meeting Whitley Strieber

There are few personalities that can compare to Whitley Strieber. He is (for good or for bad) an intense dude! And he brings out strong opinions in other people.

I met him and he was nice to me.

I'll add that he's a big guy, over 6 feet tall and an impressive presence in a room. When I met him (at Chet Snow's SECRETS conference in 2007) he had on a suit and tie in a room full of flowery new-age people at a UFO conference, making him even more imposing.

He was standing in a line for coffee and I introduced myself. Without any niceties, I jumped right to the issue that was deeply troubling me. I spoke about how I was trying to come to terms with my own set of experiences, which seemed to point to a series of ongoing abductions.

I said, "Looking into this, I'm really - well - really freaked out."

Whitley said, "I should say so!"

Here's what he told me next:

"You know how when you look at a lake at that moment of a beautiful sunset, and the light is reflecting off the surface of the water. What you are seeing is the color of the sky, and the dazzling display of the sunset."

He made a melodramatic hand gesture to visually describe the flat surface of a lake out in front of him, and then he continued.

"But at the same time you may get a glimpse what's under the surface of the water, but you can only see a distorted refraction. I feel that's what's going on here. We see something that we can't quite perceive, it's hidden from us - and what we DO see is distorted and refracted. There is a LOT going on under the water."

That is as good a definition as I've ever heard about this entire mixed-up quandary.

more owls

Two nights ago, I (again) sat in a meadow at sunset, and saw three owls circle around me. I was with a small team of students, and we all basically said: "Golly, this is cool!" This time there was nothing (that I know of) that might have been a trigger. No talk of God or my mother's mortality.

For reasons unknown, I have seen a lot of owls this summer. I spend a lot of time outside in terrain with owls, and this undoubtedly adds to my ability to see owls - but SO many?Am I making too much out of something that might be perfectly mundane?

My question to anyone out there: Has anyone ever seen adult owls in groups of three (or five)?

More owl stories here & here.

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One more story: About 5 years ago I saw two Barred owls in the mountains near my house. They followed me at sun set as I walked along a trail. They would fly to a tree, watch me pass by, and then fly to the next tree and continue watching me as I walked along my path.

David Huggins calls me, right on time

I'm back from my field work teaching mountain skills, and - sure enough - David Huggins calls me on the phone. That's three times he's managed to catch me just a few hours after I am officially done with my outdoor work.

He has a book out, and typical of any artist, he's not entirely happy with the end results (I know the feeling). The book is filled with paintings and the stories that were the inspiration. David's story is at the extreme edge of an already unbelievable subject. But, as bizarre as they are, I simply cannot dismiss his experiences. I've spoken with him at length, and I can't understand why he would be lying. Plus, he has eagerly encouraged me to pursue my creative impulses.

The book is available now, authored by Farah Yurdoza.

five owls

A bunch more owls have shown up in my life.

Here's what happened. I just got out of the mountains in Southern Montana near Yellowstone.

I was on a 7-day trip teaching lightweight camping skills. As twilight approached, myself and a student named Peter did a water run to a nearby spring. It was a beautiful walk, and it probably took less than 20 minutes. We were talking about our lives, and the curious paranormal events that seem to flavor some of our personal experiences.

We got back to camp, and we both lay down to watch the sky. Now, this is unusual, it's something I would never do. But we both did it that evening.

Both of us were on our backs, looking up from a small meadow surrounded by dens trees. Peter is a psychiatrist and the conversation seemed to get deeper and deeper, as the sky got darker and darker.

At one point, there was a noise in the trees above us, and suddenly the small opening in the trees was filled with FIVE OWLS. Yes - FIVE OWLS!

All adult owls, approx 2 feet long, beak to tail, probably common Barred Owls.

It lasted about 10 minutes, and we were both a little bit in shock at the intensity of the sighting. At some point, as we watched them swoop above us, I asked Peter what I was talking about when the owls appeared.

He said I spoke about my mother.

