A slightly different perspective

Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans. I don't know how many times I've heard that saying, but whenever I hear it, it seems that the Universe is about to show me the true meaning of the saying. This last two month stretch has been no exception.

Christmas was great. I got the chance to meet family that I don't get to see that often. We had a fun time and I got a chance to unwind after a very busy fall of doing hypnotherapy healing sessions. All in all it was a relaxing time - and then, everything changed. 

January 1st, Gwyn's cousin died - completely unexpectedly. It was a bolt out of the blue. While I wasn't all that close to that side of Gwyn's family, the fact that her cousin was about the same age as I am gave me a real pause for reflection - a real "nearer my God to thee" moment. 

Dropping everything, we flew out to Denver, CO and spent time with them - welcoming even if, unfortunately, it was for a funeral. Somewhere in there, I caught a bad head cold. That turned into a sinus infection, then a severe cough. My voice dropped out for over a week - complete disability for a hypnotist. That lasted nearly a month, during which I was nearly unable to see clients. Somewhere in there, my car died as well. Then my back and shoulder went out (probably from the severe cough). So, all in all, life was very "entertaining" during the six weeks from Jan 1 through mid February. 

So why would I be writing all of this poor-me stuff in a blog about hypnotherapy and UFOs and close encounter research? Very simply, having life close in on you gives you a tremendous feel for the things that are important in life - the importance of the other stuff that makes up the human experience. The UFO/CE4 phenomenon is probably the biggest mystery we have in our present day. Yet even while we explore this tremendous question, life goes on. UFO researchers have to live life just like everybody else.  Just because we're exploring fascinating mysteries, doing important work, etc., life doesn't change. 

In talking with several experiencers during this time period, I rediscovered one apparent truth behind the phenomenon. It seems to gravitate to times of strong emotion in the person's life. Raymond Fowler first pointed this out in his book, The Watchers - and after reading that, I kept my eyes open for this in the lives of encounter experiencers. 

Now, in the news on Facebook, and other social media forums where I often dialog with other healers, researchers and experiencers, I find that several have found this same thing to be true. One whose story I've followed closely in recent years, has been accused of some pretty ugly stuff. I know very little of the story behind this, but the ordeal seems consistent with what other experiencers describe - that at some point, the "world" seems to try to kick them in the chops. And my bet is that it will correspond closely with renewed attention from "Them".

The world kicks a lot of us in the chops at various times, as well. And during that time, during a time of strong emotion and personal pain, the phenomenon seems to make itself known in especially strong - and unwelcome - ways. In The Watchers, Betty Luca had a number of close encounter experiences, just as she was experiencing severe family trauma - namely the death of two of her sons. Another friend of mine who is undergoing significant health issues, has suddenly described indications of possible renewed encounter activity. And these are just the ones I can think of at this instant. There are lots more, both in my files from the past, and a few others presently in personal correspondence as my ear gets bent in multiple ways. 

The relationship between the phenomenal interaction and such high-energy points in life is not at all clear. And to intrude as a scientific investigator at such moments in a person's life would certainly not be very kind. The best I can do is to send thoughts, love and caring to those in such situations. I find my ear getting bent a lot, and in the last month or so of challenges I have found myself bending a lot of ears, myself. Later, when the dust settles, perhaps I will learn a whole lot more about the relationship between life challenge and phenomenal interaction.

It's been a challenging month - a time that reminds us of the importance of life, in general. Even while we continue to ask questions at the core of reality, itself, life doesn't let up. Some times events force us to step back and look at both the questions we are exploring, and at our lives overall, with a slightly different perspective.

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If it ain't broke, don't fix it - beliefs and our responses to the phenomenon

Draft of this month's article for The CE4 Corner

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In correspondence with experiencers as part of the abduction response team, I hear a lot of different perspectives. There are a lot of beliefs among experiencers. Some believe that the visitors are evil, diabolical, or similar. Others believe that "They" - whoever they are - are here for our benefit, benevolent, altruistic, etc. There are many variations on these themes, but at the core of each is pure belief.

