Point of Convergence

In our modern, technologically sophisticated world, it is something of a wonder that a medium such as the podcast continues to thrive. When podcasts first began to emerge in the new era of mini audio devices known as iPods (which speaks, of course, to the origin of the name), many saw them as a nostalgic throwback to the era of radio plays, before even the advent of television. The fact that the podcast medium continues to hold its own, even well into the 2020s, suggests there is something deeply enduring about the experience of tuning into real human voices, in order to feel an authentic human connection. For me personally, it has been a profoundly rewarding experience to build that connection with a dedicated podcast audience that feels very much like a kind of extended family; a tribe, if you will. And as we make note of this, the 100th episode of Point of Convergence, I think it bears pausing for a moment to celebrate not only this milestone in the life of the podcast, but also the human journey we all share, one that draws each of us to this mysterious collection of topics centered around anomalous - and therefore extraordinary - experience. Truth be told, what you have primarily witnessed over these many episodes is my own indulgence of curiosity. For it is primarily questions, rather than answers, that have driven this quest; one centered around both hard and incontrovertible data,  but also an intuitive sense that the world we are all a part of is made up of so much more than what we’ve been led to believe in our conventional, reductionistically materialist society. To mark this turning over into the triple digits, I plan to make this episode partly a retrospective of sorts, one in which I take some time to look back at the meandering – but also synchronistically orchestrated – path that has brought us here to episode 100. What lessons have been learned along the way in exploring the so-called UFO Phenomenon and related topics? And how might some additional but associated notions – such as that of a hologram, or a “holomovement”, which we’ll delve into today – help shed further light not just on the anomalous, but also on the ultimate nature of reality itself? These are the particular questions we’ll seek to indulge in this, the 100th episode of the Point of Convergence podcast.

In the recent move towards a more mainstream consideration of the enigma colloquially known as the UFO Phenomenon, we are seeing increasing discussion around the alleged technology recovered. We are also seeing robust conversation arising around whether or not this anomalous technology may have made its way into the top-secret craft being developed and operated by the military industrial complex, by way of successful reverse engineering. While such a move is a welcome sign for ufologists and those who are merely enthused about the topic alike, this development leaves out one absolutely fundamental component of the entire matter: that of the nature and intentions of the intelligences responsible for such technology. The fact that this obvious implication is not being discussed in the mainstream, perhaps hints at a deep, subconscious nervousness around what this may mean for our civilization’s own self-understanding. When one adds to the mix the fact that, perhaps, all along, the reality of these various others - these NHI, as they are now referred to in official circles - has been staring us in the face, in the form of the very religious traditions we’ve embraced as our meaning-making models of the world, only adds to this strange sense that there’s something we as a modern civilization have almost willingly turned our gaze away from. In today’s podcast we’ve going to take a deep dive into the surprisingly compelling notion that the beings, sometimes referred to as “gods”, and sometimes conflated as a single deity in monotheistic traditions, points almost squarely towards the very non-human intelligences said to be responsible for the mysteriously daunting behavior being increasingly recorded in our modern day. What do our most revered spiritual traditions - when read in the correct context - say of these beings and their role in the seeding and subsequent development of humankind? And what might this mean for what’s happening even now, and where we are headed as a supposedly sophisticated, modern civilization? These are the most consequential matters we’ll seek to engage with in this, the 99th episode of the Point of Convergence podcast.

Those familiar with ufological lore, and especially how it ties into our deep religious history, will tell you that UFOs have been around for as long as we have, and perhaps even longer. Indeed, it has long been acknowledged that the assumed non-human intelligences behind these manifestations may be responsible not only for the inspiration and direction of our most foundational meaning-making models - that is to say, our religious traditions - but also for our very origin as a species. That being the case, some might find it a stretch to believe that the times we find ourselves in now are somehow unique when it comes to this enigmatic topic: Yes, they’re here, but they always have been, directing affairs mostly in shadow - à la something like Jacques Vallee’s control system hypothesis - so what would be different about now? - or so the thinking goes. While that’s an understandable perspective to have, and while we should always be on the lookout for bias in our contemporary reading of history, there is indeed compelling evidence to suggest that what we’re seeing with this Phenomenon since the turn of the millennium - and especially over the last few years or so - is indeed worthy of note, suggesting that we may very well be heading towards some crescendo point, where our very relationship to this Phenomenon, and, for that matter, to reality itself, fundamentally changes. The evidence for this notion arises not just in the increased activity of alien intelligences in our midst - though we have indeed seen a rise in reported accounts of sightings and engagements with the craft apparently piloted by these so-called NHI of late - but also via reports from experiencers, those uniquely tuned into these various alien groups, who have seen visions of imminent changes that speak to the coming of a foundationally different world. While even these two data points - the increased sightings/interactions and sense from experiencers that something is coming - might not be enough to convince many, these are not the only elements we need to reckon with here. Just as important in this equation is the rising tide of challenges our civilization is presently facing; challenges so daunting that they threaten our very existence. These matters include climate change, geopolitical conflict rife with ever more catastrophic weapons of mass destruction, and the sudden rise of artificial intelligence. All three of these are particularly troublesome because they are being met by a center of gravity of consciousness still driven by fear, scarcity and what our most ancient and enduring spiritual traditions - not to mention many of these Others - call “the illusion of separation”. Those familiar with ufological lore will also know that the trajectory we’re presently on as a human, earth-based civilization, is precisely the one that these various non-human (and non-conventionally-human) intelligences have long warned us about. Their historic concern about our ever more technological focus, unmoored from an accompanying increase in our level of consciousness, is central to the messages delivered to humankind via the experiencers we’ve already discussed. Suddenly those warnings and prognostications, going back decades, seem strikingly prescient. That said, we know that timing is particularly challenging to predict and parse out when it comes to these otherworldly admonitions. And thus, the question still remains: just how pressing are these issues, and just how close are we to some fundamental transformation of life as we have thus far known it? Furthermore, how might the very real march towards official disclosure we’ve seen of late be informed by all of this?  These are the very thorny - yet crucial - matters we’ll seek to gain clarity around in this, the 98th episode of the Point of Convergence podcast.

