Point of Convergence

The year 2017 saw what appeared at the time to be a sea change in ufology when a key piece published in the New York Times made clear that the U.S. military had footage of aerial vehicles of unknown origin. In other words, not only were UFOs - now referred to as UAP - a “thing”, something those intimately familiar with the topic had long known to be the case, but the U.S. government, to some degree or another, was now publicly acknowledging this fact. Many within ufology assumed this was the turning point we’d all been waiting for; the historical event that would send this topic fully into hyperdrive, and not just in remote corners of the internet, but, more importantly, within the mainstream. In the end, that wasn’t what happened. The article made waves, to be sure, dragging the topic beyond X-files land, and tantalizingly closer to mainstream acceptance. Still, what many enthusiasts and researchers were left wondering was, why weren’t these revelations enough to really bring us past the threshold into widespread, conventional recognition of the validity of this topic? That question has lingered, largely in a static status, until this past week, when a new article by the same authors has brought to light startling allegations that take this topic well beyond the matter of strange lights in the sky. According to an article by Leslie Kean and Ralph Blumenthal, a former intelligence official turned whistleblower named David Grusch has alleged that elements of the U.S. military are in possession of “intact and partially intact craft of non-human origin.” Because Grusch has provided this information to Congress and the Intelligence Community inspector general, filing “a complaint alleging that he suffered illegal retaliation for his confidential disclosures,” and because officials have received these concerns as “credible” and “urgent”, once again we seem to be at the precipice of a word ufologists have been bandying about for decades: disclosure. True disclosure. Not hearsay. Not rumors; but true widespread acknowledgement by government officials and widespread acceptance by the populace of the world that not only are we not alone in the universe, but that various beings who represent vast, sophisticated intelligence are here, in our very midst, and, in a collective shock to the system, perhaps have been all along. As things stand right now, this is a dynamic situation, evolving daily as the story makes its way across the media landscape, inevitably landing anew in the awareness of untold numbers of the general public, and on the desks of government officials all around the world. But where do things stand, really? Is there no turning back at this point? Have we crossed the proverbial event horizon? Is the end result, while still rolling out as we speak, already a foregone conclusion? Put simply the question is this: will these remarkable recent events finally catapult us into a new era in human civilization, where we recognize we are part of a cosmic neighborhood teeming with life forms we’ve as of yet been largely unaware of? And, if so, what comes next? How will we be changed by these revelations? These are the very pressing and profound questions we’ll seek to find some clarity around on this, the 85th episode of the Point of Convergence podcast.

Ever since the dawn of the modern UFO Phenomenon, a wide variety of terms have been used to describe people’s reactions to it. People have been fascinated, frustrated, shocked, perplexed, bewildered, frightened and inspired. And, because of the enigmatic nature of encounters with the beings associated with this Phenomenon, often several of these descriptors can and do apply for any given situation. As has been pointed out numerous times on this podcast and elsewhere, when one widens the historical scope, it is not a stretch to wonder – even postulate – if beings from more distant folklore may be part and parcel of this same enterprise. And this is true not just because these events that come to us from the depth of recorded human history involve encounters with apparently non-human entities, but also because the nature of the encounters often involve similar elements. That said, one could also argue that this might be an example of a brush simply applied too broadly. In other words, perhaps because of the very fact that these encounters across time do involve similar elements, we might be tempted to prematurely draw precise parallels where they perhaps do not exist. Were the creatures of faery lore the very same as our modern-day prototypical grey aliens? Or do we simply leap to this conclusion because they neither fit neatly within our tidy conventional zoological models? In the 20th century, reaching a fevered pitch sometime in the 1990s, word of human abductions by these supposed grey aliens slowly became part of our cultural zeitgeist. The narrative around these more recent encounters involved apparent genetic experimentation and even full-on hybridization programs. Again though, if we widen the scope once more, one could postulate that some of the apparently anomalous leaps in our species’ cognitive capacity throughout hominin history were also the fruit of similar genetic intervention and augmentation programs. People have also wondered aloud if the UFO Phenomenon marks the beginning of a new religious trend? Many postulated in the 20th century that visits by the space brothers - bearing an uncanny resemblance to ourselves - marked the beginning of a new frontier in spiritual discovery. But again, if we step back, adopting the 30,000 foot view, one can logically question if the very seed of religious belief and practice for our species, from our very earliest creeds on, were also the fruit, either directly or indirectly, of encounters with these same anomalous beings.Which leads us to some pressing questions: are these beings the same groups of entities interacting and shaping us over time? Or is our imagination simply so limited that we have inappropriately drawn parallels where they simply don’t exist - opening up the possibility that perhaps our ontological landscape is simply much more complex and diverse than we’ve yet been able to really fathom, let alone truly reckon with. While the history of anomalous encounters seemingly goes right back to the dawn of our civilization, more recent events raise a particularly pressing question: Does the apparent increase in our species’ interaction with some of these non-conventional beings in recent history - paired with what one could argue is a seeming march towards a cataclysmic collapse of our own making - suggest that, while interactions with non-conventional entities have existed across the breadth of human history, that they are now nearing some kind of culmination point - where, as some of the experiencer narrative would suggest -this results in a situation where everything and everyone is left completely different afterwards? And furthermore, is this coming apex inflecion point terminal, or transformational for our civilization, and perhaps even both? These are the daunting, challenging and awe-inspiring matters we’ll seek to engage with in this, the 84th episode of the Point of Convergence podcast.