I said, "Really?"

He said, "Yes, they appeared right when you mentioned your mother."

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That night I had a dream my mother was crying, and the image of her face was terribly sad. The next day I called her using a cell phone from high on an alpine ridge top. I was relieved when she said she was fine. I'll add that two years ago she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and presently her life is extremely confusing and stressful. I was worried, and it was nice to hear her voice.

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New text added March 9th 2012:

In this story I noted: "Peter did a water run to a nearby spring."

I need to add a little more to this story. We were camped in a beautiful spot, and there was a pond near our camp site. But the pond was sort of green and murky, not really the best for drinking. I had been in this area before, and I knew of a beautiful spring nearby. So, Peter and I collected all the water bottles from our teammates, there were seven of us total. We carried the empty water bottles to the spring, filled 'em up with cold clear water trickling right out of the rocks, and then took them back to camp.

This is the kind of thing I like to do, just a nice gesture at the end of a long day of hiking. Now, this altruistic act has shown up in another synchronicity (linked HERE). This isn't much of a pattern, that an altruistic act would directly proceed something odd, but I just felt it was important to share my thoughts.

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“Is that a crystal around your neck?”

I was on my bike at night in downtown Bozeman Montana looking for ice cream. It was late enough that a lot of places were closed, so I rode to the gas station at the edge of town. It was open, and I got a pint out of the freezer and went up to the counter. As I was paying the woman behind the counter looked at me oddly, and then cautiously asked me a question:

“Is that a crystal around your neck?”

I said yes.

Okay - I have been wearing a lepidolite crystal on a chain around my neck. This alone should tell you how far over the edge I’ve gone in immersing myself in this ongoing weirdness. The events surrounding this thing, the how's and the why's, would be it’s own series of nutty blog postings (someday, maybe). The story is interesting, but I’ll leave it for another time.

Back to the gas station.

The woman is extremely polite, and explains that the way the stone is mounted, the energy is leaking out the bottom. It’s a tiny egg shaped stone, and it hangs from the chain with the skinny axis going up and down. She told me that it should be set so that it’s sideways to the present axis.

I said thank you, and I took her suggestion seriously.

I got on my bike and rode down the empty main street of this little town. I had a very simple and calm feeling, and I thought to myself, “What am I supposed to make of that? Should I follow up on her recommendation?”

And - At that instant, the streetlight above me went off.

That thought, and that calm feeling seems to be a very real pattern. It comes up in a way that I don’t control, there is no stress or anxiety, they simply appear in my mind as, just a nice calm thought (and David Huggins tells of the same nice thoughts, and their relevance). I get the strong impression that I should trust these nice thoughts.

Coming to terms with these experiences has been extremely difficult. It’s been worrisome (am I insane?) and scary (WTF?). I will dwell on this quandary, and it’s unhealthy. I can get stuck in an oppressive head-space, so when these nice thoughts appear - I recognize them for what they are. At least I hope I do.
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updates

1. About contacting Mike Lewis:
I have replied to the friend request from Mike Lewis. I even had a film crew in the room as I sent the note (yes, I know that's weird). Since that point, we've sent a few short notes back and forth. Just pleasantries. There will be a day when I ask him about that night in 1974, but it hasn't happened yet.

2. A curious update from Cindy Gail:
I just got off the phone with Cindy Gail. I said hello to her on the facebook chat-program and she immediately replied:

I have exciting news for you - What's your phone number? - it's something I can't type - too long - life changing for you - I'm calling you on the phone - RIGHT NOW!

Here's the scoop, she still visits her old next door neighbors (the married couple are now in their mid-80's and in good health). She said they told her a story that they saw a glowing green UFO above her house! This would have been before 1977 (when the couple moved). This roughly matches the time-frame of my missing time experience, in front of that same house in Michigan.

I begged Cindy to play the role of investigative reporter and dig up more on this very curious puzzle piece.

