The New Paradigm
vol. III, Number 1

Dear Friends,

The Earth has taken yet another 360° turn around the Sun; Sol has taken 0° 0' 54.00" of a turn around Alcyone in the Pleiades, an orbit some 240 light-years in radius and requiring approximately 24,000 Earth years to complete;* and it is now time to launch The New Paradigm, vol. III.

I must say, I suspect the Earth is speeding up in her evolutions about the Sun. My intuition tells me it should be no later than mid-July about now; but a look at the calendar, or my computer clock, or the weather, confirms that my intuition is not yet infallible. It is indeed early December, 1999, and The New Paradigm today begins our third year - in this instance with a strong subjective sensation of "missing time," which coincidentally has some importance in the current essay.

Rather than following last year's tradition of recapping the year gone by, I think this time I'll just forge ahead with the topic at hand, and possibly catch up with all that along the way; or possibly not. Anyway, welcome to the third year of The New Paradigm. I wonder what's in store during the coming year? Well, in practically no time, the way things are going now, we'll all find out.

The following essay is rather long and is consequently divided between two consecutive editions, distributed together. At the end of "Part II" is a vision for the next level of development for The New Paradigm and the concerns it addresses. Commentary and feedback are solicited.

"CE-IV, Part I"
by J. Harmon Grahn

The cryptic title of today's offering stands for the only somewhat less cryptic designation, "Close Encounters of the Fourth Kind;" which is an extension of a classification system originally devised in 1972 by Dr. J. Allen Hynek to categorize various types of reported encounters between Humans and evidently intelligent, purposeful Entities from "elsewhere" and their craft or vehicles; commonly identified in turn as "UFOs" or "Unidentified Flying Objects." This will be a sequel to, and an enlargement upon, an essay I wrote over a year ago titled "Aliens From Outer Space" [tnp vol. I #37]. What follows may also bear some tangential relevancy to a subsequent series titled "Ancient Arrow, Parts I, II and III" commenced in April, 1999.

To round out this bibliography, I would like to draw your attention to two published books as well: Abduction: Human Encounters With Aliens by John E. Mack, M.D., Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1994; and Close Encounters of the Fourth Kind: Alien Abduction, UFOs and the Conference at M.I.T. by C.D.B. Bryan, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1995. Also of interest will be Unconventional Flying Objects: A Scientific Analysis by Paul R. Hill, Hampton Roads Publishing Company, Inc., Charlottesville, Virginia, 1995, cited in "Aliens From Outer Space."

A quite alternative slant on all this is to be found in another book I have had occasion to mention before: Bringers of the Dawn: Teachings from the Pleiadians by Barbara Marciniak, Bear & Company Publishing, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 1992. And a very late addition to this collection, which has only just come to my attention, is the work of Noel Huntley, Ph.D.. But this essay will focus primarily upon the information illuminated by the two works mentioned above, Mack, 1994 and Bryan, 1995.

Hynek's classification system distinguishes between Close Encounters and more distant UFO sightings, such as Nocturnal Lights, Daylight Disks and Radar-Visual sightings; and consists of the following:

"Close Encounters of the First Kind [eventually abbreviated "CE-I"]. This category is the simple Close Encounter in which the reported UFO is seen at close range but there is no interaction with the environment (other than possible trauma on the part of the observer).

"Close Encounters of the Second Kind [CE-II]. These are similar to the First Kind except that physical effects on both animate and inanimate material are noted. Vegetation is often reported as having been pressed down, burned, or scorched. Tree branches are reported broken; animals are frightened, sometimes to the extent of physically injuring themselves in their fright. Inanimate objects, most often vehicles, are reported as becoming momentarily disabled, their engines killed, radios stopped, and headlights dimmed or extinguished. In such cases, the vehicles reportedly return to normal after the UFO has left the scene.

"Close Encounters of the Third Kind [CE-III]. In these cases the presence of 'occupants' in or about the UFO is reported. Here a sharp distinction must be made between cases involving reports of the presence of presumably intelligent beings in the 'spacecraft' and the so-called contactee cases." [Bryan, 1995, p. 8, quoting Hynek, The UFO Experience: A Scientific Inquiry, Ballantine Books, New York, 1974.]

That was as far as Hynek's classification of UFO Encounters went. The system has subsequently been extended to cover eventualities not anticipated by Hynek, in particular Close Encounters of the Fourth Kind (CE-IV) which Bryan defines as encounters in which "personal contact between an individual or individuals is initiated by the 'occupants' of the spacecraft. Such contact may involve the transportation of the individual from his or her terrestrial surroundings into the spacecraft, where the individual is communicated with and/or subjected to an examination before being returned. Such a close encounter is usually of a one-to-two-hour duration." [Bryan, 1995, p. 9.]

