Fall is here

Fall is here, in the air, in between bouts of summer days and chemtrails anyway, which means my posting will be kind of chaotic. All depends, for the time being, on my energy level, spaces in my life, and work schedule. The great thing about working for a public school is I get summer off. The bad thing is, well, I have to go off to work. (Don't mistake that last comment for dislike of my job; the best thing of all about my job is my interaction with the kids, no matter what their age: from the kinders to the 8th graders (yes! 8th graders, even!) So I'll have to post when I can; no schedule, not that there was any schedule, and bouts of frenetic posting in between dry periods.

Orb Stuff: I'm Just a Nerdy UFO Buff After All . . .

Been wearing my UFOs are Real, Get Over It hooded sweatshirt lately; perfect warm and fuzzy cover to wear when going back and forth to the coast. I forget how geeky and nerdy it is; no wonder people are giving me those side glances, lol. (You can order the sweatshirt and other items at Binnall of America.)

Trickster's Realm will be up sometime tomorrow on Binnall of America. This one's about a Contactee, Dino Kraspedon, from Brazil.

And a new piece for UFO Digest should be up any day now; on Marian Apparitions (specifically, Medjurgorje) and UFOs.

I've been having Internet connection problems off and on for a few days; I think it's fixed now.

If anyone has been using my rlee15@uswest.net email, it's no longer valid. So contact me at rlee@orangeorb.net.

For now, that's about it. Oh, a plug for James Rich Studio, and his full gallery at Yessy.com.

Late Sunday-Monday Orb

I've been without internet access for the past day or so, things are back to normal now.

A new piece at Women Of Esoterica by Danille Lee.

Lesley has a new Gray Matters up at Binnall of America.

Richelle and I will both have new pieces up at BOA as well this week; my Trickster's Realm on Monday (Labor Day) and Richelle's that Tuesday, I believe. She has a new column up right now.

By the way, it does seem like the world is in a UFO flap, doesn't it? Just FYI and generally speaking. . . been that way for awhile now, and doesn't seem to be slowing down.

Jim has new categories on the Yessy site, and offers prints of his work ranging from $20.00 for a color image on matte photo paper, to approximately $400.00 for a canvass print.

I've been having fun with widgets and made one for UFO Mary, and Vintage U.F.O., and Jim's blog.

Ranting about the air quality in Eugene. I know, I know, it may not be anything like Los Angeles, (although when I was down there last summer, it was much nicer than the air here; I did stay on the coast -Long Beach-Marina area, still, it was better air there than on field burning days and allergy laden days up here) and you can read those posts on my blog Trickster Northwest.


WHEN is Torchwood coming back? Still no news.

If you've noticed the bubble widget here it's a mistake; there's some glitch and I can't get blogger to take it off. It's an addicting game though!


I thought this was Fortean, for some reason: cows and magnetic north. I'll have to look out for that next time I take a drive.

Orange Orbs

Last night's C2C was great; I always enjoy George Knapp, he's among the best, and UFO researcher Ted Philips -- made for a great show. Visit the C2C site for images of orange orb like lights.


Here's another item on an orange orb encounter: Orange Orb! by Mary Munoz. (thanks to Lesley at Debris Field for the link.)

Sunday Orb

I forgot it was Sunday!

BIGFOOT
My Trickster Realm column for Binnall of America is on, now bet you can't guess . . . yep, that's right, the Biscardi Georgia Bigfoot Circus. I know, everyone has been commenting on this, including me. But this piece is inspired by a comment The Anomalist posted the other day: "have there been any positive takes on this story?" as well as Danielle Lee's piece on her blog The Spirit Guide, and Women Of Esoterica. So do I decide that I've been too harsh, too grumpy, too humorless? Read Turn That Frown Upside Down! and find out.

ANIMALS
Speaking of animals, (as we all are) I had a series of odd animal encounters today. I comment about them on Trickster Northwest.




