Alien Encounters
Alien Encounters
Abducted By Aliens? Inner Space Or Outer Space? Part Two
A Case Study: The Betty and Barney Hill Abduction
As a case study, consider the alleged abduction of Betty and Barney Hill which is fairly well known even to the person only casually interested in the abduction phenomena. How can this case be explained?
In brief, the barebones of the details are that Betty and Barney Hill were returning to their home after holidays, driving their car. It was late at night. Both say a bright light which seemed to be pacing them. When they arrived home, they noticed that the trip had taken several hours longer than it should of. Also their car had some strange circular marks on it which affected a compass. The ‘missing time' coupled with just a feeling of general unease over that trip finally led them to see a psychiatrist/neurologist, and under hypnosis, the story of their being taken on board a UFO by alien creatures (now called ‘the greys') and subjected to an invasive medical examination by these creatures came to the fore. Betty Hill also, via hypnosis recalled seeing a star chart on board the alien's ship, and was able to recreate it. An independent researcher was later able to match up the configuration of stars to actual stellar objects, but that interpretation has been controversial, as with so many stars to pick and choose from, its odds-on that sooner or later you'll get a pretty close match.
Now IMHO, the Betty and Barney Hill UFO abduction case is a way more credible case than most. Why? Firstly, it was the first that attracted media attention. There was no prior contamination and media saturation with the subject could have influenced them. By that I mean there was no prior well known, splashed-across-the-media, abduction accounts, so they had nothing to draw on – no inspiration. This couldn't be a copycat event.
Secondly, it's unlikely a mature couple (The Hill's weren't teenagers or young adults), and an interracial middle-aged couple at that, with no particular interest in UFOs or sci-fi, they weren't sci-fi addicts, would invent such an abduction tale detailing the same sorts of alien beings that we've come to know and love now – ‘the greys'.
Most telling of all, why on earth would an inter-racial couple, in the early 60's, in conservative America (and New England) wish to draw undue attention to them with such a tall tale? They wouldn't need that kind of trouble! It's controversial enough being an inter-racial couple without also being an inter-racial couple who sees LGM (Little Grey Men). An interracial couple (this was the 60's) wouldn't need that sort of publicity, and they certainly didn't make any fortune out of eventually going public.
They weren't into hallucinatory drugs. They weren't hardly young kids with wild imaginations, rather a quite mature adult couple. They had no prior record of being publicity seekers and desiring media exposure.
Their story first broke in a leaked series of newspaper articles, attracting the attention of research journalist John C. Fuller, who, then with the permission of the Hills, wrote up their story for "Look Magazine", later expanded into book form by Mr. Fuller, with an introduction by the Hill's psychiatrist/neurologist (Benjamin Simon, M.D.) who confirmed that Betty and Barney Hill weren't ‘nuts' or delusional or psychotic and honestly believed the story that came out. So we have two witnesses (Betty and Barney Hill) giving the same story, and the same story under hypnosis by a trained psychiatrist/neurologist.
Lastly, the alleged abduction didn't happen in their bedroom which now seems to be more the norm with implications that abductions are something mentally related to sleeping and dream states. For the Hill's, their abduction happened while they were driving their car back from holiday. It's rare that you fall asleep behind the wheel of your moving vehicle for any length of time with both car and occupants remaining undamaged! The Hills and their car weren't damaged!
A deliberate hoax / unintentional but imaginary / psychological / pharmacology / medical explanation makes no sense. I personally find it a far simpler explanation to believe that their account is firmly grounded in reality. It happened, with all that that implies.
Further readings on abductions in general:
Bryan, C.D.B.; Close Encounters of the Fourth Kind: Alien Abduction, UFOs, and the Conference at M.I.T.; Alfred A. Knopf, New York; 1995:
Cone, William P. & Estes, Russ & Randle, Kevin D.; The Abduction Enigma: The Truth Behind the Mass Alien Abductions of the Late Twentieth Century; Forge, New York; 1999:
Fiore, Edith; Encounters: A Psychologist Reveals Case Studies of Abductions by Extraterrestrials; Doubleday, New York; 1989:
Hopkins, Budd; Missing Time: A Documented Study of UFO Abductions; Richard Marek Publishers, New York; 1981:
Jacobs, David M.; Secret Life: Firsthand Accounts of UFO Abductions; Simon & Schuster, New York; 1992:
Klass, Philip J.; Abductions: A Dangerous Game; Prometheus Books, Buffalo, New York; 1988: [Note: A sceptic's analysis of UFO abductions.]
