Eric A's Experience
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Experience description:

I was a cab driver in the city of new Orleans.  it was very late/ early, around 3am, perhaps, and I was about to take a few more fares then head home.  in a sense I was doing everything wrong: I was at an intersection near the fisher housing project (no longer standing), counting my money with the driver's side window open and radio blaring.  suddenly two men, pedestrians, appeared at my side!  the one in my peripheral vision, to the far left of me, reached behind him, extracted a handgun and fired at my head!  this was done in fast-forward speed, in one fluid motion!  not only that, but my focus was on the man who was closer towards the steering wheel, in full view, who was reaching for my money!  that is why till this day I do not understand how I managed to turn my head in time and advert the blast from the gun held by the individual to the far left of me.  not only that, but he had fired the gun - which sounded like an enormous cannon - prior to my moving my head away from the bullet.  I felt the hot blast as it seared my cheek and there was a frozen instant in time, where the man reaching for the money in my hand on the steering wheel, the gunman, and I all looked at each other!  a split second where the huge blast seemed so loud, so unreal (and in my mind, so unwarranted) that we all just froze.  the men could not believe I had ducked the bullet, and I could not believe they shot at me, so there was the moment in time, frozen!  then the one closest to the steering wheel (to my side, and better vision) commenced to grab at the money again, as I floored the gas pedal and lowered my head in case of a second shot; but there was only the sound of screeching tires as I tore down Whitney avenue.... 

I was shot at; the reader must understand that at the actual moment, the moment when the gun was fired, it was aimed point blank at me!  I saw the orange/ blue flash ignite from his handgun, and the barrel was aimed at me!  I THEN turned my face to the side, as the hot wind of the bullet seared my cheek. This is important because it was not just a matter of a near miss; on the contrary, he had me point blank, and there is no way ...it is not humanly possible for ones reflexes to out speed a bullet fired at close range; it just isn't, and that's the part that made me think there was some supernatural force at work that night. 

I don't consider my life to be of more value than anyone else's, but then again it's not for us to understand the ways and the mysteries of the supernatural.  I know what happened that evening, and it does not make sense any other way.  you could see the shock, dismay, and bugged out eyes of the two young men trying to take my life that night, and it's interesting to note that they didn't attempt a second shot - they were too amazed and confused seeing me still alive, head intact!

There was one permeating and overwhelming thought immediately after this happened: ALL THEY COULD TAKE WAS MY LIFE!  that thought, or concept, kept repeating and revolving again and again in my mind that night.  which is odd, because although I refer to myself as an agnostic (although of late I am leaning towards belief), at the time of the incident, I was an atheist, a complete non-believer.  and, even if you could convince me of the merest possibility of there being a God, you could never have made me allow for the possibility of an after-life.  I considered the possibility of anything after this life a cowardly deception, a fantasy for those too weak to face their own mortality.  so it's very odd indeed that I would have this ...oh, it went beyond a mere thought, but was a feeling, a very strong feeling that those young men were wasting their time, because all they could have taken was my life.

it truly seemed absurd! somehow I just knew there was more to it, that by killing me they could never take my soul!  which was a very odd feeling indeed, for someone like me to have.

Was the kind of experience difficult to express in words? No      

At the time of this experience, was there an associated life threatening event?          Yes     I was shot at point blank by a man wielding a .357 magnum.

 At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness?    in all honesty, I had smoked a joint prior to this incident a fare had given me for a tip earlier in the evening.  I was relaxed, listening to some R&B, counting my money for the night, and making plans to get back home, uptown.

 How did your highest level of consciousness and alertness during the experience compare to your normal every day consciousness and alertness?    More consciousness and alertness than normal

 If your highest level of consciousness and alertness during the experience was different from your normal every day consciousness and alertness, please explain:            in all honesty, I had smoked a joint prior to this incident a fare had given me for a tip earlier in the evening.  I was relaxed, listening to some R&B, counting my money for the night, and making plans to get back home, uptown.

 Did your vision differ in any way from your normal, everyday vision (in any aspect, such as clarity, field of vision, colors, brightness, depth perception degree of solidness/transparency of objects, etc.)?  Uncertain      not really sure, but there was a dream-like quality about things after I was out of the area and in relative safety.  it was a hot and humid new Orleans night, and it did seem a bit softer around the edges, and again, dream-like.

