OK, what's this? I'd like to hear what you think.

[JMan]

Ever been posessed?

I was 14 years old and attending a summer basketball camp. On the last day of camp there were a bunch of competitions. The camp was divided into Jr. High (my division), Junior Varsity, and Varsity levels all week long. In this particular competition, one player and one coach was selected to represent thier division. It was a 3-point shooting competition, with follow up shots. I was a post player (which meant my position of expertise was near the basket, and no where near the 3-point line). All logic would say this was not a competition for me.

The coach of the camp told each division to nominate and vote for players & coaches. There were over 150 kids in my division, and I 'knew' I would be selected. And I was. It was surreal. I should not have been the one to represent us, but I was.

I got up and met the other 2 players and coaches at mid-court to listen to the rules of the game as given by the camp coach. As I stood there, I knew I couldn't do this alone, and really focused on a spot on the floor and prayed for help.

Almost instantly, an energy consumed me and 'took over'. I was in sort of a calm awareness, but no longer in control of my body. All sound dissipated into silence. It was as if I was sitting down inside my head watching a movie of what was happening, including my own body movements. I couldn't feel the floor beneath my feet, or the ball within my hands. I was just along for the ride.

What happened next was thrilling to me - I made all 7 of the 3-point shots I took and we won the competition, to everybody's amazement.

My parents were there, and when I told them of the experience, they had nothing to say, no comment, nothing. That's when I knew I couldn't talk to them about spiritual matters, and I was saddened to come to that realization after experiencing something fantastic.

Anyway, this was my first real 'confirmation' that there is a spiritual world, it is real, and it is reachable.

[Crowghost]

Hi Jman. That is very interesting.
I can recall a time in my life when very young (pre-teens), I tried to share a deep and moving reality I had discovered with my parents, and they just dismissed it like it had no validation. It was like I was relaying something in another language, and they sorta went blank.
I felt very alone at that point, and a little alienated from them, as I thought surely they of all people would understand. After that I was awkward around them, and felt separated or severed, and had no-one to talk to about it for years.

Much of my life experiences continued that way, especially around dating age, as the aim of my interests seemed very off step from other kids my age. I seemed hesitant and aloof, and in another space or world to them; like I was listening or seeing things far away.
But it was hard to focus on the physical in the same way as my peer group, and my accelerated inner life often spilt over in stories and dialogue that were way off the beaten path of adolescent pursuits.
It was like living in two worlds.
One of the things that was good, was that my circle of 3 close friends embraced my differences endearingly. Two of them were twins, and their grandmother told them I was a see-er. I suppose she meant seer. She was Romanian, and very traveled and educated, and from an era of seance and spiritual search.
So they viewed me as different in a good way. I'm forever grateful that this served as catalyst for my most awkward times.

I'm certain that many people here can tell you more specifically what the sensations you describe are. I have had them too, but have not really explored the mechanics of them.
To me, there are many states inside my make-up that I reach and implement at times. I am not familiar in terminology with them, as I tend to still be subjected to them, and in a state of flux and discovery.
Good luck.

[nosussbeliefs]

Well belief goes a long way to performance... Belief in your God(a fantasy) may have spurred you on. But ultimately you could have just believed in yourself and cut god out of the equation.

Or maybe you had a moment of self realisation(in the zen buddhist sense), you accepted the process at hand, submision to the universes process will remove your anxieties, anxiety hinders performance. You might have momentarily experienced the calming state of the zen buddhist.

And you also have to factor in the possibilty of coincidence for all those made baskets.

[Billy]

It sounds like you entered what the samurai called the Void or Oneness. It is a state of being that acts and creates change without the clutter or confusion that the ego brings. Martial artists who have learned to silence their energy know of this and use it to perform extraordinary feats of skill and endurance, or it could be something completely different. Either way as they say "if it aint broke don't fix it" its all good.

[Shamou]

Originally Posted by JMan

Almost instantly, an energy consumed me and 'took over'. I was in sort of a calm awareness, but no longer in control of my body. All sound dissipated into silence. It was as if I was sitting down inside my head watching a movie of what was happening, including my own body movements. I couldn't feel the floor beneath my feet, or the ball within my hands. I was just along for the ride.

You were in what the athletes call, "in the zone."

For more info on that... see here...

And, don't worry about it... you were not "been posessed."

.

[ZHereford]

Originally Posted by Shamou

You were in what the athletes call, "in the zone."

Very true!

Michael Jordan is known for having been able to tap into the zone at will.
Many athletes have talked about this and how when it happens it feels like everything is in slow motion and they can do no wrong.

[MagnusTapping]

Hey JMan,

I feel a bit like the others on here are denying your perspective that you were possessed.

Sounds cool to me, and if that was your experience of it, great!

How long ago was this? What experiences have you had since?

Magnus

[JMan]

Thank you all for your takes on this experience. You all have some very plausable, interesting possibilities - these are great!

From my perspective, I asked for help and got it and I was definitely not in control. I could not hear anything. I could not feel anything. Sight was my only conscious sense, and even that was more like a 3rd person sensation.

'The Zone' - hmmm...it could have been that I guess, on a very powerful level. I've been an athlete all my life, played some college ball and have been in what I have called 'The Zone' several times, but nothing compared to this experience. I'll try it again tomorrow morning for fun and see what happens... I think that is what Tom Cruise was in when he was surrounded by ninjas in the Last Samurai.

Magnus, as far as other experiences, I've had a spectral cross-section of things happen. I've posted most of them here on these boards. Weather manipulation. Animal command/communication. Visions. Entity communication. A lot of intuitive experiences where I'm thinking of something, a word, a name, a song, a person then that thing manifests.

There was a period of my life where I was really 'tapping in' to a lot of stuff. The material demands of my day to day life now seems to have hampered this. The more I relax my daily anxieties, the more things seem to happen. Don't Worry, Be Happy and all that.

[reflections]

That's the zone alright! A place where you can pretty much do no wrong and even when you do, you just flow with it and turn it into success. I used to aikido and they'd have a free form exercise at the end where people would run at you and attack. It wasn't so much for self-defense as the attack themselves were not so committed but the idea was to keep the person in the middle so busy that they had to 'let go' of the mind and just flow. It works really well and feels great.