BUFORA Bulletin2 No.15 Dec 1999 Jan 2000

28 Pages·1999·6.9 MB·English

B[JFQRA
BUhTHTIN
Journal of the British UFO Research Association
In This
Close Encounter in Oxfordshire?
A Case for Ball Lightning
Hypnotic Recall
No:
15 Dec 1999/Jan 2000
British UFO Research Association
Officers and Council Members 1999-2000
The British UTO R€s€arch Aslocistion (BUFORA Ltd, b-r cu!.rntcc) Foruded 1964. R€gistered
o{fice: 16 South$a}, Burgess Hill, Susses. RIll5 9ST Registered in l-ondon 01234924 Incorrnrrting
tbe Brilish UFO Association (founded 1962) & th€ t ndon ljt-(l Rcsearch ()rganisation (founded 1959)
COTINCIL RESEARCH &
INVESTIGATION
Stephen Gamble (Chairman)
Manfred Cassirer Robert Digby Director of lnvestigatioos :
Tony Eccles Michael HLrdson Gloria Dixon
Brian James Robin Lindsey (Address as Central Office)
Malcolm Robinson John Spencer Enrail : [email protected]
Amold West Phone:[phone]
Director of Research :
John Spencer
BUFORA CENTRAL OFFICE
(Address as Central Office)
l6 Southway, Burgess Hill, Email : [email protected]
Sussex, RHl5 9ST
(No personal visits) Postal Training Corrse :
Phone: [phone]'738 Dave Pointon
Email : [email protected] 5, Chapel Street
Web : http://www.bulora.org.uk Mount Pleasant, Mow Cop
Stoke-On-l'rent.
OTHER OFFICERS Sta{Is, ST7 4NP
President (No personal visits)
Vice-Presidents Lionel Beer- FRAS Phone. [phone]O
Arnold West Email : [email protected]
Press Ollicer
Membership James Danby
Website Richard Conway
UFOCall Jenny Randles
Newscuttings Michael Hudson
BUTORA Bulletln is the regular pt$licition of lhe Rritish Unidentifie.d Fh'ing Obiect Research Asso-
cialion. Views cxpressed in submitled contribulions do not rq)rcscnt the \,iews or fxnicjcs ofBlJ|ORA,
lh€ Editorial h)ard, the Council or othcr officers, ercept *4rcre specificnlly idcnlificd as such. All rights
resen€d. this publication may not be stored or duplicatcd in any Nay $ithoul the express $ritten con-
sent of the publishcr.
Page 2 BItI'0R,4 R utht
CONTENTS EDITORIAL
Editorial Scientific Vandalism
As I started to write this editorial the
From Here and There last of the summer crops were being
harvested fiom the local fields. As the
last of what we call
summer
Strange Experience from disappeared my thoughts tumed to our
Oxfordshire colleagues in the study of crop circles
Brian James and how they would now be turning
their efforts to trying to find something
significant from the vast amount of
Readers Write 12 data they collected over the season.
And my thoughts then tumed to
regret. Since near the beginning the
A Case lor Ball 14
serious researchers have known that
Lightning
some crop circles were fakes. They
Gloria Dixon
just disagreed over what proportion
were hoaxes. But as news of the
How Perception Works; l'l phenomena spread the number of
fakes appeared to increase.
How Recall Works
John Spencer So what does this have to do with
tIFOs? Well, crop circles were an
interesling phenomenon about which it
Astronomical may have been possible to find
Misidentifications
something significant. Nowadays, I
Brian James believe the 'genuine' phenomenon, if
there is one, is totally swamped by all
the hoaxes. The stupid vandalism of
Lectures
the hoa\ers has ruined most chances
at scientific study.
My big worry is that new technology
t.ll;OI ibmo oinktscr essnlcdd rinna pguarzchinacssin. gA okl like cheap advanced video, digital
photography and computers will allow
rcasonahlc oflcr considcrcd.
the hoaxers to invade and ruin our
llrpli(s to; jV r. Mikc llrtds.rn subject too. And will the 'experts' be
(;/o: l'() Bor 4?l able to spot these fakes? Or will LIFO
(hnlcrhrrj experts be fooled like many crop circle
Kcnl CT3 lGll. experts have in recent years?
nLIOR.I R rti,l
Page 3
FROM HERE AND ment to investigation and research
THERE would mean spreading her available
time too thinly. She continues to be
involved in R&1.