Over the last several episodes of this podcast we’ve been exploring the overlap between religious history, Shamanism and the UFO Phenomenon. In today’s episode we’ll be continuing this line of inquiry by zeroing in on the mystical and transformative aspects of encounters had as part of the modern UFO Phenomenon. Specifically we’ll be considering how the nature of these encounters, had in a seemingly alternate realm or alternate state of consciousness, prompt remarkably consistent and long-lasting worldview changes amongst those who’ve had the experiences. While some will argue that the ontological shock experienced in interactions with alien beings that are not supposed to exist according to the dictates of conventional thinking is simply that - the result of paradigm-shattering experiences had with often frightening, “bug-like” creatures - a more thoughtful approach might suggest that, to the contrary, the “reality rewrite” that experiencers undergo is not just an unintended side-effect, but a chief aim of the entire enterprise. Put another way, one can very clearly make the argument that a central mission of these mysterious Others interacting with human beings over time is to “wake us up” to who we truly are, and to how we’re connected to everything and everyone else around us, including myriad beings we have not even yet begun to map onto our collective awareness. Ultimately that “waking up” process is not only about expanding our conceptual categories, but more centrally about cracking open human perception and potential - allowing us to more fully step into our true birthright as powerful, multidimensional beings that are fractal representations of Source consciousness itself. In the latter part of the 20th century, John Mack, a well-respected professor of psychiatry and head of the department of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School was thrust full-on into these confusing and controversial matters when he began to be sought out by the people who’d had these discombobulating encounters. In taking these accounts seriously, determining that - contrary to mainstream thinking of the time - these accounts were not the result of delusional, damaged minds, Mack played a central role in mainstreaming our culture’s engagement with these challenging issues. In today’s episode we’ll be considering the observations made by Mack in his ground-breaking book Passport to the Cosmos: Human Transformation and Alien Encounters. By the time Mack penned this book, he was a decade or more into the matter of apparent alien abduction and hybridization, and, having had first-hand exposure not only to Western experiencers, but also to Shamans and those of various indigenous traditions from around the world, he was in a unique position to draw overarching insights from his immersive investigations. In what directions did these investigations take his thinking, and why were his tentative conclusions so utterly unpalatable for conventional, Western society? These are the matters we’ll seek to explore in this, the 97th episode of the Point of Convergence podcast.

While the notion of extraterrestrial life has long captivated the public imagination, certain expectations regarding how such life might interact with us have also proven problematic. Primarily that’s because, being the stubborn species we are, when data doesn’t conform to our expectations, we tend to either ignore it, explain it away, or assume it has been gathered incorrectly, or is even the result of fraudulent reporting. This issue has been paramount in the matter of the modern UFO Phenomenon, because many elements of the reports that have arisen from eye-witness testimony contain elements that stretch our expectations - often to the breaking point and beyond. A term that has been put forward to explain the various elements that stretch our expectations of how sophisticated non-terrestrial intelligence would interact with us – even to the point of defying rational understanding altogether – is “high strangeness”. Here we see crossover into another domain, that of general paranormality. Now while we modern Westerners would like to keep these bodies of data completely separate – after all, why would extraterrestrials act in ways that are reminiscent of apparitions and poltergeist phenomena, or so the conventional thinking goes -- the reality is that these two kinds of data seem to regularly co-arise in people’s experience. And that being the case, it would be unwise to let our pre-existing biases prevent us from seeing linkages that clearly exist in the raw data itself. Speaking of crossover between domains that tend to be kept distinct in our modern notions of how reality works, we also see startling parallels between the UFO Phenomenon and humanity’s most ancient expressions of religion – collectively referred to as “Shamanism”. The most glaring similarities arise in the experience of reality people report in both Shamanistic journeys, and encounters with supposed “aliens” during contact experiences reported as part of the modern UFO Phenomenon. In both cases people report experiencing the encounter in a seemingly alternate realm or non-ordinary state of consciousness. The question then emerges, pertaining to the UFO Phenomenon, if these really are “space aliens” – that is, physical beings arising from some distant star system – then why would the encounters involve so much overlap with the visionquest encounters reported in Shamanism? While one can certainly attempt to explain away these parallels in the bodies of data, a more open-minded, objective, and sincere perspective might very well land on the notion that these clues are telling us something fundamental about the nature of reality itself; something that seems to inevitably lead towards a reframing of what it means to be a sentient life form living in a supposedly “physical” universe, as defined under the dictates of scientific materialism. But what precisely is the nature of the overlap between domains/topics such as Shamanism and experiences that fall within the modern UFO Phenomenon, and where might the implications of these alignments lead us? These are the mind-stretching and paradigm-collapsing matters we’ll seek to delve more deeply into, in this, the 96th episode of the Point of Convergence podcast.