3. More owls
I've seen a few owls lately. They've made their appearance right before some heavy-handed and emotional events.

Just last week I was driving to the airport in the pre-dawn dark, and I saw an owl on a signpost along the side of the road. It flew away as I passed. My trip involved visiting my aging parents who are both dealing with very serious health issues. It was a hard and emotional trip. That said, the trip simply had to happen, even with the very real stresses.

The Garden

Recently I was on a short walk in the woods with a friend and her little son. It was a lovely summer morning and we were in the foothills of Bridger range just outside of Bozeman Montana. At the end of the walk, as the trail neared the parking lot I looked down and saw a small snake in the weeds along the path, and at the same moment she looked up and saw that we were in a patch of seviceberry bushes.

It’s unusual to see snakes in the northern Rockies. It was a just a small garter snake, but a rare sighting none the less.

She began picking the ripe berries and offering them to me, insisting that I try them.

I immediately recognized the mythic imagery of a woman offering me fruit from a tree in the company of a serpent. I pointed this out to her, and she took it upon herself to really play up the role of Eve. I ate without any hesitation.


Less than a week later I was working in the Gallatin range (also near Bozeman) and I was leading a team on a week long hiking trip. At one point, we walked out of the trees to an open meadow and I saw another snake. My first thought was, “Huh, I guess it’s normal to see snakes around here.”

At that instant, my hiking partners walked out of the bushes to meet me, and one fellow exclaimed: “Jacqueline just made me eat Serviceberries, they are SO good!”

Sure enough, our lone female teammate offered one of men fruit from a tree in the presence of a snake.

Then we all looked at the snake together, and to our surprise, it had it’s mouth wrapped around a big mouse with the hind feet and tail poking out. The little snake looked sort of ridiculous with it’s porky meal stretching its girth in a way that seemed impossible. It was like some creepy scene on The Nature Channel.

Any mythologists wanna chime in and tell me what this means? (especially the mouse)

David says what I’m feeling

David Biedny spoke words that I could have very easily said myself. He (as usual) spoke his truth with a better clarity that I ever could have.

The excerpt below is from last nights PARACAST at about the 1:45:00 time mark on the 2 hour podcast (Aug 9, 2009). David shared some stuff that I found really moving. He’s said as much before on other episodes, so don’t ask me why, but this time it really got to me.

Below is a slightly edited (for clarity) transcript from David. I added the dot-dot-dot thing (...) to show where I took out some extraneous dialogue. Italics are all mine. Let me make this clear, he was saying exactly what I’m feeling.

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David said:

When this kind of stuff has intersected with your life you - I mean - for so many years I didn’t think about this stuff - for so many years...

But it’s not an experience, it’s a whole framework. It’s really really odd stuff. Really weird.

So, the point is, when this stuff intersects with your reality at a certain point it kinda reaches an overflow point where you can’t ignore it anymore. So I guess for me, I reached a point where, y’know, I had been bottling this stuff up - suppressing it - all of it...

I’m bringing this up so that people can have some appreciation for the fact that I’m grappling with this stuff in my life. I mean, this is stuff that I don’t have answers for - I have so many questions - and I don’t have a lot of understanding for a lot of this stuff - and - It’s almost as if when Gene was saying to me “Hey, why don’t we do a show about this stuff?”

And, at first I was really hesitant, and then I thought: Maybe it’ll feel good to talk about this some of this... And I wanna talk about these things. Look, maybe at some point I’ll end up regretting all of this, there are times now when I regret it...

But - What are y’gunna do? I’m in my mid-40’s, do I wanna suppress this stuff anymore? No.

I think these things have happened to me for some sort of a reason. Now, I could be wrong about that, but I sorta know I’m not. This is where things get murky and complicated...

But when you’ve interacted with the unknown in the ways I have, there seems to be some sort of purpose to it. And I don’t pretend to know what the purpose is. I don’t know. We’re talking about ongoing things, so - I don’t know - I have a lot of questions...