Now to the "level-headed 'man in the street'" all this may appear on its face as so far over the edge that it hardly warrants the notice of a second thought, not to mention serious consideration. It's the stuff of tabloids and comic books; who in their "right mind" would stoop to take it "seriously?" This is doubtless the most "comfortable" position to take in relation to the whole "UFO question," and is the option taken, perhaps, by the majority of people who have encountered it, if at all, only in print (or who have a strongly vested interest in the unquestionable validity of "consensus reality"). Or it may be seen as something mildly intriguing and/or entertaining, but by no means something to be taken seriously in the "real world." To do otherwise admits a seemingly endless procession of disturbing, challenging, and finally, highly disruptive "facts" that have nowhere to perch within the structure of what we'll call "conventional consensus reality." Much easier, and preferable, to ignore the whole can of worms and treat it as "not really there;" or "there" only for people who themselves "aren't all there."

For serious explorers of the "new paradigm," however, this is not an option. On the contrary we are drawn to the paradox like moths to a flame, for our quest is specifically for a fundamental alternative to "conventional consensus reality," what I have also been calling "the old paradigm." And here we have exactly that, in effect thrust upon us by such a volume of reported experiences by credible witnesses, that to turn our backs summarily upon them were to betray our very purpose and quest. No, we cannot evade the evidentiary testimony of uncounted witnesses, often corroborated by ancillary evidence in the form of bodily and psychological scars borne by witnesses; photographic, radar and other instrumental recordings; soil indentations; scorched ground; multiple witnesses, etc. Clearly, "somethin's happenin' here," and if we "don't know what it is," we nevertheless cannot deny that "somethin's happenin' here." ["And you know somethin's happenin' here, But you don't know what it is, Do you, Mister Jones?" - Bob Dylan]

It was for the specific purpose of delving into this question of "what's happenin' here" with UFOs, and with Human abduction encounters in particular, that a Scientific Conference was convened at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, chaired by M.I.T. physicist David E. Pritchard, Ph.D. and Harvard Psychiatrist John E. Mack, M.D. from 13 through 17 June 1992. C.D.B. Bryan attended the Conference as a skeptical journalist; his account of the proceedings, and post-Conference interviews conducted in subsequent investigation, are related in the book [Bryan, 1995] cited above. Another sequel to the Conference, although not as directly related to it, is the Co-chairman's book [Mack, 1994] also cited above.

This material is highly challenging to the "comfort zone" established by "conventional consensus reality." Confronted with the overwhelming bulk of published evidence, one is left with the choice of dismissing all of it as a combination of fabrication, hallucination and fraud, or accepting at least some of it as evidence for a species of "reality" that neither fits within nor is accessible to the methods or perceptions of "conventional consensus reality." "Damned if you do, and damned if you don't;" those are your choices.

Well, but there is a "third choice," of sorts: i.e. entertaining the possibility that "conventional consensus reality" is not fully descriptive of what we might call "capital-R-Reality." Which is of course a violation, right out of the box, of "conventional consensus reality;" but what's an inquiring mind to do? In the UFO phenomenology in general, and the CE-IV phenomenology in particular, we are faced with the inescapable paradox that what we view with our senses and evaluate with our minds is not, and never has been, "capital-R-Reality:" it is a fabrication of our senses and our thoughts; it is our interpretation of "reality," and as such is subject literally to incalculable error. What we agree upon culturally and traditionally as "conventional consensus reality" may be relatively close to the actuality of "capital-R-Reality;" or it may be no less "off the wall" than is the most bizarre psychotic hallucination. Evidence of CE-IV experiences suggest very strongly that "conventional consensus reality" is at least fundamentally flawed, and possibly unsalvageable.

These are not comfortable speculations for most people, particularly for those with strong vested interests in the integrity of "conventional consensus reality." Therefore each Sovereign Individual confronted with this phenomenology, whether directly or at second or third hand, must evaluate it for Shimself and arrive at Shim's own conclusions and deal with it as best Shim can. Ultimately, there are no real "authorities" on UFOs and Close Encounters, either among the Individuals who experience them, the professional and amateur Investigators who probe them, or the Officials who scoff at them. These phenomena, experienced in widely varying forms in all parts of the world, and arguably in all historical periods, are of such nature that they put all residents of the Planet on an equal footing before them.