PIN UP ART
Pin Up Art
Nothing to do with esoterica, UFOs or anything of that nature, but I'm shamelessly promoting Jim's artwork. So go take a look, okay? I suppose I have to put a warning and say that some of the work is "adult" so if you're offended by naked women, don't look. Visit James Rich Studio, also his gallery, with over 159 paintings, at Yessy.com.


PULP JELLO
Speaking of Pin Up art and such, I have a new blog: Pulp Jello. I had to have a place to indulge my love of vintage ads and cover art!

Image: The Brink of Sleep, original artwork by James Rich

I-Team: New UFO Mystery Surfaces

Skylaire Alfreven of L.O.W.F.I. alerted me to this.

Biscardi Bigfoot Circus

I can't take this. Does anyone else feel this way or is it just me? Frame 352.

Sunday Orb

Danielle Lee, Women Of Esoterica's newest contributor, has been posting great articles on ghost hunting, Rasputin, and spirit guides. . . .


Jim has added more paintings to his gallery; abstracts in the Cosmic Series; very cool! . . .

Coast to Coast this week: Stanton Friedman and Frank Freschino (Flatwoods) will be on Wednesday’s program, and Jim Marrs will be on Thursday. Two programs that I’m looking forward to, can only be excellent. . . .

My Rant of the Day, I think I’ll keep it; add ones on Snarly Skepticism and UFO Proletariat (UFOs and the people, baby! lol). . .

"We don't want no stinkin' UFO overseers!"


Speaking “of the people” piglipstick is a blog I like very much, and appreciate the detailed news it brings us; if you haven't visited piglipstick yet do so - another blog that is along the same lines is one by Nick Redfern: Night of the Living Jackboots. Wake up everyone! . . .


I’m looking forward to reading Philip Imbrogno’s Interdimensional Universe: The New Science of UFOs, Paranormal Phenomena and Otherdimensional Beings . . .

When is Torchwood coming back???!!! . . . .

A new blog that describes itself as “Just another blog on the state of UFO affairs - past, present, and future” called The Near Side. Writing on the topic of disclosure, and the government’s release of its UFO information:

As a person extremely fascinated with UFOs, I'm also somewhat of a realist. While I would love for our government (or whomever governs UFO matters as they relate to us earthlings) to admit what it knows of its own volition, I logically can't think of a reason for them to do such a thing.

More UFO blogs: Bruce Duensing's Intangible Materiality. After I read him, I realize I should just shut up. Forever. About everything. His current post is on Jacque Vallee. But the blog, whatever it is that's up there, is worth exploring.


Alfred Lehmberg has a fantastic piece on An Alien View: Cast Seeds. . .

Shamelessly self promoting UFO Mary. It's lonely over there, visit and leave a comment!



Lesley of The Debris Field, Beyond the Dial, Machine Elf, etc. is on vacation. I hope she’s having fun!

As always, there’s so much more but not enough time.

Billy Cox: Admiral: Never looked for UFO data

The usual lies, cover-ups and obsturfications. UFO writer Billy Cox writes about Edgar Mitchell, Dr. Stephen Greer and retired Rear Admiral Thomas R. Wilson in Admiral: Never Looked for UFO Data. Someone’s not telling the truth... how unusual in these situations!

In this piece by Billy Cox, it turns out that (allegedly -- all allegedly dahlings) Edgar Mitchell and Dr. Stephen Greer insist ex-admiral Wilson met a looming stone wall when he tried to access UFO info when he was director of the Defense Intelligence Agency. Wilson denies not only banging into said wall, but bothering to look for UFO info in the first place. According to Wilson, the UFO issue wasn’t that interesting. Wilson agrees he met with Greer and Mitchell,denies looking for any information on covert UFO projects:

“What is true is that I met with them,” Wilson said in a phone interview. “What is not true is that I was denied access to this material, because I didn’t pursue it. I may have left it open with them, but it was not especially compelling, not compelling enough to waste my staff’s time to go looking for it.”

We’ll probably never know who’s telling the truth. Does it matter? This particular little episode doesn't prove or disprove anything in the way of UFO truthiness. Conspiracies, lies, cover-ups, black projects, disinformation, misinformation, all have happened, continue to happen. . . neither Greer or Mitchell are changing their story. Neither is Wilson.

