Sunday, December 23, 2012

Guardian Angels


By Michael O'Brien

If there be Guardian Angels, who exactly are they?

I'm reluctant to relay my story for several reasons but mostly for fear of ostracism. Despite that I do take some comfort in the realization that those involved in the paranormal are typically more open-minded than most. In any event, it is my hope this story will open a new line of discussion within our community.

In this post I'd like to pose the question, "Who, not what, are Guardian Angels?" It's believed by many they are long since passed family members. Some surmise they are friends or acquaintances from a past life. Others postulate they are in reality, earthbound Angels that have yet to take human form. What I would like to suggest is a possibility few that I'm aware have discussed in-depth as of yet.

At almost five years of age my parents took our extraordinarily large family to Long Island Beach for a day of relaxation. Unfortunately the day would be anything but that.

Before I go any further allow me to say that I agree there shouldn't be any excuse for neglectful parenting. However, one can't exactly fault the naivety of parents in the early 70's for their transgressions. Especially those with enormous families who managed to lose only one child once in their history. Nonetheless, that's exactly what occurred on a Autumn day on a New York beach.

As the story goes I wandered off from my parents while at the beach and ended up in the ocean. While I have no recollection of actually entering the choppy tide, I do remember being submerged in the water. I also recollect the undertow seeming to grab hold of my tiny ankles and insist upon dragging me deeper into the oceans depths.

To this day I can clearly recall grasping the sand, rocks and twigs on the oceans floor in panicked desperation. With every firm grip I believed it would pull me forward to shallower waters. Much to my terror, I realized that what I thought was a solid grasp was actually dissipating between my fingers in rapid succession. First the sand, then twigs followed by the slight rocks. Once again I felt myself being pulled deeper into the briny, murky depths of that chilly northeastern ocean.

The last thing I recall wasn't drowning or feeling the peace others speak of but lying beach side on my tummy. What's more, feeling exhausted and overheated and as if my skin and tongue had dried and cracked. I also recollect feeling like I'd just been rattled from a deep slumber. At least the sand, salt and sun in my eyes did their best to offer me that impression.

Next I remember brushing my dark strands of hair off my cheek and away from my eyes. I recall my confusion as I realized they had dried and adhered tightly to my silt covered face. Somewhat shaky I attempted to lift myself with my elbows. As I did I immediately felt a soft hand press gently between my shoulder blades. It was if I was being told to stay still where I was for awhile. I complied without question.

When my eyes finally adjusted I managed to gaze up at the person who had gestured me. This was the first time I saw her. Almost clearly, if not for the blinding sun that hovered steady behind her.

Standing before me was a woman so tall and beautiful I remember being damn near awe struck by the sight of her. Albeit a fleeting thought, I do recall thinking how much I desperately wanted to touch any part of her. The tails of her flowing gown, her long black mane that hung like a pendulum down her chest or her pale ivory skin, even her dark thick brows. I just didn't have the strength. Unfortunately I could only stare as I watched her clearly then fade in and out in broad, wispy strokes. In any event, I felt completely safe with her and on some level, I knew I knew her.

As I lay there motionless for what seemed to be some time, I noticed she made no sound whatsoever. Nor did her smoky, translucent robes that flapped unrestrained in the breeze. She simply stood there above me watching me, waiting for me. Finally she knelt down, smiled and offered me a slight upwards nod over her left shoulder. It was as if to tell me it was time to return to where I came from.

Again, she spoke not a word and neither did I. I recall I rose unsteady to my feet and visually scanned the shoreline before me. As I recognized miniscule flickering police lights far off in the distance, I decided to make my way towards them.

Even though I wanted to spend all day staring at her or maybe even playing with her, I walked on. I turned around only once to see her again. Perhaps I was making certain she was real or maybe I knew that was all the time I was going to be afforded by her. Either way, it was during that last glance that she placed her index finger to her lips as if to say, "This will be our secrete." I didn't quite know why all though I nodded in the affirmative and wobbled away. No, "Thank you," no, "See you again," nothing. I simply walked on.

I've thought about this encounter many times throughout my young and adult life, careful not to distort that memory in any respect. I also kept that secrete I made for as long as I could. It wasn't until I was in my mid twenties that I finally told my best friend about this encounter.

Just prior to disclosing this, my best friend, my partner and myself had a group portrait taken together. Four weeks later our photo was ready. As our portrait was unveiled by our artist my knees instantly weakened and my body swayed. I began to perspire and tremble and my mouth felt as dry as it did that ominous day on Long Island Beach.