We have to talk about these things. Look, someone has to have the rational discourse about this stuff. Someone's gotta do it.

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Well said! Thank you, David.

thoughts on a documentary on hold

I've brought this up before in this blog, but I've been involved in a low-budget documentary on the UFO abduction phenomenon. I've tried to write about it, but the story is sorta long and complicated. I type slow and talk fast, so I recorded it as audio.

the universe answers my plea

I’m in the midst of a very curious event, and I’m posting it, right now, as it’s unfolding.

I’ve been searching for answers, and something that seems to provide some insight involves me sleeping out under the stars. I’ve been going out into the mountains, alone, with the sole intent of asking the Universe for help. Yes, I know this sounds corny, but please keep reading.

Before I fall asleep, I’ll lay in my sleeping bag and I’ll ask out loud. I do this periodically, and I almost always get some sort of curious reply. It started in the form of VERY vivid dreams, and some are posted on this blog. Sometimes I’ll wake up, no dreams, nothing curious at all, but before noon I’ll find some other synchronistic event that seems to match my questioning. This post about the neuron-like nature of the internet is a good example, and it adds a deeper layer to this story.

Lately, I’ve been bringing a tiny hand held voice recorder. I’ll sit in my sleeping bag and record my appeal to the Universe. If I have a vivid dream in the night, I can record it as soon as I wake up.

Two days ago (Wed. July 29th) I hiked into the Tetons alone, I live close by, and I can get in quick. I just walk until it gets dark, and then I set up my sleeping bag. I know the weather around here, and I rarely set up a shelter.

Recently (and its an ongoing theme in this blog) I have been feeling lost and adrift. I’ve been trying to articulate my insecurities about what I’m dealing with, and it’s implications. It’s created a form of fatigue that is oppressive and confusing, and I’m tired of it. I want some answers.

As I hiked into the mountains on Wednesday afternoon, I rehearsed my speech, my appeal. I did this out loud. Is this prayer? I guess, maybe.

I feel comfortable hiking off-trail, and at about 10,000 feet this gets easy, you come out above tree-line and the terrain is open and lovely. I picked a direction (east) and just kept going, the sun was setting as I found an area just big enough to set my sleeping bag down. A little ledge of sorts, tucked in next to a little sub-alpine fir. There was a trickling spring nearby, and I was provided with a spectacular view of a canyon that sees visitors only rarely. I was perched above it, on a small platform of granite, watching the sun setting (in a blaze of orange) and the half moon rising. It was about 9:30 when I found my home for the night.

I ate a little something, I brushed my teeth, arranged my pad and climbed into my sleeping bag. Before zipping myself in, I spoke into my little digital audio recorder.

Yes, I recognize how perfectly mushy and New-Agey I sound. 

But this exactly reflects my deepest feeling, right then. 1 minute, 34 seconds.

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I woke up the next morning just a little before dawn. No dreams, nothing. I packed up my gear and kept going up in the calm blue-gray of the pre-dawn light. I hiked along a really pretty ridge system as the sun came up, climbed a nice peak, and then turned around, heading west, and made my way (off trail) back to my car. I got to the parking lot at about noon, and back to my house at about 1:PM.

 I open my email account and my heart literally stops. There, on my screen, was a Facebook friend request from Mike Lewis (a pseudonym for privacy). Okay - let me fill you in, Mike Lewis was with me in 1974 as we walked home on a friday night from a high school football game. If my memory is correct, at about 9:30 in the evening, we saw a strange orange flash in the sky, and I arrived home at about 11:30. Together, as best as I can figure, we experienced about 2 hours of missing time. (see this posting for more details).

I've been searching for Mike Lewis for the last three years. Unfortunately, I’ve found a large number of folks with this very common name, but I’ve been to scared to follow up and try to contact him. The last time we saw each other was probably high school graduation in 1980, that’s 29 years ago. The time of the incoming email from Mike Lewis was 9:38 PM, pretty close to the same time I spoke my emotional plea into that little recorder from my sleeping bag.

