CloseEncounters…

…of a spiritual kind

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?

Transcendence

• UFOs transcend our perceptions andexperiences

• Free of laws of physics, time-space• Evoke awe, humility, faith

Supernatural Beings• Extraterrestrials have abilities, and

powers, that transcend nature• Contactees/abductees sometimes develop

similar powers• Six Extraterrestrial “types”:

ApparitionExoticRobot

AnimalHumanoidHuman

The Greys

• Four feet tall, hairless,sexless, big eyes

• Zeta Reticululs• Barney Barnett, Betty &

Barney Hill• Linked to technolgy, alien

abduction, medicalexperimentation,hybridization, governmentconspiracy

The Blues

• Similar in appearance to Greys,but with blue tint to skin

• Arrived shortly after Greys,1947

• Warned US government of evilintentions of Greys, wererejected

• Went to Arizona, allied withHopi Indians

• Robert Morningsky & SkyWarriors - “The Terra Papers”

Pleiadians

• Highly spiritually evolved,benevolent, fourthdimensional beings

• Physical appearance eithernone (only speak throughchannels), or “nordic” –blond, beautiful

• Barbara Marciniak, BillyMeier

• Earth reaching point ofspiritual transformation –Pleiadians will help

The The PleiadiansPleiadians

•Extraterrestrial entities channeled byBarbara Marciniak•Similar message of personalresponsibility, we are god, etc.•Added element = extraterrestrial originsof humans – created by aliens to fulfillspiritual destiny.•We have forgotten our destiny,however, and been led astray by poorlyevolved aliens who fear our potential.•Bad aliens are in league with Americangovernment – a theme we will see moreof in next section of our course.•Pleiadians are here to guide us back tospiritual path

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 ofhumans, intent on conquest & stopping human spiritual evolution

•Perfection• UFO shape symbolic

of perfection• Extraterrestrial

societies vastlysuperior: free frompoverty, violence,prejudice, etc.

• Technology vastlysuperior: UFOs, etc.

• Pursuit of perfection= religious goal

Salvation

Mission of Extraterrestrials often understood as one ofsalvation – from nuclear, environmental disaster, orfrom spiritual lapse

Salvation needs supernatural (alien) aidSalvation comes from outside, not inside

•Cosmologies• Who are we, why are we

here? Traditional religiousanswers now foundinadequate by some

• Traditional Scientificanswers also foundinadequate

• Extraterrestrials add newdimension to quest –combines “science” i.e.alien DNA, etc. withreligion

• Places human evolution incosmic framework

TransformationLike mystical

experiences, closeencounters (esp. of 3-5th kinds) transformeffected individual

Person must reevaluatewhole worldview,belief systems,religious faith, personalhistory

Become set apart,ostracized due to newfaith – often “witness”to new truth

•Mystical Experiences•Six basic elements ofclose encounter of 3rd

or 4th kind:–Solitary–Isolated location–Wise superior beingstake initiative in contact–Light is dominantsymbol–Sexual element–Absence of naturalsounds

•Mystical Experiences•Reason one: von Daniken’s thesis –when mystics thought they weretalking to supernatural beings, theywere really talking to aliens

•Reason two: Extraterrestrials arewise spiritual beings, like gods, sohuman spiritual response to them issimilar

•Reason three: human mind capableof producing certain mental stimuli,variously interpreted as contact withgods, or aliens

•Abduction experiences

•John E. Mack•Harvard psychologist,Cambridge psychiatrist•Pulitzer Prize winner•Reluctant believer inalien abductions•Claims alien abductionshave religiousimplications

•Religious transformationof consciousness

• 8 ways abduction experiencestrigger spiritual transformation:

1. Pushing Through – overcoming victim emphasis

2. Aliens as Intermediaries – coming to see aliens ashalfway between human mortality & divineconsciousness

3. Homecoming – sense of joy at relatedness toextraterrestrials – genetic link

•Religious transformation ofconsciousness

Past LifeExperiences – underhypnotic regression,abductionexperiences tracedback to infancy, plusmemories of earlierlives

5. Altered view of human identity – humanness centeredin

consciousness, not biology• Transpersonal experiences – identification with other species – aliens, animals (dolphins, whales)

•Religious transformation ofconsciousness

– DoubleAlien/HumanIdentity – sense ofdouble identity:fully human, butalso alien – self asother, abduction apositive experiencedespite temporaryfear

8. Collapse of Space/Time Dichotomies – past, present,future collapse; near/far dichotomies collapse – monisticsense of time/space emerges

•Abductee video…

QuickTime™ and a decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

•Responses to religious dimensionsof UFO phenomeon

•Many UFO enthusiasts simply rejectreligious dimensions in favour of purescience/technology emphasis•Others explore spiritual dimensions,and become convinced thatextraterrestrials have spiritual agenda•In latter case, religious texts becomesource texts for showing ongoinginterest of extraterrestrials in ourspiritual evolution•For small minority, spiritualdimensions of UFO experiences becomecentral focus of organized religiousconvictions – UFO groups, next week!