Faces of the Visitors: Stranger Than Fiction (excerpt)
by Michael Lindemann

This is an excerpt from Michael Lindemann's article. This excerpt begins with with the forty-second paragraph of the article's second part, and is presented unedited from that point onward to the article's conclusion. To read the full-length article please visit cfree dot org


Given the incredible diversity of reported human experiences with alleged [alien] visitors, is it possible to say who or what we are dealing with? Perhaps the closest we can get to the truth is an idea that confounds and infuriates literalists everywhere: the nature of the visitors is in the eye of the beholder. They are real, but their perceived character is dependent upon the quality of individual perception.

Dr. John Mack, Harvard psychiatrist, is one researcher who has arrived at this conclusion. Perhaps for this reason, he is regarded with suspicion by those who insist upon a hard-edged, literal interpretation of the visitor experience.

Mack responded to an inquiry from CNI News by sending a summary of his viewpoint, distilled from the scores of abduction cases he has personally investigated. Excerpts from that statement follow.

Mack begins by agreeing with David Jacobs that “the human/alien sexual and reproductive process, which the abductees with whom I work report in excruciating detail, appears to result in the creation of a hybrid race that will some day come 'down' to earth. For experiencers, this hybrid 'project' is altogether real and does not appear to me to be the product of delusion or other mental aberration.”

That said, however, Mack points out problems with the “literalist, entirely material, interpretation” of alien encounter. “Most obvious is the absence of solid evidence of actual pregnancy, genetic changes or the physical existence of the hybrids themselves. But that is only the beginning,” he writes. “Some abductees perceive this process as occurring in another realm or dimension with different space/time qualities and possessing what they often describe as a higher vibrational frequency. Sometimes they themselves notice that they are in a different state of consciousness, as if between sleeping and waking, and that the images and events around them seem 'fuzzy.' One experiencer, quite sophisticated in matters of energy and consciousness, interpreted an important sexual/impregnation encounter in metaphoric, consciousness-evolving, even spiritual terms.

“The apparent problems for the hybrids of survival on earth, which abductees consistently perceive, may in themselves reflect the ontological 'otherness' of this whole 'project.' At the very least, the manifestation of such beings on the earth plane would require elements of a physics and biology that are now unknown to us. One may argue that it is a matter of research, of collecting more or better evidence to document the physical reality of all this, and that the main obstacle is that the aliens are so deceptive, subtle or furtive. But it may not be simply a matter of physical evidence.

“The fundamental difficulty may be more one of philosophy, consciousness and method. The matter may be more mysterious than we appreciate, requiring different ways of knowing or thinking about it.

“For instance, the hybrid project might be thought of as a reflection not so much of biological procreation or colonization [as] of an evolution of consciousness. But in order to consider this, we would need to put aside or overcome the radical split between mind or spirit and matter, or between the visible and invisible worlds, that have dominated both Judeo-Christian tradition and Western science. If we could allow the possibility of an interpenetration of consciousness and matter, or even that physical images or the physical world itself could be a manifestation of consciousness or spirit, then the apparent and sometimes real physicality of the alien-human sexual and reproductive process could be seen as the expression in concrete, physical form of what may be a cosmic energy or intelligence, responding to a problem — in this case, the evident threat to earth's life forms that is the result of human blindness and destructiveness.

“This is not to say that the aliens or hybrids are not entirely real. Rather, I would argue that the process might be occurring largely in another realm, one with a different vibrational frequency, a kind of in-between domain — not pure formless spirit or dense matter — which, under certain circumstances, can penetrate our world, and be perceived with such vividness as to bring intense experiential conviction and even subtle physical manifestations for abductees... To some degree, then, the nature or quality of the hybrid project may reside in the eyes or co-creative consciousness of the beholders.

“If we think of the phenomenon this way, and not simply in terms of whether it is good or bad for the human species, we may see it as less threatening. We might then learn from it about our evolving relationship to the earth, to the unseen intelligence or intelligences of our cosmos, and, ultimately, about our own evolving psychological and spiritual existence and identity.”

CNI News recognizes that, for some experiencers and researchers, the subtleties of Mack's view are beside the point, because it's already clear that the earth is being invaded by alien forces who can bring an end to human life. Yet, others insist that the visitors bring benevolent warnings, offers of spiritual counsel, even invitations to membership in a cosmic Federation. Meanwhile, for some, the visitor experience is as physical as driving in a car; while for others, the experience resides in a realm of dreams and shadows, speaking less to the body than to the soul, less to time than to eternity.

Can “an answer” be distilled from all these diverse and passionate impressions? Not yet, says John Mack. “At the very least, we should admit that we do not ultimately know what [alien encounter] means or whence it comes, and that we are only beginning to penetrate its depths,” he writes.