I do find this curious: Wilson did say he had “a certain amount of curiosity” about allegations of deep-black UFO projects. But not enough curiosity, I gather. Nor was it “compelling” enough:

may have left it open with them, but it was not especially compelling, not compelling enough to waste my staff’s time to go looking for it.”

So, the idea of deep and possibly rogue UFO projects was a curious thing, but not enough to investigate. He “may have (italics mine) left it open” but isn’t sure. But, in the end, none of it was “curious” enough -- certainly not suspicious, even with all the implications inherent in the idea of UFO technology, black budgets, rogue operations, defense, national security, science, and the like.

My instinct tells me Mitchell and Greer are telling the truth, and the dear Admiral has changed his story. After all, he wants to disassociate himself from the whole thing, either because he really knows the truth about UFOs (ta dah!) and that’s his job -- to keep it from the rest of us. Or, he thinks it’s all very silly, and thought so back then. After all he has a new job with an unnamed defense contractor and it probably doesn't do him any good to be subjected to UFO nonsense while he’s trying to do Very Important Things. (Then again, maybe those Very Important Things have to do with UFOs, and black semiprivate defense contractor projects, and ... don’t you love it when we tumble down the rabbit hole?)

I have an automatic distrust of authority, military bigwigs and industrial military complex uber-corporations,so I like my theory best. But I will acknowledge it’s also possible the ex-Admiral is telling the truth, and Mitchell and Greer aren’t backing down because they’d be embarrassed if they did; after all, they said one thing, now they have to back up and say they were, what? Exaggerating? Embroidering, embellishing, . . . being theatrical? Lying?

Hmmm, put that way, that seems a bit much. I don’ think so. The ex-admiral is no doubt covering up in grand brusque disinformational style.

Skylaire Alvegren of L.O.W.F.I. alerted me to this.
Very good report of a UFO crash near Needles. It's a good report because it's George Knapp. I had to laugh at the TV news guy in the field who asked, in all seriousness, if a witness thought "it was a men in black thing" (relating to gov. types giving him the stink eye.) Another witness is missing however; unless I misunderstood.

The turquoise color the object is said to have; the other day I was talking with someone about a turquoise, lit from within (or so it seemed) cigar shaped object traveling very high, I mean just about the highest I've seen anything, across the sky -- it was summer, about 6:30 pm still light outside. It was so weird because of the color; I kept watching, to see if it was a plane, but I never did see wings, etc. or any other lights. I thought the blue color might be the blue logo of the plane, but the entire thing was blue, all of it. And the entire thing seemed iridescent, as I said, lit from within. I also watched to see if the brightness was due to reflection sunlight, but that never changed; it remained the same. A friend of mine deeply involved in UFO research told me on James Gilliand's Sattva Sanctuary in Washington turquoise objects, like what I described, have been seen.

Whatever it turns out to be, military (most likely) or something else, all very interesting! The best thing is the matter of fact reporting, and the lack of any ridicule.

Aeolus Kephas on Streiber in Alien Worlds Magazine

The dark side, contradictions, negativity, mind control. . .

Just indulge me and follow my digressions; while this is about the Aeolus Kephas piece on Streiber in Stuart Miller's Alien Worlds magazine, the article caused me to go off on my own little tangents concerning the rejection of the "dark side" by UFO researchers as well as witnesses, the "block" within concerning UFO/alien experiences and the paranoia some have concerning appearing too paranoid.




Stuart Miller very kindly sent me this issue of his new magazine Alien Worlds. I'm very late in responding, but I want to say that the issue is great. (And when I'm able I do plan to subscribe!) One article in particular that really sent me over the edge, (a good thing) is the mysterious Aeolus Kephas's piece on Whitley Streiber: Through a Fractured Glass, Darkly: Will the Real Whitley Strieber Please STand Up? Excellent! I don't agree with everything Kephas has to say but that's hardly the point.