Within the vast historical literature associated with the UFO Phenomenon there are references to numerous kinds of craft sighted and numerous kinds of entities encountered. Interestingly, even within a subset of a certain group of entities, distinct patterns sometimes emerge, suggesting specific enterprises have been undertaken at various points in history by these various groups. One such unique pattern took place between sometime in the late 20th century, stretching up until around the turn of millennium. This specific endeavor was concentrated around what have come to be known as “abductions”. In other words, this specific enterprise involved not just sightings, but people being abruptly physically taken from their homes to some “other place”, whether that be an apparent spacecraft or some alternate realm, where specific actions were undertaken, involving both physical examinations and what can only be described as activities pertaining to a large-scale reproductive program. This extensive reproductive program, involving, at minimum, untold thousands of human beings, saw men and women having reproductive material taken from them: eggs from women and sperm from men, as part of a scheme to produce what have come to be known as hybrid beings; entities part conventionally human and part “something-else”. The question around the nature of this “something else” is a matter of some debate, one that we’ll be delving into in this episode.Once the initial extraction of reproductive material had taken place, many abductees/contactees/experiencers (pick your designation of choice, and those involved have differences of opinion on what they prefer to be called) were later shown what, for all intents and purposes, appeared to be their very own hybrid offspring. Sometimes these “others” - most often colloquially referred to as “aliens” - would ask these human abductees to interact with said offspring, to fulfill some form of developmental bonding. Said abductees often mention feeling both a deep connection to these apparently hybrid children, while also sometimes feeling a sense of revolution arising from their atypical form.As I mentioned, this specific hybridization enterprise seemed to phase out around the time of the turn of millennium. At this point many of these abductees/contactees/experiencers were telepathically told that they wouldn’t be seeing the apparent aliens nearly as much anymore, indicating the enterprise had been successful enough that a page was now being turned. Of course the specificity of this entire enterprise raises many intriguing questions. What was the ultimate purpose of this hybridization program? What role, if any, do these apparently hybrid offspring play in the future of human civilization? And in what way might this enterprise serve as a kind of failsafe against the potential of a coming earth cataclysm that experiencers of this type were warned was bound to be our civilization’s fate, should we fail to turn from our misguided, erring ways? These are the profound, but mind-bending issues we’ll seek to find some clarity around in this, the 83rd episode of the Point of Convergence podcast.

