CERPI - no 05 - juin 1976

Magazine Overview

This issue of CERPI, a French publication focused on unexplained phenomena, is identified by the number 5. The cover prominently features the word "UFOLOGIE" and the CERPI logo, along with a graphic illustrating various esoteric and mysterious themes including ufology, spiritism, archaeology, and enigmas. The editorial office is located at 51 rue St Pallais in SAINTES, France.

Editorial Content

The issue opens with an editorial reflecting on the nature of occult sciences. It contrasts the historical perception of occultism as diabolical with its current understanding as a method of knowledge that appears supernatural, rooted in ancient traditions from India and Egypt. The editorial emphasizes that while CERPI may not yet have direct observations of occult phenomena, understanding them is crucial for comprehending unexplained events. It lists various branches of occultism, including astrology, alchemy, telepathy, psychokinesis, radiesthesia, mediumship, clairvoyance, and precognition, suggesting that these sciences, despite often being denigrated, represent a vast, unsuspected body of knowledge. The editorial highlights the 'analogical method' used in occultism, contrasting it with the 'experimental method' of modern science, and suggests a potential synthesis of both approaches.

Articles and Features

Astronomy

An article titled "L'ARC DE CERCLE de la Grande Ourse" (The Arc of the Circle of the Great Bear) discusses constellations and celestial bodies. It describes the arc formed by the Great Bear, extending towards Arcturus, Bouvier, and the Ear of the Virgin. The article details the appearance of Arcturus and the Ear, and the triangular formation of Arcturus, the Ear, and Denebola, which encloses Vindemiatrix. It also mentions the constellation of Leo and the constellation of Coma Berenices. The text notes that an observer with good eyesight can discern approximately 3000 stars with the naked eye in the night sky, with most visible stars being in or near the Milky Way.

Cosmography

This section, titled "Cosmographie," continues a discussion on "Mouvement Diurne (Suite)" (Diurnal Movement - Continued). It categorizes stars based on their visibility relative to the horizon and the observer's location, distinguishing between circumpolar stars (always visible) and those with a visible rising and setting. It defines key astronomical concepts such as the celestial equator, the meridian of a location, and the culmination of a star. The text explains that a star is only visible during its lower transit if it is circumpolar.

Tarot

A significant portion of the magazine is dedicated to "LE TAROT." This section is divided into four parts: what the Tarot is, its origin, its composition, and its use in divination.

• What is the Tarot: It is described as a set of larger playing cards, sometimes used for fortune-telling or as a social game. It is suggested to be a repository of Ancient Egyptian knowledge, including cosmogony and cosmology, preserved in a veiled, initiatory language.
• Origin: The Tarot is believed to have originated in Egypt and arrived in Europe with the crusades in the 12th century, appearing in France around the 13th century, coinciding with the flourishing of the Order of the Temple. The oldest known French examples are from the era of Charles VI, with only a partial set of 16 major arcana and one minor arcana surviving. The article identifies the Gitans (Gypsies) as key propagators of the Tarot, possibly descending from Celts or Tibetans, or having fled Egypt during the Exodus.
• Composition: The most common form is the Tarot of Marseille, but other versions exist, such as Oswald Wirth's Masonic symbolism, the Egyptian Tarot (Le Grand Etteila), and the Tarots of Venice and Mantegna. The Tarot consists of 78 cards, divided into 22 major arcana (atouts or emblems) and 56 minor arcana. The minor arcana are similar to standard playing cards, divided into four suits: Deniers (coins, representing the bourgeoisie and wealth), Bâtons (clubs, representing the people, news, and work), Épées (spades, representing the knighthood and struggles), and Coupes (hearts, representing the clergy, love, and joys of life).
• Divinatory Interpretation: The article focuses on "Le Bateleur" (The Magician), the first major arcana. It describes the card as depicting a fairground performer from the Middle Ages, with a baguette magique (magic wand) representing the fourth fundamental element. The interpretation suggests that the card symbolizes mastery of balance through the law of analogy, representing a mage who unifies opposites and connects the earthly and celestial realms, echoing the principle "as above, so below." The positive divinatory meanings include play, action, intelligence, and skill, while negative interpretations suggest cunning, dispersion, lies, and charlatanism.