Over the last 12 months or so, those associated with ufology have seen their excitement level around the matter of official disclosure reach a fevered pitch. Much of the optimism has been tied to the remarkable specificity of the language included in the Schumer amendment, which makes clear not only that sophisticated, non-human intelligences in our midst exist, but that various elements of the military industrial complex have constructed elaborate schemes to study this phenomenon while shielding this consequential reality not just from the American people, but also from Congress and the rest of government. While much of that amendment was eventually gutted before being passed into law, in many ways the proverbial train has nevertheless left the station. There is just too much momentum heading into 2024 for this progress to reverse course. It may take longer than some within ufology would prefer, but this march towards an official acknowledgement of the reality of this phenomenon – and the various unconventional intelligences behind it – seems unstoppable at this point. While this particular matter of when disclosure will actually happen has been front and center in the ufological dialogue over the last year, what has been discussed much less regularly is the matter of what will actually be disclosed. Many of us obsessed with this topic have been so focused on crossing this one particular threshold -- yes, this is real, and yes, so are they – that we’ve spent far less time pondering what might be disclosed, or commented upon, beyond this initial civilization-changing acknowledgement. Truth be told, this is precisely where the challenge really arises for the powers that be. And, frankly, that’s because they really have no clear understanding of where this all leads. Yes, it’s real. Yes, it’s been present in our midst – even if in stealthy manner – for perhaps as long as we’ve been around as a species. But as to its ultimate nature, and how it changes our understanding of fundamental reality, that’s a matter of ongoing contention and confusion – even for the insiders who’ve spent decades studying this, with the highest security clearances available. For those who take the most overarching view – considering not just the more contemporary manifestation and interpretation of this Phenomenon, but also ways that deep human history seems to point to interactions stretching back millenia - even if described in terms and frames much less familiar and comfortable to modern ears – it’s clear that these other intelligences have not only been with us all along, likely shaping our development across time in the process, but likely were responsible for our very seeding upon this blue pearl of a planet to begin with. In today’s episode we’ll be taking a deep dive into the ways one can make a very solid case for the notion that ancient encounters with so-called “gods" were ultimately part of the very same enterprise as the more modern UFO/UAP and alien abduction/hybridization enigma. How has framing, and a poor understanding of the different cultural contexts that have tried to make sense of these phenomena over time, obscured the underlying truth of these reality-shaking revelations? These are the very daring, daunting, and highly disruptive matters we’ll be exploring in this, the 95th episode of the Point of Convergence podcast.

As our civilization continues to skate at the very edge of a new era of widespread public disclosure around the so-called UFO Phenomenon, there still exists a striking incongruence between what is being discussed in government and media, and what is understood to be the nature of the entire enterprise for those colloquially known as “experiencers”. At the public level, we are finally approaching a moment of reckoning around the fact that technology exists - and has existed - for decades if not centuries, if not since the dawn of humankind - that performs maneuvers we simply don’t understand - let alone are ready to replicate. Of course, along with acknowledgement of this seemingly “otherworldly” technology, we are finally seeing mention of the supposed pilots of these said craft in the form of recovered “biologics”. That, of course, inevitably leads to questions of both where - and when - these so-called “pilots” are from. But even here politicians and the mainstream media are very careful to not fully land on the notion that “aliens are real”. There is a strange socio-psychological game being played here, where polite society still keeps this idea enough to the fringes that it doesn’t disturb our everyday routines. Again, on the other hand, for experiencers, this part of the enterprise couldn’t be any more real. The interaction with the beings associated with this next-gen technology is actually the most central aspect of the matter. And while the public conversation is just beginning to approach the matter of their being one - or at most - a few - different kinds of intelligent entities to grapple with, what the body of the experiencer testimony over time makes clear is that the diversity of the various kinds of non-human and non-conventionally human intelligences in our midst is almost as extensive as the various craft that have been observed over time. That is to say, while the quintessential “grey alien” is a figure almost any modern human will recognize, that form is just the beginning of a dizzying array of many, many forms. In today’s episode that point will be made paramount, as we explore a variety of encounters with beings described as blue humans, reptilians, and insectoids. And to be clear, rather than being a one-off, these encounters are also numerous, suggesting that these are distinct beings, beyond the greys, who also have been carrying on a relationship with human beings throughout time as well - that is to say, in addition to the more commonly perceived “greys”. But who and what are these beings? And are these forms permanent, or merely part of a shifting guise employed to communicate certain information to human beings at different times? These are the perplexing but intriguing matters we’ll seek to engage with, in this, the 94th episode of the Point of Convergence podcast.

Anyone alive in the modern era is entitled to look at the startling conflux of transformational variables currently arising in our midst, and conclude that this is a time of truly unparalleled change; change so all-encompassing that it is virtually guaranteed that the world a decade from now will prove fundamentally different from the one we’re in now, and even more contrastingly different than the one any of us were born into. The UFO Phenomenon, an ever-present specter in our midst, is a key element in this transformational stew. At this point not only is new information coming to light on a yearly basis pertaining to this topic, but even on a monthly - and sometimes even weekly - basis. That is to say, while the modern UFO Phenomenon traces its origins back 80 years or so - existing mostly in the fringes of polite society for that entire time - we are now in an era where it feels like at any moment this reality of mysterious others and their bewitching tech will be fully “mainstreamed”. Of course, once we cross this threshold, a key collective moment of contemplation awaits us: one that presents overarchingly profound questions about not just who they are, but who we are. And at that point our entire civilization must endure a moment of deep, reflective reckoning; a reckoning that acknowledges that almost nothing we’ve confidently believed about our reality is quite what it has seemed. If nothing else, this dawning realization will help us see that we’ve been living in some version of the Truman Show - where what we’ve thought was real was more like a stage play. Even as we face this comprehensive re-contextualization around our origins and our place in the Cosmos, we are seeing our own civilization approach an apex moment, referred to some as the Singularity, where spiraling technological growth becomes not only irreversible, but so all-encompassing that it constitutionally changes what it means to be human. The sudden rise of artificial intelligence over the course of the last 12 months is front and center in this discussion. Of course, in addition to us approaching this moment of widespread acknowledgement of these Others in our midst, happening just as we approach an apparent technological point of no return, there is also the matter of the increased engagement by some of these Others with modern humanity. And of course this raises a couple of intriguing questions: 1.) Is the government shift towards disclosure happening because they recognize that if they don’t get “ahead of the curve” - in terms of embarking on some plan of controlled disclosure - that the matter will be taken out of their hands altogether, resulting in what some have called “catastrophic disclosure” - speaking to its potentially devastatingly destabilizing impact on human civilization? 2.) Are groups of these Others ramping up their engagement with humanity precisely because the point of no return we are presently approaching at break-neck speed is so consequential that they have determined that letting us pass that threshold of our own accord is simply not tenable - primarily because they perhaps see that - without intervention - that unaided crossing would inevitably ensure our own demise? These questions are simultaneously as profound as they are perplexing - arousing excitement in some, and trepidation in others, and they are precisely the matters we’ll be diving head on into, in this, the 93rd episode of the Point of Convergence podcast.