Belief can be a coping mechanism - a way to rationalize events in life that would otherwise be incomprehensible. Throughout history, we have attributed the random forces of nature - weather, earthquakes and volcanoes, etc. - to the will of the gods. We form beliefs in many other ways to help us understand a reality beyond our own control. Beliefs are one way we make sense of the world. They help us cope with the world around us. And what's most important, they work.

Like other areas in life, we see the belief process used to cope with the visitor experience, as well. Why would beings from a realm beyond our own swoop in and divert a person's life. Why would they subject the experiencer to the reality shattering experience of the close encounter? What is going on, and how does one come to terms with such an experience? In many cases, the answer is to form (or adopt) some form of belief. And just as in other times in our history, beliefs do help to cope with that shattered reality.

In short, beliefs work. But they bring with them their own price. They constrain a person's view of the world, potentially reducing one's understanding of that world. When dealing with the close encounter phenomenon, especially, the comfort of belief comes at a very high price - it limits potential understanding of the phenomenon. It restricts our view of the phenomenon to a limited range of possibilities.

In recent correspondence of the MUFON Abduction Response Team with one experiencer, I found members of the research community coming under criticism for advancing their own beliefs about the phenomenon. The gist of the criticism was that each researcher was somehow coloring their research on the phenomenon with their own beliefs. The person was very critical of the work of Budd Hopkins and David Jacobs (the aliens are evil), John Mack (the aliens are benevolent), etc. Among them, I also received criticism that I have focused a lot on fear management - implying that fear is an important element of the phenomenal interaction. Thus, like the other distinguished company on his list, I too am bringing my own agenda to the phenomenon.

Perhaps, in a way, I am. I am human and I have beliefs just like everybody else. Specifically, in the last ten to fifteen years, I have become progressively more active as a healer. And I believe that the hypnotherapist needs to be a healer first - a researcher second. 

Each person's life is unique. One person may simply be curious - wanting to understand that strange event that happened as a child on the way to grandma's house. Another person may be badly traumatized - afraid to look up at the sky, and yet unable to understand why that is the case. Still another may be experiencing unexpected and unexplained gifts in life - psychic or spiritual awakening somehow traceable to phenomenal interactions. Each case is unique, each person has their own needs, and for each, the approach needs to be different.

Yet people rarely come to see a hypnotherapist because their life is too wonderful. Usually, there is a degree of pain, fear or similar issue in a person's life. This tends to be true regardless of whether the person is seeing the hypnotherapist to help them quit smoking, to relieve a phobia or a mind-body illness, or whether they want to better understand some unexplained events some time in the past. 

Where fear, pain or trauma management is needed, I believe it must come first for the wellbeing of the experiencer. Yet when this is not present - and in some cases this is truly the case - I certainly do not believe trying to fix what isn't broke. There are many fear management tools in the hypnotherapy tool box but if it ain't broke, don't try to fix it. 

Is the phenomenon good or evil? To me, that depends upon the perspective of the person asking the question. Lying naked on an alien examining table, looking up at a pair of big black eyes, with their owner holding some type of ugly-looking surgical instrument, "evil" might be a good description - at least for that moment. Yet years later, that same experiencer may end up with a deep spiritual awakening - directly traceable to the phenomenon - something that they would definitely classify as "good." Many describe the phenomenon as being a mixed bag, different things in different ways at different times.

If I hold any particular belief about the phenomenon, it is that we simply do not understand it. It appears to transcend our understanding at the present time. I do not believe I am qualified to judge it beyond that. Yet I do believe that each person deserves to be treated with the dignity and respect due any conscious being. As a friend of mine once said, we are sentient beings in a free-will universe. We each have the right to self-determination and sovereignty over our own life. In that respect, I believe that each experiencer has the right to determine what relationship with the phenomenon they would like to have. And yet, each client is unique, so as a hypnotherapist I need to temper whatever belief or agenda I might have and adopt a fully client-centered perspective.

All I can do is try to understand each person's interactions through their own eyes. What relationship do they have with "Them" at present? What relationship do they want to have with "Them"? How can the experiencer come to terms with what is happening in their life? And what does that question even mean in the context of that person's life?

