I was eight years old when I was pulled under the water by a strong riptide at the beach. I remember trying to swim out of the tide but I couldn't. The next thing I remember was losing my breath and seeing my life flash by, which was very short since I was only eight years old.

Then, all of a sudden, I floated outside my body and I remember looking at my arms floating and my face, and I felt so happy! It was the happiest I've ever felt, and the most peace I've ever felt. I saw a shadowy figure, which I thought to be my spirit guide now, because I saw him for about ten years after this happened. He would show up, and I would visibly see him or feel him when I was scared.

When I saw him, he was standing in front of a white light in a dark tunnel. I was so excited to join him and I started "floating" towards him and the white light. I guess you can say, my soul was floating towards him, or might have been me still in my body but a more transparent body. As soon as I started toward him, I heard someone (not sure if it was the shadowy figure) say 'Go back, it's not your time'. Right then I felt like I was pushed back through the tunnel; I could actually feel the push it was so hard. Actually, it was my ten year old brother pulling me up on his body board by the arm. Out of the entire ocean, how did he find me? I was not breathing and I was under water. There's no way he could have known I was there. Something made him come over to where I was, reach under the water, know that I was in trouble, and put me on his body board and swim me back to shore.

After this experience, my spirit guide did visit me a lot. I have psychic abilities, and deep intuition in my life. I've always thought it was a positive thing that happened to me. I feel like this experience gave me an aura of peace that other people say they can feel when they are around me. It has a lot of healing power and I'm able to sympathize with people on a deep level because I can feel what other people feel without them saying anything. I feel blessed to have had this experience, however, sometimes it's very hard for people to believe or understand.