Friday, January 13, 2017

The “Close Encounter” reality fix – the great “popular” and “scientific” ufology divide

In one of Australian centres of the New Age and alternate lifestyles – Byron Bay, during January 2017 (this weekend in fact), people from a variety of backgrounds, and in particular those from “popular ufology” communities – such as those into the alien “New Human”, alien ET-hybrids, “star seeds”, “star children”, “contactees”, “alien abductees”, “experiencers”, and even those fighting the “good fight” against the “alien reptilian overlords” – are gathering for a rather unique event: the conjoining of 2 conferences – namely the “Afterlife explorers conference” and the “Close Encounters conference.”
Examining the information from the conference web site, Facebook page, e-newsletter, and brochures you get an eclectic picture of a very skewed take of what passes for current “popular ufology.” Many of the people attending these conferences count themselves as representatives of the various communities mentioned above.  Most are well-intentioned sincere believers of often diverse, complex and sometimes contradictory strange “realities” and therefore I wish them well in their explorations.
While these “realities” intersect with experiences I have researched for decades, it would probably be likely that few, if any, of the lecturers or attendees at the conference have had their claims and realities tested by measures approaching mainstream science or even so-called “scientific ufologists.” One example would be credible DNA testing to verifying the various DNA claims made.
Most probably don’t even want their experiences examined by representatives from the opposite end of the vast UFO spectrum of UFO research – “scientific ufology” (which tries to adhere to careful, critical and scientific enquiries) or by mainstream science or more readily available testing laboratories. That seems to be the new reality that is widespread through current ufology.
“Popular ufology”, in many of its manifestations (such as the communities mentioned above), is often driven by belief driven experiences and little or no verifiable physical evidence.  People within these communities sometimes find a sense of support and friendship within these “popular ufology” outlets, such as forums, publications and conferences. 
The leaders of these communities and the people making the extraordinary claims and beliefs that dominate that end of the spectrum of ufology often seem adverse to anyone seeking to verify these “realities.” Those attempting to do so are often seen as skeptics, debunkers, “troublemakers”, or even “agents” of efforts to keep all these alternate “realities” from taking a serious hold in mainstream society.
Such attitudes will probably ensure that these “realities” will continue to be part of fringe beliefs in the controversial world of ufology, even if some claims and possible evidence might merit serious attention by society and science at large.
As someone involved in ufology for more than 4 decades I have to say I’ve seen it all before. The experiences, beliefs and lexicons that inhabit these “new realities” seem like recycled expressions of things we have seen and experienced in times gone by.
Consider the following quotes.  These would certainly not be out of place in the “realities” discussed this weekend at Byron Bay:
“... We, who come in craft your people have called Flying Saucers, come in the One Light of the ONE CREATOR, Our All-knowing ONE; come with concepts of Brotherhood, of LIGHT, Enlightenment beyond the wildest dreams of your peoples as they walk in their daily lives on the surface of your planet.
Our craft are massed in areas outside of your planet awaiting the time for descent to the surface & close to the surface that we may assist your people at the time of the Changes ...”
“PREPARE yourselves, in consciousness, without fear, with Knowledge, with UNDERSTANDING, with LOVE & in Stability of Being for The Changes which come . . . . Our Mission is one of Enlightenment, under the auspices of the Solar Tribunal & Galactic Tribunals governing this Section of Space . . May the One Light be yours & may you be at One with IT”
“Attraction and Repulsion - these are two great Cosmic Forces that operate undeviatingly upon all levels of manifestation. . . On the 3 dimensional level they operate as centrifugal & centripetal powers. On the fourth and higher dimensions we see the great Power of Attraction in the emotional world expressed as LOVE and the Force of Repulsion as its opposite.
The (proceding) Age was a negative Dark Age, during which mankind allowed the Force of Repulsion to get out of balance.
The Cycle of Evolution, just ended, brings to a close this unbalanced state of affairs. . The dominance of the force of repulsion in human affairs is over, forever, on this Planet, shortly to be transformed into a self illuminated Planet from which darkness will be banished. We have now entered into The COSMIC … Age of Enlightenment operating with the Laws & Forces of Attraction – DIVINE LOVE”
These quotes all come from the Christmas issue of a publication called “Shalam Light”, not from Christmas 2016, but rather Christmas 1967. And no, while it might seem to many that we may be going through Trump mediated “end times”, we are not there yet and we didn’t get there in Christmas 1967 or anytime since then.
“Shalam Light” was the Australian publication vehicle of Fred and Mary Robinson, who were championing alternative life styles, cosmic realities, UFOs, flying saucers and “end times.” Indeed the “end times” or “cosmic changes” were meant to occur that very Christmas in 1967.
The story of Fred Robinson, his wife Mary and the alternative community they developed, is told in a striking PhD thesis “A World within a World within ‘The World:
The Origins of the Universal Brotherhood, an Australian Countercultural, Back-to-the-land, New Age, Alternative Society and New Religious Movement Community” by former leading community member, Stephen John Carthew. There is much of interest in Stephen Carthew thesis. 
I have argued that people who live through or promote such realities would do well to critically examine them. Many times I have encouraged the leaders of these communities and the experiencers that inform these realities to examine studies that might act as helpful “reality checks.”  For example, an excellent reference point would be Dr. Thomas Bullard’s 2010 book “The Myth and Mystery of UFOs.” The lecturers and attendees of the Byron Bay conferences may not have encountered it, but I believe they would be well served if they took the trouble to closely examine this book.  There are many other studies I could also recommend, but I would do so only to those who are receptive to having their realities challenged in a manner that might aid them to come to better-informed conclusions about these realities. 
If it is  only belief, unchallenged personal experiences, and uncritical but supportive community that drives your take on these things or is all that you want, good luck with that. However, in order to determine how these “realities” would inform a better understanding of our world and the universe such limiting drivers are not enough.  Think about it.
Mary Rodwell is a well-known advocate of many of the “realities” referred to here and embraced by the conference.  Her new book “The New Human – Awakening to our Cosmic Heritage” gets a launch at the Byron Bay conference. I hope to have the opportunity to reading it sometime soon. I’ll wait with interest to see if the book has compelling physical evidence or verifiable evidence for the many extraordinary claims already described as being mentioned in it.

1 Comments:

Blogger Terry the Censor said...

Nice post.

4:55 PM  

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