Over the course of the 80 or so years that make up what is colloquially known as the modern UFO Phenomenon, various hypotheses have been generated to make sense of not only the remarkably sophisticated craft that seem to be leagues beyond the technology of any modern nation-state present on the planet, but also of the apparently non-human beings who occupy them, and of the high strangeness that seems so often to be part and parcel with these anomalous encounters. Because mainstream Western civilization has been firmly in the clutches of reductionistic physicalism as a model of reality for the entire duration of the modern UFO Phenomenon, the vast majority of the hypotheses generated thus far have been based on this underlying materialist framework. What’s strange about this though is that physicalism has been dead in the water for quite some time now. Not only is it misguided in some of its claims, but it is demonstrably untenable based on modern research findings. Bernardo Kastrup is a renowned contemporary philosopher who is one of the most vocal voices in the world today calling physicalism’s bluff. He counters the materialist delusion with a model he calls analytic idealism; arguing that reality is fundamentally a mental construct, a process of mentation, and we – along with all other sentient beings in the cosmos - are what he deems alters of Original Mind, or what others might call Source consciousness. In this the second of my two-part interview with Bernardo, we cover a variety of topics, engaging with how idealism might present some very interesting and encouraging possibilities for further research. The issues addressed from the perspective of idealism include high strangeness and the peculiarly humanoid - almost neo-human - body type of many of the anomalous beings encountered across history. While the UFO Phenomenon has undoubtedly proven to be one of, if not THE most enigmatic of modern topics, in this discussion we consider the insights that a metaphysical model like idealism might open up in our process of inquiry, in this, the 92nd episode of the Point of Convergence podcast.

Over the course of 90+ episodes of Point of Convergence, save for one episode with James Iandoli, on the topic of CE-5, or HICE: human initiated contact events, this show has not followed the common podcast interview format. The reason for that is that there are already plenty of shows that follow the common interview pattern. My goal here has generally been to offer solo deep dives on various aspects of the UFO Phenomenon and associated topics that include, among others, NDEs, OBEs, and psi phenomena. That said, as in the case of my interview with James Iandoli - who represents a wealth of wisdom on so-called “contact work” - I do find it helpful to include the thoughts of others when that person represents what I would deem a paragon in their field. This is true in today’s episode, which features my recent conversation with philosopher Bernardo Kastrup. Bernardo’s work has been featured prominently in this podcast. His analytic idealism framework has been influential in my own aim to make sense of the dizzying and sometimes discombobulating array of phenomena associated with anomalous encounters with UFOs/UAP and apparent aliens. His book Meaning in Absurdity: What Bizarre Phenomena Can Tell Us About the Nature of Reality is especially pertinent to our overarching subject of interest, and I highly recommend it. As an idealist, Bernardo’s view is that base reality is ultimately mental in nature; like a dream held in what he calls “Mind at Large”, or that others might call Source consciousness, or Original Mind. I have found that seeing not just the UFO Phenomenon and related paranormal encounters, but reality itself, in this light, is extremely helpful in making headway in these tricky, murky waters. With that introduction aside, let’s move to part 1 of my 2 part discussion with philosopher Bernardo Kastrup, in this, the 91st episode of the Point of Convergence podcast. 

For a long period of modern history the matter of the so-called UFO Phenomenon remained a topic cast to the fringes of discourse. While there has always been a committed community of people dedicated to getting to the bottom of this enduring, enigmatic mystery, that group has operated - for the most part - in the margins of polite society. And while the general public has long believed in the likely existence of extraterrestrial life in the cosmos – as have astrophysicists, for that matter – the subject of some of that sophisticated alien life already being in our midst has been a different matter altogether; one, for the most part, subjected to the conspiracy theory bin amongst the mainstream.That clear distinction between these two statements - that other life exists in the cosmos, and that some of that life is already visiting us - began to dissolve somewhat with the revelations brought forward by David Grusch; an insider who had come into contact with clear evidence not just of the presence of these “aliens” in our midst, but furthermore of contact, communication and even agreements being made between elements of the U.S. government and its military services and these factions of so-called non-human intelligence.For those subjected to the historic enterprise known as alien abduction, these revelations raised new and troubling questions about just how much human governments have not only known about this matter – despite their public denials – but may have been party to them. It is one thing to come to grips with the notion that sophisticated intelligences are able to take you from the comfort of your home with impunity. It is another matter altogether to learn that perhaps your own government has been privy to these activities; and that may have been part of an accord struck between these other intelligences and human governments.And yet, this is precisely what is on the table; not just as a result of the allegations brought forward by David Grusch, but also because of details that have been provided elsewhere, going into greater detail as to the nature of these accords as they pertain to the matter of abductions. In this week’s podcast we’re going to delve into once such account that purports to describe the nature of the cooperative aspect of these events; detailing how a deeply compartmented element of the U.S. air force was made aware of abductions via telepathic communication received by personnel who had been genetically altered to enhance their capacity to receive said messages from the faction of non-human intelligence who had made this accord. If true, the implications of this account are not only consequential, but, for many, they are also deeply disquieting. But of course such topics are not ones we shy away from on this podcast. Just how much have human governments – or segmented aspects of them – actually known about these historic abductions? And how exactly was intel passed from an alien faction to a group of human beings privy to this sweeping enterprise? These are precisely the matters we’ll be delving into in this, the 90th episode of the Point of Convergence podcast. 