The enigma known as the UFO Phenomenon is compelling for numerous reasons. One of those reasons is that this phenomenon has been attested to by witnesses and experiencers over long periods of modern history. And, furthermore, once you get past the surface veneer of the way people have categorized/interpreted these phenomena differently over time because of different cultural expectations, one can make a convincing argument - as Jacques Vallee and others have in fact done - that this phenomenon has been with us since the beginning of time; sometimes interpreted as gods come down from the heavens to parade in front of we mere mortals, and more recently as advanced technological civilizations visiting us far from far flung destinations such as Zeta Reticuli and Alpha Centauri on scientific expeditions and the like. Another of the key elements of data lending credence to the notion that this Phenomenon is as real as green grass in the spring and plasma erupting from the sun is that it is attested to across the world, even in cultures significantly divorced from the typical modernist and physicalist conceptions found in Western civilization. And whenever we can show cross-cultural support for this phenomenon we can more confidently conclude that this is not simply a construct based on the expectations of any particular people group. Indeed, the fact that the interpretation of sightings and interactions with “the Others” have differed somewhat in different parts of the world over time actually lends credence to the notion that, underlyingly, beyond that surface veneer of categorization/interpretation, something is really there; legitimately being encountered and interacted with. Armchair skeptics will at times argue that this is simply a North American and European phenomenon. Now, while it is statistically true that we have more data from these locations, it’s important to point out that much of this can likely be attributed to the fact that the some data-gathering efforts haven’t happened to the same degree in other places, and that even the cultural expectations of some of those other continents are such that what is a paradigm-shaking moment for a modern North American or European might not be for someone from an indigenous population. After all, why make a big deal of an event that has been normalized in a particular culture for generations? And one can make the argument that this is indeed the case in various indigenous populations. As I mentioned, some of the discrepancy in the regularity of reports from different parts of the globe can be reduced to the fact that the search simply hasn’t been conducted with equal dedication around the world. Furthermore, cultural differences and language issues have added to this challenge. As a Professor Emeritus at Montana State University and former Director of the Center for Bilingual/Multicultural Education, Clarke, who is Cherokee/Choctaw herself, has dedicated decades of her life to investigating sightings of UFOs and interactions with various forms of alien and non-conventionally human beings in parts of the globe long neglected. In today’s episode we’re going to consider the astounding reports Clarke was able to gather during her trips through Mesoamerica. Not only do the accounts Clarke gathered make clear the fact that UFO sightings and interactions with actual beings are every much as common - perhaps even more so - there, as compared to here, but they also raise very interesting possibilities regarding the very origins of some of these people groups, and specifically the Maya. Could the Maya themselves not only be the recipients of the traditions of a so-called “ancient alien” civilization, but perhaps even their very descendants? These are the fascinating matters we’ll endeavor to engage with, head on, in this, the 82nd episode of the Point of Convergence podcast.

When people are first introduced to the enigmatic topic known as the UFO Phenomenon, the working assumption is that this is a matter of determining whether or not aliens, i.e. extraterrestrials from some likely extrasolar source, have traversed the immense distances of outer space, to arrive at our blue pearl planet either to, A.) from a more positive view, study us, as in a scientific expedition, or, B.) from a less positive view, scope out our capabilities prior to some kind of invasion. Perhaps it should not be surprising that this is where the conversation begins for people; including those who’ve flocked to this topic since 2017, when the revelations of a now famous New York Times article first entered the public sphere, suggesting to many that, despite decades of scoff and ridicule and X-Files jokes, perhaps there really was a there there. Speaking of decades of scoff and ridicule, the decades leading up to the present one filled people’s minds with the very scenarios I just mentioned: that either these visitors from beyond are here as part of a scientific expedition, as in Star Trek, or as a prelude to a full-on invasion of our planet, as in War of the Worlds or Independence Day. These are familiar tropes in science fiction, and so it should not surprise us that this has worked its way into our cultural zeitgeist. But those initial, rather tame and predictable questions about what the so-called UFO Phenomenon represents are quickly supplanted by much more profound, far-reaching, and, for some, disturbing questions, once newcomers really begin to start poking around and considering the plethora of reports made by credible witnesses, going back decades and decades - and perhaps even millenia - discussing in-person encounters with the intelligences supposedly responsible for the piloting of these sophisticated aerial vehicles known as UFOs or UAP. Because, as I just mentioned, these encounters trace back deep into human history, and likely even pre-history, one could argue that these more recent “sci-fi” encounters are really in the same overarching category as what we might deem “religious” encounters from yester millenia, the questions around what this all means suddenly become much more broadly sweeping and all-encompassing. Without doubt, our religious traditions have shaped the development of our civilization. And if the encounters that inspired those very traditions didn’t actually involve gods, or angels or demons, after all - at least, not as they are typically portrayed, interpreted and understood in religious tradition - then perhaps this Phenomenon, and the intelligences that comprise it - has been much more intimately involved with our evolution than we first realized. And if that’s the case, then we’re suddenly a long way from merely Star Trek or Independence Day territory. Eventually, if one traces this back far enough, especially in light of more recent revelations suggesting these overarching intelligences can tweak our genetics and even partake in hybridization programs that lead to the emergence of entirely new species, one inevitably lands at a very striking query: could our very existence on this planet be a result of some earlier version of these same endeavors? And if that’s the case, how do popularly held beliefs in notions such as reincarnation play into this? Is that a “natural” process, or is something more akin to what we might call “technology” involved? These truly are not just mind-bending but also civilization-shaking matters to consider. And one wonders, if we truly are nearing some kind of so-called “disclosure” around the existence of this Phenomenon, then just how many of these startling revelations might be part of that mix? And how exactly will our civilization handle such acknowledgements? Tricky, nuanced matters to parse out, to be sure. But that’s precisely what we’ll endeavor to do in this, the 81st episode of the Point of Convergence podcast.