As I mentioned yesterday in my Sunday post, the more I explore and study UFOs, including my own experiences, the more I realize the UFO phenomenon is not just one thing, that we simply cannot ignore the stranger aspects, and that includes the Contactees, Reptilians,Billy Meier, the Raelians, Betty Andreasson, the changing appearance of UFOs, Bigfoot, telepathy, skeptibunkies, -- all of it. UFO researchers, writers investigators, what have you, need to stop whining that UFOlogy is a "circus" or a "carnival" -- well, it is a circus and a carnival but that isn't a problem. But I'm digressing here.

Back to Kephas and Streiber. I think most of us agree that Streiber the man, as well as his experiences, are complicated and often contradictory. Does this mean Whitley is full of crap? Not for a minute. Is he telling the truth? Is that even a question?

There's so much in this article that I can't do it justice; besides, Kephas is an excellent writer and I feel silly trying to get the gist of his piece across. One thing he wrote that I liked has to do with those who ignore or trivialize the higher strangeness, esoteric side of the UFO experience. In contrasting fairy lore and other similar narratives with our current UFO/alien experience, including the "dark" side of such experiences, Kephas writes:

The dark edge comes less from the phenomenon itself than from a distortion that occurs once it is filtered through the minds of individual researchers and experiencers. F. . . UFO lore. . .tends to be heavy, oppressive, and laced with despair. There is a soulless one might even say sickly quality to it. that results when writers and researchers suck all the magical essence out of t e Imaginal by imposing their own rigid land neurotic personalities onto it. This usually happens without their even being aware of doing so, which is basically the problem; it is an unconscious distortion, and it is unconscious that distorts.

I had a conversation the other day with someone involved in a local disclosure UFO study group. We were brainstorming on possible speakers presenting in the area; he said he didn't want anything "negative." I was reminded of another group, years ago, that put was putting on UFO presentations here in Eugene. At one meeting the M.C. read letters from UFO witnesses, including mine. Mine, he didn't finish reading, tossing it to the side, stating that they weren't here to "be negative" or go into a dark place. What did I say that was so offensive? Simply that I suspect a lot of manipulation going on, not all of it good, by both human (government) forces, as well as "alien." I wasn't questioning the reality of UFOs or aliens (or what we call aliens) or the experiences of witnesses-- myself included. I was questioning motivation and interpretation.

A third experience, that I've mentioned here in the past, involved a different UFO group in the area. One member told me he didn't want to be around me because he couldn't believe I was "that negative" when I shared my opinion that I suspect manipulation;on the part going on by both human and non-human forces. How dare I criticize our government?

I find it astounding that people still think like this. In the case of the most recent conversation, I found myself fumbling around and defensive when he said he didn't want to get "negative." I felt somehow attacked, although I know the person wasn't attacking me, and I felt somehow ashamed. Somewhere, I felt, I should know better, be better, be all open and shout "Yes! I AM an abductee! I love the aliens, and they love me! YES!" or whatever. Why don't I remember what happened during my missing time episodes? Why don't I have a conscious recall of seeing aliens? It must be me; I'm too closed, "not ready," etc. Screw that New Age quasi-Christian Space Brother crap.

But I do believe I've digressed again.

Back to Kephas:

The best ufo commentators - Jung, John Keel, Jacques Vallee, Robert Anton Wilson, Terence McKenna, Kenneth Grant -- have been aware of this pitfall, and so managed mostly to avoid it. Freely acknowledging the unfixed, mythical nature of the UFO beast, they have treated it accordingly, allowing i it to remain dan essentially unknown, possibly even an unknowable, quality Yet as a general rule (McKenna possibly and Grant being partial exceptions) these writers have not been recounting their own personal experiences but simply interpreting data provided by others, hence they had had the luxury of distance.

We can all learn from each other; my only quibble is with the idea the witness or experiencer herself is incapable of being objective, or more true, than anyone else.

There is so much more to this piece. One section of the article deals with mind control -- not by the aliens, but by the CIA and other government agencies. MK Ultra, and more, manipulations of the mind that are still occurring. Streiber suspects he was a victim -- going back to childhood -- of these heinous experiments. I wouldn't doubt it. This has been theorized before, but it seems to get little attention. (Like the apathy surrounding UFOs over weapons sites and such, this disinterest in these aspects of the UFO experience is just weird.)

