"Take off"

Through frequent conversation with a man whose vision is so deep, I was able to write his story... a very astounding journey of life. Let's again try to take a glimpse so as to taste such sweet sensations of human's spirituality:

Chapter II "Take Off"
The first take off I experienced happened in September 1984, when I was brought home from Marawi due to signs of psychological breakdown. My mother got me one who learn the art of “mind”, one who is said to travel mentally while his body lies on bed, delivering whatever he sees in that travel. While they were jokingly happy inquiring on the “mind”, I felt a sudden pain, in my head that I almost could not grasp my breath. They then shifted their serious attention to me. Healers in the community were called.

It was the time when as if I felt my spirit started disembodying from my physical body. It started undressing off from my feet to my knee, then to my navel. In the navel, it stayed long as everybody were asking me to regain consciousness. Their faces appeared long and ugly to me. Their hands and body appeared combined with my body which added to my torture. I became like a big octopus, they were my tentacles but with individual heads and faces, looking badly at me. It was such a demonic and diabolic experience.

I didn’t know how did the torture stop but I only learned in the morning, the best healer slept in the house. But during the whole night, I felt that I was actually dead, body waiting for funeral ceremonies, spirit outside the body. It lasted for few days. When I happen to stand and walk, I felt I was like a living dead, zombie without any sign of active living. I tried hard to regain my consciousness, to help my father in his Sari-sari store but I could hardly add simple numerals. It seemed that I lost my memory and logic.

The second take off was in one of my auntie’s house, in Jolo on December 1986. To me, I was actually dying. I bade my goodbye to her; ”magsabar kitaniyu”, which means, “be patient to accept that I’ll die this early being unable to fulfill your dreams for me”. Then I supposed to breath my lasts. But soul is such immortal that I found myself to be suspended between sleep and wakefulness. I could sense my auntie confused on what to do for me, but I could not just open my eyes. Was I in comma? In trans? But certainly I was traveling very fast. She was alone in the house and no matter what she did to awaken me, I just maintain my breath…there’s no God, inhale, and exhale… but God.

I heard beautiful songs whose lyrics narrate about a departing soul, which sounded very sentimental. I pleaded deep within that if it were my time then let me accept it now anyway long life will bring me no further goodness.

But my auntie never granted me her goodbye. Whatever it took her I have to be awakened if I was just asleep or just unconscious. To my fortune, a Datu with some know-how of awaking as I had was just a house-apart. He was asked to come and perform some prayers and rituals. After some minutes, I came to see in my vision, his hands appearing in black shadow in the rays of bright light, waving me to come back. I refused for I love to die or at least to travel if it were a travel.

But the healer was so effective that before I finally come to my sense he has gone. I cried and shouted why has they awakened me to start ABC again? This world appeared to be dirty of obnoxious odor. Nevertheless, I was back to half senses whose night became sleepless. My senses were wandering far away from my body. I was then brought to the hospital and experiences heightened.