Without question, 2023 has been a banner year in the decades-long endeavor to bring disclosure about the reality of the so-called UFO Phenomenon to public awareness. Ever since the mid 20th century there has been a dedicated push by a relatively small but growing contingent of die-hards to finally get the U.S. government to admit what it knows about these beings from “elsewhere”; beings who have apparently been at work in our civilization in very substantive albeit clandestine ways. Based on the political machinations that began churning soon after the dawn of the startling allegations brought forward by a former insider named David Grusch, that push seemed to finally be paying dividends. That said, of late the startling progress seen earlier in the summer seems to have slowed. So much so, in fact, that some have begun to wonder aloud, with chagrin, if perhaps the historic secrecy/disinformation machine – which has been pushing back in its own dedicated way ever since these revelations came to light – might once again be about to turn this apparently irreversible progress into yet another mirage. While on the one hand, such a feat seems more like wizardry – after all, how could these revelations not at the very least lead to a deep and broad congressional investigation? – it does indeed seem as if our society is carrying on with the same old, same old, in regards to what tends to garner public attention. Now that we’re just over a year away from a hotly contested federal election, perhaps not surprisingly the vast majority of public and media focus has turned to that epic showdown; one being seeded by near civil-war like stratifications within the national fabric. The question now arising is this: can this push for disclosure hope to gain enough steam, and make enough noise, to be heard amongst this rising national clamor leading up to an historic moment in late 2024? At least, that’s the question some are asking; chiefly those concerned this might all come down to a monumental run of bad luck around timing. From another point of view, however – one that I personally think is more robustly informed by the full scope of the matters in play here – these issues are not separable; and certainly not coincidental. I would argue that the what, when, and how of these matters again comes down – at least in part – to the clandestine actions of those mysterious actors; ones who seem to be both everywhere and everywhen, except for when you expressly go looking for them. Is this seeming overarching orchestration humbling to our collective sense of agency, and even to our species’ perspective on planetary sovereignty? Certainly. Does it suggest that disclosure – however one defines that term – simply isn’t something that humanity alone can muster up enough momentum to bring to bear – at least, not at our current stage of development? Yes, without question. I think history makes this matter crystal clear. Questions we should be asking include the following: What do they want in the midst of all of this? What is their overarching agenda? Is it singular or plural? Are they singular or plural? If they’ve shaped our history – to one degree or another – what do they intend for our future? And what role are they playing as the figures on the chessboard seemingly move about of their own volition? Considering the subject of disclosure from this much more panoptic vantage point is exactly the approach we will be taking in this particular discussion, as we aim to make sense of these intriguing yet imposing matters, in this, the 89th episode of the Point of Convergence podcast.

The modern so-called UFO Phenomenon stretches back to the mid-20th century. That means we have 75+ years of lore to draw from when reflecting on the subject matter in question. Of course, for the vast majority of that time this topic, colloquially referred to as “ufology”, has remained a somewhat “fringe” enterprise, discussed ad nauseam by enthusiasts of the notion of extraterrestrial intelligences visiting earth in sophisticated machines, but never gaining a truly legitimate foothold amongst the mainstream.That is, of course, up until recently. Since the advent of the revelations/allegations brought forward by a former insider named David Grusch, this topic has gained traction in the mainstream; at least, it has begun to. At this point, while decades-long ufologists have been shocked to see the kind of attention this topic has recently garnered in political circles, it’s still not truly penetrated the formidable iron gates of legacy mainstream media. Nevertheless, there are signs that this wall of impenetrability is perhaps beginning to crack and crumble. And without doubt, as more hearings are held, and more evidence is presented, along with a secondary wave of whistleblowers prepared to follow in David Grusch’s wake, that traction in the mainstream will eventually prove undeniable. And that will mark an inflection point for our civilization, as the conversation around this new reality we are collectively grappling with turns from “could it be?” to “how now shall we respond?” All that said, as we’ve watched this topic, and the questions it inevitably begs, begin to become a noticeable “something” for those who’ve long ignored it, there is an aspect of the conversation that is still largely missing from the society-wide dialogue. Here I speak of the aims/intentions/agendas of the beings in question. It’s as if we’re talking about them either in the past tense, or as a force that is unconscious, like water running down a mountain towards the ocean.But, of course, they are not just another aspect of nature running its course like water returning to the ocean via the impartial force of gravity. They are a parallel intelligence; walking beside us, with their own history, species-specific norms, and collective aims to bring to the mix. And only a much, much smaller subset of the community are asking the relevant questions that arise from this aspect of the situation. Questions such as: who are they, and what are their aims? Some throw their hands in the air here, assuming that the intentions and, for that matter, even basic nature of a non-human intelligence would be impenetrable to homo sapien sapiens. But of course, a long history of interaction between these others and a subset of humanity known as experiencers casts serious doubt on such assumptions. That history suggests not only that we can engage in open contact with these other beings, but that that communication often involves very specific details about their aims amongst us, and their intentions towards us. How consistent are these messages? And to what degree should we trust them? Many see these as waters too murky to navigate. But that’s precisely what we’ll endeavor to do in this, the 88th episode of the Point of Convergence podcast.

