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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.