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Fox, Oliver - Out of body rule: don't touch 02
Identifier
013589
Type of Spiritual Experience
Background
A description of the experience
A Record of Out of the Body Experiences – Oliver Fox
In the afternoon, intending to experiment, I lay down on the bed and succeeded in getting into the trance condition. I then proceeded to leave my body, dual consciousness being experienced until I had passed out of the house (by going through the closed doors); but on reaching the street I could not feel my physical body lying upon the bed.
I had walked on for about a hundred yards, apparently unobserved by the few people about, when I was caught up in some strong current and borne away with great velocity. I came to rest on a beautiful but unknown common. There seemed to be a school treat going on; for there were many children, dressed in white, playing games and having tea beneath the trees. There were also some adults present – in particular I noticed one old gipsy woman. Bluish smoke rose up from the fires they had lit, and a magnificent amber sunset cast a mellow golden glow upon the peaceful scene. I walked on until I came to some red brick houses, which evidently marked the limit of the common in that direction. The front door of one of the houses was half open, so I entered, curious to see if the inhabitants would become aware of my intrusion. At the end of the hall was a flight of richly carpeted stairs. Up these I passed.
Seeing a door ajar on the landing, I entered and found myself in a comfortably furnished bedroom. A young lady, dressed in claret coloured velvet, was standing with her back to me, tidying her hair before a mirror. I could see that radiant amber sky through the window by the dressing table, and the girl’s rich auburn tresses were gleaning redly in this glamorous light. I noticed that the coverlet of the bed had a crumpled appearance and that there was water in a basin on the washstand. ‘Ah, my lady’ thought I ‘you too have been lying down, and now you are making yourself presentable for tea – or is it dinner?’
I did not mind intruding upon her privacy; for she might have no existence outside of my brain, and I knew, from previous experiences, that there was small likelihood of my being visible to her. It occurred to me that I would stand just behind her and look over her shoulder into the mirror. I wanted to see whether it would reflect my face. I stood so close to her that I was conscious of a pleasant fragrance emanating from her hair, or perhaps the soap she had recently used. In the mirror I could see her face – a good looking one, I think her eyes were grey – but not the faintest indication of mine was visible.
‘Well’ I thought ‘you evidently cannot see me. Can you feel me?’
And I laid a hand upon her shoulder. I distinctly felt the softness of her velvet dress, and then she gave a violent start – so violent that I in my turn was startled too. Instantly my body drew me back and I was awake, my condition being immediately normal – no duration of trance, or cataleptic sensations. No bad after effects.
I have often found that, though I may be invisible to the people I encounter in my dream travelling, they respond readily to touch. If the shock produced is great enough to affect me, then my body calls me back.