I ask the Universe for help and it answers me. This is a repeat of the single most important story on this blog. Please read the events surrounding Cindy Gail, and her reappearance in my life. The orange Flash and missing time took place in Cindy Gail front yard. The Facebook friend request. The exactness of the time. And both are an overt answer to a deep need in me. Okay - as I write this I am a little bit freaked-out.

Why can’t this feel peaceful and fun? Instead it’s welling up as a stifling quandary.

My next task as a human on planet earth is to “confirm this friend request.” But I’m frozen and scared. More soon.

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Added text on Sept. 3rd 2009

I have replied to the friend request from Mike Lewis. I even had a film crew in the room as I sent the note. Since that point, we've sent a few short notes back and forth. Just pleasantries. There will be a day when I ask him about that night in 1974, but it hasn't happened yet.

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Added text on Jan. 16th 2010

I've just posted a dream where Mike Lewis makes a very curious appearance.

a sister blogger (another one)

A few days ago I received a comment on a posting I wrote on St. Paddy's Day, it was from another blogger. For some reason, I was fascinated by her comments. I searched a little, found her site, read some of her work, sent her a note and soon we were emailing back and forth.

This is yet another blog where the author shares personal paranormal experiences, including UFO sightings and their heavy-handed implications. (Someday, I need to make a list of these blogs) I am still at a loss at how to label these experiences. Is she an abductee? Contactee? Experiencer?

The title of her ongoing blog is: IN A WORLD CRACKING OPEN - Endings & Beginnings.

She goes by the pen name Lucretia Heart, and her story is rich, complicated and utterly bizarre. Having been looking at this subject, long and hard, I gotta say most of the stuff in her story seems to match things I’ve heard, either in print or from people sharing these stories with me directly.

I was utterly drawn to this posting. Here’s how the story begins:

Late September 2006, at about 2 am, a strange, blond man, tall, broad shouldered, and handsome, walked right into our living room in the middle of the night. We were up and alert at the time because someone had awakened us out of a dead sleep by rapping loudly on our bedroom window. A few minutes later, while my husband, Gerick, and I were shakily trying to figure out what was going on, Big Blond Guy just opened up our front door and strode on in!

I knew him and his name was Ethan...

Bizarre things had been occurring ever since we moved into that cabin out in the Ohio woods: Grey alien visitations, poltergeist phenomena, and several close-up UFO sightings. It had been an interesting year, to say the least! But this walk-in by a tall blond dude was altogether a bigger deal, and I knew it.

Many years before, Gerick and I and several other abductees we knew of were apparently put on some sort of 'stand-by' status. We were all told the same thing: that we were prepared and ready now, so we'd mostly be left alone (except for brief check-ups) until "it was time."

Time for what? For something to start. Something big. Something that had to do with the whole world changing. . .

NOTE: This story has been featured in JAR Quarterly
(Journal of Abduction-Encounter Research)

Mike replies...
I’ll add that 2006 seems to be the year that I began to become more preoccupied with the subject. My interest had been simply the stuff of curiosity, a subject that I followed. But, from this point on (about 2006) it turned into an obsession, and heavy-handed synchronicities began to invade my life.

Here are two more postings from my sister blogger. To me, these follow up stories are an important addition to the Ethan story.

Lucretia writes, The Hippie Visitor:

(she shares this) The following I wrote before meeting a guy named "Ethan" in a 2006 experience. I don't think they're the same guy-- but I could be wrong. I'm still confused about this one...

Mike replies...
Anyone who has read SIGHT UNSEEN by Budd Hopkins will immediately be reminded of the mysterious Mr. Page. The stories are eerie in their similarities.