Generally speaking, with this podcast, each episode takes a different topic pertaining to the UFO Phenomenon and general paranormality and does a deep dive into it. That being the case, for the most part, Point of Convergence is not a current affairs kind of show. My aim is to make each episode relevant, regardless of when and where any particular listener happens to access and consume it. That said, recent events are such that I think that, on this particular occasion, it makes sense to veer from that overarching strategy. And that’s because, simply put, I believe we are living through truly extraordinary times; times that speak to a key inflection point in the history of our civilization. While even our current era is the product of events that have been unfolding for decades now, I believe evidence suggests this particular period of the 2020s is particularly significant. Now, even as I speak those words I’m aware of how problematic such statements can turn out to be. Having explored various religious and spiritual circles in great depth, both personally and academically, over the decades of my life, I’ve personally seen how many times various prognosticators have declared that a particular time was of special import - for the future of our civilization and the fate of the world - only to see various predictions and so-called prophecies tied to those prognostications fail to materialize, time and time again. Now, certainly, our current state of affairs as it pertains to the UFO Phenomenon is undoubtedly built upon decisions and actions made over the course of getting on for 100 years now, but still, I see those decisions and actions coming to a head at this particular period in our history. As the saying goes, “History repeats itself… until it doesn’t”. While we can be bludgeoned into disinterest and apathy by the sheer repetition of certain themes over and over again, that historical trend is no guarantee that events will always proceed as they have done. Indeed, at some point, any and every historical trend comes to an end. I believe we’re nearing one of those key inflection points now. But who and what is behind this shift? Is it one party of many? Are they human or non-human? How can we be sure that this is not just some kind of government psyop that will ultimately be revealed as another iteration of the “same old, same old”? And if something significant really is on the cusp of being revealed, how is it going to manifest, and in what kind of frame of time? These are the matters, both essential and particularly timely, that we’ll seek to engage with, in this, the 80th episode of the Point of Convergence podcast.

Within the enigma known as the UFO Phenomenon, a few particularly troubling aspects have long existed as part of the experiencer literature. One specific aspect that has long been particularly concerning involves the knowledge of and cooperation in what are often deemed negative abduction encounters, by apparently human, terrestrial powers. In other words, our very own governments, or particular elements of them, willingly signing off on the abduction of and experimentation with innocent citizens. These kinds of accounts and evidence streams are particularly difficult to swallow because they not only involve humans agreeing to let other humans be experimented with – though, of course, we’ve seen that before, for instance during the horrors of the Nazi regime in WW2 – but also because they involve communication and accord-making between human beings and various alien species. For some this is a bridge too far. Strange, liminal creatures coming in and out of different dimensions is one thing. But grey aliens walking into a meeting room with government officials and negotiating treaties is something else entirely. And yet, that’s precisely what aspects of the experiencer literature, corroborated with additional historical evidence that has leaked out over time, is suggesting has indeed taken place as part of our relatively recent history. Part of these agreed-upon accords involve not only the abduction of Earth humans, but also the introduction of apparently hybrid beings into the Earth population; entities who are part human and part alien, sometimes looking shockingly unlike us, and other times looking so much like terrestrial humans that they could pass by unnoticed. Here we are confronted with the notion of them “walking amongst us”, even as we speak. In a case we’re going to review today we have all of the above taking place. First, evidence of accords being made with not just one alien group, but a consortium of different alien species, aligned – if only loosely – around various endeavors they are engaged with on our planet, with both Earth humans, and terrestrial animal populations. Furthermore, the accord discussed in this case actually involves the directing of ongoing interstellar traffic around a particular location in the American southwest, which, for all intents and purposes, serves as a spaceport hub for aliens coming from locations as far flung as Zeta Reticuli. Finally, the case we’re going to discuss today involves the attempted introduction of a particular hybrid being: part human and part something else, into the terrestrial population. How that attempted socialization of a hybrid being goes, speaks to the challenges that arise in these kinds of experiments; not only because vastly different social context origins are in the mix, but also because the biological defaults are so different between the two species. Is it true that Earth governments have made accords with interstellar, alien civilizations, and perhaps even with consortiums of various alien groups? And have these agreements included the experimentation with human beings, resulting in hybrid entities, who have then been introduced into the earth population? In this particular case, these are precisely the matters we’ll attempt to face head-on, seeking both for clarity and confirmation, in this, the 79th episode of the Point of Convergence podcast.