Throughout much of the 20th century there existed a narrative that ran in parallel, but also somewhat in shadow and away from plain sight, to the march of history that we all learned about in school. This parallel narrative spoke of remarkable technological craft, seemingly centuries ahead of our own cutting-edge marvels, and included whispers of encounters with the pilots of said craft, who often both looked somewhat like us: humanoid, bipedal, etc, but also distinctly different, that is to say: “alien”, with huge, wrap around eyes and skin the color and texture of mushrooms. Within 20th century history, the period where we see these two parallel tracks most overlap, at least initially, was around the turn of what is commonly referred to as the atomic era. If you look at the history of the development and testing of atomic weapons, you will find these Others entering the fray, even if in ways that still didn’t make mention in mainstream news publications. Desert landscapes, mushroom clouds, and flying saucers; these all go hand in hand, when you consider these two parallel track of history. Towards the latter half of the 20th century, another key intersection occurred; one that saw these others (or perhaps, another group of “others” altogether), entering the fray to embark upon some kind of vast, but secretive genetic program; a program that saw human beings taken aboard apparent craft, and having their reproductive material taken, apparently in the service of the creation of hybrid beings: that is to say, a new creation of humanoid creature that was very much a cross between us, and them. These key historical developments have long been rumored about in the so-called backrooms of ufology. That said, they have historically been remarkably difficult to surface, for those who have endeavored to see these two parallel tracks considered as undeniably and inextricably connected to each other - which is to say, you cannot reconstruct the true history of the 20th century without seeing these two parallel tracks merged into one. This difficulty is largely attributable to the remarkable success of an official suppression and disinformation program that was operated by the government of the American people, against the American people, as well as others around the world, throughout much of the 20th century, and stretching on into the 21st. In light of events of the last several weeks and months, however, it’s now clear that this fight for legitimacy amongst the mainstream has taken a sharp turn. So much so, in fact, that those who’ve been investigating these matters for decades and decades have been left with their mouths agape; as they’ve seen these matters, seemingly overnight, being given true governmental attention, and on a bipartisan basis to boot. To be clear, the surprising pace of recent events – which has seen each of the main governmental bodies in the United States, in recent weeks, publicly take up the challenge of endeavoring to be transparent about this enigmatic part of our history – has left many wondering if something more than meets the eye might be in play here. After all, finally beginning to move towards transparency is one thing. But what we’re apparently seeing is arguably much more than that. To be clear, we’re now seeing legislation being crafted, by some of the most powerful politicians in the nation, around what is officially being deemed a “disclosure plan”. The question is: Why? And, just as, if not more importantly, why now? These are the very compelling and complex matters we’ll seek to engage with in this, the 87th episode, of the Point of Convergence podcast.

Throughout the history of humankind we’ve been pushing the boundaries of exploration, determined to map and – often eventually, populate – every nook and cranny of physical space we come across. This has meant we’ve ventured into every corner of the earth, even those sporting the most inhospitable of environmental conditions. When the modern-day UFO Phenomenon first exploded into public consciousness around the era of the 1940s through, not one, but a series of remarkable events, that orientation around frontier consciousness led almost everyone of the time – once it was clear these strange objects seen - designated UFOs – unidentified flying objects – were very unlikely to be of prosaic origin – to assume that these apparently intelligently controlled vehicles must be coming from the last of the frontiers we had yet to explore; namely: outer space - they greater expanse of the surrounding cosmos. This of course suggested the existence of extraterrestrials; beings who had evolved on entirely different planets in entirely different star systems in far flung corners of the Milky Way Galaxy or beyond. This sparked our imagination, leading us to imagine what they might look like, and how they might behave. Would they look anything like us? Would they follow our behavior patterns? Would they want to conquer and colonize us the same way we’d done with each other? As the 20th century marched on, many people around the planet began to report encounters with the very beings supposedly piloting these sophisticated vehicles. Interestingly, while modern science had long leaned towards extraterrestrial beings likely looking decidedly unlike us - because of their origin being tied to completely different evolutionary pressures in completely different home planet contexts, the reports arising from these encounters with “other-worldly beings” spoke to a remarkably humanoid form; and indeed on regular occasion, even a seemingly fully human form. Furthermore, even the types less human in appearance still matched the general morphology of other forms of life from Earth: including reptilian and insectoid, including mantis beings - bearing a striking resemblance to 9 foot tall praying mantis insects found right here on our home planet. Of course, this raises an obvious question: why? Why were these encountered forms flying in the face of our expectations around what extraterrestrial beings would likely look like – and, more importantly, what they would NOT look like? I would suggest to you that perhaps the issue lies in one of our earlier assumptions: that the next frontier to be explored is always spatial in nature. But what if these others were not coming from elsewhere, but from some as yet poorly understood non-spatial dimension? On that note, the notion of a multiverse opened up the interdimensional hypothesis to popular consideration. And that’s still in the running, suggesting these beings are arriving from planes of existence sitting in parallel to our physical existence. But there is another possibility that has long escaped the mainstream of our collective imagination around these beings; namely: time travel.  In other words, what if these beings are not so much coming from somewhere else, but rather some when else? When one stops to consider this possibility, not only does it hold its own – in terms of serving as a potential theoretical explanatory mechanism – but it also fits remarkably well with key components of the historical data, not just around the appearance and behavior of these various beings, but also with other key elements arising from the historical experiencer literature. This possibility that time is a key variable in the overarching phenomenon is a fascinating one, one that will be our focus in this, the 86th episode of the Point of Convergence podcast.  

The year 2017 saw what appeared at the time to be a sea change in ufology when a key piece published in the New York Times made clear that the U.S. military had footage of aerial vehicles of unknown origin. In other words, not only were UFOs - now referred to as UAP - a “thing”, something those intimately familiar with the topic had long known to be the case, but the U.S. government, to some degree or another, was now publicly acknowledging this fact. Many within ufology assumed this was the turning point we’d all been waiting for; the historical event that would send this topic fully into hyperdrive, and not just in remote corners of the internet, but, more importantly, within the mainstream. In the end, that wasn’t what happened. The article made waves, to be sure, dragging the topic beyond X-files land, and tantalizingly closer to mainstream acceptance. Still, what many enthusiasts and researchers were left wondering was, why weren’t these revelations enough to really bring us past the threshold into widespread, conventional recognition of the validity of this topic? That question has lingered, largely in a static status, until this past week, when a new article by the same authors has brought to light startling allegations that take this topic well beyond the matter of strange lights in the sky. According to an article by Leslie Kean and Ralph Blumenthal, a former intelligence official turned whistleblower named David Grusch has alleged that elements of the U.S. military are in possession of “intact and partially intact craft of non-human origin.” Because Grusch has provided this information to Congress and the Intelligence Community inspector general, filing “a complaint alleging that he suffered illegal retaliation for his confidential disclosures,” and because officials have received these concerns as “credible” and “urgent”, once again we seem to be at the precipice of a word ufologists have been bandying about for decades: disclosure. True disclosure. Not hearsay. Not rumors; but true widespread acknowledgement by government officials and widespread acceptance by the populace of the world that not only are we not alone in the universe, but that various beings who represent vast, sophisticated intelligence are here, in our very midst, and, in a collective shock to the system, perhaps have been all along. As things stand right now, this is a dynamic situation, evolving daily as the story makes its way across the media landscape, inevitably landing anew in the awareness of untold numbers of the general public, and on the desks of government officials all around the world. But where do things stand, really? Is there no turning back at this point? Have we crossed the proverbial event horizon? Is the end result, while still rolling out as we speak, already a foregone conclusion? Put simply the question is this: will these remarkable recent events finally catapult us into a new era in human civilization, where we recognize we are part of a cosmic neighborhood teeming with life forms we’ve as of yet been largely unaware of? And, if so, what comes next? How will we be changed by these revelations? These are the very pressing and profound questions we’ll seek to find some clarity around on this, the 85th episode of the Point of Convergence podcast.

