UFOs- Reframing the Debate

by Robbie Graham

  RB: How else do you recognize the other aliens among us?

  IP: Well, you are drawn to their energies. You are drawn to them because they are like poetry and they inspire you when you are around them. Sometimes you are drawn to aliens because being around them would inspire good poetry. You want to take their energy and translate it into words. Because you only exist through those people because they only exist through poetry. And if you don’t exist and you are not creating art then what else are you doing?

  RB: Is the act of creating important to you?

  IP: It’s not important per se, but it’s all one can ever do and it’s a wonderful thing. Well, that and destroy. Destruction happens on its own but you can always dance with that flame. You can watch your world turn to shit because you have nothing else to lose.

  RB: Is this a cyclical event for you, creation and destruction?

  IP: Every few hours I’m a different person.

  RB: Are there any other parts of alien contact that you can describe to me?

  IP: Every single contact with an alien is good. Sometimes it’s very brief and it lasts only the length of a cigarette. Sometimes it only lasts for one fun wild night. Other times it lasts for an indefinite amount of time. And that only happens with people who you really suspect are aliens. Because strange things happen with them in that great long amount of time and you don’t expect it.

  RB: Can you describe those strange things?

  IP: Strange in that nothing happens in that moment and you don’t have to be dead for a time. You are alive and smiling and nothing’s happing. And you can share that with someone for a while. It is strange because I am a very solitary person.

  RB: You brought up a point earlier in your discussions about your relationship to others and your experiences of them.

  IP: I feel so disconnected to others no matter how close they are.

  RB: You identified it doesn’t really matter what their experience of you is or how they feel about you.

  IP: That does matter because I perceive they don’t want me there and then I leave. Even with people I’m close to, no matter who they are because I feel more alien from them. We’re all aliens but I’m alien from them too.

  RB: You still feel this way no matter how much they convince you otherwise that maintaining a dynamic with you is important?

  IP: Because you’re not actually seeing them. They’re not there at all so it doesn’t matter if they leave. Because I won’t feel the pain they will feel and so I can do whatever and it doesn’t matter. I try to feel for them and try to get a glimpse of them but I can’t. I want to feel but if I can’t feel that, I don’t need it.

  RB: There’s a deep melancholy there.

  IP: There is. Because it’s always sad when you do that with people. But it’s okay. As soon as one thing goes, another comes.

  RB: So feelings are a very perplexing thing.

  IP: They are perplexing! Feelings are a bitch. And the way we all experience them differently but we share the same words for them. Everyone feels sad yet each sadness is different.

  RB: Well we all have our own reality. And in that way, we are all aliens from each other.

  IP: But I like to talk with you. It’s an alien dynamic this one. You are an alien. We are two aliens. Whenever you have a dynamic with another alien you find your humanity. Which is the goodness in you. You discover a new part of you and you view that part of you as a distinct individual and you sort of become it and you try to hold onto it. It’s nice but it’s a very individual experience because of the other being. It’s a very permanent thing to hold onto that. Because it’s discovery, a creation of self.10

  Following this interview in late 2005 Iris has since departed from my life and I have no manner of contacting her again. The experience of my time with her can best be described as a period of my life where it felt like I was swimming with the mermaids. I knew Iris to be suffering from a series of various personal traumas that manifested in great physiological, mental and emotional complication. I do not believe that she was an alien living here on earth but I do know she was very alienated from most of the human beings she made contact with. Knowing her was a great challenge on a deep personal level.

  In longing to make contact with the alien Other we can destabilize ourselves in ways that are not always healthy in how we endure our lonely existential hours. If you decide to set out for Ultima Thule, you best take caution. The dialog with Iris taught me that those who are having severely altered perceptions of reality appear to be experiencing Hoffman’s “conscious agents” in ways not normally perceived. Iris’ discussions on time, memory, perception and human interaction were utterly alien to me but her goodness and kindness as an alien here on earth reminded me, with each successive contact, that human compassion is what must be at the root of all our interactions with those whose narratives descend from trauma.

