The 4th Annual UFO convention was yet another great success.
Take a look at todays schedule and you'll see
UFOs were not the only topic of discussion,also on the agenda were Bigfoots, ghosts and lake monsters. For our interests, the purpose was to primarily learn more about the UFO phenomenon.
To start the evening, event organizers, Jim and Allen Richardson, the Gonzo Scientists, gave one of the most thought provoking, objective presentations on the subject.
Jim Richardson started the event covering a broad range of topics that related to the phenomenon, including: the psychology, origins, and historical accounts of the UFO experience.
His lecture came to some interesting conclusions that pointed to some of the flawed assumptions people make about UFOs. For example: Why do people assume that UFOs originate from another planet?
Historical accounts of the UFO phenomenon seem to date back to just about most of recorded history, Jim argues because of this, a 'simpler' common sense deduction can be made that the phenomenon is of this Earth and not of another plant or world. Jim also revisited a commonly held skeptics belief that so called: earth lights or ball lighting could be responsible for what people believe to be alien spaceships. He explained how fault lines and seismic activity could create the ionic conditions for Ball Lightning and presented some startling statistics showing UFO reporting actually increases near fault lines or seismic activity, also with Sun Spot activity.
These were most intriguing observations that seem to receive little to no attention by the mainstream ufology community.
Jim also included some great pictures of the Martian surface showing some very interesting unexplained formations. "Wouldn't it be great if we could have our rovers there, but they're to busy looking for water."
Jim concluded his presentation with a good lesson from Jacques Vallee', a French-born venture capitalist, computer scientist, ufologist and former astronomer:In his book: Messengers of Deception: UFO Contacts and Cults (1980) Jacques Vallee discusses what he believes could be six major social consequences of widespread belief in "UFOs" They are as follows:
1. The belief in UFOs widens the gap between the public and scientific institutions.
2. The contactee propaganda undermines the image of human beings as masters of their own destiny
3. Increased attention given to UFO activity promotes the concept of political unification of this planet.
4. Contactee organizations may become the basis of a new, "high-demand" religion. The current conservative backlash against "decadent" morality and social liberalism has led many to reconsider their spiritual orientation.
5. Irrational motivations based on faith are spreading hand in hand with the belief in extraterrestrial intervention
6.Contactee philosophies often include belief in higher races and in totalitarian systems that would eliminate democracy.
After Jim, was Allen
Allen Richardson's presentation focused on on Altered states of reality as it may be tied in to the UFO and abductee phenomenon .
He began with the observation that: "Altered states seem to overlap with the abductee experience." Allen argued that studying these altered states was more intriguing because the results can be replicated in a laboratory.
Specific religious practices include the ingestion of the Ayahuasca root more commonly known as DMT. Which always seems to illicit very similar experiences in different people: you leave your body and usually encounter strange beings that can frequently resemble a mantis like creature,
Also kudos on Allen's slide show. Great transcendental art work including some work
by Alex Grey
Art work at the convention
Adam Adds:
During Jim's presentation he touched on Mass hallucination.
Here's a recent story out of England involving many witnesses.
Thanks to the video we can somewhat get a feel for
what they're experiencing, hallucination or not. Check it out for yourself