Philip & Sue Mantle
Cover Design
We are pleased to announce that Philip
and Sue Mantle have accepted the offer Older members may recognise the de-
ofjoint honorary life memberstrip ofBU- sign on the fiont cover ol'this Bulletin.
FORA. The Council made this offer in It is a design that was used on the BU-
recognition of tbeir work on behalf of FORA Journal in the mid-t970s, when
the Association. fuchard Beet was the edilor. It is
planned to use this as the default im-
Both Philip and Sue were members of age on the front cover of the Bulletin
the Council for a number of years. ln from now on. However, should a par-
addition Philip was Direcror of lnvesti- ticularly interesting illustration come
garions for several years as well as acting to hand which relates to the content of
as Publicity Ofiicer. Sue also ran the a particular issue then that illustration
BUFORA Central Office for two years. will be used on the cover for that one
As if this was not enough, they jointly
issue.
undenook the organisation of several
very successfu I conferences. Readers Letters
As many members will know, recently
There has been a very health flow of
Philip has suffered a period of ill health.
material for this feature. Indeed, re-
He has now got over the worst of that
cent weeks have seen enough letters
and seems to be making a continuing re-
come in to fill a complete issue of the
covery, although this will take some Bulletin. Therefore, regrettably it has
time. Philip and Sue would like to ex-
been necessary to hold some over until
press their thanks to all those people
at least the next issue, and some may
who sent get well messages. have to wait for the issue after that.
But keep writing.
Kate Taylor
Christmas and New Year
Having announced in issue 14 that Kate
Greetings
Taylor and Brian James have joined the
Council, I now have to announce that
Kate has decided not to continue her The Council and Officers ofBUFORA
send seasons greetings to all members.
membership of the Council.
Have a happy and safe festive season
She felt being a member of the Council
in addition to her already hearry commit-
Page 4
Strange Experience sounds silly. I realise that this type of
from Oxfordshire encounter is a very deeply spiritual
area, and the concepts will be very un-
comfortable for many people, not least
Brian James for the 'abductees'. These descriptions
may also be uncomfortable for the re-
CK, a 50 year-old engineer, has re- searchers, but all concepts must be ex-
cently related a number of experiences plored. We cannot move forward if
to our investigators. we keep restricting our concepts and
beliefs to extremely narrow paths. If
Recently we have had the opportunity there are differences between actual
to work with an 'experiencer', who physical encounters and astral encoun-
we'll call CK. Here, his experiences te$, do the simple terms of CE3K to
are recalled, and for the benefit of the CE5K suffce to cover these potential
reader, those in the astral realms are important differences?
noted by parenthesis, i.e. [CK]
Before we try lo cover areas of CK's
ln recent years. CK has had increasing experiences, we must 6rst provide
apparent experiences in astral realms, some background thoughts. CK was
and these have included encounlers brought up with the normal religious
with ET visitors. CK is keen to em- 'indoctrination' that was pan of the
phasise that his accounts should not be educalion system in this country, but
taken as those ofpublicised 'abductees' never accepted the ideas of Christian
or'contacteeJ, but then where is the teachings, so was not, in the conven-
line to be drawn between a true con- tional sense, a religious person. That
tactee, and the abductee? It is becom- is not to say thal he was an atheist, but
ing increasingly clear that 'alien abduc- more of an agnostic, and explored his
tions' do occur, but a significant num- own path(s). Therefore, when he be-
ber of occunences will not be of the came consciously aware of aspects of
physical body. It should be said that his astral encounters, he did not find it
CK is not happy with the emotive term easy to come to terms with the deep
'abduction', since it is highly probable spiritual implications. It was not until
that while astral bodies are\aken' by he started to become aware ofhis past,
other beings. i{ is not abduction and future incarnations, that the whole
against the person's will - the picture slowly began to emerge. One
'monitoring'by other beings is with fact tbat should be considered by the
that spirit's consent belore they came readers at this early point is that a be-
into their physical incarnation, it is just ing's 'spirit is truly universal lt is
that the conscious mind has forgotten wrong to describe it as the 'human
its purpose here. I have yet to come spirit' - many spirits may be 'earth-
up with a suitable term to describe bound', but they will not always have
these encounters. as 'monitoree' human incamations. CK is becoming
Bt'ltOkl Bullerin Page 5
AGM NOTICE
NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF BUFORA LTD
Sat. lst April,2000.