Lorenzen, Coral & Lorenzen, Jim; Abducted! Confrontations With Beings from Outer Space; Berkley medallion books, New York; 1977:
Mack, John E.; Abduction: Human Encounters With Aliens; Charles Scribner's Sons, New York; 1994:
Mantle, Philip & Nagaitis, Carl; Without Consent: A Comprehensive Survey of Missing-Time and Abduction Phenomena in the UK; Ringpull Press, London; 1994:
Pritchard, Andrea et al. (Editors); Alien Discussions: Proceedings of the Abduction Study Conference Held at M.I.T., Cambridge, MA; North Cambridge Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts; 1994.
Randles, Jenny; Abduction: Over 200 Documented UFO Kidnappings Exhaustively Investigated; Robert Hale, London; 1988:
Randles, Jenny; Alien Contacts & Abductions: The Real Story from the Other Side; Sterling Publishing, New York; 1994:
Rogo, D. Scott (Editor); UFO Abductions: True Cases of Alien Kidnappings; Signet, New York; 1980:
Turner, Karla; Taken: Inside the Alien-Human Abduction Agenda; Kelt Works, Roland, Arkansas; 1994:
Further readings regarding the Betty & Barney Hill UFO abduction:
Friedman, Stanton T. & Marden, Kathleen; Captured! The Betty and Barney Hill UFO Experience; New Page Books, Franklin Lakes, New Jersey; 2007: [Kathleen Marden is the late Betty Hill's niece and trustee of her estate.]
Fuller, John G.: The Interrupted Journey: Two Lost Hours "Aboard a Flying Saucer"; Dial Press, New York; 1966:
Further readings regarding other case studies:
Druffel, Ann & Rogo, D. Scott; The Tujunga Canyon Contacts; Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey; 1980:
Fowler, Raymond E.; The Allagash Abductions: Undeniable Evidence of Alien Intervention; Wild Flower Press, Tigard, Oregon; 1993:
Fowler, Raymond E.; The Andreasson Affair; Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey; 1979:
Fowler, Raymond E.; The Andreasson Affair: Phase Two; Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey; 1982:
Hickson, Charles & Mendez, Williams; UFO Contact at Pascagoula; Wendelle C. Stevens, Tucson, Arizona; 1983:
Hopkins, Budd; Intruders: The Incredible Visitations at Copley Woods; Random House, New York; 1987:
Hopkins, Budd; Witnessed: The True Story of the Brooklyn Bridge UFO Abductions; Pocket Books, New York; 1996:
Turner, Karla; Into the Fringe: A True Story of Alien Abduction; Berkley Books, New York; 1992:
Walters, Ed & Walters, Frances; UFO Abductions in Gulf Breeze; Avon Books, New York; 1994:
Walton, Travis; Fire in the Sky: The Walton Experience; Marlowe & Company, New
York; 1996:
Walton, Travis; The Walton Experience; Berkley Medallion Books, New York; 1978:
About the Author
Science librarian; retired.
alien encounters ?
Nearly everyone in the US believes in extra terrestrials. Have any of you had a personal encounter ?
How could I not have had a personal encounter?
...
Okay, seriously ... The universe is an enormous place and our telescopes show that the laws of physics are at least mostly consistent across it. The fact that life exists on Earth proves that the laws of physics allow for the development of life. It's pretty self-centered to pretend that the only place life developed is here.
...
Also, I have to agree with Stacy. Humans are NOT an intelligent species. They almost never learn from their mistakes.
