Have you personally experienced contact from the spiritual realm?

[Irishcyclist]

I admire the piety of many posters throughout this site and I was wondering if perhaps they had personally experienced contact from
the spiritual realm.

There are several reasons why I ask this question. One reason is that I have a great interest in cosmology. My interest in cosmology is both scientific and spiritual. The spiritual aspect of my interest took hold soon after the Apollo missions.

Apollo 15 space mission included an astronaut name Jim Irwin. Irwin was one of the 12 men to have ever walked on the Moon. Irwin, a christian, claimed that during his time spent on the lunar surface, that he experienced the tangible presence of God. Jim had been working extremely hard while on the lunar surface. Between various things, he was under huge time constraints when doing the experiments required to be done (you only have a very limited time and opportunity and given that visits to the Moon are extremely rare,
work done there has to be right and it has to be done on time for obvious reasons).

Jim was in a panic trying to conclude what had to be done. He knew that if he asked mission control in Houston to give him the information that he needed to conduct his work, this would mean Houston having to search through manuals etc, which would consume more time and delay or permanently postpone what had to be done). Jim was also running out of oxygen. He was also sweating profusely due to the temperature on the Moon, his space suit and from his physical endeavours. In short Jim was under huge physical and psychological pressure at that point.

In this situation, Jim started to pray. He needed help. "God I need your help right now" was what Jim prayed. And as soon as he began to pray, Jim said that he sensed the presence of God.
He said that the answers that he needed to get the work that he had to do, done, started to come to him without any prompting.
The directions which he needed to do what had to be done, just came to him. Jim believed that because he asked for help, that he received help from God.

Jim, like several of the other astronauts, was also gobsmacked at the sheer beauty of Earth from the perspective of the Moon and from the perspective of the ink black deep of what he saw surrounding Earth, namely the rest of the solar system.

Jim's example is a clear account of God's physically being present.

I know that when we receive the Eucharist, this is God in the real presence. But I am interested instead of reading if any one of you has experienced tangibly the real presence of God in a way which Jim Irwin did.

I can say that I have never experienced the presence of God in a tangible way like that. Of course I've had little prayers answered. But I have not seen or heard God's "talking" to me.

[Chestertonian]

I had this near death experience where I saw my daughter and heaven from afar

[LausTibiChriste]

I have...maybe not like Jim but I have had a few extraordinary signal graces, all of which came in the last 2 years.

When I mean signal graces, I mean it's almost like a lightning bolt going through your soul... it's hard to explain.

One was when I prayed, a la Fr Ripperger, a novena to Our Lady of Sorrows to ask for my predominant fault. Fr R constantly says how 1) She'll answer in ways you never expect and 2) Your predominant fault is never what you think it is. Well, (1)She never actually told me my exact predominate fault, just which virtue I need the most (no it ain't sobriety nice try) and it was a virtue I never even thought about it but man did it make sense when the grace hit me.

I've had a couple more that fit this mold. Years of anxiety, worry, doubt, unknowing done in a flash. It's awesome when it happens.

[Miriam_M]

I have...maybe not like Jim but I have had a few extraordinary signal graces, all of which came in the last 2 years.

When I mean signal graces, I mean it's almost like a lightning bolt going through your soul... it's hard to explain.

One was when I prayed, a la Fr Ripperger, a novena to Our Lady of Sorrows to ask for my predominant fault. Fr R constantly says how 1) She'll answer in ways you never expect and 2) Your predominant fault is never what you think it is. Well, (1)She never actually told me my exact predominate fault, just which virtue I need the most (no it ain't sobriety nice try) and it was a virtue I never even thought about it but man did it make sense when the grace hit me.

I've had a couple more that fit this mold. Years of anxiety, worry, doubt, unknowing done in a flash. It's awesome when it happens.

This is very interesting to me because I've been listening a ton to Fr. Ripperger's sermons during Lent, about various topics, and I find him both very powerful and very instructive.  Do you remember the source of his comments on Our Lady of Sorrows? 

[Irishcyclist]

I have...maybe not like Jim but I have had a few extraordinary signal graces, all of which came in the last 2 years.

When I mean signal graces, I mean it's almost like a lightning bolt going through your soul... it's hard to explain.

One was when I prayed, a la Fr Ripperger, a novena to Our Lady of Sorrows to ask for my predominant fault. Fr R constantly says how 1) She'll answer in ways you never expect and 2) Your predominant fault is never what you think it is. Well, (1)She never actually told me my exact predominate fault, just which virtue I need the most (no it ain't sobriety nice try) and it was a virtue I never even thought about it but man did it make sense when the grace hit me.

I've had a couple more that fit this mold. Years of anxiety, worry, doubt, unknowing done in a flash. It's awesome when it happens.

Thanks for sharing this with us. Very interesting testament too.

[Greg]

None whatsoever.

Everyone I personally know who claims such a thing I would classify as a wacko, independent of that claim.  They tend to believe in all sorts of other bullshit too.

I don't know of any logical, rational, left-brained person who claims to have spoken or communicated with "the other side", Heaven, Jin, nymphs or fairies.

I've read about such people but never met them personally making it difficult to judge if they are wackos too.

Why does nobody ever experience God when they are filling in a Census form or cleaning the toilet bowl?  It always seems to be in a high stress situation.  That makes me wonder if they are not just imagining it.

[Jayne]

I can say that I have never experienced the presence of God in a tangible way like that. Of course I've had little prayers answered. But I have not seen or heard God's "talking" to me.

Yes, I have had a few experiences like this. 

