experiences ring true for you as well.
No matter how evolved we may be, because we are also human, it can be very hard to move through this world solving our own and others' problems by rising above our egos and practicing tolerance. As Lightworkers, we are supposed to be learning and therefore showing others via our good example that one can be ego-free and tolerant of ALL beings.
Alas, because we are human, we often fall short of our spiritual goals. As a result, we often have to be retooled or reprogrammed or re-taught something. As I frequently write here, life goes in spirals, and we learn the same basic lessons over and over, just at higher levels each time.
I believe that the beings you were surrounded by are basically your support staff members. They take you while you are sleeping and restore your soul. They retool you, so to speak. As was mentioned in today's other question, when we sleep, our souls leave our bodies to be worked on. You just happened to still be semi-conscious when you did this, and thus you realized what was going on. Your protests were your human mind and its fear reacting to this unusual experience.
After all, this is not a normal thing to have happen - or so it seemed. I can tell you that this is more common than you realize. We have beings that are working with us on every level. We have spirit guides and angels. Those are readily accepted as "real." Why would these beings of Light not be just as "real?" I assure you, they are!
I wish you spiritual freedom from human constraints.
*****
Astrea:
It's easy to identify this experience as Astral Projection. One of your Guides took you on a little flight to show you that you should be able to access this kind of thing if you consciously develop this skill. Astral Travel can be quite useful and a great comfort if you are able to learn how to do it at will. You can see people who have Crossed Over, visit people in their dreams, and communicate with other Astral Travelers.
There are as many different ways to do this as there are people doing it, so it's up to you to find your own way if you're interested in repeating the experience. As frightening as it can be, it can also be very enlightening. Your crabby Guide who looked at you crossly is one of the TEACHERS you would be able to visit if you were going to be doing this on some kind of a regular schedule. It would be fun to find out WHY she is crabby!
When I want to "travel," I concentrate on the color PURPLE in my mind in a big SPOT that sparkles and expands. Then before I know it, I'm FLYING! I see the topography beneath me as I IMAGINE it is - probably not like it ACTUALLY is. Nevertheless, I am still able to travel to specific places. Most of the time, they are places I've actually BEEN in THIS incarnation, but sometimes I try to go to new ones.
The saddest place I ever visited was what was left of the Twin Towers in New York in 2001. After that, I've been limiting my flights to happier people and places. Most of the time, I travel as a way to knock myself out when I can't get all the way to sleep, and it works for me. You'll find your own way if you want to do this too.
I find it particularly interesting that you felt you had to SPEAK OUT LOUD to return to your physical body. I've heard this from Astral Travelers hundreds of times. When they fear their connection to their body will be forever broken, and they'll be rolling around in a sort of "outer space" forever, they use this to snap back into their bodies. You instinctively knew that you would be back IN your body if you spoke out loud, and sure enough, you were!
It's quite common for people to experience and even remember their Astral Travels. Most people have this experience at least once, but forget it as soon as it happens. Those of us who remember should use that GIFT wisely and well. With your Leo birthday, you would be much more sensitive to things that happen to you on the astral plane than many other people, and better at remembering them. You have an open mind to things of this nature - that's why you have such vivid recollections of what happened to you that night.
Astrea:
Many times in life we hear, "You will always have what you NEED, but not necessarily what you WANT." Your spirit must have needed to experience the feeling of leaving your human body, and the suggestion in the next chapter of Sylvia Brown's book was all it took to get you there.
Even though you hadn't read it yet, your SOUL recognized the title of that chapter as something it had been seeking, and your soul, knowing that you had that reference to read after your experience, got with it and out you went!
While I don't usually recommend her books, Sylvia Brown has a wide reaching and powerful effect on lots of people. A Gemini like you would be able to relate easily to her writing and put it to good use. Synchronicity - you gotta love it!
I like your description of "getting caught." That's exactly what it feels like, isn't it? One minute you're free and hovering above the room, and the next minute, ZAP! back down into your corporeal form you go!
As a little kid, I loved that "feeling of return." With practice, most of the time we can control that event, but sometimes, when our physical ears hear a distracting noise or something else occurs to knock us back into reality, back we go. With practice you will be able to control your return better.
I find it interesting that you were visiting your mother-in-law and not someone in your own genetic family. Evidently, you and your husband got married for reasons that are even deeper than love. His family's interest in "psychic stuff" will nurture your children in such matters and help them to grow into their own abilities.
You'll never have to be concerned that when your daughter visits them, she'll be discouraged from exploring her own psychic life and power. My parents encouraged me to develop my psychic senses in a time when it wasn't nice to even discuss such things in public. Heck, it's STILL not considered a great topic at the dinner table in some families!
Your kids will get to talk about it ALL and ask questions and read and study. This is going to give them such an edge in life! Talk with your husband about how you want to present this to your kiddos, so that you are united in your approach and ready to tell them their experiences are all natural and okay.
A word or two of warning: Geminis often have difficulty staying grounded in REAL LIFE. Don't get so strung out on your ASTRAL life that you neglect what you're doing here on Earth.
You are at the beginning of a long journey to learn where your power really lies. Try to be patient with this process and take your time.