So, what's all the fuss about? Just what is so extraordinary about the UFO and CE phenomenology? Are you sure you want to know? If so, I highly recommend a close reading of Mack, 1994, and Bryan, 1995, as well as the other sources cited above - for starters. These contain, besides their particular contents, references to numerous additional related sources.

Descriptions of CE-IV events vary widely in detail, yet there have accumulated so many of them by now that numerous common elements emerge as a kind of typical pattern, including the following:

1. CE-IV events are seldom remembered in their entirety, and frequently not at all by the Individuals who experience them, sometimes until years after the event. Sometimes the events are consciously remembered, sooner or later, in considerable detail; but frequently there are significant hidden details that emerge only in the course of hypnotic regression with the aid of empathetic therapists or experienced investigators.

2. CE-IV events are typically characterized by a "dreamlike" quality which is nevertheless more vivid than a dream, sometimes more vivid and "real" to the experiencer than normal wide-awake consciousness; yet somehow "other" than normal consciousness. They take place in an "altered state" not easily described.

3. CE-IV events are very frequently reported to involve levitation of the experiencer's physical body while in a state of almost total paralysis, and conveyance through solid walls, closed doors and/or windows; ascension through the air on or in a beam of light, and into the interior of hovering "spacecraft" of variable dimensions and descriptions.

4. CE-IV events are frequently associated with the presence of non-Human Beings of variable description, but typically and most frequently of diminutive stature three to four feet (1-1.2m) tall, of grayish color and complexion, extraordinarily thin appendages, disproportionately large heads with strikingly large, dark almond-shaped eyes, and otherwise almost nondescript features. Communication with these Beings is always telepathic, never verbal or audible.

5. CE-IV events when relived with the aid of hypnotic regression are usually if not always associated with extraordinarily powerful emotions, usually at the outset experienced as extreme terror, anger and resentment at being absolutely helpless and powerless in circumstances of incomprehensible novelty and strangeness. The experiencer is typically (though not always) subjected to something analogous to a medical examination, frequently involving the extraction of sperm from male, ova from female experiencers, and sometimes quite painful surgical procedures. These medical procedures share the very interesting characteristic of being in many respects entirely unlike conventional "Earthborne" medical practice, and so cannot be accounted for as garbled memories of experiences in "Earthly" hospitals or doctors' offices. [Testimony of Los Angeles physician John G. Miller, in Bryan, 1995, pp. 34-35.] Another frequent, possibly universal, element of these experiences is some form of communication about the grave damage Humanity is inflicting upon the Earth and all Earthborne Life, and an understanding that the "aliens" are involved in a serious long-term project to prevent this self-destructive process, or to minimize its effects, or to salvage its aftermath.

6. CE-IV events in which the experiencer is able to move beyond the terror and anger evoked by the abduction frequently take an unexpected turn toward the beautiful, sublime, inspiring, elevating end of the emotional spectrum. Some experiencers have reported receiving uplifting illuminations of "orgasmic" intensity; others have had the realization that they are themselves "aliens" disguised in Human form, that they feel more at home on the "spacecraft" and in company with its denizens than they do on Earth among Humans. Some have felt profound love and kinship with their "captors" and recognize themselves as willing participants in their projects. Some investigators have attempted to equate this tendency with the "Stockholm Syndrome" which has been observed among victims of terrorist hijackings and other entirely Human events involving extreme coercion, in which the victim comes to identify with the cause of the perpetrators. Careful investigation by Mack and others, however, indicates there is not a match between the "Stockholm Syndrome" and the empathy felt by some CE-IV experiencers with their "alien" hosts.

7. CE-IV events seldom if ever result in serious physical injury to the experiencer, although the surgical procedures they report in many cases can be quite painful and may leave bodily scars in the form of shallow "scoop marks" where skin samples had presumably been taken, nosebleeds, burns, etc., which nevertheless heal with extraordinary rapidity. Some experiencers have reported deep incisions into their underlying tissue which heal instantaneously, leaving behind only the faintest hairline scar. Others have reported the complete healing of preexisting medical conditions. However, psychological scars attributable to the trauma of abduction frequently take considerably longer to heal, afflicting the experiencer for years in some cases with fears and anxieties of unknown origin, in part because the experiencer cannot remember, and remains consciously unaware of having experienced an abduction.

8. CE-IV events typically end with experiencers being returned to bed, or their car, or wherever they were when the event began, often with little or no memory that anything untoward had taken place. In such instances there is frequently a sensation of "missing time" wherein an action, such as a drive in an automobile, takes 45 minutes to a couple of hours longer than expected, but there is no memory or other means of accounting for the discrepancy. Often this is the first clue an experiencer has that an unusual event has occurred. Sometimes there are more overt and bizarre clues as well; such as awakening in the morning after an apparently undisturbed slumber, but discovering one's night clothes to be on inside-out; or finding oneself driving on a different road than had been the case a "moment" before - coupled with "missing time."

