Alternate Horizons Newsletter

Magazine Overview

Title: Alternate Horizons Newsletter
Issue: Volume Three, Number Three, Whole Number 15
Date: April 26, 1969
Publisher: Official Journal of the Foundation for Philosophic Advancement

This issue of the Alternate Horizons Newsletter features a cover illustration by Glenn Brock dated '68, depicting a surreal scene with split faces, a sword, and reaching hands. The content delves into topics of ancient earthworks, extraterrestrial contact, and the psychological and physical effects associated with such experiences.

Nazca Lines and Martian Canals

The newsletter includes a letter from an unnamed correspondent to 'Al', dated April 26, 1969, discussing the Nazca Lines in Peru. The author clarifies that these lines are not exclusively visible from the air, as often claimed, but can also be seen from nearby hills and ground level. While acknowledging the scale of the lines, the author finds it fanciful to assume they were landing fields for spacecraft or signals to other planets. The correspondent suggests that anyone could create such lines by clearing desert surfaces, noting the ancient Peruvians' skill in making straight lines with primitive methods. The author also recalls seeing a Nazca-style line in a valley near Lima in 1954, which was met with indifference by a tourist guide. Drawing a parallel, the author speculates that the 'canals' or lines on Mars might be similarly constructed from parallel ridges, visible as a single line from a distance, and likely made by intelligent beings. However, the author cautions against assuming a connection between the Nazca and Martian lines, citing archaeological evidence of similar methods arising independently in different cultures.

The Nature of UFO Contact

An extract from a letter by Jesus H. Garibay to Hans Lauritzen, dated January 24, 1969, offers an opinion on 'contacts'. Garibay emphasizes the difficulty in definitively stating whether a contact has a real physical or psychological reality, advocating for investigation without preconditioned responses. He notes that psychological hypotheses are easier to probe and that subjective accounts of 'contact' with benevolent beings are common. Garibay observes that contactees often describe humanity in negative terms, focusing on destruction and war, while portraying the 'beings' as good. He suggests that religious aspects in contact cases stem from a human need for such experiences.

Contactee Experiences and Effects

A subsequent section, marked as an editor's note, presents an extract from a letter by Hans Lauritzen to Jesus H. Garibay, dated April 3, 1969. Lauritzen discusses the importance of examining a contactee's psychological state before and after a contact. He outlines a typical pattern of 'silent contacts': an individual walks alone, hears a strong telepathic message or advice, is guided to a specific location where they might see dim, globe-shaped objects, and experiences a time lapse of about 30 minutes, with no memory of what occurred. The contactee's behavior changes, often becoming focused on spreading a message of love and peace, sometimes with a religious tendency. They may appear confused and highly suggestible.

Lauritzen details the internal experience of the contactee, who feels their body and mind are changing, leading to fear of disclosure. These changes can intensify emotions, including a religious feeling and potentially new pleasurable sexual sensations. He warns that the experience can lead to a psychic breakdown, similar to hypnosis, where the individual loses free will and is forced to believe contradictory ideas, potentially causing psychotic or neurotic conditions requiring treatment. After contact, individuals often become extremely sensitive to electricity and electronic equipment. Physical symptoms can include sensations of movement along the spine, leading to severe pain in the neck and backhead, often suppressed due to fear.

Lauritzen advises investigators to ask contactees about their feelings and internal experiences, assuring them that thousands have had similar experiences to encourage disclosure.

A Personal Account of Contact and Healing

Another extract from a letter by Mr. Lauritzen, dated June 15, 1969, provides a detailed personal account of a UFO contact experience. In February 1966, after visiting 23 countries in Africa, Lauritzen contracted severe, chronic hepatitis, forcing him to give up work and consider an invalid pension. In November 1967, he attended the 7th International UFO Congress in Mainz, Germany, where he was told he would be contacted soon. On December 7, 1967, during a UFO observation tour in a wood near Copenhagen, Lauritzen, suffering from an enlarged liver (16 cm too big), experienced a phenomenon. He saw two dim yellow globes and felt compelled to walk into the wood. During this walk, he experienced a 'semi-trance' state, felt a presence, and engaged in a telepathic conversation in Danish. He was told to give rather than receive and that he should not be alone. This was reportedly the first time such a statement was made. He was also told he possessed strong power that would grow stronger, and he requested it not be misused.

After this, Lauritzen found himself back at the location of the globes, and upon rejoining his friends, realized over an hour had passed. He discovered he was no longer tired and ran with unusual speed. He realized his chronic hepatitis had been cured. He drove friends home, and during the last drive, broke down crying, stating, "I got the wrong thing- I got the wrong thing," though he didn't understand why.

Later, it was discovered that all five individuals present had been prompted to walk alone. One friend was blinded by a bluish light, and all experienced after-effects, though not identical. A medical examination confirmed his liver had returned to normal size and function, a fact he did not disclose to the doctors.

Lauritzen describes the semi-trance state as one of complete consciousness where everything is clear, with effects only noticeable afterward. He recounts physical sensations of something moving up his spine, accompanied by pleasurable feelings and strange movements. This was followed by intense pains in his chest, underarms, back, neck, and backhead. He also experienced extreme states of mind, from profound pleasure to intense fear and anxiety, leading to sorrow, depression, and desperation. He notes that he lost his free will, being forced to believe and act on strange, often negative and destructive thoughts that did not feel like his own. He concludes that the experience was both the most wonderful and the most horrible of his life, expressing gratitude to the UFOs for curing his hepatitis, which allowed him to resume his work.

Congress of Scientific UFOlogists

The issue concludes with a photograph of attendees at the 1969 Congress of Scientific UFOlogists in Charleston, West Virginia, identifying Edward M. Biebel, Jr., Timothy Green Beckley, and Michael G. Mann.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The newsletter consistently explores the intersection of unexplained phenomena, personal experiences, and their psychological and physical implications. The editorial stance appears to be one of open inquiry, encouraging the investigation of UFO phenomena and related experiences without prejudice, as evidenced by the editor's notes and the publication of diverse correspondent viewpoints. There is a clear interest in the nature of consciousness, belief systems, and the potential for extraordinary events to impact human lives, including profound healing. The publication also seems to bridge the gap between ufology and broader philosophical or psychological considerations.