I had a very strange dream which I cannot now classify or put into any sort of categorization. In the dream it was night, and I found myself in the middle of the street intersection of the block on which I live. There was a light high up in the sky, only a pinpoint at first, but it slowly descended in absolute and utter silence, growing larger until it was all-encompassing and all around me.

The Light was immense, so far-reaching that everything around me was blotted out, even the street light was washed out, and there was no color. It was brilliant, bright beyond belief, so utterly peaceful and incredibly beautiful. At first I could look upon it as it descended, but then when it became larger and brighter, I had to raise my hand up in front of my face to shield my eyes from the glare.  I remember thinking, "Is this the Second Coming?" Then I became aware of a large crowd of people (nameless, unidentified) standing silently in the shadows all around the perimeter of the light. I felt absolutely no fear while in the presence of this light and I instinctively recognized it or acknowledged it as being of God. 

I was very interested in seeing what or who would emerge from out of this light for I had the unspoken sense that the appearance of someone or something was imminent but then I felt myself being drawn up and out of the dream, back to wakefulness.  The light did not leave me; it was still there. I was leaving it, and I did not want to go. I could still see the brilliance of the Light behind my closed eyelids just before I awoke and I fought against this waking because I wanted to go back to the light and see more, much more. Upon awaking, I was stunned at the utter reality of this dream and knew with a certainty and conviction that I had seen the light. 

Two years prior to this experience, in 1995, I read Betty J. Eadie's book, "Embraced by the Light," and loved it. This book completely changed my outlook and my perceptions of things. Betty Eadie's description of the light seemed to fit what I saw in my dream and yet it was not an out-of-body experience for me and I certainly hadn't died. Eadie was able to look directly at the Light because she was in spirit form; I was not, therefore I had to shield my eyes. Since it was not a near-death experience for me, I didn't know how to classify it and yet it was an experience of some strange sort.  It was real and beautiful and had great impact. 

I didn't know what to do with the information I had been given, or what I was supposed to do with it. Soon after, I discovered a section of books at the library which held numerous titles on the concepts of heaven and near-death experiences. I read "The Case for heaven: Near-Death Experiences as Evidence of the Afterlife" and was in the middle of reading "Beyond the Light" when I finally came across a section devoted to near-death-like experiences -- those which occur without death's immediate threat -- and that definitely caught my interest. And now, ten years later, I am even less sure of anything with a religious connotation yet I still clearly remember having seen this light. I came across your web site and decided to write to you of this experience. Thank you for providing the opportunity for people to do so.