Interview with Nick Redfern at Ghastly Door

Interview with Nick Redfern at the Ghastly Door site. Print, not audio.

Paratopia Interviews Phil Imbrogno

This is a great interview on Paratopia with Phil Imbrogno, which aired April 2nd. If you haven't heard it yet please listen. Just about everything Imbrogno says makes a lot of sense about UFOs and "high strangeness" among other things.  In many ways, what I and many others right now are saying, falls into much of what Imbrogno has to say. I still like the idea that parts of the UFO stuff are aliens from outer space in their fantastic flying machines, but that still leaves a vast amount of room for "Beyond UFOs, ta ta ta dum!" .... anyway. Take a listen. Here's the blurb from Paraptopia that I stole:

Paratopia Episode 61: Phil Imbrogno From The Edge

Paranormal investigator Phil Imbrogno is back to talk about his new book, Files From The Edge: A Paranormal Investigator’s Explorations Into High Strangeness. First, he explains why he left the slums of ufology for high strangeness pastures. This episode covers everything from ghosts to time distortions to djinn to UFOs to the people reporting them. This is an episode that validates our stance on ufology… and we didn’t even steer the conversation there.

The "Real" Grasshopper Canyon

When I wrote my post 'Grasshopper Canyon' (see the two posts below) I had no idea there was really a canyon in the Southwest by that name. I had just titled my experience Grasshopper Canyon because of the giant grasshoppers, living in a dormant state, in a canyon. So I was surprised to find that there is an actual canyon in New Mexico called Grasshopper Canyon. I wanted to find out more; for one thing, why is the place named "grasshopper" canyon. According to The Place Names of New Mexico, by Robert Hixson Julyan, "insect names" are not usually used as place names in New Mexico, but there are two canyons and one river named grasshopper in that state.

On The Heels of Locusts. . .

Well, here's a bit of tricksterish synchronicity; I had posted my Grasshopper Canyon post (see post below) this morning. Just now, getting home from work, I checked Rense.com and found a link to the following clip:

Grasshopper Canyon

I love these weird little bits of, whatever they are. I was drifting off to sleep, still awake, in that warm delicious place between wake and sleep, when the slide show started. Often when I'm in this mild trance like kind of state, images start to flood my mind; one after the other, vivid, intricate images like moving postcards, but they don't last for more than few seconds. They're almost unrelated to each other, and, almost always unrelated to me. The images are usually of people in various settings and places. Global. It's as if I'm watching a TV screen gone crazy; a scene here, then, gone! Flash forward to another, and another. Sometimes this scares me a little because I don't know what these people and places have to do with me; it's as if I've wandered into someone else's dream, or head. Often I hear voices; but don't really catch anything, because it's all so fast, and a lot of the time it's even in another language.Once in awhile things slow down a bit and it seems as if I can stay, wander around, figure this thing out, but I'm whoosed off again.

It's very startling when, on occassion, one of the people in a scene will see me and look right at me; we're both equally started. Neither one of us expected to be there. Once in awhile they seem pissed off that I've intruded. And, occasionally, these scenes aren't so mundane, they take on a more paranormal or high strangeness aspect. (Like my flying over rocks and ocean and meeting up with a Sasquatch. . .)

Oregon author and psychic Nahu had interesting things to say to me about these experiences; that they're just typical psychic tapping into the grid. That's not how he put it; he said it more eloquently than that! He advised me to just let it be and go with it. I usually do but sometimes it's a bit scary and unnerving.

Not as often as I'd like but it's during these times that I'll have an OOBE; the scenes fade out and are replaced by rushing, roaring sounds, chimes, even singing, and I leave my body.

So last night I was in bed but awake. I was half listening to Coast to Coast. Steve Quale was the guest; he was talking about giants in the Grand Canyon, hidden history and artifacts. I wasn't paying much attention because of distractions in the house and I was ready to turn it off to go to sleep, just waiting for things to settle down in the house. I had just turned off the radio and immediately fell into that in between place, and I "fell" into a very deep and narrow canyon. And all around me were giant grasshoppers. By giant I mean ten feet tall. They were in a light sleep, or dormant state, in the rocks, the walls, of the canyon, and barely visible. They were well hidden and yet pale, almost translucent. They were a pale white, with a very slight green tinge, just a hint of color.  I didn't like it here one bit; the giant grasshoppers were bad enough, but the canyon itself was spooky. The canyon, the physical place itself of rock and earth and water, was a living, intelligent, cognizant entity, and as alien as any outer space being. (Or maybe we were/are the "aliens" on this earth.) Then I had the awareness that there's soemthing about the physical geography of canyons that make them generators, or conduits, for alien (both terra and extraterrestrial) entities. My mind then went to the canyon where the Bales brothers saw the giant triangle in Idaho. I'd never been to that location - never been to Idaho -- but somewhere, I was there. And it was as spooky as the grasshoppers, for the canyon itself was a living, breathing entity ancient and aware.