These and other phenomena have been reported, with and without the aid of hypnotic regression, so many times and from so many different witnesses who have demonstrated no preexisting psychological conditions that can account for them, that one is left at a loss when attempting to integrate them into "conventional consensus reality." As John Mack observed at the M.I.T. Conference, "if what these abductees are saying is happening to them isn't happening, what is?" [Quoted in Bryan, 1995, p. 4.] It is indeed a compelling question, which has absorbed uncounted man-hours of intensive effort, by and on behalf of the experiencers themselves, and on behalf of the public at large.

Indeed, if ever a phenomenon illustrates a single overarching fact, the CE-IV events demonstrate that "we're all in it together" here on Earth. So-called "experts" and "authorities," whether self-appointed or supported by consensus, alike retire in perplexity before the testimony of experiencers and witnesses whose credibility can in no way be dislodged otherwise than by vain appeal to the "impossibility" of their reports. Whether we've experienced CE-IV events ourselves, or investigated them, or only read or heard about them, in a very real sense every such experience belongs to all of us; for it challenges our perception, our sense of what is "real" and what is not. This is the crisis many experiencers have faced directly, and several have reported seeking therapy in the sincere "hope" of being diagnosed "insane," thereby evading the necessity of having to deal with the "reality" of their experiences. Investigation so far has disclosed this to be a forlorn hope: their experiences are evidently "real" enough, but their "reality" is of an entirely different order than that of "conventional consensus reality." This is a matter that confronts us all, not only "abductees," their therapists and investigators.

The picture is further complicated by a spectrum of ancillary circumstances which form the larger context in which CE-IV events occur. Foremost among these is quite likely the almost universal "cold shoulder" turned to these phenomena by "the authorities" all over the world, including government, academia and the media. I and others have been quite critical of "the authorities" for this, but John Mack is somewhat more conciliatory. In a post-conference interview with Bryan, Mack invoked the image of an Air Force general making a presentation to the President about the UFO situation:

"I imagine if I were a top Air Force general, say, and it's my job to protect the skies, Star Wars, whatever, and here I'm faced with a technology that can run circles around any technology that we have - literally run circles around it, move in and out of our air space, flip on and off the radar screen...and they're taking people out of their bedrooms - if that is, in fact, literally happening, and we're totally helpless - as this Air Force general, I've got to somehow present this information to the President. And the President asks, 'General So-and-So, what can we do about it?'

"'With our present technology, sir,' I tell the President, 'there's not a damn thing we can do about it. And what's more, they're constantly trying to get information. What should I do?'" [Bryan, 1995, pp. 276-277.]

In that situation "the authorities" have the stark choice of admitting their total lack of "authority" in the face of a phenomenon entirely beyond their control, or even comprehension, or denying the phenomenon exists. Just like everybody else: "damned if you do, and damned if you don't."

"Mack confesses he feels somewhat sympathetic to the government," writes Bryan. "'If it were my job to protect our air space and I couldn't do it any better than that, I wouldn't admit it, either, you know?'" [Ibid.]

[Well yes, I can appreciate their dilemma, sure enough; but if I may insert an editorial comment here, I must say that hiding the truth, whatever it is, from their constituency is a betrayal of public trust and a breach of contract. "We're all in it together," and if some individuals take it upon themselves to hide from their fellows what they know, in the name of "national security," or the "common weal," or whatever, it is still a material fact they have betrayed the public trust with deliberate fraud and nondisclosure. This is the source of serious problems, not solutions. End of editorial comment.]

[To be continued in "CE-IV, Part II"]

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* This may not be an entirely reliable tidbit of information. According to my calculations, a radius of 240 lightyears, or 1.411 × 10¹⁵ miles, gives a circumference of approximately 8.865 × 10¹⁵ miles. If this distance is to be covered within 24,000 years, the Solar System must have an orbital velocity around Alcyone of approximately 11,705 miles per second. This is 0.06 the speed of light, and seems intuitively to me to be rather stretching the envelope somewhat for an orbital velocity in 3D spacetime. However, if the Solar System is indeed in orbit around Alcyone, that would make the Solar System part of the Pleiades - which would make us all Pleiadians, would it not? or somewhat kin, at least, to ETs from that sector of the universe. Interesting thought.