Ancient Astronauts Modern Mysteries

Magazine Overview

This issue of SAGA magazine, identified as issue number 14, focuses on the topic of "Ancient Astronauts Modern Mysteries," with a cover headline that echoes this theme and the byline of John A. Keel.

UFO Pioneer: Dr. Meade Layne's Theories

The article begins by introducing Dr. Meade Layne, a parapsychologist and early UFO investigator from 1947. Unlike many of his contemporaries who favored extraterrestrial explanations, Layne proposed that UFOs were not from other planets but were "Ethereans" crossing into our reality from another dimension or space-time continuum. He linked UFO phenomena to psychic manifestations. His ideas, initially met with ridicule, are now being revisited, with modern ufologists like Dr. J. Allen Hynek leaning towards the extradimensional theory due to the objects' ability to appear and disappear instantaneously, ruling out mundane physical explanations.

Layne coined the terms "mat" (materialization) and "demat" (dematerialization) to describe the behavior of these objects. He also noted the common "falling leaf" motion. Later, photographers using infrared lenses captured images of objects invisible to the naked eye. The article suggests that UFOs can traverse the visible spectrum of light by altering their frequencies, passing from the invisible infrared to the invisible ultraviolet spectrum. It posits that UFOs might be masses of plastic energy that can alter their frequencies to become visible, implying they are always present but only seen by certain people with latent or active psychic abilities.

Recent studies have indicated that a majority of UFO witnesses possess some psychic ability, with "flying saucer contactees" being particularly psychic. This lends support to Layne's controversial theories.

Alternate Realities

Allen Greenfield of Atlanta, Georgia, revived Layne's findings by proposing the theory of alternate realities. He suggested that UFOs might be crossing over from a reality very similar to our own, having discovered a way to traverse a barrier of time and space. These entities are described as "next door neighbors" whose existence we are not fully aware of.

Some UFO contactees have spoken of "time travelers" and offered cryptic explanations for UFO abilities. Witnesses of close encounters often describe occupants who appear human but lack free will, behaving almost robot-like and reciting information like a computer. They are characterized as lacking human emotions, appearing more like confused ghosts – human-like yet inhuman. If they originate from another reality, it is suggested to be a grim one.

The article highlights the unearthly behavior of UFOs, noting they do not fly in the conventional sense but defy laws of motion, are unaffected by turbulence, and can make sharp turns at high speeds, indicating a disassociation with normal inertia and gravity. This behavior is consistent with them hailing from a dimension governed by different natural laws.

It is proposed that UFOs are masses of energy that can tune their frequencies to alter their color, size, and shape. A reddish cigar-shaped object could transform into a silvery saucer. A tall, spectral passenger emerging from a saucer might be a robotized extension of the energy mass, with the intelligence residing in the mass itself. Witnesses have reported a feeling that the saucer itself was alive.

The question is posed: "Is there an alternate reality populated with living masses of energy something like intelligent lightning bolts?"

From Seances to Science

Dr. Layne's method of communicating with "Ethereans" involved trance mediums. As a parapsychologist, Layne was familiar with materialization phenomena, drawing parallels between UFO appearances and the materialization of ghostly entities in seance rooms. During the late 19th century, spiritualism and materializations were common, with entities appearing, interacting, and sometimes leaving physical traces like fingerprints in wax.

Sir William Crookes, a renowned scientist, was one of the first to study psychic phenomena. He described seeing luminous, self-floating bodies and having questions answered by flashes of light. His most famous experiments involved a female entity named "Katie," who materialized numerous times and allowed herself to be examined by Crookes.

The article connects these historical accounts to modern UFO cases, suggesting that witnesses collapsing before or during a UFO encounter might be a sign of mediumship, where the witness's collapse contributes to the materialization by supplying energy. Human mediums, and even animals, are suggested as potential energy sources for these phenomena.

Leading ufologists like Brinsley Le Poer Trench, Gordon Creighton, Dr. Jacques Vallee, and Aime Michel have moved away from the extraterrestrial theory, favoring the alternate reality or interdimensional concept. They are joined by parapsychologists like Dr. Jule Eisenbud and Dr. Bernard Schwarz. The article notes that the "hardware boys," who believed UFOs were manufactured machines from another planet, have failed to prove their case after nearly 30 years.

Dr. Meade Layne's "Ethereans" are presented as more plausible than the Martians and Venusians of earlier ufology. However, proving their origin from an alien space-time continuum populated by living energy remains a challenge. The article concludes by suggesting that Earth might serve as a "free lunch counter" for such energy forms.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring theme is the shift in UFO investigation from extraterrestrial explanations to extradimensional and alternate reality theories, championed by figures like Dr. Meade Layne and Allen Greenfield. The magazine appears to endorse this shift, highlighting the perceived failure of the traditional "hardware" approach and the growing acceptance of psychic and parapsychological connections to UFO phenomena. The editorial stance favors exploring these less conventional explanations, suggesting that UFOs may be manifestations of energy from other realities rather than alien spacecraft.