Like the deserts, where many mystical experiences occur, as well as the flying saucer related experiences of the Contactees, the land itself seems to be an active participant in UFO/craft and alien encounters.

I think I'm going somewhere with all this but not sure where yet.

• Related post: Nahu's Psychic Bigfoot Experience and Words About Beckjord
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• UFO Digest: High Strangeness on the Ranch
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• Alien Ant Watercolor
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• Green Warty Visitations
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• See: My introduction to Tim Beckley's reprint of Contactee Dana Howard's Over the Threshold.

New TR Up at Binnall of America

My new Trickster's Realm is up at Binnall of America; this one is on the two different chupacabra themes. A Chupie Meme.

Jerry Springers in UFO Land

Erik at his blog Contact had a great post the other day about UFO researchers leaving the field, ostensibly due to what they say is a disgust about the loony fringe. Erik has another great post now about "personality driven" UFO study: Personality Driven UFOlogy: the Id vs. The Phenomenon (which isn't any kind of study at all, but a bash fest, whether it's overt, or more sublte, like the "new thugs" I wrote about a few years ago.) He writes:

Since when did phenomena take a back seat to the individuals studying it?  What happened to the awe of the subject matter?  Has society become so petty and egocentric that it finds the figures investigating the unknowable more fascinating than the topic of investigation itself?  It would appear to be so.  And how sad it is that not only has Ufology's prominent figures become celebritized, they now seem to be so desperate for the status and attention their celebrity has brought them, they will attack  fellow researchers or investigators just to keep the lime light.  Where is the Ufology in this?  Apalling, sophomoric tactics and innocuous accusations are blinding them, if not everyone, to the actual study!  The actual phenomenon!  No wonder a lot of folks want nothing to do with this field of study.  It's not because it is not interesting or compelling but because its progenitors with all manor of antics have driven them away.  It's a dog eat dog mad house.

I think part of this infighting --  which isn't new really, research has always been this way in many ways --  is due to a trickster effect. It's part of the game; distractions from what's really going on. You can't have one without the other. But that aside, it's still sad, still stupid, and still annoying as hell. It's a given the trickster effect likes to cause mischief, but that doesn't mean it's to be encouraged or condoned.

I don't understand a lot of what goes on in this regard, but one thing I really don't understand is the name calling and attacks flung at individuals who are just trying to tell their story. The stories may be bizzare and hard to believe, at least literally, and the person may be confused, or misinterpreting events, or . . . but if we're in this field out of a geniune sense of getting at things, we wouldn't be so quick to dismiss those things that offend us, at first meeting, because of their surreal nature. Isn't that what  research is about? Instead of calling someone an idiot or moon bat because they insist they saw Bigfoot carrying an orb of light, heading towards a landed UFO, some authentic investigation into the event is what's needed. Not sarcastic jokey throw away antics like decreeing these individuals belong in some kind of moon bat file.

Shared Experiences: Rh Negative

It's been a part of the UFO high strangeness lore that people with Rh negative blood are more prone to experiencing contact with entities of an alien nature, along with sightings of craft, and all kinds of extreme anomalous events.

The Rh negative blood type connection continues, with another highly interesting post at Dan Mitchell's new blog Luminosity. In his post Rh Negatives, Mitchell describes his interaction with an alien/insectoid type being -- described as praying mantis like -- along with life long high strangeness elements, such as a bizarre humming. The being tells him a little something about humans with Rh negative blood:

I first asked why this was happening to my family. It's response was that I was the focus of these events and not my family. The reason for this focus was due to my having RH negative blood. I was made to understand that there was some sort of familial bond due to my blood type and genetic makeup. I was then told that people with RH negative blood have largely been the focus of this phenomenon (though not always) because those RH negative people worked as gateways through which these beings could enter into this world. I don't entirely understand the meaning of that link. These beings have some sort of symbiotic relationship to the human mind that I don't entirely understand yet. I was told that this was occuring because our development had intersected with theirs and that it was "the natural turning of events".

