On Identity: Three Days of Separation & Observation – The Ethereal Tether
What many would call an out-of-body experience (OBE). But to me, it was far more than that. It was a metaphysical rupture in the veil of normal perception—a three-day unfolding of revelation.
LISTEN: My out-of-body experience (OBE)
On Identity: Three Days of Separation & Observation – The Ethereal Tether
At thirteen years old, I had what many would call an out-of-body experience (OBE). But to me, it was far more than that. It was a metaphysical rupture in the veil of normal perception—a three-day unfolding of revelation. This event would later become the cornerstone of my metaphysical teachings, explored in depth in my work Pay Attention to Your Intuition. But it began quietly, almost imperceptibly, in the early hours of an ordinary morning.
I awoke in the corner of my bedroom—but not in my bed.
I was suspended mid-air, weightless and buoyant, staring at something deeply familiar and wholly unsettling: my own body, asleep and breathing beneath me. A quiet calm filled the room, almost sacred. There was no fear—only curiosity, awe, and the strange sense that something ancient had been activated. A silent inner knowing whispered of my observing self: This is what you really are.
The Separation of Self
As I hovered, this awareness began to widen. I could see the entire room in perfect clarity, not with my eyes, but with a 360-degree knowing. I could perceive the dust particles dancing in the morning sunbeams, the vibratory humming of the walls, and even the shifting of energy currents as the dog stirred in the other room.
Then, something curious happened. It was as if an invisible string—an ethereal tether—had fastened itself to my wrist. This tether did not pull me into the heavens or catapult me into other realms, but rather affixed me in eternal “now” time—quietly, consistently—over the next three days. My consciousness, untethered from the weight of physicality, became a witness to my life, floating just above my body like a helium balloon, always watching, always present, but no longer enmeshed in the movements of flesh and bone.
The Observer and the Observed
For three days, I remained outside of myself. I was present in class but not constrained by it. I watched my body eat meals, answer questions, laugh at jokes—all while he, the real me, drifted above like a silent companion. My family and teachers noticed nothing unusual. But to the “now” me, every moment had become a sacred exercise in duality.
This was not dissociation or escapism—it was revelation.
I began to realize how mechanical many of my actions were. I observed habits I never noticed before—emotional reactions, patterns of speech, even the shallow breathing of anxiety. But I mostly saw that my true self was not of the body. I saw the beauty of being human, even while no longer feeling anything of the human.
The pineal gland, I discovered in my 20s, was not simply the location of this experience—it was the catalyst.
The Pineal Conduit Theory in Action
Decades later, in Pay Attention to Your Intuition, David would articulate the Pineal Conduit Theory—this integration of ancient wisdom with modern metaphysical physics. According to this theory, the pineal gland operates as a multi-dimensional antenna, capable of shifting consciousness out of linear time and limited perception.
Ancient cultures knew this.
• The Egyptians carved it into temple walls as the Eye of Horus—a symbol of divine perception.
• Vedic traditions referred to it as the Ajna Chakra or third eye, associated with intuition, extrasensory insight, and inner sight.
• Descartes, the rational father of Western philosophy, believed it to be the "seat of the soul," the only unpaired structure in the brain, perfectly situated between hemispheres—a balancing axis between spirit and flesh.
Modern science acknowledges the pineal gland's role in regulating melatonin and circadian rhythm, but this is merely the biological face of a deeper truth. As fringe physicists and consciousness researchers propose, the pineal contains piezoelectric crystals—calcite deposits that may act like biological sensors, capable of detecting and even emitting electromagnetic fields. Is it possible that these crystals become active under conditions of deep stillness, trauma, or spiritual readiness? My OBE at thirteen wasn’t random—it was a natural initiation, the pineal’s ancient call to higher awareness, long before I understood its mechanics.
“The pineal gland is not just the third eye—it is the first gateway,” he later wrote. “It tunes the soul’s signal. It adjusts the lens of perception. When open, you no longer think about life—you see life through it.”
The Mechanism of the Ethereal Tether
What fascinated me most in hindsight was the "tether"—that thin, unbreakable thread that connected my soul to the body throughout the experience. In some literature, this has been called the silver cord, mentioned even in Ecclesiastes 12:6: “...the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken...” In modern metaphysics, it’s described as the life-thread between the etheric body and the physical body.
To me, it felt like love—a gravitational pull between the spirit and the form it had chosen… from the Source to my soul.
After the first two days, I began to wonder how long this experience would last, despite having no awareness of the passage of time. However, I also sensed that my journey as an observer had a purpose: to reveal the secret of my true self. To show me what it meant to inhabit a body. To witness the holiness of the moment.