There she was, right before me in the center of that painted portrait. Her long raven hair draping off her right shoulder down the middle her chest, her deep dark eyes, her thick brows, her ivory skin. It was her! It was me!

I'm aware of how terribly arrogant this account sounds but I was exactly the woman I saw that day I should have drowned. The woman who saved me that day was me and I was positive of it.

I'm just as confused as most right now. How did I spend my life looking in a mirror performing incidentals such as brushing my teeth or hair and not realize who I was? Yes, I should have recognized who that woman was years ago but I honestly never did. I swear, I just never put it together.

Perhaps it's because I look at my outer shell and seldom, if ever, take a moment to truly gaze upon who I genuinely am? Or perhaps I fail to see myself through the eyes of those who perceive me with absolute precision? After all, had I told my best friend about this experience sooner, I'm certain she would have pieced this mystery together for me.

With that, I'm curious if anyone else has experienced this type of encounter. An encounter where they believe they somehow managed to save themselves from certain death. Or if they've ever heard of this experience through family, friends or their paranormal research.

The only other account I'm familiar with concerns a woman who claims she attempted suicide at fourteen unsuccessfully. Much later in life, she attempted to take her life again. However, this time she reports she was stopped by her fourteen year old self. What's more, she claims her younger self put her to bed and hid the sleeping pills from the older self. She reports that only a empty medication bottle lay on the nightstand beside her the following morning. She also claimed her younger self left her grandmothers ring thought by her to have been long since lost on that same night stand. For what it's worth, her experience was the catalyst for my writing this post.

So, is it possible to be your own Guardian Angel? If we can believe in reincarnation, life after death, alien abductions, shadow people or even Doppelgangers for that matter, why not? Is the possibility of you being your own Guardian Angel that far out of the realm of possibility?

Or was this entire experience nothing more than a hallucination of a five year old child who went an indeterminate amount of time without oxygen? Additionally, was the second account simply an inept woman who believed she saved herself as opposed of accepting her reality? That she botched yet another suicide? Or perhaps she was just to frightened to preform the act itself? In any event, I'd love to hear other accounts or perspectives on this topic. Positive or negative.

28 comments:

Patriot Rider said...

Amazing read. I have had a situation that has happened to me about 20 years ago that I still scratch my head over.

I live in the Twin Cities, and one day I received a call from a friend inviting me to camp on an island on the St. Croix river just north of Stillwater, MN. I was happy to accept.

While camping and having some drinks, we started joking about swimming across to the other shore line and back. Well, my young immature mind agreed. Let me add that this was a great distance and a very busy river with huge boats.

We proceeded to swim across and finally made it. I was exhausted and shaking from strain.

While everyone started to swim back, I waited a bit to catch my breath. They were half way back to the island, so I figured I better start my journey back.

I entered the water and started to swim. I wasnt even close to the half way mark and my body started to weaken and as I became weaker and weaker, I started to slow down and my body started to become vertical in the water.

I knew I was in a bad situation. I tried to yell to my friends who have already made it back to shore, but found that impossible to do because I became so weak.

As they realized I was in trouble, it didnt really matter, because once I would go under, and the time it would take them to reach my location, I would have been a quarter mile down river.

Now I am at the point of just trying to stay afloat. My body was completely verticle and I am physically done. I started to sink.

Was still runs through my head to this day is I came to the conclusion that this is how im going to die. All of the sudden I was at complete peace. I was ok with this. While I started to think my last thoughts of my parents, everything became slow motion.

Now, my body was loosing the fight to stay afloat, I started to sink. The water started to swallow me. Up my neck slowly, getting closer to my chin. Now the water started to get close to my mouth. So I looked up twords the sky to take my last breath.

I took my last breath, prepared to go under, sinking slowly, the water is ready to touch my lips and something amazing happened. The tips of my toes touched sand. At that moment, I could not feel my body, could not understand what just happened.

I started to take heavy breaths, thinking if I can catch my wind, I might have a chance. So, I started to take tiny steps twords the shore expecting it to drop off. When I felt to the left or the right, it did get deeper, but for some reason, my path twords the island did not.

I walked from the middle of the river all the way back to the island.

I kept thinking while laying on the shore, how I was at total peace with dying, and somehow I survived. My mind was all over the place.

How could these 60 foot boats going top speed not hit the bottom, why is there not shallow water signs, no wake zone signs? The river was straight with no bends to create a sand bar. All these questions.

