Gateway to Altered States of Consciousness

TMI by Baja Rock Pat

It’s been a month since I returned home from my six-day Gateway Voyage program at The Monroe Institute (TMI) in Faber, Virginia. TMI specializes in exploring altered states of consciousness, out-of-body experiences and peak human performance and they use sound frequencies (Hemi-sync© binaural beats) to induce these states.

As the old song by Jim Stafford went: “Take a trip and never leave the farm!” Indeed.

“Hemi-sync” is short for “hemispheric synchronization,” or the coordination of both left and right sides of the brain to stimulate expanded awareness and more focused human performance. Wearing headphones, the listener hears similar but slightly different beats played in each ear. For example, the listener might hear a beat of 100 Hz in one ear and 104 Hz in the other. The brain then interprets the difference of 4 Hz as that of a third beat, which it mimics, creating theta brain waves, which is the brain’s natural state of deep relaxation and increased learning. And when combined with an atmosphere with minimal or no outside sensory input, the mind is capable of incredible things. Therefore, each participant is assigned his or her own CHEC unit complete with headphones, volume and light controls, and a black drape to block out noise and extraneous sound and light.

CHEC Unit

 

 

 

CHEC Unit                                                         (Controlled Holistic Environmental Chamber)

 

Founder, Robert Monroe, strove to keep his research scientific and credible, so in developing his techniques, he worked with many professionals including psychiatrists, psychologists, physicists, and electronics engineers to name a few. It was crucial to him that his research was considered valid in the scientific community. And this was one of the reasons I wanted to attend TMI. What they offer there is not spiritual shenanigans. The human brain is an amazing instrument and capable of far more than we realize.

Robert Monroe

                                                                Robert Monroe

 

 

 

I’ve been going over the notes I took while I was there in order to process the incredible things that happened to me. There were many. And some were intense. Not for the faint-of-heart. After six days of lying in the dark on my back in my cubicle with headphones on, the experiences I had will probably take me years to absorb, but I thought you might be interested in a little introduction here, as I continue to sort everything out. Some of my deductions thus far:

  • Death of the physical body is not the end.
  • If we were to use just a tiny bit more of that which our brains are capable, we would be able to accomplish more in our lives than we ever dreamed.
  • NOTHING is impossible.
  • I have complete and total control of my life–my thoughts, my deeds, my circumstances–and I can change these any time I choose.
  • The physical world is an illusion. Our perceptions of what is real and/or true are based on our beliefs, our thoughts, our heritage, our religious teachings, society, and many more influences.
  • I am so much more than my physical body.

IMG_0095

 

                                    Crystal on the property

 

 

 

So, what exactly did I experience? How did it feel? Why would anyone take the time to explore something like this? Wasn’t I scared? Did I experience other levels of consciousness? Did I leave my physical body? Did I encounter intelligences from other dimensions?

Stay tuned!                                                                                                                    (PS–the answer to the last four questions is yes.)

Interview with Cas Lake

Last July, I had the honor and the privilege to have been interviewed by the UK’s lovely radio personality Cas Lake for her show The Unexplained.

 

Cas Lake

 

Cas and I talked about my meeting God during my out-of-body experience in Cabo and subsequent conversation with God on a mountain near my home years later. She also asked about my experiences with an exploding votive that occurred more than once when I sought answers to questions I could not fathom. And we discussed the role rock star Sammy Hagar played in helping me decipher the meaning of my spiritual experiences.

I’m excited to let you know that the interview is now featured on air on the Unexplained Show and is also available for downloading. When the show comes off air it will go into the archives, so you can still listen to it there.

Cas features metaphysical experts and writers from around the world, so it was an honor to have been invited to talk with her. Thank you, Cas!

Hope you enjoy the show! I’d love to hear your feedback. Are there any questions you’d like to have me to answer? Please feel free to post them. Remember, YOU are an important part of this website as well and I value your input.

Cas’ profile page which containes the interview can be found here: http://www.myspiritradio.com/show-profiles?programme_id=51

Book Signing this Sunday, Dec. 2

What does rock star Sammy Hagar have to do with spiritual enlightenment? Or does he?

Please join us on Sunday, Dec. 2, 2012 at 2:00 pm for a book signing of DANCE OF THE ELECTRIC HUMMINGBIRD and a talk by author Patricia Walker.

In this true story, the author struggles to maintain her roles of middle-class wife and mom, while simultaneously being thrust into the explosive world of celebrities, sex, and rock ‘n roll. She confronts the incredible power of her mind and spirit and soon begins to reevaluate her perception of reality and the meaning of life with the help of recording star Sammy Hagar, former lead singer of Van Halen, one of the greatest rock bands of all time.

This is not a book merely for fans of Sammy Hagar or rock music. It is a book with a message of hope for anyone who believes there is more to life than what’s on the surface. Why live a life of beige when you can be CHARTREUSE, INDIGO, SCARLET, PERIWINKLE, BRONZE…

Sunday, Dec. 2, 2012 at 2:00 pm

Anthology Book Company                                                                                         422 E 4th St Loveland, CO  80537                                                                       970.667.0118

Anthology Book Company serves wonderful latte, literature, and enlightenment in a comfortable and warm atmosphere.