And to realize that consciousness is not manufactured in the brain—it is merely focused there.
Return and Integration
On the morning of the fourth day, my awareness had returned back into my body. There was no jolt, no violence. I opened my eyes in bed and wondered what had happened—not in fear, but in awe.
Everything felt different.
Colors were more vivid. Words carried vibration. Silence was no longer empty. And most of all, I could feel my intuition like a tuning fork vibrating.
“After those three days, I acknowledged the presence of a deeper intelligence inside me. It wasn’t just a knowing—it was being known.”
Legacy of the Experience
The experience became my initiation into the spiritual world—it was a realignment of perspective that would never leave me. The rest of my life became a gradual unpacking of that three-day journey. Meditation, spiritual study, and scientific exploration were not new pursuits—they were acts of remembering.
In the years that followed, I was acquainted with many like-minded seekers and would work with spiritual seekers, quantum theorists, and neuroscientists alike, always pointing back to the same message:
You are not your thoughts.
You are not your body.
You are the witness behind the eyes.
You are the presence behind the breath.
And the pineal gland? It is not the source, but the gate—the ancient switchboard where the body, soul, and cosmos converge.
So, I urge the reader:
“Pay attention. Your intuition is not just a feeling. It is the voice of your eternal self—speaking softly through the third eye, waiting for you to remember who you really are.”
Foreword
by Dr. Tiffany Bannworth
There are thinkers—and then there are mapmakers of the unseen. David Masters is firmly the latter. In Source Code: Transformation Through Identity Modification, he doesn’t just ask the ancient question—Why are we here?—he traces the invisible scaffolding of consciousness and identity that underlies our entire human experience. As a prolific author and seasoned radio voice, he’s spent decades exploring the borders between thought, matter, healing, and the spiritual fabric that holds it all together. This book is his latest—and perhaps boldest—expedition.
In these pages, Masters invites us to consider that we’re not passive observers of our universe, but co-authors of reality itself. He draws on quantum theory, epigenetics, neuroplasticity, and metaphysical science to suggest that identity is not fixed—but fluid, transformable, and deeply entwined with our awareness. Might illness vanish not by accident, but through a reactivation of a buried source code within? It’s not a light read—it’s a compass for those willing to explore the wild terrain between biology and belief, body and soul.
As someone who chases adventure through archaeology and paleontology, I recognize the tools of the trail: a fearless question, a flickering torch, a steady hand. Masters brings all of these—and then some. He hands us not answers, but instruments. A mirror. A key. A map into the deep. If you’re ready to step beyond the veil and dig where most won’t, this book belongs in your satchel. And as I like to say: has trowel, will travel.
Foreword by Dr. Tiffany Bannworth
There are thinkers—and then there are mapmakers of the unseen. David Masters is firmly the latter. In Source Code: Transformation Through Identity Modification, he doesn’t just ask the ancient question—Why are we here?—he traces the invisible scaffolding of consciousness and identity that underlies our entire human experience. As a prolific author and seasoned radio voice, he’s spent decades exploring the borders between thought, matter, healing, and the spiritual fabric that holds it all together. This book is his latest—and perhaps boldest—expedition.
In these pages, Masters invites us to consider that we’re not passive observers of our universe, but co-authors of reality itself. He draws on quantum theory, epigenetics, neuroplasticity, and metaphysical science to suggest that identity is not fixed—but fluid, transformable, and deeply entwined with our awareness. Might illness vanish not by accident, but through a reactivation of a buried source code within? It’s not a light read—it’s a compass for those willing to explore the wild terrain between biology and belief, body and soul.
As someone who chases adventure through archaeology and paleontology, I recognize the tools of the trail: a fearless question, a flickering torch, a steady hand. Masters brings all of these—and then some. He hands us not answers, but instruments. A mirror. A key. A map into the deep. If you’re ready to step beyond the veil and dig where most won’t, this book belongs in your satchel. And as I like to say: has trowel, will travel.
Dr. Tiffany Bannworth
Doctorate of Philosophy - Biblical Archaeology
Doctorate of Philosophy - Theoretical Quantum Physics
Focus - Creationism, Young Earth, Time Travel
Doctorate of Divinity - JudeoChristianity Pentacostalism
Ordination - Ministry - JudeoChristianity, Jewish Studies,
Early Christian Church
Master of Arts - Education, Theories of Education
Masters of Arts - Christian Education
Diploma - ArchaeoAstronomy
Bachelor of Arts - Business Management
Bachelor of Arts - Educational Leadership
Bachelor of Arts - Christian Religious and Educational
Studies
Bachelor of Arts - Preschool Education, with Professional
Credential