Alien Encounters
phil schneider's amazing alien encounter
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UFO Files: Alien Encounters - $19.99 This documentary takes a look at some of the "trace cases" of UFO encounters. These instances contain physical evidence of some sort that have yet to be explained away by any natural circumstances. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi |
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Alien Encounters By Netzley, Patricia D. $44.92 Discusses the history of alleged sightings of extraterrestrial beings and foreign spacecraft, and describes some of the encounters and how they may be scientifically explained. Author: Netzley, Patricia D. Series Title: Extraterrestial Life Publication Date: 2011/08/01 Number of Pages: 80 Binding Type: Hardcover Grade Level: 1012 Language: English Depth: 0.25 Width: 6.75 Height: 9.25 |
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Encounters $24.99 Encounters |
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UFO FILES:ALIEN ENCOUNTERS (DVD) $28.37 Genre: Documentary Rating: NR Release Date: 24JUN2008 |
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Alien Encounters: Anatomy of Science Fiction $25.62 Author: Rose, Mark Binding Type: Paperback Number of Pages: 228 Publication Date: 1999/12/01 Language: English Dimensions: 9.31 x 6.06 x 0.63 inches |
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Alien Time Machine: Encounters from Another Dimension - $14.99 Though accounts of supernatural phenomena in the early 21st century are hardly uncommon, few can rival the otherworldly claims of controversial author Terry Le Riche Walters (Who on Earth Am I?). Among other chronicles, Walters has attested to extraterrestrial visitations and abductions, spiritual prophecies from other dimensions, and (in what may be his most extreme account) the presence of a time machine built using alien technology. As hosted by Karen Frandsen of Eerie Investigations, a paranormal think tank, this program brings together Walters and a group of legitimate researchers who gather to discuss the time machine and the technology belying it. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi |
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Close Encounters $13.29 Kiera Smith wants one thing out of life--to be normal. But when the Bureau of Alien Affairs commissioned a rogue geneticist to create a special GEP agent with empathic abilities they got more than they bargained for. Stronger faster smarter and more impervious to damage than her brethren Kiera is a genetically engineered person unlike any others. As a special agent for the Bureau of Alien Affairs Kieras official job is to enforce the Equality Edict. Unofficially she is a first contact specialist spy diplomat and enforcer. Newly arrived on Orpheus Two shes been assigned to protect the indigenous Buri race from the none-too-honorable conglomerate Dynatec. And its just the challenge shes been looking for: take down the largest independant trade company in the Galactic Federation and save a race of aliens from extinction while resisting the advances of the unnervingly handsome Buri leader. |
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Alien $19.99 Alien - Poster |
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Close Encounters of the Third Kind - $14.99 Steven Spielberg followed Jaws (1975), his first major box-office success, with this epic science fiction adventure about a disparate group of people who attempt to contact alien intelligence. Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfuss) is an electrical lineman who, while sent out on emergency repairs, witnesses an unidentified flying object, and even has a "sunburn" from its bright lights to prove it. Neary's wife and children are at first skeptical, then concerned, and eventually fearful, as Roy refuses to accept a "logical" explanation for what he saw and is prepared to give up his job, his home, and his family to pursue the "truth" about UFOs. Neary's obsession eventually puts him in contact with others who've had close encounters with alien spacecraft, including Jillian (Melinda Dillon), a single mother whose son disappeared during her UFO experience, and Claude Lacombe (celebrated French filmmaker Fran?ois Truffaut), a French researcher who believes that we can use a musical language to communicate with alien visitors. Lacombe's theory is put to the test when a band of government researchers and underground UFO enthusiasts (including Neary) join for an exchange with alien visitors near Devil's Tower, Wyoming. In 1980, a "Special Edition" was released. While its primary selling point was the addition of scenes inside the alien spaceship, Spielberg claimed that he also cleaned up some choppy editing in the second act. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi |
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Alien Breed 2: Assault $9.99 Can you survive the alien onslaught? Alien Breed™ 2: Assault is the second chapter in the Alien Breed™ series, and is an explosive science fiction arcade-shooter with an epic story, swarms of highly intelligent alien enemies, high-impact weaponry, highly detailed and rich environments, developed using Epic Games' Unreal® Engine 3. Take control of the hero, Conrad, the ship’s Chief Engineer, and continue your fight for survival across the fatally damaged space vessel, against a ruthless assault by an alien horde. Your only hope relies on reigniting the alien space craft’s monstrous engines to rescue you from impending annihilation. Deep inside the bowels of the unfamiliar craft, and with time rapidly running out, ready your weapons and begin to claw your way through the darkness in a fight for survival. But you are not alone. The ship is home to the carnivorous alien horde and something else ... something yet to reveal its true intentions ... something biding its time. In addition to the thrilling single-player campaign and all new “survivorâ€? modes, the game also offers relentless, action-packed, two-player online