While the modern UFO era may have begun with the emergence of saucer sightings in the early to mid 20th century, that picture eventually grew to include not only those initial sightings, but also reported interactions with the supposed beings piloting these sophisticated, non-conventional craft. Yes, indeed “aliens” - or as they’re often called in modern ufology circles - non-human intelligences, often to clarify that we don’t actually know where they’re from, just that they’re not human - at least we’re pretty sure of that fact - if by “human” we mean beings akin to contemporary homo sapien sapiens. Of course, as we’ll see in today’s episode, that clear cut distinction between us and them might not be so easy to delineate after all, but we’ll get to that. From sightings of supposed alien beings - or, apparently non-human but very often “humanoid” beings - the picture filled out even more, to include the now infamous abduction phenomenon, where modern earth humans are taken aboard craft - often from the comfort and quiet of their bedrooms in the middle of the night - where they are then subjected to a wide variety of experiences, including - in some cases of a perhaps less apparently positive nature - invasive medical procedures and supposed hybridization programs, and - in more apparently positive reports - opportunities to see the cosmos and even, on occasion, to learn to maneuver the craft, often via mental intention alone, no less. In terms of the beings often seen, while there really is a broad spectrum of others, one particular form has come to represent the quintessential “alien” in our cultural zeitgeist. Here I speak of the proverbial “grey alien”. The emergence of this particular form had much to do, one could argue, with the front cover of Whitley Streiber’s ground-breaking and nerve-rattling book, Communion, published in 1987. Of course, that image wouldn't have made the waves it did if it were not for the fact that many thousands of people reportedly recognized that prototypical face - sometimes, much to their chagrin. After all, if they recognized the image, if it was somehow familiar to them, even if murkily so, did this mean they too were perhaps alien abductees? These were chilling questions for a plethora of human beings to contemplate. Of course, the fact that these beings were - if not exactly human-looking - then certainly humanoid, raised many questions. Why would an alien being look so much like us? Wouldn’t the evolutionary trajectory of their own home planet taken them in very different directions? The conventional thinking on these matters assumed this would be the case, and it’s partly this that led to so much ridicule and scoff. Many took these humanoid forms as a good reason to ignore the entire affair altogether. It’s as if these people decided that since aliens wouldn’t look like this, the entire affair must be reducible to make believe or delusion. And yet, the enigma of this particular form of “otherness” has endured, to the point where it’s now a mainstay in our cultural heritage, both for those who believe and don’t believe aliens are here, and are actually interacting with human beings on an ongoing basis. Of course another possibility that’s emerged more recently, and this would explain why these others look so much like us is they may actually be us - but us from the future; our descendants, who have been taken in some strange evolutionary directions based on future events. So what is it? Are greys from an extraplanetary source - i.e. are they extraterrestrials? Or are they future humans, what Michael Masters has aptly deemed “extratempestrials”? Or is it possible that both options exist? And, furthermore, could the prevalence of this form, and its evident ongoing connection to us, point towards an even deeper and and more primary construct - that might not only speak to common origins, but perhaps also to a common terminus - maybe in the form of the singularity that rushes to

While the push towards government disclosure around its knowledge of UFOs – and even its knowledge of the attempted reverse engineering of apparently recovered craft of anomalous origin – really is kicking into a high gear of late, it’s still a far cry from the kinds of matters that the people known as experiencers are concerned with. Experiencers, those who have witnessed and interacted with anomalous phenomena personally, including those who’ve had actual encounters with beings of a decidedly non-conventionally human variety, are dealing with the way these experiences have changed them. That is to say, the question of UFOs and aliens is no longer an open one for these people. That matter is settled, while the public debate rages on. What experiencers have largely moved onto is how to make sense of these experiences, and how to incorporate them into daily reality. No small task when one considers just how life-changing such experiences are. One key aspect of the encounters experiencers report having has to do with messages; messages received from the beings coming from “elsewhere” – whether one sees that as an extraterrestrial, interdimensional, extratempestrial or extradimensional in nature. If there is one theme that arises more than any other in these reported encounters, it's one dealing with warnings and admonitions around a dawning cataclysm of some sort, supposedly arising in the not-too-distant future of human civilization. Sometimes these warnings and admonitions are more symbolic in nature - such as when contactees/abductees are shown images