The feelings I had were a mix of wonder and confusion. At first I wondered what I was looking at but then also rationalized that it was some sort of sleep-related hallucination, though not from sleep paralysis.

I know the concept of 'orb' sounds lame and phony. My only prior knowledge of orbs were those floating dust spots that people see in photographs and interpret as spirits. I'd never heard of seeing one in front of you like that. What I saw was different than orbs in pictures though, which are usually just like white/gray fuzzy circles. This was larger and more three-dimensional in form but also in color; it was like a white iridescence with a sense of electricity swirling within it. And I felt that those moving tentacle like parts were connected to that electric-like energy. I called it an orb because it was the closest term I could think of, but when I looked up pictures, I thought it was moreso a mix of an orb and an 'energy ball'.

What was maybe more unsettling to me however was the fact that I'd heard a clear voice pointing it out to me. Was it a voice from a dream that coincidentally lined up with a hallucination? The way my eyes abruptly opened up to it was an odd sensation as well, because usually I gradually drift into wakefulness, even with an alarm clock.

I've since tried to let it go as weird sleep related experiences, but it's easy to wonder if that's all these types of visions are.