And Why They Never Go Anywhere
There is a subsection of High Strangeness known as The Phenomenon. Here is where we find John Keel‘s explorations of the Mothman, Hellier’s search for goblins, Bigfoot hunts where the creature seems to vanish into thin air, Men in Black harassing investigators, UFO abductions, and similar paranormal experiences. It is an encounter with The Other, where the everyday rules of reality seem to break down. It may seem like one is speaking with aliens who wish them to build advanced technology, angels who provide a warning, or ghouls from underground who steal pets.
Yet, when one looks deeply into any of these happenings, they always seem to fizzle out with no evidence, no proof, and no place to continue searching. You go round and round in circles, never actually getting to anything of substance. You’re left with no answers, doubting that any of it ever occurred in the first place. And wondering why. Why you, why this encounter, and why you can’t follow it deeper.
Let’s examine what might be happening, and why its just dead end after dead end.
First of all, we should question whether any of these experiences can be called real. Looking at material evidence, we find little. A voice captured on a recording device, a stray footprint in the woods, a medium who tells you about your past. Very rarely do we find something that cannot be explained away scientifically when looking at it hard enough. Electrical interference, confirmation biases, rain changing the mud, cold readings and social media. There is almost always some way to dismiss it all.
And yet, these experiences can have a profound effect on people. Someone’s entire life can be overturned from believing they have been taken aboard a UFO, experimented upon by aliens, shown far off worlds, and then deposited back in their bed as if no time had passed. Others will dedicate all of their free time to building radios because spirits on the other side told them they need their help. A grieving family member can find peace when they hear a voice tell them their loved ones still exist in some form.
Regardless of any physical confirmation, these experiences cause a change. That change usually involves a desperate seeking for answers. It is a tangible effect on the world. In this fashion, we can say that these encounters with the unexplained are absolutely real. So why do they lead to obsessions and closed doors which go nowhere?
Within all of us is an inherent knowledge that there is more to this world than what appears to us daily. It is a silent companion, pulling us toward truth. Some of you will recognize my Magia background as I say this, but it is there for anyone who cares to look. We have a choice to listen to it or not.
Sometimes we get a peek behind the curtain at the true nature of things. Generally, this comes in the form of a synchronicity A coincidence that has so much personal meaning that it seems impossible for random events to have aligned in such a fashion. A “happy birthday” balloon floating down from the sky on your birthday, something from a dream showing up in waking life, or a voice on a radio saying your name when asked. Things which feel they could not, and should not, have occurred, but do. They can be shocking to witness, or depressingly mundane, but always come with a sense that some unseen intelligence has engineered their happening.
These events are signposts, pointing us toward a greater reality. Something bigger than us, bigger than what we see every day as we go about our lives, but that we are still part of. As magicians, occultists, and paranormal investigators, we can even learn to create these events ourselves. Draw a little squiggle on paper and something totally unrelated can happen at a separate time and place. Put on headphones and a blindfold, and have someone else ask questions while you listen to a radio, and you may find the answers surprising. Even so, these are still indicators of something beyond what we think of as normal.
The first post I wrote on this blog was about my initiation into the occult. An initiation is simply an introduction. It is being shown the road you are capable of walking, should you choose to say yes to it. For someone who has not taken their first steps, a synchronicity can be the catalyst that gets them walking. The first sign pointing you where to go.
But herein we find our problem. Sometimes the event which sets one off on their path can be so strong, so shocking to the system, that that singular event is the only thing they focus on. If Bigfoot knocks on your door and tells you you’re the chosen one, its understandable that you might devote all of your attention on finding Bigfoot again and demanding answers from him. This is where we get stuck. By pouring all of our effort into one individual case of strangeness we’ve encountered, we’re looking backwards down the road at the first sign we passed, wondering why we can’t see any more signs ahead of us, and ignoring the path beneath our own two feet.
You might wonder what this means for aliens, Mothman, and goblins. Are they real? Are they just in our head? I cannot give a definitive answer on that. Each case has to be individually examined and tested to determine what’s actually going on. And that is an OK thing to do, as long as you don’t stop there! In my opinion, these are real things which are really happening to people. The results of them are certainly real. However, by getting this glimpse of the beyond, we should treat it simply as the next step on the path forward, not the end of our journey.
If aliens are contacting you, by all means go ahead and speak with them if you like. However, remember, that their plans may not be your plans, their motives are unknown to you, and they are likely to leave you in the dust wondering what has occurred. It has happened many times to many people. Your interaction with them, by their design, is ultimately to their benefit, not yours.
There are definitely intelligences out there other than our own which we can speak to. However, the miraculous thing is that, despite whatever intentions these entities may have for us, regardless of their plots and schemes, the experience of them is a synchronicity for you. To focus on them and them alone is to only be looking at the small picture. The reason why these encounters stop dead is that these other beings have moved on and you’re still searching for them, rather than looking forward to the divine road which this encounter has opened up for you.
You can have your encounter with The Phenomenon, or you can have the full truth of reality revealed to you. Its up to you which one you say “yes” to.