Why am I alive when I should have drowned, What are the chances of coming across this sandbar the is only a couple feet wide, but was a sidewalk for me to walk half way across a river to the shore.

Luck? Guardian Angel? Destiny? All I know is that day was not my day to die.

Patriot Rider said...

Amazing read. I have had a situation that has happened to me about 20 years ago that I still scratch my head over.

I live in the Twin Cities, and one day I received a call from a friend inviting me to camp on an island on the St. Croix river just north of Stillwater, MN. I was happy to accept.

While camping and having some drinks, we started joking about swimming across to the other shore line and back. Well, my young immature mind agreed. Let me add that this was a great distance and a very busy river with huge boats.

We proceeded to swim across and finally made it. I was exhausted and shaking from strain.

While everyone started to swim back, I waited a bit to catch my breath. They were half way back to the island, so I figured I better start my journey back.

I entered the water and started to swim. I wasnt even close to the half way mark and my body started to weaken and as I became weaker and weaker, I started to slow down and my body started to become vertical in the water.

I knew I was in a bad situation. I tried to yell to my friends who have already made it back to shore, but found that impossible to do because I became so weak.

As they realized I was in trouble, it didnt really matter, because once I would go under, and the time it would take them to reach my location, I would have been a quarter mile down river.

Now I am at the point of just trying to stay afloat. My body was completely verticle and I am physically done. I started to sink.

Was still runs through my head to this day is I came to the conclusion that this is how im going to die. All of the sudden I was at complete peace. I was ok with this. While I started to think my last thoughts of my parents, everything became slow motion.

Now, my body was loosing the fight to stay afloat, I started to sink. The water started to swallow me. Up my neck slowly, getting closer to my chin. Now the water started to get close to my mouth. So I looked up twords the sky to take my last breath.

I took my last breath, prepared to go under, sinking slowly, the water is ready to touch my lips and something amazing happened. The tips of my toes touched sand. At that moment, I could not feel my body, could not understand what just happened.

I started to take heavy breaths, thinking if I can catch my wind, I might have a chance. So, I started to take tiny steps twords the shore expecting it to drop off. When I felt to the left or the right, it did get deeper, but for some reason, my path twords the island did not.

I walked from the middle of the river all the way back to the island.

I kept thinking while laying on the shore, how I was at total peace with dying, and somehow I survived. My mind was all over the place.

How could these 60 foot boats going top speed not hit the bottom, why is there not shallow water signs, no wake zone signs? The river was straight with no bends to create a sand bar. All these questions.

Why am I alive when I should have drowned, What are the chances of coming across this sandbar the is only a couple feet wide, but was a sidewalk for me to walk half way across a river to the shore.

Luck? Guardian Angel? Destiny? All I know is that day was not my day to die.

Anonymous said...

Fascinating. Thanks so much for sharing your story.

Anonymous said...

Now THIS is one interesting read Michael O! Post more blogs like this and I'll keep coming back!

tammy444 said...

what a amazing story or should i say happening ,it is truely remarkable testimony of the powers of the divine ..or something we yet can not understand in this time ,one thing i can say is you where spared for a very important reason finding it will be your destiny ... as this happening has stayed with you threw out your life time and guided you to this point you are destined for something great ,what a blessing <3

Unknown said...

If we are hypothetically able to exist in multiple dimensions, each moment in time saved, maybe the self that decides to work at a coffee shop(for example) attached to one particular self in one dimension, while a choice gone a different way, say the self that decides to work in an office becomes a self that belongs in another dimension. Each choice in life is stored in that moment of time....and theoretically we could have many 'selfs' that exist in different dimensions. Each of us being very different from each other, depending on the choices we made. Almost a Doppelganger if you will......and if time travel is real, than could it be possible that somehow a more advanced us is able to somehow look over a young us?

Unknown said...

Thank you so much for your comment Tammy444. What a positive interpretation!

Unknown said...

Do you ever wonder why your guardian angle requested that you keep your encounter a secret?? Maybe the 'future' guardian you was breaking a code or rule by helping you....not everyone has a guardian angel story like that, and maybe that is for a reason.....maybe its 'not allowed'. maybe the rule with time travel, if it exists, is that one cannot interfere with time or experiences. In this case maybe the 'future you' decided to be rebellious and interfere.

Anonymous said...