Once, many years ago, a couple of my children had gotten lost in Northern Ontario woods. Apparently it was pretty dramatic with helicopters and search parties and such, but I did not see this myself.  I was at home while this was going on and my husband phoned to tell me about it.  I was worried, of course, and prayed about it.  Just then a prayer card to St. Joseph fell out of my Bible.  I said the prayer on it.

Somehow I felt that I was being told that, just as Mary and Joseph found Our Lord after three days when he was lost, my children would be found in 3 hours.  And they were.  They were perfectly fine and safe.

[ServusMariae]

Personally, I haven't experienced anything out-of-the-ordinary per se as I'm no extraordinary person, but in a time when I was at my lowest (aka in a time when I was recovering from trauma of being in the "transgender" gang) & had nothing better to do than to pour my heart out at the foot of the Cross, I was spending some private prayer time in the local SSPX chapel one day when out of nowhere, I heard a faint voice along the lines of "I will supply for all the defects of mortals & be your Friend out of all friends. All your pain, all your tears, I will console." it was a bit frightening, but very comforting ... albeit I did not know who said that (as there was only me & the regular cleaning lady present in the chapel back then.)

Then I felt a special peace which the world cannot give. Like a tiny taste of Heaven. but alas, I couldn't stay in the chapel forever & had to go back into the ordinary world, heh.

[Heinrich]

Just an FYI, James Irwin Charter School is one of the best schools in CO. A lady from our parish is a foundress and board member there.

On topic: do night terrors count?

[james03]

Yep.  One time my toddler daughter wandered off.  When I looked she was right next to some stone steps.  I saw her topple.  The only prayer I could get out was "Guardian Angel".  She actually was toppling and was going to crack her head.  Next thing I know she comes flying back up and lands a few feet away.  My mom was there and witnessed it.   Her mouth just popped opened.

[Gerard]

None whatsoever.

Everyone I personally know who claims such a thing I would classify as a wacko, independent of that claim.  They tend to believe in all sorts of other bullshit too.

I don't know of any logical, rational, left-brained person who claims to have spoken or communicated with "the other side", Heaven, Jin, nymphs or fairies.

I've read about such people but never met them personally making it difficult to judge if they are wackos too.

Why does nobody ever experience God when they are filling in a Census form or cleaning the toilet bowl?  It always seems to be in a high stress situation.  That makes me wonder if they are not just imagining it.

Somehow, I think if the most rational person you know said, "I experienced a real sense that an angel was present and helping while I was scrubbing the toilet."  The first phrase in the front of your mind when you realized they weren't joking would be, "he's gone wacko."

[Prayerful]

Never.

[Kephapaulos]

I have...maybe not like Jim but I have had a few extraordinary signal graces, all of which came in the last 2 years.

When I mean signal graces, I mean it's almost like a lightning bolt going through your soul... it's hard to explain.

One was when I prayed, a la Fr Ripperger, a novena to Our Lady of Sorrows to ask for my predominant fault. Fr R constantly says how 1) She'll answer in ways you never expect and 2) Your predominant fault is never what you think it is. Well, (1)She never actually told me my exact predominate fault, just which virtue I need the most (no it ain't sobriety nice try) and it was a virtue I never even thought about it but man did it make sense when the grace hit me.

I've had a couple more that fit this mold. Years of anxiety, worry, doubt, unknowing done in a flash. It's awesome when it happens.

This is very interesting to me because I've been listening a ton to Fr. Ripperger's sermons during Lent, about various topics, and I find him both very powerful and very instructive.  Do you remember the source of his comments on Our Lady of Sorrows?

I remember I think hearing it in the recording about the sixth generation. It was just recently posted again on Sensus Fidelium. Fr. Ripperger must I imagine also mention about the asking about our prediminant fault in the talk on Our Lady of Sorrows in the same Youtube channel.

[Greg]

None whatsoever.

Everyone I personally know who claims such a thing I would classify as a wacko, independent of that claim.  They tend to believe in all sorts of other bullshit too.

I don't know of any logical, rational, left-brained person who claims to have spoken or communicated with "the other side", Heaven, Jin, nymphs or fairies.

I've read about such people but never met them personally making it difficult to judge if they are wackos too.

Why does nobody ever experience God when they are filling in a Census form or cleaning the toilet bowl?  It always seems to be in a high stress situation.  That makes me wonder if they are not just imagining it.

Somehow, I think if the most rational person you know said, "I experienced a real sense that an angel was present and helping while I was scrubbing the toilet."  The first phrase in the front of your mind when you realized they weren't joking would be, "he's gone wacko."

I believed Conchita of Garabandal for years.  So....you're wrong.

[Gerard]

None whatsoever.

Everyone I personally know who claims such a thing I would classify as a wacko, independent of that claim.  They tend to believe in all sorts of other bullshit too.

I don't know of any logical, rational, left-brained person who claims to have spoken or communicated with "the other side", Heaven, Jin, nymphs or fairies.

I've read about such people but never met them personally making it difficult to judge if they are wackos too.

Why does nobody ever experience God when they are filling in a Census form or cleaning the toilet bowl?  It always seems to be in a high stress situation.  That makes me wonder if they are not just imagining it.

Somehow, I think if the most rational person you know said, "I experienced a real sense that an angel was present and helping while I was scrubbing the toilet."  The first phrase in the front of your mind when you realized they weren't joking would be, "he's gone wacko."

I believed Conchita of Garabandal for years.  So....you're wrong.

I didn't know Conchita was scrubbing the toilet when she experienced her apparition.  Well.. you learn something new every day.