Lucretia writes, A Letter To "Ethan"

I'm not sure what I'm trying to do here, exactly. I suppose I'm trying to imagine that if there were a way to communicate to "Ethan" (or whatever that mysterious yet familiar guy's name was who visited us in late September of 2006) I would dearly like to do so and would. I guess this is an exercise of my wishful imagination. But IF I could write to him, and have him read my writing, this is what I would like to say to that Angel/Alien/Faerie who came that night...

Mike concludes...
I could have made this post a LOT longer. My communications with Lucretia has been a tightly woven web of links to other ongoing synchronicities, including: The Irish, women with long red hair, the number 33, tall Nordic beings, Budd Hopkins and a deep premonition about our future.

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curious time code on podcasts

I had an odd experience in the final days of February of this year. It started during the drive home from Lauglin Nevada, after spending a week at a UFO Conference. This was not a peaceful time for me, I was struggling and conflicted and trying to make sense of my memories. The dilemma of what to do next in my life was oppressive and real. During that week of being locked in a creepy casino, I confided in a lot of folks at the event and the consistent feedback I got was that I should talk more openly about my experiences.

I was dealing with these confusing emotions as I was driving my Subaru North out of Salt Lake City. As I approached the Idaho border and I was listening to my iPod, and the thing was set on shuffle, and instead of a song, THE PARACAST comes on. It was the two hour episode with Dr. Leo Sprinkle. Great, I was stuck in the car and could spend the time really listening. I had heard it before, and I though it was really interesting, so I made an effort to pay attention.

Leo is a sweet articulate guy, with a take on this subject that seems to mirror mine in a lot of ways. And, he even looks like me!

At one point in the discussion, Leo brings up my name, and lemme tell you - I was paying close attention at that point. He and the host, David Biedny, talk about my dilemma. Leo sums up my emotional state in a few brief sentences. And then David shares his insights, and he takes a few moments to articulate his feelings about my credibility.

During this drive I was trying to sort out a lot of emotional stuff in my head. It had become clear that I was going to need to start sharing my experiences with people. I had a plan to invite a couple of friends over and to let them in on all this stuff, I trust these two folks, and I wanted to gage their reaction. I though I could even play them this little excerpt from the PARACAST where my credibility gets praised.

So I pause the thing and make an effort to note the time on the iPod display where my name gets mentioned. Now, trying to do this and drive on a busy interstate isn’t easy, but I can see the time marker reads 1:23:45.

Okay, that’s a little odd. Anyway, it’s a very easy number to remember, and I plan on reviewing it at home, when I’m not driving 80 miles per hour. For the remaining few hours of the drive, this weird detail sort of bugs me.

When I get home, I immediately turn on my computer and make a frantic effort to find that episode where Leo mentions my case.

I’ve transcribed it below, and I’ve noted EXACTLY where the 1:23:45 fits into Leo’s comments.

* Paracast Jan. 18th 2009 *

David (host):
In my personal experiences, there are aspects of high strangeness that that have happened to me, in my experiences, that make me skeptical of my own experiences. Truly. And this has become a dilemma for me in my middle age. This has become a problem.

Leo (guest):
Same thing that Mike Clelland tells about himself, that he feels in a dilemma because on the one hand he knows he's had his experiences, (1:23:45) but on the other hand he cant reconcile that with what's going on around him and so it puts him in an awkward situation philosophically.

David:
Absolutely.

The synchronistic time fits right where Leo contemplates the two conflicting set of issues I’m dealing with. The relevant quote is: “...on the one hand he knows he’s had his experiences, (1:23:45) but on the other hand he can’t reconcile that...”

The curious time is exactly in between the the two contradictory sides of my present quandary. Weird.

Okay - I’m at the desk, looking at my transcript, and feeling like I’ve discovered a little clue in this bizarre issue.

I realize I was interviewed for an hour on another episode of THE PARACAST, and it’s in my iTunes library, so I scroll down to that, and I find the same time count of 1:23:45.

Here’s the excerpt below.