  The longing to see the ship and share time with its pilot, Aura Rhanes, is a simple fantasy of sexual union, participating in grainy explosions along the Milky Way.11 There is a stress and distress to such spaces that can evolve into addictions and self-destruction. To dare to know the song the siren sings is to sink oneself into a void of self-design. The pursuit of the UFO mystery offers much of the same. There is a danger in surrendering the ego and identity, and so the call of the UFO may simply be one that is mirroring something much simpler to us. Do not try to penetrate the mystery, for that is not the way, but learn about yourself and what you are at the edges of the capacities of your biology. In a world where we are symbol we may best use our biology to create positive networks for our collective mindspace in order to share more fully with one another, and in kinder ways. Each human conscious agent has perceptions so different from one another that we all qualify as alien to each other. To learn to be with each other may be the first thing the UFO mystery has to offer humanity, a chance to reflect on the best of what we can be as a social species.

  ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTORS

  CHRIS RUTKOWSKI is a Canadian science writer and educator with degrees in astronomy and education. Since the mid-1970s, he’s also been studying reports of UFOs and writing about his investigations and research. He has eight published books on UFOs and related issues, including Unnatural History (1993), Abductions and Aliens (1999), A World of UFOs (2008), I Saw It Too! (2009) and The Big Book of UFOs (2010). He has appeared on numerous radio programs, podcasts and documentary TV series, including Unsolved Mysteries, UFO Hunters, Sightings, Eye2thesky, The Paracast, Discovery’s Close Encounters and A&E’s The Unexplained. He is past president of both the Winnipeg Science Fiction Society and the Winnipeg Centre of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.

  MIKE CLELLAND is an avid outdoorsman, illustrator and UFO researcher. He is the author of The Messengers: Owls, Synchronicity, and the UFO Abductee (2015, Richard Dolan Press), inspired by his own first-hand experiences. Outside of the UFO arena, Mike is considered an expert in the skills of ultralight backpacking, and has authored or illustrated a series of instructional books focused on advanced outdoor techniques. He spent nearly 25 years living in the Rockies, and now lives in the Adirondacks. For access to Mike’s extensive research on the mysteries of UFOs, synchronicity, and related weirdness, including extended audio interviews with visionaries and experts, visit his blog, hiddenexperience.blogspot.com

  JACK BREWER is the author of the nonfiction book, The Greys Have Been Framed: Exploitation in the UFO Community, which explores the ways deception, sensationalism and questionable ethics distort public perception of the UFO phenomenon. He writes the blog, the UFO trail, where he posts credible info on incredible topics. Brewer’s research interests include social dynamics surrounding reported UFO sightings, alleged alien abduction, and the overlapping of the UFO and intelligence communities. Connect with him on twitter @theufotrail or by email at jackbrewerblog@yahoo.com

  JOSHUA CUTCHIN is a North Carolina native with a longstanding interest in Forteana. He holds a Masters in Music Literature and a M
asters in Journalism from the University of Georgia, and currently resides in Roswell, Georgia. He is the author of two books: 2015’s A Trojan Feast: The Food and Drink Offerings of Aliens, Faeries, and Sasquatch (translated into Spanish as Banquete Troyano) and 2016’s The Brimstone Deceit: An In-Depth Examination of Supernatural Scents, Otherworldly Odors, & Monstrous Miasmas. Both are published by Anomalist Books. Cutchin is also a published composer and maintains an active performing schedule as a jazz and rock tuba player, having appeared on eight albums and live concert DVDs. Joshua has appeared on a variety of paranormal programs discussing his work, including Coast to Coast AM, Mysterious Universe, Binnall of America, and The Gralien Report. He can be heard on the weekly podcast Where Did the Road Go? and maintains an online presence at JoshuaCutchin.com

  MICAH HANKS is a writer, podcaster, and researcher whose interests cover a variety of subjects. His areas of focus include history, science, philosophy, current events, cultural studies, technology, unexplained phenomena, and ways the future of humankind may be influenced by science and innovation in the coming decades. He is author of several books, including The Ghost Rockets, a survey of drone-like technologies of unexplained origin, and his 2012 New Page Books release, The UFO Singularity, which focuses on purported “exotic” aerial phenomena, and how anecdotal reports of such observations mirror some technological innovations occurring in the present day, along with those expected for tomorrow. Micah lives in the Appalachian Mountains near Asheville, North Carolina, and, in addition to writing, podcasting, and research, he enjoys traveling, and maintains a passion for science fiction, fine art, music from around the world, and the pursuit of all things unique and interesting.