 Earlier in the post Mitchell writes:

I had questioned whether or not I was losing my mind, but the words of my children and the shared experiences with my wife led to me realize that this wasn't the case. - [italics mine]

Just when you think you're going crazy, or are crazy, that you've created all this for whatever bizzare or pathological reason, or that you're simply a goof, you realize that there are others in your life that have these same experiences --sometimes these exact same experiences -- witnesses to your own strange world that are confirmed by your spouse (in my case, Jim) or another family member, a close friend, etc. This confirmation brings some comfort in knowing you're not crazy after all, but that's quickly replaced by a low rumble of confusion, fear, and awe, even. Because then you know, that others see and experience the same things, which means that those "things" are out there after all.

There was some synchronicity in coming across Dan's post. For the past couple of weeks I've been trying to write about the Rh factor in UFO experiences, but just couldn't come up with a focus, a direction.  I've also been working on something in regards to some of my experiences, centering around a "dream" I had involving a very tall, white skinned, large black eyed "Geisha" woman inside a domed spaceship. The image Mitchell uses with his post reminded me of that, even though my Geisha woman alien didn't quite like look that; for one thing, she had jet black hair, and while spindly, didn't look too insectoid, yet Jim's "Alien Ant Watercolor" reminds me of that experience.  It seems that, with these experiences, in trying to get at them we juxtapose images in an attempt to invoke a revelation to those experiences.

But back to the blood; yes, I'm Rh negative as well.

V: Murder She Wrote, Only With Reptilians

I commented to Jeremy Vaeni the other night that V is very trite, very mainstream, sooooooooo TV series prime time stuff that it's like "Murder She Wrote, only with Reptilians." I liked the first series, becuase is was over twenty years ago, and for a prime time network show, V back then was different. V now is not different, it's a few steps backwards, as far as quality of writing or production values go. Torchwood it isn't.

I'll continue to watch V, at least for now, because I'm a Fortean TV junkie, and can't resist. I'm at the point now where I mock rather than enjoy, but it's still fun. I didn't say good, but fun.

Last night's night episode was the worst yet. I don't know if this happened nationally or if it was just a local thing, but the episode was horribly out of synch. It was bizarre; and lasted for the entire program. So that made it fun. Then at the end -- I'd say SPOILER! but that would imply we care --- where Queen Bee Lizard mates (naturally, she's on top, and for some reason, they seem to do it on a bed of dishsoap bubbles) with her soldier/drone/sacrificial reptilian guy. During the brief mating act Jim turns to me and says "She's going to eat him," and sure enough, she does. In the coolest scene of either season yet, she opens her mouth mega wide to expose doulbe rows of sharp pointy big white fangs, and... cut to commerical. Jim was very offended by that; "Reptiles aren't insects!" he raved, and while that's true, I said "They're Reptilians, not bugs," but no matter, it was a cheap stunt and it pissed him off. Citing the classic unhinged jaw rat eating scene from the original V, Jim made his point; one was truly creepy scary surprising -- while staying true to general reptilian-ness -- the latter was hack writing.

That shot lasted for a dissappoitng second, it seemed. The coolest thing in the whole series and they rush right by it.


Well, I'm not the only one disappointed by the new V. One of my favorite blogs, The Secret Sun, reviews V, which includes both funny and accurate insights:

We're told these aliens have no emotions and then spend an hour watching them express emotions. If Morena Baccarin's character had a mustache, she'd have spent the entire episode twirling it.

I'll keep watching V for now, but I share The Secret Sun's sentiments:

I'm not giving up on this series yet, but I am damn close to it. These people need to show me something new, for frak's sake, and soon.

The Secret Sun gives us an update to its previous blog posting, which explains a lot. Go here to find out what that is.

Somewhat related post: I comment on Destination Truth on my blog Frame 352.

UFOMystic is Back

UFOMystic was having server problems and was down for awhile, but now it's back!

"Who. . ." Another Powerful Piece by Alfred Lehmberg

On the UFO Magazine blog, another beautiful and "right on" poetic (as always) piece by Alfred Lehmberg on the UFO Magazine blog site. Entitled " . . . Who . . ." Alfred asks, as always, as well as encourages, pleads, us to look up. And then claim that we do so, and say that we do so. At least, that's part of what it said to me. But while we look up, and look up without being embarrassed for doing so, there are those that deny and ridicule, or acknowledge yet denigrate any possible positive force. Those do not escape Alfred's notice. Thankfully. I can't do his work justice, so just go over and read it.

UFO Magazine's Podcast: Future Theater

Cool beans, Bill and Nancy Birnes now have a podcast; Future Theater. I'm listening to it now, and already, right off, I am really liking the two together; having both of them banter, so comfortable, and casual. Bill's funny! Anyway... I'm going back to listening now, and I hope you do too! Find it here.

