The trigger for my search

I suppose this could have been entitled "my vision on the road to Damascus", but it was actually the road to Nottingham - and way before I ended up in Damascus!

It all started in about 1973, during an early-morning drive over to Nottingham, where I was working as a contractor for an IT company.

I was minding my own business, driving on a deserted road due to the early time of day. Suddenly, a bank of trees a few hundred yards in front of me changed from branches and leaves into a weird pattern of inter-mingling electrons (nowadays you can see something like it on almost any sci-fi programme), but back then it was a real shock as I´d never seen anything like it on tv or film - and especially as it was actually real.

I was absolutely stunned by the sight and overcome by an overwhelming feeling of being a part of one universe composed of all these electrons. To say I was stunned is actually an understatement, as I wandered around in a total euphoric daze for the next few days.

I mentioned it to my mother, who didn´t just tell me I was going mad or I should lay off the booze, but instead took me over to talk to (the now legendary) Oscar, who she thought might be able to give me some guidance.

He told me I seemed a bit young to be getting that sort of vision (what age should they start I wonder), but then went into a wide-ranging chat about various forms of mysticism and his personal experiences.

Oscar will be mentioned again (many times I´m sure), but suffice it to say that from then on I believed I had had a vision of the true reality and I have spent a fair amount of time trying to find a philosophy that fits these personal views.

Most of these posts will be about that (continuing) journey and how it has impacted my life (and views about death too).