I had hunch this blog would solicit some interesting responses when I read it today but Heather Thorpe's certainly takes the prize. What an interesting point she makes. Maybe the guardian wasn't allowed to interfere and maybe that's why she never spoke. If it is possible to interfere in time and space I wonder if there were any consequences for her doing so? Just wondering....

Michael O'Brien said...

No, I had never considered that Heather but it's certainly an interesting thought isn't it? After all, anything we see on TV about time travel, cartoons or otherwise, always state, "Do not do anything that will alter time!" I say that semi jokingly. ;0) Still, it's a fascinating thought to ponder.

Unknown said...

It makes me think of that Family Guy episode where Stewie and Brian time travel.

Anonymous said...

Definetly God sending his guardian angel to protect you. Because he has a better purpose for you and you have not completed it yet. I love the story, it proves how God works in mysterious ways. Miracles do happen in small ways not just big ones. May God Bless the path you walk on in the future.

Capri Diana

Aanica said...

Lovely to see you writing again Michael. Amazing and wonderful story.

Merry Christmas

Delilah said...

I love this story. It is refreshing to read a story of faith and miracle at a time when our world is such a wreck and so interested with material objects. Thank you for posting this wonderful story! Our Guardian Angels will appear to us in a form that our minds understand.

Michael OBrien said...

Thank you Delilah. I appreciate that.

Michael OBrien said...

Thank you Aanica. Merry Christmas to you as well.

Count Malachi said...

Great story ...

Michael OBrien said...

Thanks Count.

Para NormaJean said...

"In this post I'd like to pose the question, "Who, not what, are Guardian Angels?" It's believed by many they are long since passed family members. Some surmise they are friends or acquaintances from a past life. Others postulate they are in reality, earthbound Angels that have yet to take human form. What I would like to suggest is a possibility few that I'm aware have discussed in-depth as of yet."

Well, you've thought wrong.

Haven't you ever heard of Doreen Virtue, PhD? (shoot, I shouldn't have posted her name- now Kirby and Ron will go after her.

Belinda Womack?

Countless other authors have written about Guardian Angels, Arc Angels, Earthbound Angels and spirit guides FOR CENTURIES!

Anonymous said...

You're a lonely, bitter old woman aren't you Jean? On an up note though, I'm certain both of your online friends & all ten of your cats probably like you.

Bilbo B. said...

"Para Norma Jean" is an complete idiot. "Paranormal" is now a Genre simpleton therefore it is okay to refer to someone as a "para-celebrity". (Yes we saw your latest psychotic, stalker mentality hate blog)

Paranormal State is forgotten.

Chip is forgotten.

Everything you care about is collectively scoffed.

Doreen Virtue? LMAO what a JOKE, only old senile cat-ladies care about her.

Scifake said...

Paranormal jean is a hate filled jealous,bitter loser LOL

Bobnoxious said...

@ ParaNormaJean
So Doreen Virtue has a PhD in "Guardian Angels" and this makes her The World's Foremost Authority on the subject?

How about if you explain precisely why you disagree with what you quoted from the OP from your own perspective and not from some, fluffy, love and Light hack like Doreen Virtue.

Bilbo B. said...

Her (ParaNormaJean) psychotic rantings are utterly absurd ...

She filed a Rip Off report claiming that because someone cannot prove the existence of paranormal activity, someone cannot prove that child abuse takes place without photographic/video evidence. What an insane dingbat, Child abuse/ pedophilia HAS been proven to exist, "ghosts" have not. This just goes to show what complete and total morons fans of Paranormal State and general supernatural related media stupidity this era has shaken from the catacombs of their cat feces infested horder rat-holes.

Unknown said...

I'm wondering at this point if Doreen and Belinda are indeed Jeans only two online friends referred to in a previous post. Anyway, the point I was trying to make was if we could somehow be our own Guardian Angels. To the best of my knowledge, this question hasn't been actively posed. My apologies if that point flew over your head Jean. Perhaps next time I should speak slower, for your sake at least.

Michael O'Brien

TLB said...

i really loved this blog..it was well so written & believable. it makes you believe there really might be something more out there. super story!

Anonymous said...

First, sorry I hadn't seen this but second, thanks so much for the compliment. I know who you are! I appreciate it!

Michael O'Brien

Anonymous said...

Years ago, I read the Satanic Bible (strange point in my life, but whatever.) In it, there are many references to you, yourself, being your own God. Ignoring the source, this concept has always seemed intrinsically accurate to me. Using this logic as a base, it would follow that you are your own Guardian Angel. Interesting experience, Michael!
Beth