THE PARACAST NEWSLETTER
September 4, 2010
The Paranormal Events in Your Backyard Explored on The Paracast
Special Announcement: The Paracast is heard Sundays from 6:00 PM until 9:00 PM (Central Time) on the GCN radio network.
The Paracast Humbly Requests Your Donations: Although ads help cover a small part of our expenses, the income they produce is never enough, and we don't want to overwhelm the show with them, so we hope you'll be willing to help fill the gap if you can to help us cover increasing server costs and other expenses -- or perhaps provide a little extra cash for lunch. No contribution is too small (or too large
. We have a Donate link on our home page, below the logo and audio player. There's also a Donate link on our forums, right below our logo. Or just send your PayPal donation direct to sales (at) theparacast (dot) com.
You Can Now Order The Official Paracast T-Shirt: You asked, and we answered. We are now taking orders for The Official Paracast T-Shirt and a collection of other specially customized merchandise. To get your T-Shirt, just pay a visit to our new online store at http://store.theparacast.com/ to select your size and place your order. We now also offer a lineup of other premium merchandise featuring The Paracast logo.
Sunday, September 5, 2010: The Paracast covers a world beyond science, where UFOs, poltergeists and strange phenomena of all kinds have been reported by millions across the planet.
Set Up: The Paracast hosts interview long-time researchers in the field, to shed light on the mysteries and complexities of our Universe and the secrets that surround us in our everyday lives.
Join us as we explore the realms of the known and unknown, and hear great stories of the history of the paranormal field in the 20th and 21st centuries.
This Week's Episode: Co-host Nicholas Redfern presents an interview with journalist Jason Offutt, who returns to The Paracast to talk about his latest book, "œWhat Lurks Beyond: The Paranormal in Your Backyard."
Nick Redfern's site: Nick Redfern
Coming November 12: Co-hosts Christopher O’Brien and Nicholas Redfern present a return visit with paranormal author and adventurer David Hatcher Childress, author of “Yetis, Sasquatch & Hairy Giants.”
Christopher O'Brien's Site: Home - Our Strange Planet
Nick Redfern's site: Nick Redfern
Coming November 19: Co-host Christopher O’Brien introduces an elder for the Zuni tribe making his first radio appearance, Clifford Mahooty, who will discuss Indian legends, including those involving “star people” who came to Earth in ancient times.
Christopher O'Brien's Site: Home - Our Strange Planet
Reminder: Don't forget to visit our always-active Discussion Forums for the latest news/views/debates on all things paranormal (and note our new Internet address): The Paracast Community Forums.
Were There Really Ancient Astronauts?
In the early 1950s, when people focused on the controversial claims of contactee George Adamski, not so many considered the fact that Adamski’s book, “Flying Saucers Have Landed,” had another author, Desmond Leslie.
Leslie’s large contribution to the book contained chapters theorizing that advanced or higher beings reported in the Bible and other sacred texts were, in fact, ET. The Ancient Astronauts concept was also advanced by Brinsley Le Poer Trench and Yonah Fortner, the latter writing in Jim Moseley’s original “Saucer News” as “Y.N. Ibn Aharon.”
Later on, a former hotel manager, Erich von Daniken, parlayed widespread lore about advanced beings from the skies into a number of successful books, beginning with “Chariots of the Gods.”
Now the truth or falsity of all this speculation is beyond the scope of this brief commentary. On the other hand, you can’t dismiss the sheer ubiquity of these tales around the world and the consistent information, such as the larger stature and evident longevity of these visitors from the unknown.
It’s also commonly believed that these creatures were emissaries from God, and certainly the potential influence (or harm) of any superior culture can drastically change a relatively primitive civilization. That is the logic in Star Trek’s Prime Directive, one involving non-interference. Of course, the mere presence of an advanced society may be sufficient to forever change the life experiences and culture of the people (or creatures) they visit, and there were episodes of Star Trek in which that interference occurred, despite the best of intentions.
Using Ancient Astronaut legends, the creators of the Stargate movie, which spawned three popular TV series, imagined a universe in which advanced creatures actually enslaved early humans.
Now I’m not about to suggest that the “real” beings from the stars, assuming the legends and beliefs are genuine, came here to turn is into slaves. There may have been all sorts of motivations involved, some of which we can only guess. In the end, maybe their intentions were benevolent, at least from their point of view, although visiting a primitive culture and altering it to fulfill some sort of cosmic plan may not seem such a good idea if it is your civilization that’s harmed.
But is all this real? Well, assuming there are advanced civilizations throughout the galaxy, and the existence of more and more potential Earth-like planets makes this a distinct possibility, it’s quite reasonable to suggest that they have visited us at one time, and might still be visiting us.
But the larger question is whether our visitors of today are the same ones that came from the skies in ages past. If they are, are they simply keeping tabs on us until we’re ready to engage in a dialogue among equals, or do they still regard us as irrational warlike primitives, that we must change our ways before they will treat us with respect?
Or maybe, just maybe, we were originally seeded by the giants of old who mated with the daughters of men to produce an entirely new species. For better or worse, maybe we wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for them.
Both the UFO mystery, and the legends of star people, are far more complicated than that. Alas, since the books on the subject -- even if they are best sellers -- are hardly taken seriously by traditional scientists, it’s highly likely that we’ll ever know the truth. That is, until or unless those higher beings decide to make a public appearance and set the record straight.