  LORIN CUTTS became fascinated with UFOs and the paranormal after his first experience with anomalous aerial phenomena in 1993. He began researching other people’s UFO-related events in 1995, and, after co-founding a UFO and paranormal Internet talk radio network in the USA, he became interested in the sociological, cultural and mythological implications that the UFO subject would seem to present. Lorin has written for magazines in both the U.S. and the UK; he also presents the High Strangeness podcast on iTunes. Lorin lives in the Pacific Northwest and is currently working on his first book.

  CURT COLLINS is the author and researcher behind Blue Blurry Lines (blueblurrylines.com), a website focused on mysteries, hoaxes and legends about UFOs. After retiring from a career in retail management, Curt began writing about UFOs, with a special interest in re-investigating the paradoxical 1980 Texas Cash-Landrum UFO case. More recently, Curt was on the investigative team known as the Roswell Slides Research Group. Curt lives in the southern United States, near Jackson, Mississippi.

  SMILES LEWIS has had a lifelong interest in all things anomalous. He led the local MUFON chapter and UFO Experiencer Support & Study Group for several years. He organized the ill-fated National UFO Conference in September 2001. He’s been described as an “Informationalist & Gonzo Alt-Media Proprietor” for his decades of counter-culture media publishing in print, web, and radio (both terrestrial and Internet) on the subjects of the paranormal and parapolitical. In 2003 he founded the 501(c)3 nonprofit Scientific Anomaly Institute, Anomaly Archives, which now boasts a lending library and archive with thousands of rare books, periodicals, and research files. He served as an inside observer with the Roswell Slides Research Group (RSRG). He is active with several local nonprofits and has served on the board of directors for the Institute for Neuroscience and Consciousness Studies (INACS) and Human Potential Center (HPC). For the past 20 years, he has worked for the Texas Talking Book Program, providing audio books for the blind and print-disabled. He’s served as Studio Manager for that program since 2003. He lives in Austin, Texas.

  MJ BANIAS is a writer and blogger who critically explores the modern UFO phenomenon and other Fortean subjects from a philosophical perspective. With a background in Critical Theory, History, and Cultural Studies, he enjoys exploring all things weird and anomalous. He is a field investigator with MUFON, has been featured on multiple podcasts, and writes for Mysterious Universe and Rogue-Planet. His blog, Terra Obscura, is where philosophy, critical theory and high strangeness meet. Visit www.terraobscura.net for the collection of his work.

  RED PILL JUNKIE Agnostic gnostic, walking conundrum & metaphysical oxymoron (with emphasis in the ‘moron’), the mysterious RPJ leads a double life: By day he serves as Grand Master in the International Sacred Order of Lucha Libre, but at night he pursues his life-long study of everything considered mysterious and/or ‘paranormal’—a term he personally detests. When he’s not exploring the web looking for his daily fix of Forteana, he can be found blogging, doodling, fooling around and offering his services as news administrator at The Daily Grail. He also participates regularly in other websites and podcasts like Mysterious Universe, The Grimerica Show and Where Did the Road Go? He awaits impatiently for the return of the mothership in Mexico City.