 Did your hearing differ in any way from your normal, everyday hearing (in any aspect, such as clarity, ability to recognize source of sound, pitch, loudness, etc.)?
            Yes     well, after the shot, yes!  my ear rang for three daze, then I became almost completely deaf in that ear, and that's how things stand today, almost a decade later.

 Did you experience a separation of your consciousness from your body?     Uncertain

 What emotions did you feel during the experience?            shock and dismay!  total confusion, and one compelling question seemed to repeat itself again and again, why?

 Did you pass into or through a tunnel or enclosure?          No      

Did you see a light?           No      

Did you meet or see any other beings?           No      

Did you experience a review of past events in your life?    Uncertain      two thoughts which seemed most compelling at the time: 1. what was I doing with my life?  if it ended then, that night, would I have been happy or content?  the answer was a resounding, no!  I was under-employed, using drugs, and not contributing a whole lot to society. 2. how would my family take the news?  it seemed such a lonely and forlorn way of dying ...I pitied my family members learning I had been killed near a housing project in the wee hours of the morning.

 Did you observe or hear anything regarding people or events during your experience that could be verified later?          No      

Did you see or visit any beautiful or otherwise distinctive locations, levels or dimensions?           No           

Did you have any sense of altered space or time?   Uncertain      again, the whole episode seemed surreal.  perhaps the marijuana contributed to that, I don't know.  but I do recall a sense of unbelief that the bullet has missed me, and for almost an hour I was afraid to talk to anyone in fear that they might not respond; in other words, I suspected I might be dead, and just a ghost now.

 Did you have a sense of knowing special knowledge, universal order and/or purpose?     Yes     to this day I do not believe my reflexes are fast enough to out-speed a bullet.  there is no humanly way that bullet just missed me, either.  if I had not turned my head in time, my brains would've been all over that cab!  but, as I say, I am not fast enough to out-pace a bullet.  supernatural powers prevailed that evening, and yet I cannot say why I was spared; but I know I was.  an angel?  perhaps.  it happened, but I don't know how or why.

 Did you reach a boundary or limiting physical structure? No      

Did you become aware of future events?       No
           

Did you have any psychic, paranormal or other special gifts following the experience you did not have prior to the experience?     No      

Have you shared this experience with others?         Yes     there are very few people I have shared this with.  one or two, those in my social circle in new Orleans at the time, are aware of what happened.  one is a catholic and has no problem in believing it was an angel who helped me.  then there are a few other people I told, in detail, but much - five years or more - later.

 Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience?    Yes     I had read Dannion Brinkley's book about his experience being hit by lightening.  also, I was aware of moody, and his interest in the subject.  then it was while reading the stories here that I considered what had happened to me as an NDE.  it finally occurred to me, I mean, how much closer to death can you get, right?

 How did you view the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened:            Experience was probably real    initially it all shock and dismay: I could not understand why that fellow wanted to take my life?  he could have waved that cannon in my face and I would have given him my money, fast!  as time went on the significance of what had transpired became clearer to me.

 Were there one or several parts of the experience especially meaningful or significant to you?            yes, the most significant part was the realization that there is no way, no physical possibility for that bullet to have missed me.  that I could not have turned my head in time without supernatural help.  that had an extreme impact on me!

 How do you currently view the reality of your experience:            Experience was definitely real    I was saved by supernatural means; as to how or perhaps the bigger question, why, that has not been made known to me yet.

 Have your relationships changed specifically as a result of your experience?           Yes     I try not to waste time with people who are into wasting their lives.

 Have your religious beliefs/practices changed specifically as a result of your experience?            Uncertain      spiritually, yes.  I am no longer an agnostic.  however, I have not settled on a particular religion, but do read the bible and pray regularly now.

 Following the experience, have you had any other events in your life, medications or substances which reproduced any part of the experience?         No      

Is there anything else you would like to add concerning the experience?        not really ...except, there is nothing wrong with saying you don't know.  we are not necessarily meant or equipped to know all matters of the spirit world.

 Did the questions asked and information you provided so far accurately and comprehensively describe your experience?         Yes     I mean, I thought they were apt, and I can think of nothing to add.

 Are there any other questions we could ask to help you communicate your experience?   this is very important stuff.  what could possibly be more important?