The TWENTY-FIFTH Annual General Meeting of BUFORA Ltd. will be held at
thE IJNIVERSITY OF WESTMINSTE& 35 MARYLEBONE ROAD, LON-
DON, NWI in the LECTURE THEATRE at l.00pm on SATURDAY lst APRTL
2000 to receive the Chairman's Repon, the Report ofthe Council ofManagement,
the Accounts of the Treasurer, and to appoint the Auditor according to the Ani-
cles of the Association.
Signed on behalfofthe Council ofManagement
Chairman
S.J.Gamble,, 5th September 1999.
Please Note ehrly $art tinc
more and more aware that few of his human misconception of linear time.
past lives have been here on Earth, and The spirit has the ability to transcend
he still feels apart from the 'earth- any point of 'time'or space. Therefore
bound' spirits here. [CK] is, in the the spirit has the ability to have a 'past'
strictest sense, a visitor here. [CK] physical incamation here on Earth, or
also knows that he is not alone in bs- anFyhere else in the universe, in the
ing a 'spiritual visitor', there are others past, present or future, equally iLs
here as temporary residents, and they 'future' can be in the past, present or
are drawn together in their human future - it should be remembered that
forms. It may be of interest for read- since the spirit can span time, it can
ers to consider why some spiritual visi- also have multiple, or concurrent in-
tors here are regarded as 'alien' while camations in any part of mankind's
others are regarded as 'angels' - what is 'linear timeline'.
the difference, perhaps it is down to
people's basic beliefs? We should also consider the different
forms of'astral being', or at least those
Anolher aspect o[ the spiritual realm is used by the spirit. As any ofyou who
that mankind's conceptions of time are travels as the astral self will know,
totally inappropriate, ifnot false. They there are many levels of astral being
serve as a barrier to mankind's devel that we can attain, sometimes referred
opment. but whether this barrier is to as being between 'light' and 'heavy',
self-imposed, or imposed by higher be- but perhaps 'density' might be a better
ings lor mankind's own protection term. These range from the light, al-
right now is not clear - perhaps more most ghostly, ethereal forms, right
inlormation will come, I was going to through to the densest, when the astral
say "ln the future", but that too is a body is as solid as the physical one.
Page 6
While it is in this densest form, the as- Having briefly looked at backgrounds
tral body can suffer injuries and trau- to experiences, where to start with ac-
mas. which are then reflecled, or mim- counts? CK was aware of certain €x-
icked, back on the physical body - per- periences with other beings at an early
haps the two bodies are almost symbi- age, and openly talked about them to
otically connected? These mimicked his parents, but they were dismissed as
injuries and marks are a very important 'dreams' or 'nightmares' that children
point to remember when we consider have - how many of you have had
bodily marks suffered by 'abductees'. similar experiences that were dis-
However, in these forms, the astral missed in the same way? One recurring
body still retains the shape and form of 'dream'from early childhood, and in-
its 'host', whether that is animal, hu- deed one that carried on through to
man, or of course 'alien'. When the CK's mid-twenties, was what might
spirit transcends these lower astral now be termed as part of the classic
realms, it sheds any connection to a abduction scenario. This is where he
physical form, and becomes a true 'free was consciously aware of being in a
sprit', which is amorphous, and the room of bright light, lying on his back,
feeling is totally different - as one fel- unable to move, with a deep pulsing
low traveller puts it " like just being a noise/feeling coming from behind.
pair of eyeballs moving through Breathing was also difiicult, and per-
space.." It might be wonh considering haps was best likened to having a
the concepts of astral realms. To most mask over the nose and mouth. This
people, these conjure up images of dream somelimes occuned two or
spiritual realms, with higher beings. three times a week, but it was always
However, current science is already very similar. Sometimes the room
working with concepts of other dimen- would look slightly different, but the
sions, and even now speculates on at one common lactor was the appear-
least ten other dimensions to our ance in the room ofbeings - of varying
own - could these be the same as astral heights, but all with enlarged heads,
realms? Since 'we' are able to travel to and they were all greyl This recurring
other astral realms in time and space, dream did finally stop, but then was
then we must accept that other beings superseded with the other encounters
will have mastered this technique, and with other beings, but by now [CK]
could be travelling here with just as had free will in these encounters, and
much regularity. Perhaps they have was not in any sense subjected to ex-
simply taken a different route of tech- amination.
