published in 2015 on my tumblr
I am not at all a religious person. I wouldn’t even call myself a spiritual one. But if I were to pick the most spiritual experiences I had, they revolve around two types of situations and one exception. The exception happened in Thailand, on the top of a hill overlooking a wonderful landscape, with temples projected against the horizon as the sun started creeping up. That was an amazing experience.
One of the situations where it might easily happen – that’s what good concerts do to me. I have had a few where I would’ve liked to freeze time in a very Faustian sort of way. It was a combination of music, lights, group synergy and the exhilaration of being there, being close to the band and being in perfect accord with some tens of thousands. It is the explanation why so many organised religions rely on group chanting. It clicks some gears into place in people’s minds.
The other situation occurs at an altitude of roughly 11 km. I am a sucker for window seats on plane rides. I love clouds. I love mountains. Clouds and mountains in one are almost overkill 🙂 When I have the chance of a flight that includes both, I come as close to a sustained state of almost spiritual elatedness as I’ve ever known. I always have those American Beauty moments: Sometimes there’s so much beauty in the world, I feel like I can’t take it, and my heart is just going to cave in.