Other Sections

• Advertising and Subscriptions: Page 2 details subscription rates for France (6 months for 16 F, 1 year for 30 F) and advertising rates for various page sizes. It also lists contact information for the CERPI correspondent, Claude SOURIS.
• Recommendations: The magazine recommends "LES CAHIERS DE L'ETRANGE," a monthly review of the unusual and parallel knowledge, and the encyclopedia "L'univers de la parapsychologie et de l'ésotérisme" directed by Jean-Louis VICTOR and published by MARTINSART.
• Bibliography: A bibliography on the Tarot is provided, listing several books on the subject.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue of CERPI are the exploration of the unexplained, with a particular focus on ufology and occult sciences. The magazine adopts an open-minded stance towards these subjects, presenting them as valid areas of study that complement, rather than replace, scientific inquiry. The editorial emphasizes the importance of observation and the potential for uncovering hidden knowledge through various esoteric disciplines. There is a clear interest in historical and symbolic interpretations of phenomena, as seen in the detailed analysis of the Tarot. The publication also serves as a platform for promoting related works and organizations within the esoteric and paranormal communities.

This issue of "DOSSIER CÉLÈBRE" (Celebrated Dossier), identified as issue 16/17 of Volume 1, published by C.E.R.P.I., focuses on UFO/UAP phenomena, particularly alleged landings and sightings in France and internationally. The publication date is inferred from the context of the Spitzberg report as March-April 1964, though other articles reference dates up to 1976.

Reported Incidents

1) Le Bois-Blanc (East of Angoulême), June 13, 1970

Guy Maillot, a 19-year-old electrician-radio operator, and his 17-year-old fiancée, Colette, were parked near the Bois-Blanc forest. While Colette was retrieving a cigarette from Maillot's jacket, she became immobile, as if hypnotized. Maillot turned and saw a red, perfectly immobile object, described as the color of the setting sun, hovering about 80 meters away and slightly above the ground. Its diameter was estimated to be twice that of the full moon. There was no sound. After about ten seconds, Maillot panicked, started the car, and drove away without headlights. Colette remained terrified and huddled in the car. The following evening, Maillot and friends returned to the area and found flattened, trampled grass in a spot aligned with where they had seen the object, suggesting a landing or close proximity.

2) RN 10, 18 km North of Angoulême, October 25, 1954

Vincent Casamajou, a transporter, and his wife were driving their truck when they spotted a strange white light in the rearview mirror. They stopped and observed an object that had just taken off from a field about 50 meters away. Casamajou described it as having the volume of his 5-ton truck and resembling a "huge cauldron." It ascended at a 45° angle, leaving a distinct white trail, and disappeared into the clouds. The trail faded rapidly. The object's takeoff was observed for about thirty seconds.

3) Montigné (Charente), January 5, 1970

Around 7-9 PM, a cultivator from the hamlet of "La Folie," M. Aubineau, and his two children noticed a sudden, violent light illuminating the farm and nearby houses. They could not discern the source but estimated it to be about 3 kilometers away. Later that night, around 9 PM, two cultivators from "La Martinière," M. Mijon and his son, observed a disk-like object in the sky over the Bois des Maréchaux. It was immobile and at a low altitude, with a diameter slightly less than the full moon. They estimated its distance to be about 800 meters. Its color was described as bright red against the clear night sky. They observed it for fifteen minutes before going home. Five days later, another cultivator, M. Regis Sauvage, discovered a shallow excavation in a field belonging to M. André Guerinaud. The excavation was vaguely circular or square with rounded corners, about 2 meters in diameter and 15 centimeters deep. About a quarter cubic meter of soil had been displaced. This site was located where the disk had been observed. Gendarmes investigated and noted that the area seemed to have been subjected to intense heat, as shattered stones were found up to a meter deep in the excavation, and the soil was abnormally friable.

