[primitiveape]

I've had what was ostensibly a telepathic encounter with a higher intelligence. A year ago, a voice came to me suddenly, and said, "We will take him now." I have never heard voices otherwise.

Two days later, I found out that an elder relative passed, having had suffered from a heart attack. He died over a 24 hour period and was with his family. The thing is, I had no prior knowledge of his condition or even any contact with him at all in a long time.

I've speculated about the cause and implications. Perhaps I hallucinated. Maybe aliens took my relative. Or was it "God"? Is there even a distinction?

[JPLeRouzic]

I had a few similar experiences. I am not a religious person, but I feel as Hamlet:

Horatio:

O day and night, but this is wondrous strange!

Hamlet:

And therefore as a stranger give it welcome. There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.

[mjbeswick]

The simplest explanation is in most cases the correct one; and in this case that would be one that doesn't break the laws of the universe!

There could be another explanation, that the event you describe a result of confabulation; essentially an error in memory where you mind fills in the gaps. The problem is that the more you explore such a memory the more real it becomes as you mind interpolates it.

[primitiveape]

We don't know all of the laws of the universe (multiverse?) and probably never will.

Sure, people do retroactively interpolate foggy/inaccurate memories to fit missing puzzle pieces, but this event was incredibly distinct.

[aaaaaaaaata]

Uh..how many times have you said that to someone, and at what point will you start to get nervous about, just, probability?

[MauroIksem]

Why do you assume the voice was talking about the dead relative?

[primitiveape]

Because his death process started shortly thereafter; he was family. His death was the only death of which I had learned around that time.