Close Encounters …

1. Close Encounters… …of a spiritual kind

2. Religious Dimensions • Mystery • Explain earthly mysteries: • Bermuda Triangle • Dogon of West Africa • The Bible • Atlantis/Lemuria • Give us new mysteries: • Flight patterns • Crop circles • How and why are they here?

3. Transcendence • UFOs transcend our perceptions and experiences • Free of laws of physics, time-space • Evoke awe, humility, faith

4. Extraterrestrials have abilities, and powers, that transcend nature Contactees/abductees sometimes develop similar powers Six Extraterrestrial “types”: Supernatural Beings

5. The Greys • Four feet tall, hairless, sexless, big eyes • Zeta Reticululs • Barney Barnett, Betty & Barney Hill • Linked to technolgy, alien abduction, medical experimentation, hybridization, government conspiracy

6. The Blues • Similar in appearance to Greys, but with blue tint to skin • Arrived shortly after Greys, 1947 • Warned US government of evil intentions of Greys, were rejected • Went to Arizona, allied with Hopi Indians • Robert Morningsky & Sky Warriors - “The Terra Papers”

7. Pleiadians • Highly spiritually evolved, benevolent, fourth dimensional beings • Physical appearance either none (only speak through channels), or “nordic” – blond, beautiful • Barbara Marciniak, Billy Meier • Earth reaching point of spiritual transformation – Pleiadians will help

8. The Pleiadians • Extraterrestrial entities channeled by Barbara Marciniak • Similar message of personal responsibility, we are god, etc. • Added element = extraterrestrial origins of humans – created by aliens to fulfill spiritual destiny. • We have forgotten our destiny, however, and been led astray by poorly evolved aliens who fear our potential. • Bad aliens are in league with American government – a theme we will see more of in next section of our course. • Pleiadians are here to guide us back to spiritual path

9. Other Alien species • Lyrians – channeled by Lyssa Royale • Sirians – water-based, spiritual, concerned with humans, dolphins, whales • Orion Empire – Council of Light, Evil Orions • Reptoids/Reptilians – reptilian, possible masters of “Greys”, ancestors of humans, intent on conquest & stopping human spiritual evolution

10. Perfection • UFO shape symbolic of perfection • Extraterrestrial societies vastly superior: free from poverty, violence, prejudice, etc. • Technology vastly superior: UFOs, etc. • Pursuit of perfection = religious goal

11. Salvation Mission of Extraterrestrials often understood as one of salvation – from nuclear, environmental disaster, or from spiritual lapse Salvation needs supernatural (alien) aid Salvation comes from outside, not inside

12. Transformation Cosmologies Like mystical experiences, close encounters (esp. of 3-5th kinds) transform effected individual Person must reevaluate whole worldview, belief systems, religious faith, personal history Become set apart, ostracized due to new faith – often “witness” to new truth • Who are we, why are we here? Traditional religious answers now found inadequate by some • Traditional Scientific answers also found inadequate • Extraterrestrials add new dimension to quest – combines “science” i.e. alien DNA, etc. with religion • Places human evolution in cosmic framework

13. Mystical Experiences • Six basic elements of close encounter of 3rd or 4th kind: • Solitary • Isolated location • Wise superior beings take initiative in contact • Light is dominant symbol • Sexual element • Absence of natural sounds

14. Mystical Experiences • Reason one: von Daniken’s thesis – when mystics thought they were talking to supernatural beings, they were really talking to aliens • Reason two: Extraterrestrials are wise spiritual beings, like gods, so human spiritual response to them is similar • Reason three: human mind capable of producing certain mental stimuli, variously interpreted as contact with gods, or aliens

15. Abduction experiences • John E. Mack • Harvard psychologist, Cambridge psychiatrist • Pulitzer Prize winner • Reluctant believer in alien abductions • Claims alien abductions have religious implications

16. Religious transformation of consciousness • 8 ways abduction experiences trigger spiritual transformation: • Pushing Through – overcoming victim emphasis • Aliens as Intermediaries – coming to see aliens as halfway between human mortality & divine consciousness • Homecoming – sense of joy at relatedness to extraterrestrials – genetic link

17. Religious transformation of consciousness • Past Life Experiences – under hypnotic regression, abduction experiences traced back to infancy, plus memories of earlier lives • Altered view of human identity – humanness centered in • consciousness, not biology • Transpersonal experiences – identification with other • species – aliens, animals (dolphins, whales)

18. Religious transformation of consciousness • Double Alien/Human Identity – sense of double identity: fully human, but also alien – self as other, abduction a positive experience despite temporary fear • Collapse of Space/Time Dichotomies – past, present, future collapse; near/far dichotomies collapse – monistic sense of time/space emerges

19. Abductee video…

20. Responses to religious dimensions of UFO phenomeon • Many UFO enthusiasts simply reject religious dimensions in favour of pure science/technology emphasis • Others explore spiritual dimensions, and become convinced that extraterrestrials have spiritual agenda • In latter case, religious texts become source texts for showing ongoing interest of extraterrestrials in our spiritual evolution • For small minority, spiritual dimensions of UFO experiences become central focus of organized religious convictions – UFO groups, next week!