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3.12.7

Anima

Anima: an·i·ma Pronunciation (n-m)
n.

  • 1. The inner self of an individual; the soul.
  • 2. In Jungian psychology:
  • a. The unconscious or true inner self of an individual, as opposed to the persona, or outer aspect of the personality.
  • b. The feminine inner personality, as present in the unconscious of the male. It is in contrast to the animus, which represents masculine characteristics.
  • Forteana and the world of UFOs are intertwined with seemingly endless facets. Some of these have easily recognizable connections or relationships; with others, it’s hard to see if there is any relationship at all, they seem so disconnected. The only thing at times they seem to have in common is their weirdness factor. At the every least, the juxtapositions are entertaining, as are the binary oppositions of many of these aspects. I’ve pulled out a few from this tangled sphere that I have an interest in. They stand on their own, but we can also see how they’re sometimes connected.

    One area I’ve been working in a little for the past year or so is women in UFOlogy and Fortean studies. This includes female researchers, investigators,writers, bloggers, as well as witnesses and abductees. Also mind control victims, like Leah Haley (author of Unlocking Alien Closets: Abductions, Mind Control, and Spirituality )and Candy Jones.

    In a broader context (er, pun unavoidable) I’m interested in mind control campaigns perpetuated by the government as they pertain to UFOs, like MILABS. In general, the area of mind control-- regardless of any UFO connection -- perpetuated on the american public, women and men alike, is an interest of mine.

    My interest isn’t to cause any kind of division or set up walls between men and women. It’s simply to give some women another place to be recognized. There isn’t any agenda behind it, (as a few have suggested) (hmm, and why does anyone care?) Often with UFO and related experiences, including abductions, etc., women (as well as men) don’t feel safe in telling their stories. Knowing there are others out there with similar experiences, whether it’s mind control, abductions, missing time, and all the rest of these often unpleasant aspects of the UFO experience, might give some welcome support to some women.

    There are a lot of female UFO and Fortean bloggers: Tina Sena, blog author of Yufology and her new column on BOA Esotericana and Lesley of The Debris Field blog and Grey Matters here on BOA, and UFO researchers: Farah Yurdozu, Paula Harris, Linda Moulton Howe. There are also women in every state, who may not have published but are researching in their own way UFO sightings in their area. Maybe they’re MUFON members and investigators, or have their own organizations, no matter how small, going.

    Just imagine the immense amount of data concerning UFOs if somehow we could gather all the stories, all the encounters, of witnesses and researchers just here in the United States, let alone the world. This is also a small part of the bigger picture; it all contributes to that Fortean-UFOish sphere.

    Another area is Sex and UFOs. Or, UFOs and Sex. Either way, the relationship between the two is strong, as UFO history shows us. Both female and male experiencers of abductions have tales to tell of either sexual examinations, or sexual relations. women are shown hybrid babies, and prodded to nuture and teach these children. Usually the grays are involved in this. Overt sexual encounters are a basic in UFO stories. The Reptilians seem to be a favorite sexual being within the extraterritorial taxonomy. Other beings as well, and of course, these encounters are not exclusive to women; both men and women have experienced sexual encounters with non-human entities. David Hufford’s The Terror That Comes in the Night (Publications of the American Folklore Society New Series) is still the classic to read on visitors in the night; namely the “old hag” appearances.

    Marian Apparitions, or BVM sightings, in the context of UFOs is another area I’ve been interested in for years. I have an unexplainable fascination with Catholic iconography in general, but particularly apparitions of Mary. And I’m convinced they’re paranormal in nature; not having anything to do with religion or a literal interpretation at all. (That’s what I think about all religious experience.) There are lots of good books on this topic, and lots of ones I still need to get my hands on. Jacque Vallee’s Passport to Magonia: On UFOs, Folklore, and Parallel Worlds, a classic of course, writes about this connection. Great Apparitions of Mary: An Examination of Twenty-Two Supernormal Appearances by Ingo Swann is another good book on this subject, which includes apparitions I wasn’t familiar with.And Celestial Secrets: The Hidden History of the Fatima Cover-Up by Joaquim Fernandes is a book I’m looking forward to reading. As is Lisa Schwebel’s Apparitions, Healings, and Weeping Madonnas: Christianity and the Paranormal.

    Whether these things: UFOs, ETs, non-human aliens, the old hag, and other paranormal and supernatural events are connected in some way is still one of the Big Questions. I think that they are, more so than we might think.


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