* Paracast Nov. 16th 2008 *

Mike C:
“I remember waking up and there was a bright light filling the room, and my first thought was that it was the light in the driveway was on. So I sat up in bed, and I have a small illustration of this posted, I sat up in bed and I looked out the window and I remember seeing (1:23:45) quite clearly, five, spindly, gray aliens with the big bald heads and the big black eyes standing outside my window.”

This event of seeing these images out my window has been another really heavy handed quandary for me. I really have a hard time believing in the truth of this memory. I shared this story with a fellow named Paul Davids during my time in Laughlin, and he was understandably fascinated. But I felt like I was leading him on, like I was lying by saying I saw this. It bothered me, the memory is SO weird, that it’s impossible to trust. During this entire process I have tried to be as honest as possible about how I present these memories, and this one in particular is so unbelievable that I’m awash in doubt.

And again, the curious moment of the time count shows up at a very relevant point. I said: “I remember seeing (1:23:45) quite clearly...”

How much weight should I give these elusive little synchronicities?

Yes, I recognize how flighty all this seems. There was a frantic sort of compulsion as I looked into all of this, and there doesn’t seem to be any real point here. I worry that I’m turning into a paranoid weirdo seeing mystical patterns in all these numbers.

The only thing I can think of is what Leo says about synchronicities, that it’s a message to stay on the path.

It feels like a little whispering voice telling me to pay attention.

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Text added June 29th 2010:

Another bit of synchro-groovyness HERE! That stretch of interstate north of Salt Lake City (and my iPod) seems to have more to tell me!

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my left nostril

For your viewing enjoyment, my nose. (photo Oct. 2008)

Please note that I have a funny little scar on my left nostril. It's right on the edge, and a little bit up in there. I have absolutly no idea where it came from.

Yes, I know, it's kinda strange to post such an extreme close-up, and I apologize for the weirdness. It's an unsettling image, with my little hairs, unshaven upper lip, and my sun damaged splotchy pink skin.

Anyway - I plainly have a tiny scar in my left nostril. It just showed up one day about (maybe) between 7 and 9 years ago. I vaguely remember when the scar appeared, maybe 2000 or so. There was a sore spot in my nose, and I remember looking in a mirror and realizing that there was a little razor like slit, maybe 1/8 of an inch long, and it was irritated and swollen. I dismissed it as an ingrown hair.

I had a girlfriend a while back (maybe 6 years ago) who was close enough to my nose to ask: "Where did that come from?"

My response was, "Uhhh, it's from an ingrown hair."

She replied (quite definitively): "No it's not!"

And - I immediately felt really frightened, and odd response.

* * *

PLEASE KNOW: I did a tiny bit of photoshop enhancing. Mostly to erase some stray hairs. I played with the contrast to highlight the scar. So, this is NOT "raw", it has been re-touched, slightly. I still have the raw image, if anyone feels the need to see it. It's pretty much exactly the same.
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Text added Oct. 30th 2009
A few weeks back I met a doctor at a UFO conference. I asked him to look at the small scar in my nostril. I tipped my head back and he got in close. He simply replied that it might be due to a small staff infection below the skin. It may have produced the scaring that is presently visible.

I suspect he is probably right. Maybe the little scar really is the result of an ingrown hair?

This post and the photo may mean nothing, but it does point to one thing. I'm obviously paranoid, and finding a scar on my nose is quite unnerving considering the implications of other memories and events. Am I overly suspicious about mundane things? Undoubtedly - yes.

crop circle synchronicities

a big map of Kansas and three points along a line

This story, told by my sister blogger in a video format, is strangely similar to my experience.

I had a thought that my little community needed a crop circle, and it appeared that night in a wheat field near by. It was a simple thing, just a nice thought.

Here's an excerpt form a prevous blog posting:
It was mid-day (summer 2002) and I was at my desk ... and I had this sudden flash. I thought to myself: We need a crop circle here, that would be so fun ... This thought just emerged in my mind out of nowhere ...

The next day, I saw a friend on the street here in Driggs. We chatted for a little while and then she offhandedly added, “You know that a crop circle appeared in Teton last night.”