Ever since the dawn of the modern UFO Phenomenon, a wide variety of terms have been used to describe people’s reactions to it. People have been fascinated, frustrated, shocked, perplexed, bewildered, frightened and inspired. And, because of the enigmatic nature of encounters with the beings associated with this Phenomenon, often several of these descriptors can and do apply for any given situation. As has been pointed out numerous times on this podcast and elsewhere, when one widens the historical scope, it is not a stretch to wonder – even postulate – if beings from more distant folklore may be part and parcel of this same enterprise. And this is true not just because these events that come to us from the depth of recorded human history involve encounters with apparently non-human entities, but also because the nature of the encounters often involve similar elements. That said, one could also argue that this might be an example of a brush simply applied too broadly. In other words, perhaps because of the very fact that these encounters across time do involve similar elements, we might be tempted to prematurely draw precise parallels where they perhaps do not exist. Were the creatures of faery lore the very same as our modern-day prototypical grey aliens? Or do we simply leap to this conclusion because they neither fit neatly within our tidy conventional zoological models? In the 20th century, reaching a fevered pitch sometime in the 1990s, word of human abductions by these supposed grey aliens slowly became part of our cultural zeitgeist. The narrative around these more recent encounters involved apparent genetic experimentation and even full-on hybridization programs. Again though, if we widen the scope once more, one could postulate that some of the apparently anomalous leaps in our species’ cognitive capacity throughout hominin history were also the fruit of similar genetic intervention and augmentation programs. People have also wondered aloud if the UFO Phenomenon marks the beginning of a new religious trend? Many postulated in the 20th century that visits by the space brothers - bearing an uncanny resemblance to ourselves - marked the beginning of a new frontier in spiritual discovery. But again, if we step back, adopting the 30,000 foot view, one can logically question if the very seed of religious belief and practice for our species, from our very earliest creeds on, were also the fruit, either directly or indirectly, of encounters with these same anomalous beings.Which leads us to some pressing questions: are these beings the same groups of entities interacting and shaping us over time? Or is our imagination simply so limited that we have inappropriately drawn parallels where they simply don’t exist - opening up the possibility that perhaps our ontological landscape is simply much more complex and diverse than we’ve yet been able to really fathom, let alone truly reckon with. While the history of anomalous encounters seemingly goes right back to the dawn of our civilization, more recent events raise a particularly pressing question: Does the apparent increase in our species’ interaction with some of these non-conventional beings in recent history - paired with what one could argue is a seeming march towards a cataclysmic collapse of our own making - suggest that, while interactions with non-conventional entities have existed across the breadth of human history, that they are now nearing some kind of culmination point - where, as some of the experiencer narrative would suggest -this results in a situation where everything and everyone is left completely different afterwards? And furthermore, is this coming apex inflecion point terminal, or transformational for our civilization, and perhaps even both? These are the daunting, challenging and awe-inspiring matters we’ll seek to engage with in this, the 84th episode of the Point of Convergence podcast.

Within the vast historical literature associated with the UFO Phenomenon there are references to numerous kinds of craft sighted and numerous kinds of entities encountered. Interestingly, even within a subset of a certain group of entities, distinct patterns sometimes emerge, suggesting specific enterprises have been undertaken at various points in history by these various groups. One such unique pattern took place between sometime in the late 20th century, stretching up until around the turn of millennium. This specific endeavor was concentrated around what have come to be known as “abductions”. In other words, this specific enterprise involved not just sightings, but people being abruptly physically taken from their homes to some “other place”, whether that be an apparent spacecraft or some alternate realm, where specific actions were undertaken, involving both physical examinations and what can only be described as activities pertaining to a large-scale reproductive program. This extensive reproductive program, involving, at minimum, untold thousands of human beings, saw men and women having reproductive material taken from them: eggs from women and sperm from men, as part of a scheme to produce what have come to be known as hybrid beings; entities part conventionally human and part “something-else”. The question around the nature of this “something else” is a matter of some debate, one that we’ll be delving into in this episode.Once the initial extraction of reproductive material had taken place, many abductees/contactees/experiencers (pick your designation of choice, and those involved have differences of opinion on what they prefer to be called) were later shown what, for all intents and purposes, appeared to be their very own hybrid offspring. Sometimes these “others” - most often colloquially referred to as “aliens” - would ask these human abductees to interact with said offspring, to fulfill some form of developmental bonding. Said abductees often mention feeling both a deep connection to these apparently hybrid children, while also sometimes feeling a sense of revolution arising from their atypical form.As I mentioned, this specific hybridization enterprise seemed to phase out around the time of the turn of millennium. At this point many of these abductees/contactees/experiencers were telepathically told that they wouldn’t be seeing the apparent aliens nearly as much anymore, indicating the enterprise had been successful enough that a page was now being turned. Of course the specificity of this entire enterprise raises many intriguing questions. What was the ultimate purpose of this hybridization program? What role, if any, do these apparently hybrid offspring play in the future of human civilization? And in what way might this enterprise serve as a kind of failsafe against the potential of a coming earth cataclysm that experiencers of this type were warned was bound to be our civilization’s fate, should we fail to turn from our misguided, erring ways? These are the profound, but mind-bending issues we’ll seek to find some clarity around in this, the 83rd episode of the Point of Convergence podcast.