Luminosity; a new blog discovery

I've discovered a new blog, well, mike clelland of hidden experience discovered it, and told me about it. It's a beautiful blog, well written and deeply personal. Perspectives of one more individual who's trying to unravel all ... of... this... whatever "all of this"  is, or means, or . . .

Luminosity.  Take a look, I think you'll be pleased.

"They Took the Pieces and Jumbled Them Around"

Today we were driving on the road and going by the house we lived in so many years ago where we saw the orange orb, and I mentioned to Jim that I'd still like to retrace the route and take photos along the way; and maybe track the drive on a map. Then it occurred to me -- with a shock -- that the street where I saw the orb for the first time, Blanton Hts., can't be seen from that road! Such an obvious, glaring detail.

You can access Blanton going up a road across from the street we used to live on, or, from way down the highway, but not where I had remembered seeing it. When I realized this I felt all the blood drain from my face; I had a sinking feeling. So then, I asked Jim, where did we see that orb??!! (I had estimated the orb to be near Blanton Hts. which is not unrealistic, but not as specific as remembering the road itself where it clearly isn't.)


It was on Lorane Highway, and Jim said "I don't think it was when we were coming back from Joe's." (his name wasn't Joe but I won't use his real name here.) I said "We were coming from the west" (agreed), "It was dark, about 8:00pm" (agreed) -- where we were coming from? Why would we be coming from that direction at night?

No answer.

Jim said, "The memories are all in pieces..." and I agreed, saying "It's like they took the experience, all the pieces, and jumbled them all up."

We both agree it was dark, it was about 8:00 pm, we were coming from the west, we saw the orb somewhere along the way on Lorane Highway, and that it followed us home.

We don't remember what we doing before that, or why we were where we were, or, where we thought we were.

Lately, at times, we've been discussing the possiblity of hypnotic regression. But, I've always had trepidations about that, and now, with the David Jacobs/Emma Woods situation, I don't know at all about that.

Nukes, UFOs and James Carlson

I inducted uber-pathological debunker "Noisy Negativist" James Mcgaha into my 'Snarly Skepticism Owl Award.' Previous proud winners: Joe Nickell and Bill Nye.

James Carlson leaves me a comment:

Gentlemen; It occurs to me that you may not be entirely aware of the dishonest testimony published by Robert Salas and Robert Hastings, who have lied about these UFO incidents for years. Please take note of the discussions regarding the incidents they have proposed on the two URLs http://www.scribd.com/doc/26641522/Americans-Credulous-by-James-Carlson and http://www.realityuncovered.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=1688&p=25070#p25070 . Problems inherent to their claims indicate that both men have invented a number of incidents. Very best regards, James Carlson jtcarl@yahoo.com Albuquerque, NM

So interesting when big time names drop by my no account anti-skeptoid blog; James Randi even left me a comment over there once! Wow.  After letting Carlson know "I'm a dame," and not a male member of some anti-skeptoid gentlemen's club, I added that I knew of allegations, duh. I assumed he meant the usual, and after reading, okay, more like skimming for now, his I dunno, 5,000 plus? work on events surrounding Robert Salas and Hastings, ... you just have to look at it yourself. Here's what Billy Cox at Devoid had to say about Carlson's work on his blog: 'Nukes debate gets personal.' (By the way, Cox says the work is 357 pages, it just seemed like 5,000 plus.)

The latest round of a blistering, two-year cyber-debate between UFO researcher Robert Hastings and the son of nuclear missile silo commander clanged into De Void’s e-mailbox last week. That’s when James Carlson, whose father Eric was ranking officer at a launch control facility in 1967 when 10 ICBMs mysteriously went offline, dropped a 357-page bomb.

And. . .

Anyhow, at the end of the day, amid the endless and enervating well of anger dominating the news cycles from Capitol Hill to Main Street, Carlson just gets lost in the crowd. That’s because he calls his online tome: “Americans, Credulous, or The Arrogance of Congenital Liars & Other Character Defects.” He dismisses those who disagree with him as “fools, idiots and liars,” among other things. Yawn. Click.

That's pretty much how I felt as I looked over the piece. Frank Warren, who is nobody's fool, and obviously among the serious UFO researchers, has a lot about this on his UFO Chronicles; be sure to scroll down to the responses to Carlson. I'm not an expert by any means in this area; not at all! But a couple of things scream at me "something's not right here girlie girl" and that's: Carlson's obsessive, kind of on the pathological side tone, and, the fact his father was an officer at a launch facility, as Cox points out.