Hope you’ll join us!

 

 

 

A Spiritual Awakening While Fly-Fishing

Since my out-of-body experience during Sammy Hagar’s rock concert several years ago–the moment that changed my life forever–I have stumbled upon others who have had similar experiences but through different means. And I’ve been discussing this very thing in a lot of my radio interviews lately. I’m often asked, “So, what can others do to have a mystical awakening?” I tell them that one doesn’t have to be a guru or a yogi or a nun or a monk on a hilltop to experience enlightenment, heaven, Nirvana, mystical experience or whatever term one cares to use. A spiritual awakening can happen to anyone, anywhere, through any means. That’s because each person’s spiritual needs are as different as each man, woman or child. And our ways of looking at life are just as unique.

While there is no set of rules that if one follows, will ensure a mystical experience and we cannot make it happen–these things happen when they’re meant to, when the soul, for whatever reason, is ready to hear and receive the message–there are things one can do to help expedite the process. I will discuss this in another post

For now, I’d like to introduce you to some of the people who like me, have personally experienced this amazing and wonderful clarity of mind. It is my hope that as you read these accounts, many more of you will step forward and share your stories as well. There are a lot of us out there, but many hesitate to talk about their experiences for personal reasons. But we cannot help others by remaining silent.

Meet Dean Miller. He was minding his own business, just enjoying being in nature and doing a little fly-fishing when his life changed forever. I would like to personally thank Dean for allowing me to share his story with you. Writes Miller:

I stood, not in a crowded rock-and-roll bar in a foreign country, but in a river—a solitary figure. Surrounded by high canyon walls, the warm October sun reflected golden hues that glinted off of the river’s surface. I was indeed searching, but it wasn’t to touch the divine, but simply rainbow and brown trout. I found the trout—and something quite unexpected.

The river flowed gently against my legs, its cold penetrating my waders. Fishing trinkets clinked against each other as I made each cast, accompaniment to the gurgle and babble of the slow moving water. A light breeze, nearly imperceptible, brushed my arms. My heart settled into a comfortable rhythm. The rest of my life drifted downstream, carried by the current to another time.

I made a cast and watched the imitation grasshopper float toward me. No luck. A second cast placed the foam bug further upstream, and I watched again. But this time I could see myself standing in the river. Strangely, I was unsurprised at my new perspective.

I ascended a bit higher and then paused, not of my own accord or thought, but from reaching a state of equilibrium with everything around me. I experienced no physical sensations, only complete love…from everything seen and unseen. The rocks, the water, the air, all transmitted the same intense joy that I felt from a source beyond the physical realm.

Suspended in that timeless domain I knew the answer to every question, should it be asked. Touching to farthest reach of the universe was just a thought away. But there was no need for action on my part, as “it—this love and knowing” was already melded with my soul. I was involved with everything and desired nothing. In that brief span of cross-dimensional existence, I understood what lay beyond my physical being. And I saw how easily the filigreed curtain between body and spirit can be lifted.

Suddenly, a trout swallowed the hopper pattern and without reason or explanation, I was back in my body. I resumed my earthly presence, still radiating with the feeling of what had just transpired. Landing, and then releasing the fish, I exited the river and sat for a moment. Overhead, a lone hawk circled once, then soared above the canyon walls and disappeared from view. I was again, alone, forever changed, with nothing else to do but continue my life.

I choose not to speculate where I would have ended up, or what would have happened, had that trout not taken the fly. My time in the mystic realm, however fleeting, helped direct the next phase of my journey here on earth. Knowing what is “out there” is enough for now.

 –Dean K. Miller

Dean K. Miller is a freelance writer and member of Northern Colorado Writers. His work has appeared online and in Trout Magazine. Employed by the FAA as an Air Traffic Controller for over 23 years, he was the 2010 Northwest Mountain Region recipient of the NATCA Archie League Safety Award. He resides in Loveland, CO and enjoys fly fishing, family, and friends. Please visit his website at: http://deankmiller.blogspot.com.

Aquarius Magazine Features Excerpt from “Dance of the Electric Hummingbird”

Aquarius Magazine recently devoted an entire front page to Pat’s book, “Dance of the Electric Hummingbird,” including an excerpt detailing Pat’s out-of-body experience during a rock concert by Sammy Hagar.

Please click here to read all about it: Aquarius-Atlanta

Best of You Today Features Article On Patricia Walker and Spiritual Enlightenment

In the article “See How Spiritual Enlightenment Came Looking for Patricia Walker,” Best of You Today discusses Pat’s awakening in an intimate interview, beginning with her out-of-body experience at a rock concert by Sammy Hagar and emphasizing how these things can sometimes happen when we least expect it.

Please click here to read the latest: BestofYouToday

Semantics

Oct. 21, 2009j0395952The other day, a man I’d never met before asked me what my book was about.

“It’s supernatural; it’s spiritual—about a mystical experience I had in the middle of a concert that changed my life. It also involves a famous rock star…” I started to say.