If it's true that Whitley was messed with by some sick psy ops project, it explains quite a lot, as Kephas points out. Researchers, as well as the sketpics, would do UFOlogy a huge favor by considering the idea of mind control seriously. Unfortunately, it's still a minority, fringe topic, even among researchers. It's considered kook stuff and conspiracy nonsense, and it's what, in part, gives UFOology a "bad name" according to some UFO researchers. (The skeptics, sigh, well, we simply don't expect them to go there at all, being the apologist shills they are.)

If it's true that Streiber was a victim of mind control, that doesn't exclude the reality of "the grays" or some type of alien and UFO reality. It certainly messes things up; but doesn't "prove" that aliens/UFOs don't exist, or that Whitley is a liar. It just isn't that simple.

In my opinion, cases like Whitley, like the Contactees, Billy Meirer, etc. need to be really explored, not just blindly accepted as some new kind of savior, nor dismissed as cranks and kooks.

Kephas has a website: Stormy Weather.
http://aeoluskephas.blogspot.com

Musings From The Orb

New post at Mothman Flutterings: Car Weirdness and Mothman Tuggings. It's a little strange, but then again, it is called Mothman Flutterings . . . also a new entry from me on UFO Magazine's site: Bissfull and Willfull, Apathy and Ignorance.

Jim has a new gallery/section on the Yessy site: his new Cosmic Series. Some very exciting things happening with all this activity surrounding his art, including UFO and paranormal stuff. More to come on that later . . . but I'm very excited about it!

The more I think on my own UFO experiences as well as the UFO phenomenon in general, the more I'm convinced it's all a huge mash of various things that boils down to esoterica indeed. . . and the people who are stuck on nuts and bolts or one or two cases or theories are just utterly missing so much. . . and the ones who sneer or even if politely, dismiss this side of UFOlogy for "giving UFO studies a bad name" and so on are, well, stupid but I wouldn't say that . . but so wrong ... and that sounds arrogantly self assured doesn't it?! . . . I know we're all of different temperment and come from different backgrounds and then there's our own political and relgiious biases and views that color our perceptions but if we agree that we have to go where the data takes us... dahlings! It's taking us right smack in the deep midst of some very crazy esoteric stuff! Let's get real and deal with it. . .

Still liking UFO Mary even though it's lonely there so please visit the blog. . .

Danille Lee is the newest contributor to WOE . . . Women Of Esoterica . . she's been posting very informative and detailed items on ghost hunting. . . this isn't the usual ghost hunting stuff either, her perspective is refreshing. . .

Looks like things will slow down a bit at Binnall of America while Tim is on vacation in California, so no new Trickster's Realm or any of the other great columns but be sure to take a look over there anyway so catch up on past columns and podcasts.

Loren Coleman has the IRS hasslsing him about his Crypto Musuem; they don't seem to get it... although Coleman's take on it is very polite and reasonable...you can make a contribution, no matter what amount, by clicking on the logo at the top of the blog here, or visiting his site CryptoMundo.

And while you're at it, if you're able to, donate a little something to places like The Black Vault, and The Daily Grail, or Book of Thoth, or any of the other great Fortean/paranormal and UFO sites that gives us news, articles and podcasts, for free, on a regular basis.

Visit my place on Associated Content/People's Media; this one actually pays, kind of, sort of, depending on the number of readers. I have two articles on the Trent, UFO event there. Click on the banner at the end of this post to get there.

Nick Redfern on Coast to Coast tonight! Awesome, what more can we say?

Quibbles . . .

Quibbles. Parsing and tumbling into minutia. Distractions. Misdirections. Contradictions, juxtapositions, ironies. Paradoxes.

All part of the UFO thing, -ology, phenomena, phenomenon, issue, question, topic, subject, realm, mystery, enigma.

