The UFO Paradox: The Celestial and Symbolic World of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena

Examines both the physical and the spiritual sides of the UFO debate - Looks at witnesses' reports as well as the theories of skeptics, revealing how UFOs represent a call from the cosmos to expand our understanding of reality - Explores UFO encounters against the backdrop of visionary experience--angelic visitations, near-death experiences, shamanic journeys, and religious miracles - Shares the author's UFO discussions with late Harvard psychiatrist John Mack, philanthropist Laurance S. Rockefeller, and astronaut Edgar Mitchell In case after case related to UFO encounters and other unknown aerial phenomena (UAP), the same impasse is reached: testimony from witnesses on one side, dismissive responses from the authorities on the other. In the fertile void of this deadlock, however, lie extraordinary possibilities about the nature of mind and matter, spirit and soul, transforming the UFO into a celestial, metaphysical event. Focusing on the possibilities found by exploring both sides of the UFO debate, veteran UFO observer and reporter Keith Thompson shares profound insights and experiences from his several decades of research, revealing that the UFO phenomenon is decidedly real yet perhaps not what either side of the debate expects. He looks at UFOs as a genuine unknown, from outer space or manifesting from hidden dimensions, as well as the theories of skeptics and debunkers who insist that UFOs can be explained as hoaxes, hallucinations, or misidentified phenomena. He explores the modern flying saucer era against the backdrop of visionary experience--angelic visitations, near-death experiences, shamanic journeys, religious miracles, and fairy tales--and shows how UFOs are simultaneously physical and spiritual, presenting a form of intelligence capable of altering the perceptions of witnesses. Chronicling his own investigations into the UFO mystery, the author details how he introduced the late Harvard psychiatrist John Mack to accounts of alien abduction and how he was invited by philanthropist Laurance S. Rockefeller to lobby then-president Bill Clinton to disclose government-held UFO information. Sharing stories from his friendship with astronaut Edgar D. Mitchell, among others, the author recounts discussions on how best to interpret UFOs and non-ordinary phenomena of various kinds. Thompson reveals how the UFO phenomenon ultimately represents a call from the cosmos for humanity to open to greater dimensions of reality and recognize that our understanding of the universe is still far from complete.