nological evolution, or perhaps they
just didn't take the 'nuts and bolts' During his childhood years, CK had
technological approach at all, and mas- frequent 'dreams' of what he would
tered full psychic and telekinetic abili- now term as alien beings - many of
ties? these were before the advent of the
modern sci-fi type of TV show, which
BtiFOkl Bu etitl Page 7
really began in this country with Dr and he thinks he screamed. The next
Who. No-one else in CK's family had thing CK recalls is sitting bolt-upright
any interest in space or sci-fi, so where in bed, and as he clutched his head, his
did these images come Aom? CK even tirst thoughts were "..my head hasn't
now can recall quite clearly looking been blown oil. " CK uas drenched in
out of his bedroom windows at night, sweat, and had a severe headache for
and seeing various lights and 'flying the next two days. Just what was all
saucers'. It should be emphasised that that about? CK still does not know,
CK's'dreams'of this type when a child and I am not going to speculate here.
are not uncommon, especially today,
but back in the early 1960s, sci-fi im- On a visit to Avebury in December
ages didn't exist in such numbers in all 1997, CK was with a friend, who we'll
sons of mediums. call John. Both were aware of strange
lights and sounds, even to the point of
It has been perhaps since 1992 that of a distinct "Hello" twice being spo-
CK has had more conscious recollec- ken, apparently coming lrom one of
tion of 'dreams' and astral travels, and the stones. A further occurrence hap-
this conscious awareness of other pened later that night, when [CK] as-
realms is increasing at an accelerating trally travelled back to Avebury, as if
rate, so much so that in the past cou- drawn back for some reason, and even
ple of years, the real memories of as- more curiously, yet another close
tral travels and encounters are being liiend was there in her astral selfl
'held' in conscious memory as soon as [CK] recalls very clearly standing
lhey occur. This acceleration seems to within the main ring of stones in the
have happened after one very peculiar night, looking towards the Avenue,
'dream', in which CK clearly recalls sit- with the banks ofthe henge silhouetted
ting on the settee at home, reading a against the sky, the clump of trees on
book on sci-fi TV shows, while the the bank adjacent to the West Kennett
TV was playing in the comer of the road seemed to be standing guard. A
room, with Lenny Henry doing a com- bright red ball of light appeared above
edy sketch, and the time was obviously the Avenue, and it moved slowly
during a late summer evening. For no around in the sky, sometimes pulsing,
good reason, [CK] felt compelled to occasionally flashing. Aiier about a
look out ofthe window, and when he minute, it flashed brightly and then
did so a shining metallic domed disc vanished. Is a sighting like this while
was sitting in the sky above the houses in the astral self classifiable as a UFO
opposite, glinling in the evening sun. sighting? How does one investigate it -
An intense blue-white beam of light we know the place, and an apparent
came out of the dome of the craft, time, as long as the astral self didn't
came straight through the window, have a temporal shift. lt is hard
and hit fCKl in the forehead. in his enough to check out sighting details
'Third Eye' - the pain was truly intense, for this'reality continuum'. This type
Page 8
of energy forn UFO has now been rience commenced with [CK] circling
seen very regularly by [CK]. Four of over Stonehenge, his view seemed to
these were seen recently in an early be as if he were in a small aircraft cir-
moming at one o[ the Oxfordshire cling over the site, but on this occasion
iron-age hillfons. These four balls of [CK] had no physical body, and cer-
energy were darting and almost danc- tainly was not in any aircraft. That is
ing around above the fort, but occa- not to say that [CK] did not have the
sionally they would stop and'hover' sense of having a much bigger struc-
though while stationary they tended to ture with and around him, which felt as
bob up and down. [CK] was also if it were banking as an aircraft would.
aware that on this occasion he was not Perhaps an analogy would be that of a
in a physical form, and he too was see- pilot flying an aircraft by modem
ing everything as ifhe too were slowly telepresence technology, though surely
bobbing up and down, though he never such an analog:y is poor in these terms.
