ONE FAMILY PLAN
OBEs
"Access to holographic reality becomes experientially available when one's consciousness is freed from its dependence on the physical body. So long as one remains tied to the body and its sensory modalities, holographic reality at best can only be an intellectual construct. When one [is free from the body] one experiences it directly. That is why mystics speak about their visions with such certitude and conviction, while those who haven't experienced this realm for themselves are left feeling skeptical or even indifferent." (Kenneth Ring, Ph.D., Life at Death)
"Out-of-body experiences, or OBE's, have been reported throughout history by individuals from all walks of life... They were known to the Egyptians, the North American Indians, the Chinese, the Greek philosophers, the medieval alchemists, the Oceanic peoples, the Hindus, the Hebrews, and the Moslems. In a cross-cultural study of 44 non-Western societies, Dean Shiels found that only three did not hold a belief in OBEs. In a similar study anthropologist Erika Bourguignon looked at 488 world societies ...or roughly 57 percent of all known societies - and found that 437 of them, or 89 percent, had at least some tradition regarding OBEs... The typical OBE is usually spontaneous and occurs most often during sleep, meditation, anesthesia, illness, and instances of traumatic pain." (Talbot, p 230)
It appears there is "no plausible explanation for the accuracy of these observations involving the usual physical senses. The out-of-body hypothesis simply seems to fit best with the data at hand."(Michael B. Sabom, Recollections of Death, p 184)
Robert Monroe felt he was going crazy and immediately sought medical attention: "I had two options. One was sedation for the rest of my life; the other was to learn something about this state so I could control it." (Jean-Noel Bassior, 'Astral Travel,' New Age Journal, Nov-Dec 1988, pp 71-72)
He realized he could pass through solid objects and move great distances in a fleeting glimpse of time simply by "thinking" himself there. Others were not aware he was even there until he described their activity in detail. He was not alone. There were other disembodied travelers within his journeys. Location is relative. Though our consciousness appears within our head, it can just as easily appear anywhere, such as the upper corner of a room or within mystical scenery of mountainous ridges.
"A useful analogy can once again be found in dreaming... In a dream, location is also an illusion because everything - people, objects, space, consciousness, and so on - is unfolding out of the deeper and more fundamental reality of the dreamer." (Talbot p 234)
"OBEers sometimes find themselves in a ghostlike body that is an exact replica of their biological body. This caused some researchers in the past to postulate that human beings possess a 'phantom double' not unlike the doppelganger of literature... Although some OBEers describe this phantom double as naked, others find themselves in bodies that are fully clothed. This suggests that the phantom double is not a permanent energy replica of the biological body, but is instead a kind of hologram that can assume many shapes... There are numerous reports where people have also perceived themselves as balls of light, shapeless clouds of energy, and even no discernible form at all... There is even evidence that the form a person assumes during an OBE is a direct consequence of their beliefs and expectations." (Talbot, p 235)
"I suspect that one may modify the Second Body into whatever form is desired." (Robert A. Monroe, Journeys Out of the Body, p 183)Â
We are, at heart a "vibrational pattern [comprised] of many interacting and resonating frequencies." (Robert A. Monroe, Far Journeys, p 64)
Our consciousness may not be in the brain at all... but in the plasmic holographic energy field that permeates and surrounds us all. It is reported by many OBEers that in these states they are able to see in all directions at the same time without the turning of the head. Many believe we all possess 360 degree vision. We are fooled into believing we can only see through our eyes when, in fact, our full perceptual capabilities exist in all places.
"Everything is everything. I am that." (Whiteman, Mystical Life)
