Ancient Astronauts Modern Mysteries

Magazine Overview

Title: Ancient Astronauts Modern Mysteries
Issue: SAGA, Volume 14
Date: January 1, 1970 (inferred)
Publisher: Martin Goodman
Country: USA
Language: English

This issue of SAGA, titled "Ancient Astronauts Modern Mysteries," explores profound questions about human history, ancient civilizations, and potential extraterrestrial influences. The main articles, "The Missing Years" and "Are We Robots?" by John A. Keel, along with "The Monolith," delve into a mysterious gap in human history, the nature of consciousness, and the possibility of advanced beings shaping our past and future.

The Missing Years

The article "The Missing Years" highlights a perplexing 10,000-year void in the archaeological record, specifically between 15,000 B.C. and 25,000 B.C. Despite evidence of human ancestors existing millions of years ago and primitive tools dating back 30,000 years, there are no finds from this intermediate period. This absence leads to speculation about a catastrophic event or a deliberate disappearance of human life.

Several theories are presented to explain this anomaly:

• Atlantis Legend: Proponents suggest that a fabled civilization was destroyed, leading to a new civilization emerging later in Egypt and the Indus Valley.
• Quaternary Period/Ice Age: The possibility that a great ancient civilization was wiped out by the Ice Age, which began around 3 million years ago and receded around 35,000 B.C.
• Planetary Upheaval: Professor Charles Hapgood's contention that a global tilt around 12,000 B.C. caused dramatic climate and topographical changes, evidenced by fossils in the Sahara Desert indicating it was once underwater, and coal/oil deposits in the Arctic and Antarctic suggesting lush past environments.
• Extraterrestrial Intervention: The question is raised whether ancestors were removed to a safer place, possibly another planet, until the crises passed.

The article also draws parallels between current global warning signs—melting ice caps, slowing Earth rotation, axial wobble, and fluctuating magnetic fields—and the potential for a new global disaster. It notes that UFO entities are reportedly promising contactees a massive evacuation before such an event.

History Repeats

This section posits that human history, spanning only about 5,000 years of recorded existence out of Earth's 3 billion years, has seen parallel stages of progress. It references ancient myths describing gods or superbeings enslaving mankind for labor on monuments and demanding sacrifices. The author suggests that these "gods" might have been advanced earthlings or survivors of an earlier civilization. A catastrophic event around 25,000 B.C. is theorized to have decimated an advanced culture, with survivors preserving knowledge by teaching primitives astrology, alchemy, and magic. A subsequent catastrophe around 12,000 B.C. is believed to have finished off the super-culture, leaving primitive man to inherit the Earth.

Are We Robots?

This article explores the idea that humans might be akin to "robots," mysteriously controlled by a supernatural force. While Darwin's theory explains evolution after creation, it doesn't explain the act of creation itself. Scientists are increasingly admitting that complex life forms appear to be products of design rather than random chance. Humans are described as being programmed by a genetic code and potentially augmented by a supernatural system that reprograms minds using high-frequency energy beams. This phenomenon, sometimes called "Illumination," can lead to increased IQs and personality changes. The article links this to the UFO phenomenon, noting its increased prevalence in the past 30 years and its correlation with the massive UFO activity of the 1960s. It questions whether this force controlled human events millions of years ago and if it originates from outer space.

The Monolith

This section speculates on the future of evolution, suggesting the end product will not be a superman but a machine, specifically a super computer. Advances in transistors and miniaturization are expected to lead to a mechanical brain superior to the human one, possibly a compact, self-energizing, and indestructible metal cube. This super computer could monitor and potentially control survivors of future cataclysms. The article references Stanley Kubrick's film "2001," which visualized a slablike monolith influencing apes and turning them into men, suggesting such an object might already exist on Earth, guiding humanity towards a replacement model before its own demise.

It is proposed that this guiding force might be related to the Kaaba in Mecca, a metallic black cube discovered in Arabia over 2,000 years ago. Initially revered, it was later absorbed into Islam as its most prized artifact. Skeptics dismiss it as a meteorite, but millions believe it influences the world. The article questions its origin: a being from outer space, a survivor of an ancient civilization, or a psychic projection.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue revolve around the mysteries of ancient human history, the potential for advanced or extraterrestrial intelligence influencing humanity's past and future, and the nature of consciousness and control. The editorial stance appears to be one of open inquiry into unconventional theories, questioning established scientific paradigms and exploring the intersection of mythology, archaeology, and ufology. The magazine encourages readers to consider possibilities beyond conventional explanations for human origins and destiny.