Beneath the Sun, Beyond the Self

September 20, 2024 — a day etched into the deepest chambers of my memory. It began like any other, with a simple urge to step outside and take in the breeze. But something lingered in the air, subtle at first—an unseen whisper, a shift in frequency. As I walked, basking in the still beauty of the day, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this moment was different. Then, it came, a message. God was telling me to go into the water.

At first, I hesitated. Into the water? Really? I thought. But the call didn’t quiet—it grew louder, more insistent, resonating deeper with each step I took. It was a vibration in my soul. God wasn’t asking—He was guiding.

Drawn by the pull, I found myself walking toward the shoreline. As my feet approached the edge, a strange warmth welcomed me, as if the world itself acknowledged the moment. I paused, removing my shoes, hat, sweater, and socks, slowly preparing as if for a sacred ritual. And then I looked up.

The sun.

It shone like I had never seen before—not just in brightness, but in essence. It gleamed with a power that felt alive, shifting colors that danced across the sky. I raised my camera, as I often do in moments that feel eternal, and captured it. The images revealed what my eyes couldn’t fully comprehend—hues I’d never witnessed, a light that seemed to carry something beyond heat and energy.

Still unsure but strangely certain, I stepped into the water. I paused, questioning once more. Is this really what You want?

The answer came in clarity: yes.

So I surrendered.

I leaned back and fully immersed myself. The water surrounded me, embraced me. And when I rose, something had shifted. I felt alive—not just awake but aware—as though layers of reality had peeled away. Joy surged through me. Faith poured into my chest like breath returning to lungs starved too long.

Did I just do that? Yes. And it felt… right. More than right.

I slipped my sweater back on, water seeping from my soaked pants with each step I took toward home. But I wasn’t the same. Something had changed. I sensed the significance of the day, but only months later would I truly understand.

It wasn’t just magical—it was sacred.

And when I looked back at the photos… I saw it. I felt it again. The presence. The sun didn’t just shine that day—it spoke. And I listened.

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Scientific Explanation

On September 20, 2024, a unique atmospheric phenomenon occurred that coincided with the subject’s profound emotional experience. Based on time, date, and location, it is plausible that a combination of sunlight refraction, high-altitude ice crystals, and specific humidity levels produced what is known as a circumhorizontal arc or solar halo—a rare optical event where the sun appears to radiate in intensified colors or even display a multicolored spectrum not typically visible to the naked eye.

This occurs when sunlight enters hexagonal ice crystals in cirrus clouds and refracts at a specific 46° angle, separating the light into spectral hues—red, green, violet, and sometimes gold. Atmospheric lensing, similar to mirages, may further enhance the brightness, creating the illusion of a divine or intensified presence.

Additionally, water immersion is known to trigger a vagus nerve response, calming the nervous system and releasing a flood of endorphins. The immersion into cool water could have induced a neurophysiological reset, heightening sensory awareness and emotional clarity. When combined with a strong psychological or spiritual expectation, these sensations often culminate in what is called a peak experience—a sudden realization or insight often associated with profound joy or connection.

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Spiritual Explanation

From a spiritual lens, the experience mirrors a baptism by divine instruction, not performed by clergy, but guided directly by a higher power. Across traditions, water symbolizes rebirth, cleansing, and alignment with divine will. In Christian mysticism, full immersion without ritual preparation and still feeling joy, clarity, and transformation points to an anointed moment, ordained beyond doctrine.

Indigenous traditions often describe messages from nature—"when the sun speaks"—as rare moments of alignment between the soul and the Creator. In many First Nations beliefs, the sun is a living spirit, a messenger of warmth, truth, and revelation. In Hermeticism and ancient Egyptian wisdom, the sun (Ra) is the Eye of the Divine, whose rays pierce illusion and awaken the soul.

The feeling of presence—the warmth, the colors, the compulsion to enter water—suggests a spiritual initiation. This wasn't just symbolic—it was an activation, a moment where higher frequencies made themselves known and entered the body through the medium of light and water.

The sun, as an ancient symbol of God’s eye or presence, gleamed differently because it was responding. Not just being seen—but seeing back. In that moment, the divine and the observer became one.