seemed to take notice ol whether he [CK] was able to clearly see the tour-
was also a pulsating ball of energy in ists at the monument, though none
this form. After this event, [CK] was seemed aware of anything untoward
convinced that th€ four other forms 'flying'above them. After a few min-
were almost playing, and kept stop- utes. [CK] felt like going and looking
ping to see if he would join them, and at the local areas where crop-circles
he now regrets not taking up the ap- tended to occur, and towards the Vale
parent invitation. On two other occa- of Pewsey. What makes this experi-
sions [CKl has seen these pulsating ence strangg was that in doing so, his
balls of energy creating crop circles, 'course' took him near Netheravon air-
and another very probable creation - field, an Army Air Corps (AAC) base.
the 'Beltane Ring' near Silbury Hill. [CK] could see two helicopters com-
This formation was found on May 4th, ing up from the airfield, and CK is an
although [CK] saw its apparent crea- aviation enthusiast, so [CK] had no
tion while travelling at Avebury in the difficulty recognising these two heli-
early hours o[May 2nd - did he shift in copters as Lynx AH-7's. [CK's] flight
time, or was the circle somehow and that of the helicopters were going
'primed' to appear some hours later? It to cross, almost lo the point of colli-
should be noted that this is the only sion. The helicopters didn't deviate, so
crop circle that as yet matches the lo- presumably were not aware of another
calion that [CK] has astrally wit- aircraft in such close proximity, but
nessed. [CK], in his flight, feh obliged to fly
up over the two Lynx's, almost
One very vivid recollection of [CK] in 'buzzing' them, though he felt no tur-
1995 was a long 'flight' he had over bulence from their rotors. An intrigu-
Wilrshire and parts of Salisbury Plain. ing point is that [CK] could see the co-
a region with a history of IJFOs and pilol of the nearest Lynx looking at
more recently crop-circles. The expe- where [CK] was, and afterwards won-
B(tFOR.l nuIetin Page 9
dered if that pilot was looking at what huge head - the archerypal 'Grey', are,
he would have thought was a UFO? as most ol us suspect, genetically
[CK] did eventually 'visit' five crop cloned and created drones, slrd these
lormations during this 'flight', though seem to be used as 'workers' by all the
none have been seen in what might be other living types of being All of
rreality
termed our current continuum'. these other species seem to be work-
Another curious aspect within this ex- ing together, the ships have mixed
perience was that at times, [CK] was crews, and without trying to trivialise
able to Jump'across parts ofthe coun- the subjed, it doesnt seem so different
tryiside to get to places he wished to to the scenes in sci-fi shows such as
be, though perhaps a 'zoom' might be a Babylon 5, or the Star Trek spin off
better term. Is there a possibility that series such as N€xt Ceneration or
in this instance, [CK] was flying a craft Deep Space 9. Perhaps this closeness
that went where he willed it? He felt to sci-fi imagery is a considerable note
that many of his manouevres were of caution to be kept in mind in all
similar to the almost erratic flight asso- CK's experiences? CK stresses it
ciated with so many UFOS, ftom the should be emphasised that in no sense
simple 'balls of lighr' (BOLS), through is he there as an'old-style contactee',
to apparent structur€d craft. with all manner of dire wamings on
mankind's future being given to him.
It is time to mention some ol the as- If anghing, he seems to be sitting in
pects of ET encounters. [CK] has on briefings, all done telepathically
been clearly aware of being on space- Visual images are 'beamed' at him,
ships with various other beings. These rather like looking at a rapid piece of
ships are obviously physical and solid, video footage, the process seems
but [CK] is sure he was not there something akin to a flash download of
physically, so was his presence in an computer information. The informa-
astral world more easily definable as lion being given is rarely comprehensi-
another dim€nsion? [CK] is also very ble at the time, and very little seems to
aware of flying some of these craft - refer to CK's cunent physical life. It
flight control is done by the simple seems as if the other beings are trying
power ofthought, the ship goes where to get CK to 'remember' other worlds
the 'pilot'wills it, though [CK] is not and other lives, and the information is
sure how these ships are propelled. more like accumulated knowledge, and
The beings themselves range from five perhaps the best term for the whole
or six different humanoid types, to two process would be 'enlightenment'.
reptillian species, and several different
types of'greys'. The greys seem to lall CK does have some of these memor ies
into quite distinct categories. there are triggered when in this physical world,
the taller types, with smaller heads, but particularly when with like-minded
these taller ones are th€ living beings. people, and especially fellow spiritual
The snraller type, with rhe familiar visitors Channelling l. : also trig-
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