This was the day when I met Stace at this set of circles. And she saw a silvery disc above the formation.

And, for those hard core paranormalist out there, what was that curious flash at the 3:oo mark?

Read Stace's comments at her blog.

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PLEASE NOTE:

This video sent me on that wild ride where I obsessively looked into my own MAP weirdness.

Chris Knowles conversation

Modern mythology, alternate history and pop-cult symbology.

This post has a MP3 audio file. This is NOT a podcast, and I am NOT a podcaster. I just recorded this conversation and I figured I would transcribe a few questions. We ended up talking for two-hours. At the end, I thought the discussion was interesting, and relevant. So, you get the whole thing.

two hours / recorded July 3rd 2009

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Christopher Knowles writes an amazing blog, THE SECRET SUN where he investigates the profound themes that are emerging in our popular culture. He has a really compelling take on the (not-so-subtle) subconscious goings-on within the soup of our modern culture. I referenced his blog on my site before. I gotta say, I'm kind of addicted to his site, and I really scrutinize his writings, and sometimes there is stuff he unravels that just has the ring of truth.

Chris is the author of OUR GODS WEAR SPANDEX: The Secret History of Comic Book Heroes, a really insightful book about the parallels between ancient mythologies and modern comic books.

Also the co-author of The Complete X-Files: Behind the Series, the Myths, and the Movies, published by Insight Editions.

I started with 3 simple questions. I figured we would just answer these, I’d say thanks and I transcribe them and post them as text. Well, the conversation ended up being almost two hours long. I’ve included what I had written down to ask.

Questions for Chris:

1. I’ve read a bunch of your work, and you are working to define a mythic under current in our present day society, and you focus on pop culture. What are you finding?

2. You analyze movies for their mythic significance, and I really relate to your conclusions. Do you think there are a bunch of Hollywood script writers sitting around a conference table saying: “Let’s find a bunch of heavy handed mythological imagery and sneak it into this corny movie.”

Is this the reality? Or, is it something stranger. Is this stuff just welling up from some hidden place?

3. This question is self-serving on my part. In the last 3 years or so, I’ve had such overt and heavy handed synchronicities and they are all pushing me in one direction. This force seems to be pushing me to openly explore my own experiences, and it’s a jumble of UFO stuff, weird coincidences and dreams.

I would love to get your take on this, any thoughts on what I’m dealing with?

The answers were long, and lead to other questions, and we could never really answer anything. The circular process of pondering was extremely illuminating, and the conversation left me with a deeper set of insights, but the mystery remains.

I'll add that whenever I really get immersed in the SECRET SUN's postings, I end up with a weird zap on my head. And I suddenly find all these intense connections and clues, it's like I can sense the spiderweb just beyond my conscious perceptions.

- and -

During the conversation, Chis states that he's kept a journal of his personal synchronicities. When I asked him about this and wanted a rough number of how many, he paused - collected his thoughts - and then said, "Tens of thousands."

Now THAT peaked my interest!
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During our conversation we reference a few things (links below):

Return of the Archons, a STAR TREK episode from 1967 with deep roots in anciet esoteric knowlledge. Chris says it's, "Gnostic as hell!"

Chris sees a terrifying little entity at the foot of his bed: The Leprechaun story.

Pushing Tin is a corny Hollywood movie with heavy-handed symbolism.

During our skype call I referred to a 5-minute Pixar animation as TAKEN, I got the title wrong - it's called LIFTED, it's a impressive piece of light entertainment. No dialog, it just assumes you know the whole story.

Nine-Eleven-Ten-Thirteen is a blog posting about the overt premonitions on the X-Files:

I recommend this excellent two part audio interview (better than mine) between Chris and Aeolus Kephas.

And, on St. Paddy's Day I felt like I was channeling Chris with this post about OWLS & SUPER MODELS.

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Modern mythology, alternate history and pop-cult symbology.