Sunday, January 31, 2010
Premonitions?
I don’t believe in ESP, but I do take strong intuitions seriously. They are not always correct, but I suspect that they disclose things that we have either forgotten or not noticed consciously, e.g. body language of someone who speaks otherwise.
I recall 3 life and death premonitions from my childhood.
The first when I must have been about 6 or 7 occurred one night when my father was driving up one of those long uphill roads that one had to travel in Vermont before the super highways arrived. I was sleeping at his side and suddenly awoke and told him that he must pull off the road. He laughed at me at first, but finally yielded to my desperate appeal. Just as he did so, a huge truck came racing down the hill from around a curve on our side of the road. We would have been demolished, had I not acted — perhaps the echo of a dream?
The second occurred when we were leaving Hanover, NH where we would visit my mother’s family on Christmas. As we were leaving my beloved grandfather was waving good-bye and I was suddenly overwhelmed with sadness that I would not see him again. He died of pneumonia a week later.
The last occurred on July 6, 1944. A couple of teenage girls had kindly taken me and my friend, David, to the circus that day. A few minutes after events started I suddenly had the thought — what would I do in case of a fire? I figured that we could not make it to the exit through the crowd, but looked around and saw that they had left a gap between the side wall and roof of the tent where I could see ropes dangling down. About two minutes later we saw the flames racing up the inside of the tent near the entrance. I grabbed David and steered him back up the stairs to the gap where we slid to safety. More than 100 died that day:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hartford_circus_fire
Website has picture.
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“A war is just if there is no alternative, and the resort to arms is legitimate if they represent your last hope.” (Livy cited by Machiavelli)
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4 users commented in " Premonitions? "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackI have had premonitions that saved my life, several times. I have, also had premonitions that my children and grandchildren were troubled or in danger, and they were. Alot of people call this mother’s intuition when it is about our children. I think every mother has intuitions or hunches that save their babies lives many times. We suddenly get a feeling that we better go check on them at just the right time.
I believe that we very possibly all possess a spiritual sense that most often ignore, dismiss or misunderstand. It’s pretty brave of you to even talk about this subject in this day and age when there are so many exploiters out there attempting to make a buck most usually off of and out of someone elses suffering.
From the way I read your article, (I could be wrong)I got the impression that you valued those moments as blessings. That is what it I am believing too. It is a blessing that you did not ignore those intuitions/premonitions.
(I also believe that we are all an extention of our Creator.)
I wonder too in certain instances if intuitiveness, or whatever you decide to call it, is rightfully valued as a gift? I guess I am a sunny day person more or less because if a person was to have intuition about something and there was absolutely no easy solution then what it is called? Some would say it is a curse. Then what?
We all have to take the good with the bad every single second of the day I suppose.
I am just rambling here.
Interesting article Ed.
I felt a bit self-conscious about posting such a personal piece, but I figured that others might have had similar experiences. You will notice that what I reported were events in my chldhood when one is more open to new things and one’s mind is not cluttered. As Karen suggested, I suspect mothers are particularly sensitive to hazards to their children.
One of my worst moments was when one of my daughters ast about 3 dashed out into Riverside Drive in rush hour — amazingly a school bus was just then coming to a stop which blocked traffic as my wife rushed out to grab her — she had fallen just in front of the bus.
I personally am an intellectual agnostic after getting a Bachelor of Divinity degree and much reading and reviewing on religion for a time and service on the ACLU advisory committee on church and state for several decades.
I have been saddened by the decline in our religions of late which my divinity teachers foresaw. My blog today reflect that awareness.
Many good people in religion, but too often blocked by the bad ones — doing things in the name of their divinities.
Very interesting perspectives.
Thank you for commenting back.
In regards to your last paragraph I agree. When religion becomes a syphon for $$$ and the door is open for greed there will be some who will go against what they claim to represent.
Too when people are placed or ordained into positions of power then also is the chance that this power is also subject to being abused and/or misused.
Another thought is how some may try to either embellish or take away from the message of our Creator in order to manipulate people for their own self purposes that IMO are most likely borne out of a false sense of self entitlement due to lack of humility.
Just my own thoughts about that.
I read what you wrote about your education, experience, time spent as a public servant and your opinion regarding the decline of religion.
Very impressive background sir. I am no one to speak in such terms in regards to decline of religions in general. I don’t know any such thing except for what you mentioned.
Sad if true (which I assume must be true coming from you with your extensive background).
Thank you again for commenting back.
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