co-operative battle modes.Survive the assault! – An action-packed mix of arcade-shooter, survival-horror and tactical weapons upgrades and customisation.NEW - set pieces – fight the breed through the new vertical climb section and the mounted gun battle.NEW – fight the alien horde with new hardened armour and new weaponry:Hyper Blaster – a destructive chain-gun.Rocket Launcher – blow the horde away. NEW - take on new alien enemies – the ‘webber’ alien and endure dramatic encounters with new shocking bosses. Epic single-player story mode - The single-player campaign mode that follows the narrative of the game through five huge and challenging environments.NEW - single-player “survivorâ€? mode – Resist endless waves of intense alien horde attacks in three specifically designed arena environments.Single-player free-play mode - A single-player challenge mode – beat your high score on a previously completed campaign mission.Two-player co-operative play mode – Work together to defeat the alien horde across three specially customised assault maps for two players, over Steam.NEW - two-player co-operative “survivorâ€? mode – Join forces and try to survive three specifically designed arena environments, over Steam. Get competitive and challenge others to beat your survivor abilities on the extensive Leader-boards.Additional online features - Quick Match, Create Game, Friends Lists, Voice Chat, Leader-boards/Achievements/Co-operative Achievements. |
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Alien Breed 3: Descent $9.99 Alien Breed™ 3: Descent is the final explosive chapter in the Alien Breed™ series, and is a science fiction arcade-shooter with an epic story, swarms of highly intelligent alien enemies, high-impact weapons and stunning environments, developed using Epic Games' Unreal® Engine 3. Descend into hell and once again take control of the hero, Conrad, the ship’s Chief Engineer, in his last stand against the savage alien horde. While the doomed vessel, the Leopold, and the alien space craft plunge deeper into the planet’s atmosphere, with an icy ocean promising a watery grave, you have just hours to defy a grisly death and survive the alien onslaught for the final time. As you struggle deeper into the sinking alien ship, through the freezing waters flooding every corridor, the horrifying truth surrounding the existence of the Breed is finally uncovered… In addition to the thrilling conclusion to the single-player campaign and the relentless and competitive “Survivorâ€? modes, the game offers action-packed, two-player online co-operative battle modes. Alien Breed™ 3: Descent - The stunning final chapter in the Alien Breed™ trilogy - an action-packed mix of arcade-shooter, survival-horror and tactical weapons upgrades and customisation.The final descent into hell!NEW - Set pieces – battle the breed through flooded levels and hull walk sections.NEW – Third-person action - take control of the hero, Conrad, in the new action-packed, third-person, sections.NEW – Fight the last stand armed with powerful new weaponry:The Project X is a ‘BFG’ that vaporizes everything it comes into contact with.The Electro-Link gun fires bolts of electricity and also sends chain lightning to damage nearby enemies. NEW – Survive new alien enemies – the ‘Electro-shocker’ and dramatic encounters with the final horrifying bosses. Epic single-player Story mode - The final chapter in the single-player campaign mode that concludes the thrilling narrative of the game through huge and challenging environments, including the new research lab level.Single-player Survivor mode: Resist endless waves of intense alien horde attacks in specifically designed arena environments.Single-player Free-play mode - A single-player challenge mode – beat your high score on a previously completed campaign mission.Two-player Co-operative play mode – Work together to defeat the alien horde across three specially customised assault maps for two players online.Two-player Co-operative Survivor mode – Join forces online and try to survive three specifically designed arena environments. Get competitive and challenge others online to beat your survivor abilities on the extensive Leader-boards.Additional Online features - Quick Match/Create Game/Friends Lists/Voice Chat/Leader-boards/Steam Achie |
Alien Spirituality
Is spirituality a uniquely human attribute and experience? Do intelligent non-human beings exist and, if so, do such beings have religious beliefs or even souls?
At least one major world religion has indicated that its answer to such questions may well be no, yes, and yes, in that order. In a recent interview with Italian newspaper L’Osservatore Romano, the Vatican’s chief astronomer, the Rev. Jose Gabriel Funes, said there is no conflict between believing in extraterrestrial intelligent life and believing in God.
“How can we exclude that life has developed elsewhere?” Rev Funes asks, a point based on faith and logic, given the extraordinarily high number of planets with suns and atmospheres similar to those of earth.
But the Catholic Church’s top astronomer goes even further, implying that some aliens might not have been subject to the separation from God described in Genesis. “There could be (other beings) who remained in full friendship with their creator,” Rev. Funes adds.
While the premise of intelligent non-human life is one of the driving themes of science fiction and fantasy, most creative works in these genres eschew any direct talk of alien spirituality, religion, or faith. There are some notable exceptions, however, that are worth exploring because they help us examine our own spirituality and the limitations we may have placed on it, however unconsciously.
Enemy Mine, a 1985 science fiction film derived from Barry B. Longyear’s award-winning 1979 novella, depicts an intergalactic war between human beings and an alien race called the Drac. Marooned by their battle-damaged space fighters on an isolated, inhospitable planet, a Drac and a man start off as enemies. Out of survival necessity, however, they make a wary peace.