  SUSAN DEMETER-ST. CLAIR is a professional research assistant, author, editor, and PSI experimenter. Her research interests include individual and institutional responses to anomalies and exceptional human experiences, and how they interact and enact change within groups and large institutions, such as the military. Her life took on the framework of UFO experience after an encounter in 1990, and she considers anomaly studies to be her true life’s work. She has established both ParaResearchers of Ontario, and Paranormal Studies and Inquiry Canada as online educational resources for those wishing to explore the subject of anomalous events. Susan has conducted field research on unusual light phenomena and lectured on this subject at the Ontario Institute for Studies & Education, University of Toronto. She is currently collaborating with Eric Ouellet, Ph.D. of the Canadian Forces College on new approaches to UFO studies through the lenses of scientific Parapsychology. At the time of this publication Susan is conducting a series of independent experiments based in part on the work of the late mathematician, Dr. A.R.G Owen and psychotherapist Dr. Joel Whitton that will be the focus of a planned future book on UFOs, social PSI, and Magick. More info can be found through her website: www.susanstclair.com

  RYAN SPRAGUE is the author of Somewhere in the Skies: A Human Approach to an Alien Phenomenon (Richard Dolan Press, 2016). He has written for numerous publications, including Omni Reboot, Open Minds Magazine, Phenomena Magazine U.K., and UFO Truth Magazine. Speaking on the UFO topic, he has been featured on ABC News, Fox News, and The Science Channel, and is a regular on The Travel Channel’s Mysteries at the Museum. He is also the co-host for both the Into the Fray & UFOmodPOD podcasts. When he’s not writing about UFOs, he is a professional playwright and screenwriter, living in New York City. He is the co-founder of THIRD KIND Productions, a multi-media company dedicated to promoting the work of independent artists. More information on Ryan’s work can be found at www.somewhereintheskies.com and at www.thirdkindproductions.com

  GREG BISHOP In 1991, Greg Bishop co-founded a magazine called The Excluded Middle, a journal of UFOs, conspiracy research, psychedelia and new science. Wake Up Down There!, a collection of articles from the magazine, was published in 2000.

  Greg’s second book was Project Beta: The Story of Paul Bennewitz, National Security, and the Creation of a Modern UFO Myth, which documented a government campaign of disinformation perpetrated against an unsuspecting U.S. citizen. Weird California, a portrait of strange history and places in the Golden State, was released in 2006. From 2007 to 2011, Greg blogged for the UFO and paranormal site Ufomystic. His current book, It Defies Language, is composed, for the most part, of entries from that blog and new articles written specifically for the collection. For two years, Greg hosted The Hungry Ghost, a radio show of interviews and music airing on pirate FM station KBLT in Los Angeles. His current show, Radio Misterioso, can be heard live at radiomisterioso.com, and podcasts are available for download. Interviews with fringe-topic researchers and weird music are the usual fare. He is licensed to fly drones for commercial clients, and is also a certified pa
raglider and ultralight pilot as well as holding a private pilot license.

  ROBERT BRANDSTETTER has occupied many roles as a writer, anti-racist, teacher, equity activist and a trauma survivor. He is a mindfulness and self-regulation instructor and an ethnographer of trauma. He spends his time conducting long term interviews of trauma survivors and spends the remaining free time, when not parenting and focussing on family, contemplating the nature of reality, memory, the biological functions of perception, and how these intersect, using the UFO trauma experience as a lens. He is focused primarily on how individuals destabilize as a result of their own witness experience, resulting in personal acts of both creation and destruction. His major influences in the field include McDonald, Vallée, Bishop, Rutkowski and Duensing. His primary professional writing is concerned with the fields of equity, social justice and self-regulation, designing curriculum and training for staff and students in a high school setting. This essay is his first published work inside the UFO field. He defines himself as both witness and experiencer.

  ENDNOTES

  FOREWORD

  1 Jacques Vallée, Messengers of Deception: UFO Contacts and Cults (Daily Grail Publishing, 2008), Appendix.

  2 Whitley Strieber and Jeffrey J. Kripal, The Super Natural: A New Vision of the Unexplained (TarcherPerigee, 2016), 3, 5-6.

  CHRIS RUTKOWSKI

  1 “Extra-Terrestrials and other Stranger Things: Four-in-Five Canadians believe,” Angus Reid Institute, Aug. 24, 2016, http://angusreid.org/extra-terrestrials-stranger-things/