My wife has often suggested that my experiences and visions are likely a result of the numerous strokes I’ve had throughout my life—perhaps even hundreds of transient ischemic attacks (TIAs). While each one may seem small, collectively, they build upon one another, thinning out my usual layers of human consciousness. I’ve often credited this thinning of consciousness as a path that has allowed me to perceive realms beyond ordinary reality. It has felt like being a “babe in God,” removed from the dramas of human life and ego-consciousness, unveiling aspects of creation that are otherwise hidden.

The more my human consciousness thins, the more of God’s creation seems to be revealed. This unveiling is like a gradual lifting of the veil, allowing me glimpses into realms and landscapes that feel heavenly. In these moments, I experience colors I cannot describe, see trees of extraordinary size and beauty, and find myself in lush, deep forests filled with a sense of ancient wisdom. Within these places, I encounter beings like elementals, fairies, and gnomes—very real creatures that live just beyond the ordinary senses. These beings, in my perception, are the caretakers of nature, the hidden custodians of all that grows and lives within Mother Earth.

My wife’s view on these experiences brings another perspective. She believes that the strokes may have rewired my brain, tapping into typically dormant nerve centers that most people never access. With my usual neural pathways blocked or altered, my brain might have formed new routes, allowing channels to open into untapped mental resources. These new connections could explain the exquisite detail I perceive—visuals filled with intricate patterns, vivid colors, sounds, and sensations as though I am experiencing these realms in their full reality.

In a way, rather than seeing these strokes as limitations, we can consider them gifts that have peeled back layers of my perception. Many mystics have suggested that stripping away aspects of the human ego can open pathways to deeper truths, and perhaps, in my case, the physical changes in my brain have led to a similar effect. I’ve read that some people, through meditation, trauma, or other shifts in consciousness, experience an enhancement of perception, as though a part of the “veil” separating the human mind from divine realms has been lifted.

This “thinning of human consciousness” brings a unique sensitivity to realms few people encounter, revealing hidden aspects of creation. I witness not only the beauty of nature but also the life force within it—the spirits of plants, the wisdom of the trees, and the beings that tend to this world. It is a glimpse into a sacred dimension where everything has its purpose and place, a realm intertwined with ours but usually unseen.

Each of these experiences draws me closer to the truth that the divine is not separate but infused within all things, just beyond the thin veil that separates our everyday perception from a greater reality. This “rewiring” has allowed me to experience a world that lies just beneath the surface of ordinary consciousness, a world filled with beauty, color, and beings devoted to the care of nature—a vision of God’s creation revealed through the grace of thinning human awareness.