As I spoke, I noticed that the man, an older gentleman dressed in a biker’s vest with the word “VET” sewn onto it, was attempting to disguise the look of disappointment spreading across his face.

“Supernatural is different than spiritual,” he said, stuffing his hands in his pockets and backing off a bit.

“No, I had an out of body experience…” I continued, and this time as I tried to explain it to him, I used the word “God.”

His eyes lit up and he moved closer. “God isn’t supernatural; God is natural. He is everything.”

“Oh yes! It’s everything!” I grinned, feeling joy moving into all my internal organs.

The man went on to tell me that he too, had had an out of body experience. “The Holy Spirit came to me as I lay dying in a hospital bed.”

“How did you know it was the Holy Spirit?” I asked him. “Did you see it?”

He gestured an arc around himself. “No, I felt it all around me.”

j0402278

He explained that the Holy Spirit told him it wasn’t his time to die yet and it would show him what to do to keep on living. “I was completely at peace and felt the presence of God,” he said. And the more he talked, the more I realized that that was exactly what had happened to me six years ago in Cabo.

When I told him the details of my experience, he suddenly became very excited about my book and wanted to know more.

What had initially misled him was my use of the word “supernatural,” which obviously had a different meaning to him than it does to me.

Semantics.

PH02426J

Merriam-webster.com defines “semantics” as: “the language used to achieve a desired effect on an audience, especially through the use of words with novel or dual meanings.”

How then, do I get past semantics so as not to mislead or confuse people? According to the experts, I’m supposed to be able to describe my book in one or two sentences. Yeah, right. It takes me a paragraph at best. Maybe I just haven’t found the right words yet, or maybe it’s just the nature of my subject, I don’t know.

If I say my book is spiritual, or that it involves God, it gives the connotation that it’s religious and some may be turned off by this, as rock ‘n’ roll and religion don’t necessarily blend well.

If I use the words “supernatural,” “paranormal,” “mystical,” “metaphysical,” or “psychic,” some may immediately assume that my book is occult in nature and look at me as if I’ve lost my marbles.

If I say it’s about a famous rock star, people might think it’s a shallow account of a fan gushing over a celebrity. Even I wouldn’t read a book like that!

So how do I describe ecstasy in God, a supernatural force, psychic experiences, out-of-body realms, otherworldly connections, rock stars, self-realization and the utmost joy, in one or two sentences in order to convey the fact that I am describing one thing that encompasses all of these? These components are the means that led me to my personal definition of what God is—the realization of the ultimate perfection, the ultimate everything. It also matters not if one believes in God—self-realization is available to everyone.

Since my experience, I’ve met several people, the Veteran included, who have told me that they too, have had experiences similar to mine. And I’ve read a lot of books that say this too: “Conversations with God” by Neale Donald Walsch, “The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle to name a few.

These people all describe the same feelings and emotions involved in their mystical moment and many say it changed their lives.

Author Maxwell Steer writes:

“Mystical experience may be defined as being an ‘infinite intimacy’, a sense of fulfilment in which the subject is simultaneously aware of the limitless nature of the Universe and yet of hir (sic) intimate relationship to a force sensible as an identifiable personality. It is simultaneously the experience of everything and nothing, of knowing all yet being empty, of hearing within silence all sound. Different religious traditions identify this state individually – nirvana, mushín, Shambhala, Buddhahood, mystical union, alchemical marriage, shekinah – yet it can be seen as a common goal of all esoteric teaching, an experience of oneness beyond the world of duality. It need not even occur in a religious context. To me those very rare moments of total understanding that can arise in connection with works of art are clearly in the same category – that clarity of vision and sense of contact with some archetypal personality… some archetypal source of consciousness that transcends rational knowledge.”

And while we report similar experiences, each person’s manner of expressing what happened to them is slightly different, because each person is unique in their perception of the world around them. It’s like describing the color purple—one person might call it “lilac,” while another says “lavender,” and another expresses it using the word “plum” or “violet.”

But it’s still the same color.

 

j0438621

 

How Does it Feel to Have a Mystical Experience?

March 28, 2009

Initially I felt a golden liquid light flowing into me—a light that felt as solid and real as a steel girder. I then felt lifted out of my body, pulled by an unseen force higher and higher, until my consciousness was above the room, above the world.

All at once, I understood on a level deeper than I knew I was capable of, that there was no separation between myself and every living and non-living thing of this world and all worlds.

I was an integral component of all the thoughts that were being thought or had been thought forever—backward and forward in time. And there was no such thing as the concept of time.

Pure love, ecstasy and light poured into me. I was submerged in its essence.

j0227568

The colors of my tangible world seemed dull and grey compared to the colors of the bliss I was experiencing: vibrant, alive and breathing.

I knew that within this ecstasy was a connection to the Divine—to God or whatever term one needs to use. The feeling was all-encompassing. I suddenly understood the meaning of the word ecstasy, which seems to have become misconstrued in our human language.

I realized in a very deep way that God is, as the Sufi say “Love, Lover and Beloved.” And I was.

And I am…