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
Supernatural Beings

• Extraterrestrials have abilities, and powers,
  that transcend nature
• Contactees/abductees sometimes develop similar
  powers
• Six Extraterrestrial types

Human Humanoid Animal
Robot Exotic Apparition
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
Cosmologies
Transformation

• 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

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
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 Danikens 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!