Visions

Today in music meditation I had a vision. I would describe my state of being while this happened about halfway between consciousness and a dream. This is what I saw:

I'm standing on the beach of a small island wearing (no joke) nothing but a loin cloth. I'm thin, but strong from weeks or perhaps months of eating nothing but gathered fruits and vegetables, fish which I catch from the sea, and climbing coconut trees to gather, well, coconuts (duh). The sand was shimmering white. Its texture very fine, almost silky to the touch. The skies were blue as blue as they can be on a hot summer day. The sea looked as though I was somewhere in the Caribbean. Its color a turquoise blue. The island I was standing on had a circumference so small you could walk around in fifiteen to twenty minutes.

I could hear the calls of passing seagulls. I could hear the waves gently crashing upon the shore. The water was rolling over the sand and then made a light popping sound as the water receded. It left behind small bits of bubbly foam. The sun reflected off of the water as it slowly was absorbed into the sand. The wind was warm yet cool at the same time. It was just windy enough to rustle the leaves of the coconut trees and the nearby bushes. The foliage carried a clean scent mixed with the salt of the sea air. The smell was so refreshing and cleaner than anything I've ever smelled before.

I was standing still for the whole dream staring at a white Siberian tiger. He was standing about fifty feet away from me. I was not afraid of him, nor was he to I. It did not make any aggressive snarls or gestures. It just looked into my eyes and stared. From time to time he would calk his head like cats or dogs do sometimes when you look at them. He waved his tail to ward off unwanted bugs. From time to time he would look down to the sand and lick his dried lips. The blink of his eye was slow and almost welcoming. I could see small grains of sand were stuck to his fur as clear as the period at the end of this sentence. We stood there for most of my vision. Trying to understand each other in some sort of other-worldly telepathic sense.

The parts of my vision where I wasn't standing there staring at him I would be sitting within the interior of the island and look over to see him observing me through the bushes. A large leaf fell over his left eye. He stood still. The buzzing of a passing fly came and went. It was as if he were just watching over me like a protector or some sort of guide. The two of us were alone on this island. Then I woke up.

Am I to learn from the Tiger? Am I the Tiger? Who is; why . . . the tiger?

Entering into this dream memories from the last year rushed through my head, particularly those from this time last year:

Sitting in the basement of Neubergher Hall printing out articles and chatting online to Tami while she was at the helpdesk or making plans for the fakesgiving trip to the beach.

I was still feeling amazing from my experiences in Guatemala. At this time hearing Kim Carne's "Betty Davis Eyes," would still bring me back to sitting on top of that mayan temple in the middle of the jungle. The guides brought a small radio to the top and this song played, among others. This song was one of moms favorites when I was a kid. But I have to admit that I never liked it so much, not until Guatemala.

Cycling to and from school and swimming in the PSU pool.

Passing silly notes back and forth to Brittany in Ottoman History class.

Reading in the park blocks and watching the autumn colored leaves fall around me.

Playing cribbage and guitar with Sam.

There were more things I thought of but these are the really vivid ones I remember before the vision began to happen. These memories were so vivid it felt like I was next to myself watching them happen. Then waves of energy began to flow from my chest and out through my arms, legs, and head. It was like a tingling sensation that ran through my body like a tennis ball through garden hose. I felt as though if I opened my eyes I could watch it happen. Next thing I knew I was on the beach with the tiger.

BTW this whole post may sound cheesy but, HEY YOU, READING RIGHT NOW!!! YES YOU! This was a dream/vision ok? So leave me alone! After I wrote this and was wandering around the grocery store I thought about how cheesy this may have sounded. I'm sure you were waiting for me to mention the half naked Indian guy wandering around Jim Morrison's vision quest or the Space Coyote Homer saw from the Simpsons. No this was the real deal. I wasn't feeling so hot today about being away. So when I saw this . . . I was a little touched and even perhaps a little emotional, maybe moved by this. So cut it with any snide comments about the cheese factor. AIGHT! thanks. I've never had something like this happen before. I've had out of body experiences and hmm, well, lets just say I've had deep moments of thought before in the company of good friends. But I've never once had a vivid experience such as this where I could touch, smell, taste, think, hear, see . . . use all of my senses in a dream like that, ever.

Milos yours is an Elephant. Is mine a tiger? Remember that painting we saw at the new brew house on Powell? I kinda want it now . . . only seriously.