For each experiencer, the questions appear to be different. For some, the relationship is negative, fear-based, exploitive, etc. For others it is positive. It is at least acceptable to them. And in that case, as the old saying goes, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it..."

Synchronicity about synchronicity

I just started reading the book, The Synchronicity Key, by David Wilcox.
I'm only about 1/10 th of the way into it, but already it is pushing some fascinating buttons in my own awareness. To begin with, the very fact that I am reading it now is multiply-synchronistic.

Yesterday, while I was sitting at a MN MUFON meeting, I briefly thought about synchronicity. There was a mention of it by the person who was speaking at that moment, I think. Any way, I got to thinking a bit more about it when I saw the person sitting next to me holding and talking about a the book, The Synchronicity Key.

Kaboom!!!! Talk about a kick in the keester... :-)

In addition, I had also been thinking about my book, The Fifth Key, which I am still (somewhat half-heartedly) attempting to get published. I have been considering whether or not to self-publish it on my Lulu.com site - the same place I have The Cosmic Bridge published. As I was thinking this, the very name, The Synchronicity Key just jumped out in my face. It didn't tell me the answer, but it did tell me that the question is still pertinent. Perhaps it means that I should still be looking for a publisher - or perhaps that means I should quit screwing around, and get the story out there by self-publishing it. I can only trust that the answer to that question will appear in its own good time.

Synchronicity is one of those fascinating little elements of life, those mysteries that show up at completely unexpected times. I have always been told that they synchronicities are indicators that you are on the right path. They are in some way, God acknowledging your path, and encouraging you to continue that path.

According to David Wilcox, they are actually a little bit more than that. They are echoes or acknowledgements of your present thoughts, either conscious or subconscious. They are encouragement that you are attuned to - well, to whatever... According to him, they carry meaning, but that meaning will most likely be hidden at that immediate moment.

I have usually found that they carry a deeply metaphorical meaing, symbolically reflecting what I am thinking and speaking to me in dream-like or archetypal symbolism. Many of the things going on in my life at the moment have a lot of metaphorical coherence with eachother. I am curently dealing with the (very long) trailing edge of a head and chest cold. It has manifest itself as a nagging cough, just enough to disrupt speaking, deep breating, singing, etc. I can only wonder if it is a message to me that I need to speak less and listen more. I suspect it is also a reflection of deeper inner questions I am wrestling with at the moment - real meaning-of-life type stuff.

Recently, I have had a lot of rather deep existential questions about where I am going with my business, what focus to take in my hypnotherapy practice, etc. It had reached a point, for a week or two, where I had developed a bit of a confidence crisis. And at about that time, I came down with this head/chest cold. For several days, I lost my voice, followed by several weeks during which a long, lingering cough set in. I'm still in the process of getting rid of that cough as I write this.

Meanwhile, in the last week or so, I spent a lot of time pouring through the Edgar Cayce Foundation life purpose workshop. I also spent a lot of time in deep meditation and prayer. Only time will tell if the answer will truly manifest, but the I thing the result has been a little more clarity - at least I think so, anyway. (hmmmm, ambiguous clarity, what a wonderful contradiciton interms...)

Part of the anwer was that I have been on the right track most of the time, and often haven't realized it. It's easy to lose sight of the big picture, getting lost in the maze, losing the forest for the trees (feel free to use whatever other cliche you want).

The key has always been balance - balancing healing work with close encounter research, balancing hypnotherapy with writing and research, balaincing heart-centered work with the business of business, balaincing work with family time, and so on. And in my casting about for an answer, for which path to take, the more I endeavor to resolve one path or another, the more I find that at least for me and at least for now, the answer seems to be a balance between paths.

In physics-geek terms, it feels like a quantum superposition of answers, like I am unable to collapse the potentialities into actuality. The answer to my quest for resolution is that, at least for now, there is no resolution. There is only ambiguity, and with it a continuingly wonderful chain of synchronicity - including a fascinating moment of synchronicity about synchronicity, itself...

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