Accusations and flinging insults, spouting lies, hysterical self-righteous pronouncements from within and on the fringe. Wanna bes and poseurs, “new thugs” and old, the pathological, the deniers circling around those who’ve seen, who know . . . something . . . who speak and write and search.

Few listen, many exploit. Few care, many deride. Mainstream takes what it can, the infrastructure manipulates.

Even so cracks appear, creeping outwards. Even so, the ones who’ve seen,the ones who think about what if and how and why and who, continue.

Despite the ones who use us for their own agendas, their own promotions. Despite those who fly in and land, with a thud, and croak long, and loud, so very loud; hoarse voiced, they snidely attack and pretend to “investigate” while somberly proclaiming what is a truth and what is not, before clumsily flapping off to new adventures.

The circus they accuse UFOlogy to be is paraded before a new audience of jeering ones who have not seen, or known, or searched.

The users, the fakers, the apologists, continue to pretend they’re in the know, while denying they themselves are of the knowers. Preening, they ingratiate, pontificate, pretend to ponder but have no authenticity.

The circus, the Trickster, the fundie skeptibunkies, the hoaxers none are so loathesome as the liars and users who so shamelessly slam and sneer and leave a mess behind; who barge into a new land of wonders to drag out what they’ve stolen from us in hopes of exchanging their shabby offerings for new gains.

But no matter. Those of us who are honest, even if misguided, maybe, naive, possibly, downright silly even, maintain our karmic integrity.

Meanwhile it’s hard to trust, but some hope lives for knowing our instinct, intuition is strong -- always trust that! Mine was, and is both trusted as well as strong.

Reminders that The Trickster appears in many guises. . .

Angelia Joiner on We Are Not Alone podcast

This in today's e-mail:

Angelia Joiner will be the guest on "We Are Not Alone" Saturday, August

2, 2008 at 10:00 AM EST.

Angelia is the journalist who broke the story on the Stephenville,
Texas
UFO sightings that promptly spread around the world.

Join your host, David Twichell, the first Saturday of each month at
10:00 AM EST on WHFR.FM radio, when we explore the mysteries of the UFO

and abduction phenomenon with a new guest each month.

Go to http://whfr.fm/index.php and click on "Listen Live Now".

Sunday Orb Thingies . . .

Bigfoot Fever: Bigfoot and Skeptics will be up on Binnall of America sometime tomorrow. Seems skeptics have Bigfoot on their brains and can't get enough . .. I was glad to read what Wm. Michael Mott, and The Daily Grail, and others have been saying about Edgar Mitchell's big time revelation that UFOs and aliens are real: he's been saying that for years. I thought I was becoming jaded when the "news" hit; "Er," I said to myself "Haven't we been here before?" . . . Still liking UFO-Mary so visit, why don't you, it's evolving into more than just "Mary" . . . Still reading Beckley and Redfern . . . find myself revisiting MIBS and black helicopters and realizing more and more that going back on UFO history is only helpful, not a hindrance as some UFO researchers believe. . . several times now in the past few days I've written on Peter Davenport's comments concerning the UFO/nuclear weapons sites connection he made at the McMinnville Festival last May, and each time, something weird happened; like late last night, I lost the article. Gone, lost, eaten up by laptop gremlins. What did Davenport say, you may ask? Well, if you know his politics, you can guess, and more on that later . . .Many years ago I read an article in, I think, UFO Magazine, about the sad and strange death of Danny Cosolaro. I've been intrigued by this ever since; read Stalking the Octopus about Kenn Thomas, of Steamshovel Press, who's been following this story since the beginning . . . wondering about the knee jerk dismissal of some UFO researchers, and some would be, wanna be fence sitting UFO researchers -- who reject the dark side of UFO research as nothing but paranoid conspiracy indulgences. . . I discuss Two Chupacabras on Frame 352 ... James Rich Studio adding more categories and will soon be offering glicee prints for a fraction of the cost of an original painting. . .and my eighty year old mother informed me the other day she wants to start a blog, and how does one go about doing one? Right on, mom! . . . Really, so much more but not enough time so this will have to do.