I think the first time I became aware of the idea of opening portals was probably somewhere in the early 1960’s, glued to the old black and white TV watching “The Time Tunnel”, “Star Trek” and “Dr Who”.
The process of opening portals was something that was initiated by some high tech device that one slipped through, usually arriving in another place or time…
I couldn’t get enough of it: I wanted to be Dr Who (Patrick Troughton), Spock and Dr. Tony Newman (James Darren from “The Time Tunnel”) all rolled into one.
Then one day when I was 7, I slipped into another reality without the aid of TV or any high tech.
I was sick at the time and was lifted out of my body, up above my bed, by an engulfing light which was accompanied by a soothing voice that reassured me that everything was OK. I was gently placed back on my bed feeling better. In retrospect, I could say it was a fever dream – but since then I have had this experience, and heard the same calming voice, on numerous occasions quite often during meditation.
I have had a lot ‘high strangeness’ in my life – helped along no doubt by mild synaesthesia – ranging from seeing ghosts to ESP to strange objects in the sky to blissful unity with what I can only call “grace” – the last phenomena, on a growing and regular basis.
Even though I do not see myself as Christian – it is through this doctrine that I can identify what this “grace” feeling is. Carolyn Myss talks about it. Mathew Fox, Hildegard von Bingen, Meister Eckhart, Mechthild of Magdeburg…the list is long and amazing…And it comes out of the blue like a flood.
Here’s what Wiki says about grace: “In Western Christian theology, grace has been defined, not as a created substance of any kind, but as “the love and mercy given to us by God because God desires us to have it, not because of anything we have done to earn it”… “generous, free and totally unexpected and undeserved”.
It’s a love bomb with no catches, no deals, no contracts, no prayers…A spontaneous God-zap just because! Just because what? Just because, by default, you are holy.
These days ‘opening portals’ seems a walk in the park – when the dimension of normality seamlessly shifts into something else that is always beautiful. You don’t need a Tardis or a mad swirly time machine – although I must admit, that would be a lot of fun !
I hope this month’s Composer’s Choice “Portals Opening” is the right compliment to your own experiences…
Stephen Fearnley
Stephen Fearnley is an award-winning filmmaker, artist and composer. He composes transformational soundscapes for the meditation journeys guided by Naomi Carling and facilitated by Naomi Janzen for One Mind Live – a unique worldwide online group meditation community. To sample One Mind Live, go HERE