September 4, 2010
The Paranormal Events in Your Backyard Explored on The Paracast
Special Announcement: The Paracast is heard Sundays from 6:00 PM until 9:00 PM (Central Time) on the GCN radio network.
The Paracast Humbly Requests Your Donations: Although ads help cover a small part of our expenses, the income they produce is never enough, and we don't want to overwhelm the show with them, so we hope you'll be willing to help fill the gap if you can to help us cover increasing server costs and other expenses -- or perhaps provide a little extra cash for lunch. No contribution is too small (or too large
. We have a Donate link on our home page, below the logo and audio player. There's also a Donate link on our forums, right below our logo. Or just send your PayPal donation direct to sales (at) theparacast (dot) com.You Can Now Order The Official Paracast T-Shirt: You asked, and we answered. We are now taking orders for The Official Paracast T-Shirt and a collection of other specially customized merchandise. To get your T-Shirt, just pay a visit to our new online store at http://store.theparacast.com/ to select your size and place your order. We now also offer a lineup of other premium merchandise featuring The Paracast logo.
Sunday, September 5, 2010: The Paracast covers a world beyond science, where UFOs, poltergeists and strange phenomena of all kinds have been reported by millions across the planet.
Set Up: The Paracast hosts interview long-time researchers in the field, to shed light on the mysteries and complexities of our Universe and the secrets that surround us in our everyday lives.
Join us as we explore the realms of the known and unknown, and hear great stories of the history of the paranormal field in the 20th and 21st centuries.
This Week's Episode: Co-host Nicholas Redfern presents an interview with journalist Jason Offutt, who returns to The Paracast to talk about his latest book, "œWhat Lurks Beyond: The Paranormal in Your Backyard."
Nick Redfern's site: Nick Redfern
Coming November 12: Co-hosts Christopher O’Brien and Nicholas Redfern present a return visit with paranormal author and adventurer David Hatcher Childress, author of “Yetis, Sasquatch & Hairy Giants.”
Christopher O'Brien's Site: Home - Our Strange Planet
Nick Redfern's site: Nick Redfern
Coming November 19: Co-host Christopher O’Brien introduces an elder for the Zuni tribe making his first radio appearance, Clifford Mahooty, who will discuss Indian legends, including those involving “star people” who came to Earth in ancient times.
Christopher O'Brien's Site: Home - Our Strange Planet
Reminder: Don't forget to visit our always-active Discussion Forums for the latest news/views/debates on all things paranormal (and note our new Internet address): The Paracast Community Forums.
Were There Really Ancient Astronauts?
In the early 1950s, when people focused on the controversial claims of contactee George Adamski, not so many considered the fact that Adamski’s book, “Flying Saucers Have Landed,” had another author, Desmond Leslie.
Leslie’s large contribution to the book contained chapters theorizing that advanced or higher beings reported in the Bible and other sacred texts were, in fact, ET. The Ancient Astronauts concept was also advanced by Brinsley Le Poer Trench and Yonah Fortner, the latter writing in Jim Moseley’s original “Saucer News” as “Y.N. Ibn Aharon.”
Later on, a former hotel manager, Erich von Daniken, parlayed widespread lore about advanced beings from the skies into a number of successful books, beginning with “Chariots of the Gods.”
Now the truth or falsity of all this speculation is beyond the scope of this brief commentary. On the other hand, you can’t dismiss the sheer ubiquity of these tales around the world and the consistent information, such as the larger stature and evident longevity of these visitors from the unknown.
It’s also commonly believed that these creatures were emissaries from God, and certainly the potential influence (or harm) of any superior culture can drastically change a relatively primitive civilization. That is the logic in Star Trek’s Prime Directive, one involving non-interference. Of course, the mere presence of an advanced society may be sufficient to forever change the life experiences and culture of the people (or creatures) they visit, and there were episodes of Star Trek in which that interference occurred, despite the best of intentions.
Using Ancient Astronaut legends, the creators of the Stargate movie, which spawned three popular TV series, imagined a universe in which advanced creatures actually enslaved early humans.
Now I’m not about to suggest that the “real” beings from the stars, assuming the legends and beliefs are genuine, came here to turn is into slaves. There may have been all sorts of motivations involved, some of which we can only guess. In the end, maybe their intentions were benevolent, at least from their point of view, although visiting a primitive culture and altering it to fulfill some sort of cosmic plan may not seem such a good idea if it is your civilization that’s harmed.
But is all this real? Well, assuming there are advanced civilizations throughout the galaxy, and the existence of more and more potential Earth-like planets makes this a distinct possibility, it’s quite reasonable to suggest that they have visited us at one time, and might still be visiting us.
But the larger question is whether our visitors of today are the same ones that came from the skies in ages past. If they are, are they simply keeping tabs on us until we’re ready to engage in a dialogue among equals, or do they still regard us as irrational warlike primitives, that we must change our ways before they will treat us with respect?
Or maybe, just maybe, we were originally seeded by the giants of old who mated with the daughters of men to produce an entirely new species. For better or worse, maybe we wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for them.
Both the UFO mystery, and the legends of star people, are far more complicated than that. Alas, since the books on the subject -- even if they are best sellers -- are hardly taken seriously by traditional scientists, it’s highly likely that we’ll ever know the truth. That is, until or unless those higher beings decide to make a public appearance and set the record straight.