An Out-of-Body Experience

How To Have An Out-of-Body Experience (Sort of)

By Rebecca Fine
When the battered old Chevy ran the red light and pulled directly into our path, I didn't notice it at first — the pounding rain was just too heavy and the moonless night very dark. By the time I could see it, bright white in our headlights, it was too late to stop: in a split second we would plow into it broadside at 60 miles an hour.
That crash happened nearly 34 years ago when I was 16, and I can't remember most of what happened before and after it. I don't even recall the names of the three other people in the car. (Well, it was one of those awful "blind" double-dates, so perhaps THAT part is for the best!) ;-D
But I remember every bit of what happened during that split second, and what I saw and experienced then was something I didn't tell anyone about for years. It was just too personal — and too weird. In fact, about 15 years later when I finally told my best friend, Joan, about it, she listened without comment until I was done and then said, "Well, I've always thought these kinds of stories were just interesting stories. But you are the LAST person on earth I'd ever expect to say something like this, so it must be true."
It is true.
It's amazing how long a "split second" can be and how much can happen during it. At the moment I realized we were about to crash, I felt instantly calm, unafraid, and detached — as though I were watching a slow-motion movie of an impending crash, but from my perspective in the front passenger seat.
I remember thinking, "We're going to hit them," and then ... I watched the passenger side of the Chevy cave in as the hood of our car sloooowly pleated itself into an accordion shape. And suddenly ...
I wasn't sitting there anymore; I was somehow just above the car, looking down and watching someone — ME! — soundlessly come up out of the seat and fly into, and through, the windshield.
No fear, no pain, no noise. Just a slow-motion movie.
Then it was over, and I was outside the car, soggy and bloody and covered with bits of glass, yanking the back door open to see if anyone was hurt. Still no fear and no pain — but PLENTY of noise from ambulances, police cars, people yelling. (We had the good sense, at least, to crash right in front of a major hospital so help was there in less than a minute.)
Now what on earth does all this have to do with the science of getting rich or thinking and acting in the certain way?
Well, let's see if I can tie it in! What I want to suggest to you is an experiment. This week, when you feel yourself edging onto the slippery slope of ANYTHING that leads us off the certain way path of creative mind — envy, grumpiness, guilt, anger, and so on — don't DO anything, just WATCH.
In other words, pay attention to what's happening and sort of stand apart and watch yourself react to whatever has happened. Take a mental step back and become the compassionate witness to your own life. (Remember it's not what happens that matters, it's how you respond to what happens.)
Watch yourself start to feel irritated when someone says something rude or cuts you off in traffic. Watch your anger flare up. Watch that nasty self-talk thing that happens when you make a mistake — you know, the one where you mentally beat yourself up. Watch it ALL.
But don't judge it or try to stop it. Just watch. Don't think of what's happening as something that's bad. Just watch.
Here's what I think you'll notice. If you don't INVOLVE yourself in what's going on, but just observe it, you'll begin to see that this simple process takes all the wind out of that particular emotion's sails. Just as I felt no pain or fear while watching my physical body smash through a windshield, you'll notice a kind of calm come over you. By simply being aware of what's happening TO you, you'll find the once-raging emotion almost instantaneously loosens its grip.
Yes, it's a little tricky to stand back and watch, but it's not really difficult. (You know what the hardest part is? NOT judging the emotion and then passing judgment on yourself for having it!) Just keep trying to catch yourself so you can watch. It gets easier with practice — and even more fascinating.
Now obviously, you're not going to try to project your soul out of your body or anything like that; that's not what this is about. You're just going to use the power of your mind to become AWARE of what another part of your mind and your body are up to.
So ... are you game? Are you willing?
(I believe the most powerful statement a human being can make is "I am willing.")
See, you already have within you everything you need to be, do, and have whatever you want. All that resides within your great big, limitless True Self. But you also have within you your own "little me," small self, or ego, that pops up again and again to thwart your best-laid plans. Its job is to keep you "safe" by keeping you from stepping out of your familiar zone. And for most of us, little me is operating covertly, below the surface of our awareness most of the time.
But when we wake up and become AWARE of what's going on — simply by observing — the tables can begin to turn. Because once you are aware, you have the power to CHOOSE your response. Until you know you have choices, however, you have no choices.
So this week, just watch. Pay attention. Become aware.
And then, of course, share what you notice with the rest of us on the "new and improved" (go see it!) Science of Getting Rich Network discussion board. I can't WAIT to see what YOU learn from your "out-of-body" experiences!
*****
Oh, one more thing: Whether you're driving or "passenging," please remember ALWAYS to fasten your seat belt. I want you with us a good, long time, and I promise you that a little while AFTER you go through a windshield — if you're still with us — you WILL feel it!
Rebecca Fine is the founder of The Science of Getting Rich Network where you can download your free copy of the amazing 1910 forgotten classic, The Science of Getting Rich. http://www.scienceofgettingrich.net ©2001 Certain Way Productions.
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