The enigma known as the UFO Phenomenon is compelling for numerous reasons. One of those reasons is that this phenomenon has been attested to by witnesses and experiencers over long periods of modern history. And, furthermore, once you get past the surface veneer of the way people have categorized/interpreted these phenomena differently over time because of different cultural expectations, one can make a convincing argument - as Jacques Vallee and others have in fact done - that this phenomenon has been with us since the beginning of time; sometimes interpreted as gods come down from the heavens to parade in front of we mere mortals, and more recently as advanced technological civilizations visiting us far from far flung destinations such as Zeta Reticuli and Alpha Centauri on scientific expeditions and the like. Another of the key elements of data lending credence to the notion that this Phenomenon is as real as green grass in the spring and plasma erupting from the sun is that it is attested to across the world, even in cultures significantly divorced from the typical modernist and physicalist conceptions found in Western civilization. And whenever we can show cross-cultural support for this phenomenon we can more confidently conclude that this is not simply a construct based on the expectations of any particular people group. Indeed, the fact that the interpretation of sightings and interactions with “the Others” have differed somewhat in different parts of the world over time actually lends credence to the notion that, underlyingly, beyond that surface veneer of categorization/interpretation, something is really there; legitimately being encountered and interacted with. Armchair skeptics will at times argue that this is simply a North American and European phenomenon. Now, while it is statistically true that we have more data from these locations, it’s important to point out that much of this can likely be attributed to the fact that the some data-gathering efforts haven’t happened to the same degree in other places, and that even the cultural expectations of some of those other continents are such that what is a paradigm-shaking moment for a modern North American or European might not be for someone from an indigenous population. After all, why make a big deal of an event that has been normalized in a particular culture for generations? And one can make the argument that this is indeed the case in various indigenous populations. As I mentioned, some of the discrepancy in the regularity of reports from different parts of the globe can be reduced to the fact that the search simply hasn’t been conducted with equal dedication around the world. Furthermore, cultural differences and language issues have added to this challenge. As a Professor Emeritus at Montana State University and former Director of the Center for Bilingual/Multicultural Education, Clarke, who is Cherokee/Choctaw herself, has dedicated decades of her life to investigating sightings of UFOs and interactions with various forms of alien and non-conventionally human beings in parts of the globe long neglected. In today’s episode we’re going to consider the astounding reports Clarke was able to gather during her trips through Mesoamerica. Not only do the accounts Clarke gathered make clear the fact that UFO sightings and interactions with actual beings are every much as common - perhaps even more so - there, as compared to here, but they also raise very interesting possibilities regarding the very origins of some of these people groups, and specifically the Maya. Could the Maya themselves not only be the recipients of the traditions of a so-called “ancient alien” civilization, but perhaps even their very descendants? These are the fascinating matters we’ll endeavor to engage with, head on, in this, the 82nd episode of the Point of Convergence podcast.

When people are first introduced to the enigmatic topic known as the UFO Phenomenon, the working assumption is that this is a matter of determining whether or not aliens, i.e. extraterrestrials from some likely extrasolar source, have traversed the immense distances of outer space, to arrive at our blue pearl planet either to, A.) from a more positive view, study us, as in a scientific expedition, or, B.) from a less positive view, scope out our capabilities prior to some kind of invasion. Perhaps it should not be surprising that this is where the conversation begins for people; including those who’ve flocked to this topic since 2017, when the revelations of a now famous New York Times article first entered the public sphere, suggesting to many that, despite decades of scoff and ridicule and X-Files jokes, perhaps there really was a there there. Speaking of decades of scoff and ridicule, the decades leading up to the present one filled people’s minds with the very scenarios I just mentioned: that either these visitors from beyond are here as part of a scientific expedition, as in Star Trek, or as a prelude to a full-on invasion of our planet, as in War of the Worlds or Independence Day. These are familiar tropes in science fiction, and so it should not surprise us that this has worked its way into our cultural zeitgeist. But those initial, rather tame and predictable questions about what the so-called UFO Phenomenon represents are quickly supplanted by much more profound, far-reaching, and, for some, disturbing questions, once newcomers really begin to start poking around and considering the plethora of reports made by credible witnesses, going back decades and decades - and perhaps even millenia - discussing in-person encounters with the intelligences supposedly responsible for the piloting of these sophisticated aerial vehicles known as UFOs or UAP. Because, as I just mentioned, these encounters trace back deep into human history, and likely even pre-history, one could argue that these more recent “sci-fi” encounters are really in the same overarching category as what we might deem “religious” encounters from yester millenia, the questions around what this all means suddenly become much more broadly sweeping and all-encompassing. Without doubt, our religious traditions have shaped the development of our civilization. And if the encounters that inspired those very traditions didn’t actually involve gods, or angels or demons, after all - at least, not as they are typically portrayed, interpreted and understood in religious tradition - then perhaps this Phenomenon, and the intelligences that comprise it - has been much more intimately involved with our evolution than we first realized. And if that’s the case, then we’re suddenly a long way from merely Star Trek or Independence Day territory. Eventually, if one traces this back far enough, especially in light of more recent revelations suggesting these overarching intelligences can tweak our genetics and even partake in hybridization programs that lead to the emergence of entirely new species, one inevitably lands at a very striking query: could our very existence on this planet be a result of some earlier version of these same endeavors? And if that’s the case, how do popularly held beliefs in notions such as reincarnation play into this? Is that a “natural” process, or is something more akin to what we might call “technology” involved? These truly are not just mind-bending but also civilization-shaking matters to consider. And one wonders, if we truly are nearing some kind of so-called “disclosure” around the existence of this Phenomenon, then just how many of these startling revelations might be part of that mix? And how exactly will our civilization handle such acknowledgements? Tricky, nuanced matters to parse out, to be sure. But that’s precisely what we’ll endeavor to do in this, the 81st episode of the Point of Convergence podcast.