4) Le bois de St Vivien (Saintes), March 16, 1976

On a Tuesday evening, the Patry family (Mr. and Mrs. Patry and their four sons: Jean-Marie, 19; Guy, 18; Michel, 15; and Stéphane, 11) were watching television when they heard a powerful, continuous humming sound, compared to a "large electric fan." The sound intensified, and Mr. Patry initially thought it was a car. The sound seemed to come from behind a vineyard. The family members, except for Mr. Patry, stood up. The children shouted "The Martians, the Martians!" They saw a small, very luminous object moving rapidly away from the house towards Saintes. Stéphane and Jean-Marie saw a round object. Guy described it as an overturned salad bowl, while Mrs. Patry saw it as oval. The color was also perceived differently: orange for some, red for others, and white for Mrs. Patry. The phenomenon lasted about a minute, leaving the family stunned. The following day, Claude Souris investigated and found a 3x30 meter patch of slightly scorched grass where the sound had been heard. Laboratory analysis revealed traces of radioactivity. The investigation was conducted a month after the event.

Spitzberg: "A Flying Saucer" (circa March-April 1964)

According to a report from an unidentified intelligence service, a "flying saucer" was discovered in the inhospitable snow and ice of Northeast Spitzberg, an island north of Russia. The object resembled a silver disk made of an unknown metal, with reaction engines rotating the disk around a small, transparent plastic dome. The dome contained instruments, and there was space for atomic bombs or other equipment. Its estimated range was 30,000 km, and its altitude 160 km. The object was discovered by six Norwegian jet aircraft on summer maneuvers, whose radar detected an unknown metallic object. The patrol commander, looking down, saw a large, brilliant metal disk on the ice, with a partially destroyed pilot cabin in the center. Pilots flew over the object without detecting any signs of life. Upon returning to Narvik, they reported their discovery. Shortly after, five ski-equipped aircraft landed near the disk. Dr. Norsel, a rocket specialist who arrived with the planes, declared the disk to be a "flying saucer." It was said to possess a plutonium core and a transmitter capable of emitting on all wavelengths, and was believed to be of Soviet origin. It was transported to Narvik by boat.

Technology Section: The Telescope

The magazine includes a section explaining the difference between a refracting astronomical telescope (using lenses) and a reflecting telescope (using a mirror). It details the Newtonian mounting and the components of a reflecting telescope, including the objective mirror, secondary mirror, eyepiece, and mount. It notes that while small instruments are often called "lunettes" (refractors), more powerful ones are "télescopes" (reflectors). Reflecting telescopes are generally less bulky than refractors of equal power, but their adjustment is more delicate. A 100mm diameter mirror can provide up to 200x magnification. The Palomar Observatory telescope is mentioned as having a 5080mm diameter.

Library Section

A bibliography lists recently released books, categorized into "Profound mysteries of divine cabala," "Traditional geomancy," "Key to hidden things," "The naked dossier," and "Initiations." A second list focuses on books related to UFOs, including titles like "Flying Saucers, 25 years of investigations," "I pierced the mystery of flying saucers," "Black out; on flying saucers," "The dossier of flying saucers," and "The point on flying saucers." A third section, "Series ENIGMES DE L'UNIVERS" (Enigmas of the Universe), lists books on topics such as the Dead Sea Scrolls, ancient America, extraterrestrials, the Great Pyramid, parapsychology in the USSR, the secret of the Templars, Notre Dame de Paris, haunted houses, great enigmas of the universe, Tiahuanaco, Easter Island, civilizations of the stars, the secret of Atlantis, and mysterious disappearances.

Spiritualism and Pendulum Experiences

A section describes a meeting on April 24th in Cherves de Cognac, where C.E.R.P.I. members and guests participated in spiritualist experiments. These included a hypnosis film and table-turning sessions, though the latter were inconclusive due to noise from an adjacent room. Pendulum experiments were reportedly active and surprising. A specific instance is recounted where Monsieur Damilleville predicted Madame Marsin would have a son, which came true with the birth of a boy named Jérémie on April 17, 1976.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring theme is the investigation and documentation of unexplained aerial phenomena (UFOs/OVNIs) and related mysteries. The magazine presents witness testimonies, physical evidence (traces, radioactivity), and attempts to analyze these events. The editorial stance appears to be one of open inquiry, challenging official narratives that dismiss such phenomena as mere imagination or government deception, as suggested by the concluding remarks of the St. Vivien investigation: "Go tell the Patry family now that they dreamed and that UFOs do not exist, as our governments try to make us believe, with the complicity of the major media."