Eventually, the two become the dearest of friends. The Drac has a faith and a sense of his own spirituality and the divine that his human counterpart can readily identify as such. The Drac reads frequently from a small book of religious/philosophical text that hangs around his neck, and often sits outside at sunset, pondering the larger questions of life and meaning and speaking about them with his newfound human companion.
Ultimately, the alien’s faith and friendship motivate the human being to consider something other than his prestige as a top-scoring fighter pilot focused solely on advancing his military career. The alien reminds the man that life is so much more than just a scramble for conquest and material success. The Drac even rescues the man from being eaten by one of the planet’s preditors, and suffers for it later. The human being is much better off for having learned to respect and even love an alien as a being of great faith and courage.
An example of fantasy that directly addresses spirituality is the Green Stone of Healing(R) series. It features an intelligent non-human being, known as a Mist-Weaver, who exhibits capabilities that human beings more readily ascribe to angels or the supernatural. The Mist-Weaver is able to appear and dissolve at will, transitioning from material to non-material realities in much the same manner as the divine heralds of earthly religious traditions.
As would an angel, the Mist-Weaver takes a physical form to converse easier with the human characters. The Mist-Weaver clearly has a profound sense of the divine and his connection to it and to all life, and tries to encourage that spiritual connection in his human counterparts. But his spiritual teachings often leave them baffled because they are very different from the more limited human understanding. The Mist-Weaver’s presence spurs his human students to examine the limitations of their faith and their spiritual understanding, just as the burning bush, signaling God’s presence, presented Moses with challenges of faith and self-growth.
Although the Mist-Weaver is more spiritually advanced than the human beings he interacts with, he does not try to dictate human behavior or beliefs, solve human problems, or protect his human students from the consequences of their actions. He’s no deus ex machina waving a magic wand and righting all wrongs. In taking a hands-off approach, he might seem indifferent to some, but just the opposite is true. He heals one character of a broken finger and further injuries and often tries to comfort others in their most desperate hours.
The Mist-Weaver simply refuses to intervene out of his abiding respect for and more advanced understand of the true meaning of free will. Well-intentioned human beings often disregard others’ free will and rush in, foolishly, where wiser angels fear to tread. Perhaps that’s what makes this alien truly strange. The Mist-Weaver doesn’t suffer from that all-too-human inclination to run other people’s lives or to believe that God is a similar micro-manager.
A third example of speculative fiction portraying intelligent non-human beings with a highly developed spirituality is Alien Nation, both a pilot TV film and short-lived Fox Network TV series of the same name. Most of these on-screen “Newcomers” are just regular folks, although there are villains in their midst, too. But the average alien Joes and Jills have jobs, houses, children, and try to live peacefully among their human counterparts. They also have extensive religious rituals and traditions that are depicted throughout the series.
Like Enemy Mine and the Green Stone of Healing(R) series, Alien Nation directly states that non-human beings can teach the human variety a thing or two about life and spirituality. The Newcomer police officer is paired with a human detective who is initially very unhappy about the arrangement. But the former earns the latter’s respect and affection through his courage, smarts, initiative, and loyalty. The Newcomer demonstrates that these enduring and spiritual character qualities are not the sole province of human beings. Again, the human being is better off for having come to know the alien.
On planet earth, closed off and isolated by the only too human fear that spirituality is just a mirage, many find the former a far more alien concept than the supposition of non-human intelligent beings. Yet all of us, although we may not use spiritual terms to describe our longings, hunger for a sense of community and belonging, a sense of self and of our unique place in this vast universe.
In other words, we long to live our spirituality and its implied relationship with God, however we conceive God to be and by whatever name we call the divine. Yet we struggle with our greatest human fear: that having lost our creator’s “full friendship,” in the words of the Vatican astronomer, we will never be sufficient or worthy enough to reclaim that ultimate spiritual relationship.
Aliens may give God far more credit than we do. If/when the day comes that we openly encounter intelligent non-human beings, we may find that the experience brings us much closer to reclaiming and living our own spirituality than we ever believed possible.
We can always choose to embrace the unknown—the alien—instead of fearing it.
About the Author
Candace (C.L.) Talmadge is the author of the epic fantasy Green Stone of Healing(R) series and a political columnist syndicated by North Star Writers Group. As StoneScribe, she blogs about the intersection of politics and spirituality.
Alien Encounters