of the earth on fire, or when, for insurance, one particular person saw an image of what looked like the earth as an organism experiencing labored breathing. Other times the message or vision is laid out more plainly, when, for instance, giant waves are seen engulfing the coasts, or when an extraplanetary object is seen smashing into the earth from outer space. Taken alone, these messages and visions are concerning enough; so much so that some experiencers have historically started changing lifestyle, because they have expected this massive shift in Earth affairs to be imminent. But, the thing is, the UFO Phenomenon experiencers literature is not the only source for these kinds of messages and visions. One need look no further than our religious history to see that various scriptural texts - which are of course ultimately derived from the accounts of anomalous encounters from distant history - also attest to these same themes; both in terms of “beginnings”, such as in the Genesis account, and its older Babylonian and Sumerian sources, as well as in prophesied “endings”, like what we find in apocalyptic literature such as the New Testament’s Book of Revelation. And then we have the geological and archaeological records, that leave similar tantalizing clues - perhaps even suggesting that this notion of cataclysm is actually part of a recurring cycle; perhaps even one who’s repeated arising is coming due again soon. Is this what ancient ruins and whisperings of former advanced civilizations like Atlantis are pointing towards? Many would suggest this is indeed the case; and that the writing is on the proverbial wall, even if that’s in the form of ancient cave paintings. But what are we to make of all of this? Why are human beings shown images of seeming impending doom, without being given requisite knowledge regarding how to avoid it? And how does this repeated message of the need for us to “raise our vibration” come into play? Is this about advancing our level of collective consciousness so as to be able to avoid this apocalypse? Or is it about preparing ourselves for the dimensional shift that will happen - at least potentially - immediately afterwards? Tricky waters to navigate, to be sure. But that’s precisely what we’ll attempt in this, the 77th episode of the Point of Convergence podcast.

The so-called UFO Phenomenon is a tricky affair because, no matter when and from where you enter the discussion, you’ve inevitably going to face having your assumptions and expectations stretched. Indeed, to those really paying close attention to, for instance, the wealth of experiencer data that’s been amassed over decades, it’s clear that a discourse around the nature of potential UFOs and aliens in our midst eventually leads to a much deeper rabbit hole where our place in the universe and the very nature of reality are in play. Of course, one of the biggest leap those who enter this discussion face is the notion not simply that aliens exist “out there” - somewhere, perhaps in some corner of the vast expanse of the Cosmos, but that they’re here, and perhaps have been for as long – and undoubtedly – even longer than we’ve been looking for them. But if that’s true, skeptics ask, why aren’t we finding clear, undeniable evidence for their presence, and, for that matter, why don’t they simply land on the White House lawn to put the matter to rest once and for all? It’s absurd to think they’re here, these skeptics confidently assert, but then chose this bizarre stealthiness. Absurdity you say? Indeed - we’ve got that, in spades even! Welcome to the UFO Phenomenon as it actually exists, rather than how you’d like it to be based on your 21st century Western expectations and assumptions - one of the largest and most questionable of which is the belief that if they were here, we’d be able to detect them with relative ease. Another major deeper dive into the proverbial rabbit hole comes when one comes to grips that these various others are not only here, but are actually interacting with various human beings - and that this circumstance is much more commonplace than the mainstream media and present political set would have you believe. And even once you’ve digested that interactions really are happening, you’re then confronted by just how diverse these interactions are. Indeed, they seem to cover the proverbial gamut: from positive encounters with supportive, inspirational entities, to frightening encounters with beings who conduct obtuse medical procedures and examinations that seem, on the face of it, to be much more invasive than is necessary - especially if these beings are as advanced as they purport to be. Yet an even more paradigm-stretching matter arises when people hear of encounters with beings that humans come to find they recognize, and even feel a pre-incarnate familial connection to. And often these encounters involve the person being reminded of a particular mission they are here - in this incarnation as an earth human - to fulfill. Of course, this brings to mind for some people the religious notion of angels and demons - as old as human civilization itself. But these beings often arrive in spacecraft and have their own home planets. Are these the same entities as are reported in religious traditions, or different ones altogether? And how are we to make sense of these particular encounters from within the dazzling complexity that is the UFO Phenomenon? These are the very matters we’ll seek to disentangle in this, the 76th episode of the Point of Convergence podcast.